FIFA Confederations Cup Preview

There’s only a few days left as the eyes of the football world will be on the hosts of next year’s World Cup. The FIFA Confederations Cup which only allows admittance to eight national squads, and is always played one year prior to the World Cup. It’s a prelude to the 2010 World Cup, where we’ll get our first glimpses at some of South Africa’s venues for next years tournament. From looking at some of the rosters, this tournament will be competitive. This year, the hosts South Africa will be joined by Italy, the United States, Brazil, Spain, Iraq, New Zealand, and Egypt.

Group A

There is an imbalance of groupings in this year’s tournament, and Group A is the “simple” group. Spain are the obvious favorites here, anything less than first place and advancing to the next round will be considered a disappointment. I expect Spain, 98% sure, to win the group. I expect number two from this group to be Iraq, though I’m only 67% sure.

Spain (FIFA #1) – The current world number 1 in the FIFA rankings and European champions. They will be exceedingly tough to beat. Their style of play is similar to that of Barcelona’s passing carousel. They are a very strong squad with one of the best, if not the best goalkeeper in the world Iker Casillas. With the core of the Spanish side returning from the squad that won the Euros a year ago, they are Brazil’s biggest threat to take their title. No trouble for Spain to advancing here.
Manager: Vicente Del Bosque – used to manage Real Madrid
Player(s) to look out for: Iker Casillas, this guy will make some crazy saves, unbelievable reflexes and great positioning. Xavi Hernandez, not a prolific goal scorer but he is a key component to the functionality of Spain’s midfield. He hardly ever loses the ball in possession, and rarely ever makes a bad pass. Carles Puyol, the Spanish “elder” with the heart of a champion. He’s a very solid defender.

Iraq (FIFA #77) – Asian Cup winners, and another squad I’m in the dark about. However, beating South Korea along the way to their title is not an easy task. So they have talent, but as of late, that talent has failed to get them into the 2010 World Cup. This is their first major international competition since the 1986 FIFA World Cup where they lost 1-0 to the hosts Mexico. Lucky for them, they actually have a good chance to advance to the knockout round.
Manager: Bora Milutinovic – look familiar? The name should, he used to manage the U.S. back in the day (94′)
Player(s) to look out for: I don’t know.

“Nashat Akram. Showing great vision and a strong mental game, the 24-year-old playmaker is a vital part of the Iraqi side and starred in their Asian Cup win. Steve McClaren has just snapped him up for FC Twente.” (Jon Carter, ESPNsoccernet)

South Africa (FIFA #72) – The hosts, not a particularly strong side, but are in front of their home fans. If Iraq slips up, I think South Africa may be the second team to advance. However, unfortunately for South Africa, playing hosts won’t help them advance any farther than the semifinals of the knockout stage if they were to advance.
Manager: Joel Santana
Player(s) to look out for: I don’t know.

“Steven Pienaar. With McCarthy out of the side, all eyes will be on the tricky Everton winger. Off the back of a great season in England, the midfielder should be a constant attacking threat.” (Jon Carter, ESPNsoccernet)

New Zealand (FIFA #82) – OFC Nations Cup champions. The weakest side by far in the tournament. I was surprised to see their name listed as OFC champions and not Australia (Australia is part of the Asian federation). Oceania is the weakest region in the world, so unfortunately I don’t expect much from New Zealand in this tournament. The competition in this tournament is far too strong for New Zealand.
Manager: Ricki Herbert
Player(s) to look out for: I don’t know.

“Shane Smeltz. The A-League Player of the Year has notched up 12 goals for Wellington Phoenix and set a new record for NZ by scoring in six consecutive matches. Also keep an eye out for 17-year-old West Brom striker Chris Wood. ” (Jon Carter, ESPNsoccernet)

Group B

If Group A is the easy group, then this is the “group of death” in this tournament. Unfortunately the United States will have their hands completely full with the opposition in this group. Both the Brazilians and the Italians are in their group, and between those two nations they share 9 total World Cup championships (Brazil with 5, Italy with 4). Though I’m only 50% sure, I think the winner of this group will be Brazil. Number two, with only 30% assurance, I believe will be Italy. Going with the logical choices, yes, but somehow I don’t think that this will be the case when the three matches are all said and done.

Brazil (FIFA #5) – They are the defending Confederations Cup champions. They are not as strong as Brazilian teams of past. However, they are Brazil the birthplace of many of today’s top football players. In my opinion, they haven’t been the strongest team out of South America in recent times. However, though they are without Ronaldinho and Ronaldo, they still should be very hard to beat. Their defense looks pretty solid on paper. They have a chance to go deep in the tournament, but they are in a tough group. The Brazil – Italy match should be exciting to see (rematch of 1994 World Cup final). This is Brazil’s sixth time participating in this tournament.
Manager: Dunga
Player(s) to look out for: Kaka, now former A.C. Milan midfielder never seems to tire on the field and is fun to watch. Alexandre Pato, A.C. Milan’s youthful striker is a big threat. He has a nose for the goal. Robinho, very quick player, very talented, and full of energy. He has some years ahead of him for Brazil, he will score a lot. Adriano, if he’s playing, he has a dangerous left foot, which is his problem. He only likes his left foot.

Italy (FIFA #4) – They are the defending World Champions, but slipped up in the Euros last summer. Though they were in the “group of death” with the Netherlands, France, and Romania, I honestly expected more from them then. This year they are in yet another difficult group. The Italians will have a lot of experience on their side, which translates into a lot of age but they are comfortable playing among the world’s elite. Believe it or not this year’s participation in the Confederations Cup are the Italians’ first.
Manager: Marcello Lippi – took the Italians to victory in the 2006 World Cup
Player(s) to look out for: Everyone is familiar with Bayern Munich’s Luca Toni. He is Italy’s go to guy because of his height. He was used as the only forward in the 06′ tournament when Italy played the horrid 4-5-1 formation.

United States (FIFA #14) – Current Gold Cup champions and the perennial powerhouse of the CONCACAF region. They are the strongest team (second strongest depending on who you ask), but our region is extremely weak in comparison to Europe and South America. The fates are against the Americans once again as the draw has placed us in another “group of death” where predicting two to advance is difficult. Many of the U.S. players now play overseas which is a change from 02′ even 06′. This is the fourth time participating in the Confederations Cup for the Americans. Their best finish was third (1992 and 1999).
Manager: Bob Bradley
Player(s) to look out for: Landon Donovan, America’s best player playing in the MLS. His services from crosses, corners, and free kicks are dangerous. Freddy Adu (if he plays), he has been left out of the starting rotation a few times, but is a player who will challenge the opposition no matter who they are. The Americans need a player like him. Jozy Altidore, the first American player to play for any club in Spain. He’s a big forward with a lot of speed and could potentially cause problems for anyone in this group. José Francisco Torres, this kid has great potential to be a midfield maestro for the Americans, Bradley needs to take this kid and take a chance with him.

Egypt (FIFA #40) – African Cup of Nations champions. I don’t know anything about this team. I do know to never count out an unknown African team. I’ve said it before, African teams can probably be one of the most dangerous teams in major tournaments because no one really knows what to expect. Reminders: Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002), Nigeria (1994), and Ghana (2006). Their groupmates are the Brazilians, the Italians, and the Americans. It looks rough from their end, but they could surprise us.
Manager: Hassan Shehata
Player(s) to look out for: I don’t know.

“Mohamed Aboutrika. A real talent, the midfielder has been a threat for the Pharoah’s in both goals and assists and came second in the 2008 African Footballer of the Year award.” (Jon Carter, ESPNsoccernet)

1 year away!