World Cup 2010 Blog: “Soundoff: Would You Drop England Goalkeeper Robert Green?” plus 9 more

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• Soundoff: Would You Drop England Goalkeeper Robert Green?
• LiveBlog: Algeria vs Slovenia
• Preview: Germany v. Australia
• Preview: Serbia v. Ghana
• The World Cup Awards: June 12th, 2010.
• The Special 1 (TV) Makes His World Cup Debut
• Why Diego Maradona is My New Favourite Coach
• Lionel Messi v Nigeria: The Highlights.
• Match Review & Highlights: England 1 – USA 1
• England’s First World Cup Goal, As Brought To You By ITV. Or Not.

Soundoff: Would You Drop England Goalkeeper Robert Green? Posted: 13 Jun 2010 05:43 AM PDT When Robert Green let Clint Dempsey’s fairly tame looking shot slip through his hands to gift the USA an equalizer yesterday, the England keeper became the not so proud owner of the first massive massive blunder of World Cup 2010. The sort of blunder that’s devastating for England fans, joyous for USA fans, and just plain hilarious for neutrals. There is no trophy for winning this award. What there might be is a seat on the bench for England’s next game, vs Algeria on June 18th. The England goalkeeping situation has not been clear for a while now. Any of the three keepers (39 year old David James and 23 year old Joe Hart are the other two options) could feasibly have started vs USA. In the end it seems England coach Fabio Capello made the wrong choice. Capello hasn’t said anything one way or the other yet, but it’s definitely possible he could drop Robert Green for the above error and give either James or Hart the gloves. Question is: Should he? On one hand mistakes like the one above are unacceptable, and unacceptable means that if you’ve got other goalkeeping options then you use them. On the other hand Green had a decent game if you ignore the one obvious aberration, and dropping him just one game into the World Cup prevents him being able to bounce back. If you were Fabio Capello, what would you do?

LiveBlog: Algeria vs Slovenia Posted: 13 Jun 2010 03:55 AM PDT Welcome to the WorldCupBlog liveblog of Algeria vs. Slovenia in World Cup Group C. Make your comments before, during and after the match in the liveblog window. Below the main liveblog are videos of the goals so far, and then a feed of trusted Twitter accounts either broadcasting from the match or talking about it. Read up on the match with our Algeria vs Slovenia preview, or at the Algeria and Slovenia blogs. Goal videos: Don’t just take our word on the match. Check out match comments from Twitter accounts that we’ve carefully selected for our Twitter list: Fan Resources   Algeria Team Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Algeria Jerseys | Algeria Tickets   Slovenia Team Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Slovenia Jerseys | Slovenia Tickets

Preview: Germany v. Australia Posted: 13 Jun 2010 12:31 AM PDT This is our main preview for Germany v. Australia, but if you’re looking for previews from the fans of both countries, take a look at the Germany WCB preview and Australia WCB preview. THE BIG PICTURE German coach Joachim Loew added a bit of spice to this one earlier in the week when he suggested that Australia would “offer anything but a great spectacle” and insisted that his team should “want to be able to embarrass opponents with our playing skills”. The Aussies, typically, refused to be drawn on the issue and instead, decided to hang out with John Travolta and sing Grease songs in preparation for their opening match up. Many see Australia as the weakest team in a fairly open group D, but it really is a group where nearly anything could happen. Whilst Germany are missing captain Michael Ballack, and perhaps just a little bit of quality compared to previous World Cups, they are always dangerous and will cause the Australian’s problems. Despite Harry Kewell pleading his fitness, coach Pim Verbeek is likely to keep him out for this one, in the hope he’ll be raring to go for the remaining group games. WHAT'S AT STAKE Group D: Without question, it’ll be Germany pushing to win the game. Australia will be more than happy to hold onto a draw, saving the real work for clashes against Serbia and Ghana. This will actually be the first World Cup match the Australians have ever played away from German soil, having only qualified for the 1974 and 2006 tournaments, both staged in Germany. How ironic then, that they find themselves up against a German side at the start of what they hope will be a similar success story to the 2006 World Cup campaign, which saw them lose out narrowly to eventual champions Italy. Bet on Germany v. Australia OUR PREDICTION Prediction – Australia will want to start off tight and the Germans will find it tough to break them down at first. They have enough about them to wear the backline down however and come the end of the game, they should comfortably win the opening game 2 or 3 – 0. On a side note, we’re expecting a lot from this match in terms of off-the-pitch female “talent”, and we’ll be in the stadium, taking in not only the action on the pitch but the hotness off. FAN RESOURCES   Germany Team Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Germany Jerseys | Germany Tickets   Australia Team Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Australia Jerseys | Australia Tickets WATCH THE MATCH Match begins at 8:30pm local time (2:30pm EST) on ITV (UK) or ESPN (US). Check our list of global World Cup broadcasters for other channels showing the tournament, or watch the match online.

Preview: Serbia v. Ghana Posted: 12 Jun 2010 10:47 PM PDT THE BIG PICTURE Aleksander Lukovic certainly raised the stakes this week by claiming that Ghana have no world class players, a comment that has irked the Ghanaian squad before the opening show down. It is however Ghana who have progressed further then Serbia in their one World Cup campaign, winning two of their group games in 2006, before eventually losing out in the second round to Brazil. Serbia, it should be noted, lost all three. But their defence looks a lot firmer now and it’s no surprise with the likes of Nemanja Vidić in the side that Serbia scored 7 goals from corners in qualifying, a rate topping any other UEFA team. Ghana too, have an air tight back line, with all three Africa cup of nations victories earlier this year coming via a 1-0 scoreline. Ghana may be the best all-around side of the six African nations, and so they’ll carry much of the African dream of advancement through the tournament on their shoulders. This one is certainly going to be a tight affair. WHAT'S AT STAKE Group D: Both sides have real belief that they’re in for a very positive tournament and with question marks being raised about the chances of Germany this time round both will fancy their chances of topping Group D. A bright start will be a must if they are to continue in confident vein and with bold claims of a semi final place coming from the Ghanaian squad, they’ll know a crushing opening day defeat will not only dent spirit, but also embarrass a nation who expect big, big things from this tournament. Serbia, themselves, will want to prove that the failures of 2006 were merely a blip and that a strong qualifying campaign can be brought onto the World stage in South Africa. Bet on Serbia v. Ghana OUR PREDICTION This is an extremely tough game to call and expect a very tight match up with very little being given away by either side. It unfortunately has the potential to be a fairly drab 0-0 and if anything is to decide it, it’ll most likely be a set piece, a mistake or a moment of controversy. But since we have to make a guess, 1-0 to Ghana. FAN RESOURCES   Serbia Team Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Serbia Jerseys | Serbia Tickets   Ghana Team Blog | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter Ghana Jerseys | Ghana Tickets WATCH THE MATCH Match begins at 4:00pm local time (10:00am EST) on ITV (UK) or ESPN (US). Check our list of global World Cup broadcasters for other channels showing the tournament, or watch the match online.

The World Cup Awards: June 12th, 2010. Posted: 12 Jun 2010 08:40 PM PDT Team of the Day: South Korea – and by some margin. They were dynamic, skillful, disciplined and prepared. Floating around the pitch cutting angles and making intelligent runs with the occasional pass to match while staying strong defensively despite charging fullbacks (Cha Du-Ri was particularly impressive – largely because he was being urged on by bikini-clad fans), it wasn’t quite the ‘70 Brazil, but they were shining brightly and have easily become the early candidate for surprise, and perhaps Cinderella, of the tournament. Next up: Argentina. There’s only one thing left to do. Who’s hungry? Player of the Day: Vincent Enyeama, Nigeria. Another day, another lights out performance from an African keeper. Is this the year of the disproved stereotypes? Disproved Stereotype of the Day: “Greece is ultra-defensive and relies on set pieces to score.” Sure they were philosophically defensive and found their best chances from set pieces, but they didn’t score and didn’t really play much defense. That works, no? Best/Worst Substitution: The Argentina front line was being overloaded to the right with the likes of Messi, Tevez and Higuain, so Diego took off one of two proper central midfielders for…an attacking right winger. The man has no clue what he’s doing. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing yet. Website of Choice: I genuinely have zero idea what The Guardian’s twitter replay map means. I’d like to pretend I don’t know what twitter is, to be honest. What I do know is I suspect this is what happens if you take today’s technology back to 1974 and have a bad acid trip. Or good acid trip, depending on your team of choice. Best Advice of the Day: I watched the England-USA match in Spanish, which I don’t speak, for a number of reasons, one of which became prominent: ESPN has turned the stadium volume way, way down. This combats the vuvuzela nicely, but nullifies the World Cup atmosphere just as equally. However, everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy this Spanish-speaking commentator call a game at Royal Bafokeng Stadium. Style Matchup: Fabio’s three-piece cage versus Bob Bradley’s two-piece tracksuit. The Derek Zoolander Award: One Mr. David Beckham. This man has stood subject for so many photoshoots his natural facial contortions are now poses. Fan of the Day: The trifecta of class: i. Beer with no hands. ii. The questionable decision of a fifth division club crest tattoo with possible marijuana leaf. iii. Beer spilling off the chin and down said tattoo. Matchup of the Day: Argentina v Nigeria.

The Special 1 (TV) Makes His World Cup Debut Posted: 12 Jun 2010 07:18 PM PDT There’s something awfully suspicious happening at BBC headquarters – all the pieces are aligning. First Sven took over the Ivory Coast, in turn dragging along Didier “Jacques Cousteau” Drogba; then Jose ran to Real Madrid, assuming puppet Ronny in the process; and finally Rafa Benitez picked up Jose’s old job in Milan. Is this a British conspiracy designed to have Special 1 TV take over the footballing world? Perhaps. One thing hasn’t changed: it’s still as brilliant as ever.

Why Diego Maradona is My New Favourite Coach Posted: 12 Jun 2010 06:00 PM PDT I knew I’d enjoy Diego Maradona’s contribution to World Cup 2010, but I thought it would be more about his crazy antics like running over cameramen, making diva-ish requests and gifting us brilliant brilliant quotes. I dind’t think it would be for his tactics. Yet that’s exactly what happened today, when Maradona fielded easily the most attacking line up of the World Cup so far, and Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0. El Diego’s starting XI featured the following attacking players: Angel Di Maria, Juan Veron, Gonzalo Higuain, Leo Messi, Carlos Tevez and Jonas Gutierez, with the latter playing out of position at right back. That’s six players (over half the team) who can only be described as either attackers or creators. Chris called it “a video game lineup”. I say it’s the way all coaches should run their teams. Obviously that’s not realistic. Coaches want to win things, and getting organized and balanced is usually what does the trick. It takes a crazy person to – if I may steal a phrase – throw all their beef on the grill and field that many attacking players with only Javier Mascherano to keep the defenders company. Fortunately Diego Maradona is such a crazy person. If only the other 31 coaches were equally crazy, then this would be the best World Cup ever. Two more reasons I’m suddently very fond of Diego Maradona. First is that after Leo Messi’s performance vs Nigeria, we can now finally stop saying that Maradona is failing to get Messi playing well. Little Lionel didn’t score today, but he finally looked like the Leo Messi we all know and love and (if we’re opposition defenders) fear, only wearing albiceleste instead of blaugrana. About time. Last but not least, how many other coaches incorporate this particular drill into their training sessions?

Lionel Messi v Nigeria: The Highlights. Posted: 12 Jun 2010 04:51 PM PDT No greater anticipation than that surrounding little Lionel Messi, and in stark contrast to many saddled with the weight of high expectation, he delivered. Maybe not with a goal, though it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying, but he was an absolute nightmare for the Nigerian defense and Vincent Enyeama. Of course Enyeama had some ideas of his own, and earned Man of the Match honors in the process, which caused Messi many moments of exasperated yelling. I’m no lip reader, not least in a language I don’t speak, but my guess is Lionel was suggesting where Vincent Enyeama could kindly place a vuvuzela. (And this doesn’t even show his best run in the opening minutes.)

Match Review & Highlights: England 1 – USA 1 Posted: 12 Jun 2010 02:31 PM PDT England 1 – USA 1 The hype, the media circus, the promise of a renewed power and a plucky upstart and it was all defined by one man, one ball, one howler. The World Cup is hours old and we’ve already had what may reign as the tournament’s biggest blooper – it’s really hard to imagine worse. In the 40th minute, Clint Dempsey shot a harmless bounder in to goal and Robert Green just fumbled it, all the way into the back of the net. A cruel goal on England and a cruel goal on Robert Green, who will endure more criticism in tomorrow morning’s papers due one man. The game looked to be everything most expected: England simply dismissing of the US, much as they would the rest of the group, after Steven Gerrard took a mere four minutes to score England’s first World Cup goal. The ball fell through the center, Emile Heskey dropped back and angled it to the onrushing captain, who merely had to put it in the net past Tim Howard. And that was it. All the hype of England, Fabio Capello and their return to prominence just seemed to fall by the wayside as neither team put on a particularly good performance. Each team defended well, the US clogging the center at very opportune moments, and the goalkeeping outside of Green’s blunder was good, but it wasn’t really a classic. Of course like a classic, Green’s howler will be unforgettable: [101gg] Rob will own the print but there were other notable moments, and one in particular which let England know who’s the Don: after a series of fouls with a half hour barely gone, James Milner was handed a yellow card. Shaun Wright-Phillips began warming up, and soon after was brought on for Milner, well before the half. It’s one of the biggest blows a footballer can suffer, perhaps a short second to “subbed as a sub”. The chances were there but locked in the beta phase save for a few which made their way to, or near the keepers, with the best coming in the second half: Heskey went 1v1 with Howard only to put the ball right in his breadbasket; Altidore forced Green into a near-post dive; and Wayne Rooney went inches on a rather casual shot from distance. The overwhelming feel, however, is that neither team was particularly good, and only the nature of the USA’s goal is what stops it from being a fair result. But it’s the first game of the World Cup, the only time where it’s perfectly okay to say “we could’ve been better”. The US will be the happier of the two, and England will be in for a hard day with Don Fabio tomorrow, but the biggest winners might be Algeria and Slovenia – the world has written them off, and this game seemed to indicate nothing of the sort. Man of the Match: Steven Gerrard Though it wasn’t scripted and Heskey was integral in the buildup, there can be no better start to a World Cup than the captain scoring within moments to set the tone for a World Cup campaign. He also had quite a good game aside, and was a routine pickup from Green from being a national hero.

England’s First World Cup Goal, As Brought To You By ITV. Or Not. Posted: 12 Jun 2010 01:33 PM PDT The most anticipated game for England in four long, long years, one marked by optimism and hope and all those nasty words that lead down the inevitable road to tears for all but one. And then Steven Gerrard, the captain by default…and default again, found some space, kicked the ball and held his arms aloft so that fans could celebrate alongside him after years of disappointment and… ITV blew it. That’s very much real, not edited, from their HD broadcast. Only the World Cup.

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