World Cup 2006 Team Profiles – Group F
Brazil
World Cup Appearances: 18th Appearance; Participated in Every World Cup
Best Finish: Champions (5 – 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
Key Players: Ronaldihno, MF; Ronaldo, F; Adriano, F; Roberto Carlos, D
Notes:
Are you ready for the Samba-style soccer that the Brazilians have made famous? As the Nike commercial featuring the defending champions says, “Joga Bonito! That means play beautiful, and they really do. It’s not just the way they play, but the effectiveness of the way they play. This team is built for international play, with strong strikers, dynamic playmakers, and a strong defense. Can you find the weakness? Well, 31 other teams will be trying to find it. If they hope to compete, they’d better find it.
Qualifying was an interesting experience. They became the first defending champions needing to go through the qualifying stages of the World Cup ever, but they did not disappoint. They were the higest scoring team in qualifying and the second stingiest in goals allowed. Ronaldo led their group with 10 tallies. They also were unbeaten at home, which isn’t too much of a feat considering that Brazilian fans can be the most supportive in the world. They did suffer one loss to their continental rivals, argentina, but more than made up for it by taking the top spot in the group and beating them in the finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup. That aside, they will return to the World Cup again, a place tournament which has seen them participate in the championship match the last three times, winning two of them (USA 1994 and Japan/Korea 2002).
Where do you begin with this team? Well, it starts for with Ronaldihno, the player who I consider the best in the world. He’s incredible in almost all aspects of the game. He is almost supernatural with his ball control, performing moves in game situations that many cannot perform by themselves on the practice pitch. He’ll switch from foot to foot with ease and is equally skilled with either. Come on, you’ve seen the Nike commercials. Anyone who is fabled to have scored 23 goals in one game when he was younger can be considered a talented player to say the least. He is always at least fun to watch and plays with such a joy and passion for the game.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, is still one of the top strikers in the world, mentioned in the same breath as Thierry Henry or Michael Owen. He’s scored 59 career goals in international play, and is almost at the century mark for international caps for the Brazilian team. He’s a three-time FIFA Player of the Year and has been a part of two World Cup championship sides. Ronaldo, however, does not come without controversy. He’s been known to be plagued with more than just the occasional knicks and scratches, and sometimes it is questioned whether or not he is applying full effort on the pitch. His defenders are quick to point out, however, that although it may seem as though there is no effort, Ronaldo possesses so much skill that it only appears as though there is no effort. He has rewarded the Brazilian national side’s faith in him, scoring 8 goals in 2002’s WC in their 7 games.
They are solid all over the field. They’ve got Adriano, who himself is a world-class striker and compliments Ronaldo well in the attacking third. Their defense is solid, and Dida in goal rightfully takes his place amongst the world’s best. The Brazilians definitely play beautiful, and we’ll have to see whether anyone can stop them. When you’re the favorite and the defending champions, other teams have to stop you, not the other way around.
Japan
World Cup Appearances: 3rd Appearance; 3rd Consecutive
Best Finish: Last Sixteen (2002)
Key Players: Hidetoshi Nakata, MF; Shunsuke Nakamura, MF
Notes:
Japan enters the 2006 WC Finals as the Asian champion, and although they’ve had trouble at times asserting themselves consistently, they were eventually able to be the first team from the region to qualify for the World Cup. Led by former Brazilian legend Zico, the Japanese are looking to make a bigger splash in this finals than in the ones that they hosted four years ago. They’ve steadily improved their finish in each of their first two World Cups, and look to continue the improvement in Germany.
They finished off qualifying with a game to spare despite struggling in their final round opener against Korea and losing a match in Iran 2-1. You can say that Japan has the best midfield of any Asian team. Three of their primary players are European-based, and the fourth is a bonafide star in Japan’s J-League.
They are led by two-time Asian Player of the Year Hidetoshi Nakata, who has played professionally in Europe in Italy and England since 1998. He’s a gifted combination of playmaker and ball-handler, and he will definitely be one of the biggest keys to Japan’s success or failure. Some regard Nakata as the best player that Japan has ever produced. Shunsuke Nakamura and Shinji Ono are the other mids who are based in Europe, and they both bring the same playmaking ability and instincts that make them so formidable. Although Ono is back in Japan now, he made his name in Europe playing in the Netherlands, and has brought back his European experience to Japan and are now working on integrating some of those philosophies to the national side. Nakamura will be vital to the Japanese offense.
They aren’t as dynamic up-front, despite the brilliance of the midfielders. They rely on Masashi Oguro to provide the scoring for the team. They just don’t have that natural striker that can score when needed. Former coach Philippe Troussier even tried to shift some of the midfield talent they have to the striking position, but no one was able to take the huge burden. If they can either get great play from the midfielders and have them carry the team, or they will be hard-pressed to apply pressure to the stronger teams in their group.
Croatia
World Cup Appearances: 3rd Appearance; 3rd Consecutive
Best Finish: 3rd Place (1998)
Key Players: Niko Cranjcar, MF; Dado Prso, F
Notes:
The Croatians were able to finish group qualifying at the top of their group, tied with rival Sweden but holding the head-to-head difference. They were undefeated in 10 total matches, notching victories in 7. They now return to the World Cup for the third time since they separated from Yugoslavia in 1991 and having joined FIFA the following year. They were able, in their first appearance, to finish third in the entire finals, defeating the Netherlands to ensure their place. They were able to defeat Italy, but losses to Mexico and Ecuador sent them home early. They head to Germany with a repeat of 1998 on their minds, not of 2002.
If they are to do that, they will need the scoring prowess of their star striker, Dado Prso. He blossomed late compared to other football players worldwide, but this striker has been able to gain a little international notoriety. This came, largely in part, to his performance in a UEFA Champions game when he tallied four times en route to leading the team to the finals in 2004. Most strikers, especially European-based ones, are usually noticed early and developed by playing in the minor leagues of some of the top European divisions. He became discouraged after going to France and even quit football for a while. But he was able to work his way back into France’s top division until a knee injury once again forced him down. But he once again fought back and is now playing in Scotland for the Glaskow Rangers. He will be key for the Croatians, as he must find the scoresheet early and often for them to have a shot at advancing.
Being the coach’s son is always a challenge, at any level. But try playing for your father on a national World Cup team. That’s the situation that Nico Cranjcar. is in with the Croatian team. Instead of having difficulty assimilating to the role, he’s embraced it. Cranjcar is the leader of the team. He’s a throwback to the old Croatian midfielders, the golden age of the attacking mids. Most of the Croatian mids right now are defensive-minded, and with Kranjcar, he’s more offensive than the others. He’s a solid playmaker with the ability to put pinpoint passes on the feet of players like Prso up front.
Croatia will need to be fast in the midfield to compete with their group. Japan’s skill in the middle, and Brazil with Ronaldihno and Co will be tough to mark and keep up with. If they can score early, Croatia can play well from ahead. But from behind with a lack of quality offensive minds in the midfield, it will be a problem.
Austrailia
World Cup Appearances: 2nd Appearance; Last – 1974
Best Finish: Group Stages (1974)
Key Players: Tim Cahill, MF; Mark Schwarzer, GK
Notes:
This is the second time around for the Austrailians, and they hope that this time they’ll be able to get out of the group stages. The last time the Socceroos qualified for the WC finals, they were held in Germany as well. This team had to go to international play-offs before securing their spot in the finals. They had little trouble in the preliminary rounds, dominating their Oceania group with 4 wins and 1 draw in five matches. They also defeated the Solomon Islands 9-1 in their two match series to determine who would play the South American fourth place team for the right to qualify for the WC finals. They needed penalties to defeat Uraguay, but they accomplished the task and are now in Germany.
They will rely on a team that has a lot of their key players playing in England, which seems to be the preferred destination for Austrailian nationals. They are led by their goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer, who is widely considered one of the best goalkeepers in the Premiership. He was huge in the Uruguay match during the penalties. Schwarzer is a consistent goaltender who is great with angles and knows when to challenge shooters and when to sit back and play the ball. The key to his performance is his confidence and ability to shake mistakes and bad breaks off quickly without it affecting his play.
Out on the field, they rely on a battery of solid players at all three phases of the field. One of the key players is Tim Cahill, the midfielder who plays his club football in Everton of the Premiership. He’s got this knack for showing up when defenders and opponents sleep on his position on the field and are off on their marks. He scores important and game-changing goals on such a consistent basis that it’s a wonder that he still continually finds himself so open so often. He’s equally dangerous with his head as he is with his feet, and is amazing accurate with his head in any situation. He’s one of the best scoring mids in the Premiership and the Aussies’ chances are riding on his leadership and performance in the midfield.
Can they score effectively. We know that Schwarzer will be able to hold his own, at least be solid in goal, and they will have to support him in the defensive third and tally enough for them to win. If they can, they could make their way out of group stages and into the elimination stages. If we are to assume that the Brazilians take the top spot in this group, then we’ll have to see who will be able to capture second. The Aussies have a prime oppotunity to make that jump.
