Photo: Adidas Fussball’s Flickr stream
Since its inception, the Tigerblog has always aimed to be the world’s favorite source of football analysis and poetry, and starting today we begin our coverage of the 2010 World Cup. In an effort to commemorate the hyperactive build-up to South Africa 2010 as well as the awe and majesty that will radiate from pitches from Green Point to Polokwane, the Tigerblog has assembled a squadron of footy-obsessed sociopaths elite observers to wax prosaic about the biggest sporting event (sorry Winter Olympics) of 2010.
Hey guys,
So the draw’s over and sweet mercy, I’m even more excited than before! Tons to talk about: Which giant is most likely to fall? Will Onyewu be ready to play 90 mins of top-level ball against England? Who will help Messi on Argentina? Who’s a better left back for Brazil, Fabio Aurelio, Cicinho or-gasp!-the dinosaur Roberto Carlos?
One subject that seems appropriate right now is how closely we should watch the African Cup of Nations. The African teams that will be playing in the WC will have a excellent opportunity to refine their lineups, rotations, and tactics at a high level of competition. Fortunately for them (but unfortunately for their European employers and the national federations’ insurance companies), I’d expect more than a few of the big teams to man the torpedoes and go all in to win the tournament, since there really is no substitute for the competitive pressure that comes in a tournament game. No friendly Portugal can play would prepare them for the fire of WC competition that their opening game counterpart Cote D’Ivoire (let’s see pics of that Puma jersey, Pab!) will have had by going hard in the Cup of Nations. That said, who’s the Cup of Nations favorite?
I’d also like to formally announce my conspiracy theory here: I don’t like the idea of Landon Donovan playing for Everton this winter/spring. I think some Englishman nobody cares about is going to try to be the Cornwallis of his generation and take him out. There’s always a huge marquee injury that occurs right before the World Cup (see Cisse, Rooney, and Owen, to name only a few), and I just don’t like this move. If I’m pressed, I’d say that the most likely person to do the dirty job would be Lee Bowyer, that asshole. Honorable mentions go to Kevin Davies, Gareth Barry and Nigel Reo-Coker. So watch out, Landon.
While I expect a number of players to rotate on this list, I think one of the breakout players this year will be Guillermo Ochoa, the emaciated and acrobatic Mexican GK. He’s got all the right moves, and while he may not be the primary reason why Mexico go through to the second round, he’ll be the primary reason why they will win a game in the knockout round. He’ll organize the defense, distribute the ball, and use his excellent reflexes to great effect, and his reward after the tournament will be a fat contract to play for Mallorca or somebody in La Liga and the requisite following of supermodels.
Man, this Jabulani fire is hot! What are you boys thinking? Dreaming about vuvuzelas? Haunted by Argentina’s inconsistency? Or just coveting one of those sweet Greece shirts?
Yours in footballing madness,
Aaron