Day 3

We're still all clearly in the 'feeling each other out' department at the moment eh?  The team at the World Cup I mean, don't get too excited, dear reader.

Not the Germans though.

I've just watched them comprehensively pull Australia apart in a 4-0 win with no indication whatsoever that Michael Ballack was being missed.  Mesut Ozil pulled all the strings, as predicted earlier on in IBWM (see introducing the pretenders) and looked as lively as anyone so far, Leo Messi included.

I mentioned in that post that England had pretty much lived off the 5-1 win in Munich in 2001for the bulk of the last 9 years.  In all that time, the Germans have looked, on paper at least, like an inferior side with no world stars.  Meanwhile the golden boys of the England team strutted their way across premiership screens in China, India and Timbuktu.  Of course during all this, the Germans were rebuilding, yet still managed to get to the latter stages, even finalists, in World Cups and European Championships.  

By the summer of 2009, Germany were European under-21 champions with a good half a dozen players ready to step up to the full national side.  And so here they are.  With the exception of two players effectively challenging for the same position in Walcott and Lennon, England only have the effervescent Rooney and decidedly average James Milner not kicking around their 30's.

Anyway, I'll get back off my soapbox now.  

 £30 million?  Jesus............

Nothing to write home about today, if we're going to be brutally honest, and we are.  Algeria and Slovakia offered very little, although Ghana against Serbia had it's moments.  More a tale of who was best equipped to handle a 'must win' game out of these two.  Ghana, carrying the weight of expectation from an African nation, had a bit of cut and thrust about them, while Serbia, quite simply, froze on the big stage.

As for Argentina, just in case you thought I'd forgotten, it was a day of reflection.  Saturday's 1-0 win over Nigeria might not have been as convincing as it could have been, but it doesn't half feel good to get a win under your belt, as El Diego will have noted while loosening his.

And there was praise for Maradona's tactical acumen from midfield linchpin, Juan Sebastien Veron.

We may have questioned El Diego's selection of Jonas at right back, but 'Seba' feels that there is genius at work on the coaching front.  Discussing Gabriel Heinze's sixth minute bullet header, Veron waxed lyrical about his coach;

"Diego prepared (the move) and we practised (with Heinze) for a couple of hours

"They (Nigeria) mark in zones, but bunched inside (the six yard box) leaving a very big hole . And it came off at the first attempt.

It did indeed.  But while IBWM thought 'El Gringo' (Heinze ) took his goal well, I'm not buying the move as any tactical wizardry.  If I was coaching a national side, I'd at least expect my opponents to offer a degree of man-marking, yet Nigeria didn't, and that's why they lost.  Simple as.  Sorry Diego.  Still, that should keep you in the team, Juan.

A tactical genius, last week 

As it goes, Veron may be in line to miss La Albiceleste's next game against South Korea on Thursday due to a leg injury, with Javier Pastore likely to deputise.  Tipped for bigness by IBWM, lets see how he goes.

Comments are very welcome.