Eyes on the Greatest Prize of All

So the World Cup is almost upon us.  Here at Kiwi Sports Blog, it is generating quite a bit of excitement, leading to the creation of two fantasy teams, picking the results of all first round games, and filling out a bracket for the whole tournament.  Not to mention multiple trips to the TAB and Centrebet websites.  But it seems KSB has fallen victim to the hype machine for the Cup with a number of choices and bets.




Since I don't have the knowledge to write my own World Cup preview, I'm not doing one. Instead, I thought I'd share this ESPN 'roundtable' article going into the key points and debunking some of the myths of the Cup.  How I wish this was available a few weeks ago.

The first discussion point: How will the African teams do? Can one of them reach the quarterfinals?

From Ravi Ubha:
"I'd be surprised if one surpasses the group stage. The two best African teams, Ghana and the Ivory Coast, got horrible draws. With Essien out, Ghana is missing its best player, too. As talented as they are, African teams still lack European steel and organization."

Of course the same may now apply to Ivory Coast with Drogba.  It seems this bet is hardly worth the (electronic) paper it is printed on.

KSB was also backing England to be the best Euro side behind Spain, making a semifinal appearance.  But apparently, though many say this is the best England side since 1990, it is being overhyped.

Brent Latham says:
"The team is overrated only in England, where bookmakers -- reflecting bettors' attitudes -- make England third favorite to win. Few serious observers would make it any better than sixth or seventh favorite. They have some great talent, but plenty of holes, as well."

England features high in the KSB bracket, but if they aren't poised to make a deep run, then this bet suddenly looks a lot better.

The panel is sceptical when it comes to Spain and KSB's homeboy Fernando Torres, but perhaps this is a case of a bunch of cynics being altogether too cynical.  Besides, when you ask a question like How can Spain not win? you are just begging to be taught a lesson.

From Latham's mouth:

"The Spanish will have to beat four top-level teams to win the World Cup. They've never proved they can do that at this level. Throw in some key injury worries and the Spanish juggernaut, though still a co-favorite, is far from a sure thing."

KSB got one thing right!  Italy and Germany are still a threat.  Germany could prove to be the team that upsets Spain in the semis (if Italy doesn't do it first in the quarters), with their contrasting styles and Germany's physical nature.  But Germany has a mighty tough quarterfinal in Argentina to get through first.

Ubha says:
"Never write off the Italians or Germans. They just know how to grind out wins."

Is the Group of Death overhyped?

According to the panelists, this is the weakest Group of Death in memory.  Add to that Drogba's possible absence and Portugal's bumpy road to the Cup - maybe North Korea will get more points than New Zealand after all.

Jeff Carlisle says it isn't even the right group:
"That depends on your definition. If you're referring to Group G with Brazil, Ivory Coast and Portugal, in my opinion it's hard for any group containing North Korea to have that tag. I still say, top to bottom, that Group D - with Germany, Ghana, Australia and Serbia -- is the toughest. Any two of those four teams could progress."

The panelists also tackle one of the most interesting off-field stories: Maradona's general craziness and how it will affect Argentina, who field a very strong team.

Leander Schaerlaeckens (what a name that is!) says:
"Flip a coin. Heads: He motivates them and Argentina catches fire. Tails: He drives over Messi's leg, chews him out and it all falls apart."

Hopefully the next 3 days, 8 hours and 30 minutes will go as quickly as a forest fire and we'll have some images of crazed football fans and quality play to revel in.

PS. If you want to join our group for either the bracket game or the fantasy game, leave a comment.