Conor: World Cup Predictions

So the World cup is nearly upon us I think it’s time we all give our insight into how the 64 games will go down. What will be the high’s and the lows of the tournament. Who will be the star player’s and who will surprise a few punters. Who will add their name to the most coveted trophy on the planet.

Young Player of the Tournament:

This is only a new award and was only introduced in Germany 2006 with Lukas Podolski grabing the price. The player I’m selecting may be somewhat controversial because of the country in which he is from. His country is no other than France. His name is Hugo Lloris and he is the goalkeeper. Selecting a Frenchman may be a bold choice but on www.sowhatdidyouthinkofthegame.blogspot.com it is all about selecting who you see as the best regardless of any potential prejudice.

As you all know this guy is probably the only French man to come out of the France V Ireland game with any credit from Irish fans. He was simply phenomenal in ensuring his team made it on the plane to South Africa. He is a young man and if the French are to go far it will be thanks to his hands.

Top Goal Scorer:

When I was growing up the easy answer to this was Ronaldo of Brazil but sadly he is no longer deemed good enough to grace the big stage. Klose is never a bad bet either. He seems to get by for club but country is a completely different matter. He shines for the Germans.

The player I’m going to be backing all the way is that of David Villa. The 40 Million Euro man has just transferred to Barcelona and will no doubt want to prove to his new club and the World he is worth every single cent of that price. I’m a huge fan aswell and I am going to be wearing Villa on my jersey this summer. I backed David Villa in Euro 2008 and it proved to be a great bet so this time I still think he has the hunger to achieve something great. He was a scoring machine for Valencia despite them not being one of the powerhouses of Europe.

The Spanish nickname him “The Kid” so I think once again he is ready to provide Spain with the fire power they will need to reach great heights.

Player of the Tournament:

Of course this is a massive question to ask anyone considering that the tournament will carry 736 players to be exact. Of that number it is most likely to be only about 50 in the running to join the likes of Zidane, Johan Cruijff, Maradona and win the Golden Ball. To be in with a change of winning this trophy you need to be an inspiration to your country and provide them with something magic in the last 20 minutes of a game.

This year the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Rooney have the expectations of their nations upon them. They are superstars for their club’s and countries so for obvious reason they will be favourites. The player I see will shine this World Cup will be Wesley Sneijder. Possibly not an obvious man to nominate for this massive award but I see the Dutch performing well this tournament and I believe this man will help them achieve success.

Wesley has had a pretty good season this year with Inter being instrumental in the semi final first leg game with an equaliser in a game they went on to win. He was also involved in the final with an assist. Jose obviously rates him very highly with him already strongly being linked with a move back to Real.

His international form is pretty good aswell with him grabbing a goal in a World Cup build up game against Ghana. In Euro 2008 he helped Holland play some beautiful football prior to their knock out to Russia. I see this world cup being the one that Wesley Sneijder becoming hot property in the transfer market post World Cup.

Surprise Team of the Cup:

The cup will take place in Africa so this means one of the African teams is likely to perform well. The African team that I see having a good World cup will be Nigeria. The team is managed by Lars Lagerbäck who has managed in two previous World cups which will help the team. Martins and Yakubu would frighten any defenders and will bang in a few goals for their country. I see them reaching the last eight.

Winner:

Winning the World Cup is said to be the greatest feeling any Patriot can feel. So once you win this you have got bragging rights for life. Just look at the 1966 England team they or their country has never forgotten about it. So that’s enough stalling who will win?

I really want to make a bold prediction and go for someone outlandish and say they will win the cup but after some investigation I still go back to my original answer and that’s Spain. They are simply World Class.

The defence is their weakness but no team can be perfect. With that said they only conceded 3 goals on route to victory in Euro 2008 and also obtained 10 out of 10 win in qualifying for South Africa so that’s not bad as a potential weakness is it. So if Spain are to go all the way it will be down to the likes of Ramos, Puyol and Pique

The midfield will leave you breathless with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Silva and Fabergas but to name a few. Not much explaining necessary for this guys as they can single handily change the fate of a game with a single pass.

The strikers are both superstars. David Villa I have spoken about and we all know the power of Torres. Torres is in trouble with Injury so for Spain to be the ultimate force they are they will need a fully fit Torres.

Only 8 days to go so it’s going to be upon us before you can blink 20 times.

So that’s how I see it all going down. Looking forward to hearing what you guys think about it all.

Keep reading,

Conor

Germany V Italy- Champions of Europe

This year Madrid takes centre stage for the pinacle of Club football. Despite the fact most football pundits and players regard Spain and England to be the strongest football leagues neither will appear at this years final. Italy and the German league will be fighting it out to make a claim for the strongest league. Between the two clubs they hold 6 Champions League wins so both teams will know just what's at stake. Bayern won it last in 2001 and Inter hasn't since 1965. So for both it's been a pretty long wait. Let's hope this will transpire into a hunger for this coveted piece of silverware.

No love loss is shared between the teams with former player Robben saying of his former coach "Mourinho plays to win. And he doesn't care in what way." This is so true and will most likely lead to a low scoring game. Bayern however have always historically played to look good and win at the same time so let's hope they can get an early goal which will transpire into Mourinho and Inter haveing to come out and play some real football.

VERDICT: I see Mourinho being too clever in this tie so I'm going to back Inter to get a narrow win thanks to a goal by superstar Samuel Eto'o.

Over and Out,

Conor

Bayern v Inter....FC Hollywood v The Special one

I am quite looking forward to this game actually.It is a final between two teams who have claimed their domestic titles and both are worthy of their final spot (although as a massive Manchester United fan I can't help but think "what if...").In this sense,both teams are "in the zone' now because they have fought for their title's until the bitter end.Bayern and Inter have a never say die attitude and that will be a factor in this final.

In terms of preparation for the final,well Frank Ribery is a big loss for Bayern but they have had time to come to terms with this (although they tried their hardest to overturn it).I know a few of us here have been quite impressed by Altintop,so he will be important.Bayern have match winners and players on form.

In terms of Inter,once again Mourinho is the focus of attention.The "will he won't he go to Real Madrid saga"!!!!!He is the master at taking the attention off his players and this could be important.Snjeider's return to fitness is very important and Van Gaal will be well aware of this.Maicon is a player I really admire,so his runs up and down will have to be stopped.

The final outcome.......I think that Inter will win this one.I know Bayern are looking good and it is going to be tight but Mourinho's arrogance has rubbed off on his players and I think they have the bit between their teeth.Samuel Eto'o hasn't had the best of season's (by his high standards!) but if there is one man I would back to score a goal,it would be him,been there and done it!!!

While I was writing this,I was listening to the Champions League final theme song which translates into

The Masters
The Best
The Great Teams
The Champions!

Lets hope all these quality's are on display on Saturday (I miss Wednesday) to mark a classic final.

Regards,

Gary Daly

Bayern vs Inter: Return of the student...

There is one key factor to the Champions League final that I feel is being over looked. I know it is not going to be the difference on the pitch but there is an interesting dynamic between the two coaches that I feel will have a big impact on the game.

Jose, the Special One, learned all there is to know about football coaching from Van Gaal while they were together in Barca. Jose will be dying to beat his former master. It will be like a player who comes back to a club after being away for a period of time, they feel like they have something to prove.

This relationship is brilliant for the neutral when the player has left under 'stressed' circumstances and they want revenge to show how good they have become but Van Gaal and Jose left on good terms. This is why I think Bayern will win the game.

This will not be the prettiest final for the neutral but I see Bayern winning 2-1 with the little men Olic and Robben playing key roles. I think it would be great for the German's to win just so they can show you can run a club well within its means and still win the Champions League.

I won't give my probable line up but I think Bayern will score first. Inter will equalise and then Bayern will score again late in the second half!

The beginning!

So what did you think of the game?

Those eternal words are uttered by men (and one woman, Dani) all over the world. Its what makes sport great. The shared experience of a single event which causes a wide variety of opinion that causes endless hours of discussion. Opinions that are tainted by allegiances, personal experiences, a sense of injustice, or just down right hatred.

This summer the worlds largest sporting event will take place in South Africa, the FIFA 2010 World Cup. This blog will share with you the opinions of a group of Irish living in Australia and the experiences they have and the opinions they form while watching this glorious event. We even have a woman's perspective...

The countdown to the World Cup is on with most domestic leagues wrapped up and we will get some pre-season blogging in after the Champions League final.

Charlie