World Cup: A preview of Group C

By Zain Alvi | 24th March 2010

World Cup: A preview of Group C | read this item

This is one of the most talked about groups in this summer’s showpiece event in South Africa because after all, this is the group where both England and the United States reside. When the two teams were drawn together, speculation quickly became rife in regards to the most likely result of the clash between the duo.

More importantly, many are left wondering as to what exactly the impact of the much-awaited England versus USA match will be on Group C as a whole. Let’s not forget, the very talented Algeria and the extremely hardworking Slovenia are also fighting to finish in the top two by the end of the group stages.

The two favorites

The media acknowledges the threat posed by both Algeria and Slovenia but it seems that there is a consensus that the England will prevail to the knock-out rounds along with the US. The Three Lions are poised to finish as the group leaders and they really don’t have any other option under the strict leadership of disciplined boss Fabio Capello. Their counterparts from across the Atlantic, on the other hand, cannot be so sure of progress just yet, though.

Despite an impressive showing as the runner-up to Brazil in last summer’s Confederation’s Cup, Bob Bradley’s United States side still lacks the much needed exposure of regularly playing top teams in the world. In a recent friendly against the Netherlands, they often looked clueless despite containing the Dutch to a 2-1 scoreline.

Given that Slovenia had to beat the crafty Russians and Algeria had to beat African champions Egypt to reach the FIFA World Cup finals, the US has its work cut out to justify its status as the second favorite nation in this group.

Watch out for

Wayne Rooney has no doubt stolen the headlines en route to becoming England’s key to glory this summer. But let’s not forget, Frank Lampard will be equally important for the Three Lions. In 2006, when Lampard established himself as one of the most consistent performers in club football, his underachievement is the World Cup stood out more than anyone else despite the fact that his teammates did not excel either. Therefore, his importance is incalculable to England’s cause. In the defense, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand must develop a solid partnership that allows zero leakage.

For the United States, Fulham’s Clint Dempsey and former Everton forward/winger Landon Donovan will be the most significant players. Bradley’s son Michael has also impressed during his stints as a midfielder in the Eredevisie and Bundesliga. Young starlet Stuart Holden is also a force to be reckoned with in the attack.

Algeria, though, possess their own share of creative attacking threat in the form of the highly talented Wolfsburg midfielder Karim Ziani. Slovenia, on the other hand, rely on their sound team chemistry, which is certainly a dangerous quality to watch out for.

Keys to success

By far the most balanced team in the group, England don’t need to rely on players in a certain part of the field to deliver more than others. For Capello’s men, the greatest key to success is to forget complacency and treat each game as a cup final. With that mentality, I don’t see why a team with so much talent will fail to satisfy its objectives.

For the United States, the attacking prowess certainly needs to show while both Algeria and Slovenia will just need to concentrate throughout the 90 minutes in every single game in order to prove their doubters wrong.

Predictions

England will beat the United States 2-1 but will manage to produce clean sheets in 2-0 victories over both Algeria and Slovenia. Slovenia and Algeria will play to a 1-1 draw while the United States will pick up four points from their games against the two underdogs in the group. The CONCACAF leaders will beat Algeria 3-2 in a high scoring thriller but will draw a blank against Slovenia, which should nevertheless be enough to seal progress.

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