The Last Word - Sports Blog (Sean Simara)

Finally an England performance to be proud of at this years World Cup. Capello has come under a lot of pressure in the past few days, but his decision to bring in Milner and Defoe for Lennon and Heskey worked better than he could have ever wished. It was Milners wicked ball in from the right that Defoe latched onto and put away in the first half. Defoe comes alive when he is in the box, you may not notice him much but he will be remembered as the man who fired England into the last 16 of the World Cup.  Rooney’s form is still to be questioned. Yes, he did play much better and linked up with Gerrard very well at times. However he does not look 100% or it could be something else on his mind. Rooney has never been away from his child for this long and could be missing his little one and that could be playing on his mind. Lampard, who also came in for a lot of slack played his best game for England for years. To be fair it was only a 7/10 but its better then what you usually get from him.

As the dust settles and all the teams have played their first games at this year’s World Cup I look back at the early talking points of the tournament. England’s performance was not the best but it also wasn’t the worst. Rob Greens howler will live long in the memory of English football now. He will get hounded at every away ground next season just like James, Carson and Robinson have gone through. I think England will learn a lot from the USA game, and I truly think that Joe Cole has to be on the pitch. I would play him behind Rooney which means dropping Heskey even though he did play well on Saturday. My team on Friday would be, Green (One more chance to save his England career), Johnson, Terry, Dawson, A. Cole, Barry, Lennon, Lampard, Gerrard, J. Cole and Rooney. The most impressive team so far have been Germany. They walked all over Australia and with a very young side they could go a long way. Spain suffered the first World Cup shock when Switzerland beat them 1-0. Spain were the

Group C England USA Algeria Slovenia England – They have the manager, they have the players, all they need is a bit of luck and learn how to take penalties. England go into the tournament in decent form, and with the country backing them to do the business. Key Man – Wanye Rooney had his best scoring season at Man United last season, he is without a doubt the most important player in the team. USA - They are not the most technically gifted but they will work hard and will be hard to break down. Key Man– Clint Dempsey, the Fulham man can get up and down the pitch and score. He will be vital for the USA. Algeria- Known as the Desert Foxes they have a lot of pace and can break from box to box swiftly. They do have the potential to cause an upset but I don’t think they will. Key Man– Majid Bougherra, he is the star man of the defence and will lead from the back. Slovenia- There not to be underestimated, with a short passing style and keep ball mentality they could cause a shock by getting

Group B Argentina Nigeria South Korea Greece Argentina– Maradona is one of Argentina’s legends and always will be, know he does of the squad to replicate their win exactly 24 years ago. Key Man– Gonzalo Higuain, he is the classic number 9, with most of the opposing teams defences focusing on Messi the Real Madrid front man could find that small space he needs to score. Nigeria- There best form of attack is defence. They basically play three defensive midfielders in front of the back four. They have a lot of power and energy but little quality. Key Man- Peter Odemwingie he shone in the African Cup of Nations and is vital to their attack. South Korea – They were the only unbeaten team in the Asian zone during the qualifying campaign. They have a fast slick movement and will be hoping to steal 2nd in the group. Key Man – Park Chu – young is a star at AS Monaco and plays just behind the front man, he will be key if they do anything in the summer. Greece – Their tactics will be to stifle te

World Cup Group A South Africa Mexico Uruguay France South Africa - As a host nation they have a massive boost in confidence, and you must remember that no host nation have ever failed to get beyond the group stage. Key Man - Steven Pienaar he is the star of the team; he could boost his career in England by shining at this summer’s tournament. Mexico – They are from South America so they are naturally gifted footballers, but miles behind the like of Chile, Argentina and of course Brazil. They will be more than happy if they get out the group. Key Man - Javier Hernandez, there will be no better way for the new united front-man to make a mark on united fans by proving what he can do on the biggest stage of them all. Uruguay – The two time winners are one of the most inconsistent teams at the World Cup and after years of player division Nacional and Penarol (players based at home and playing abroad) they are more united than ever. Key Man Diego Forlan- The Madrid front-man is 31 and will