World Cup 2010 Previews: Group B

B Is for Banal

The draw for World Cup 2010 (South Africa!) is complete, and now we must wait for 6 months until the matches begin. But here at UF we are incredibly inpatient impatient, and have no fear of being proven idiots, so we are launching our Group previews. Who plays who, and where? Which players will we identify as vital to their country’s advancement only for them to be left off the roster in the next few months? Which country will we tab as the surprise of the group only to see them fail to earn a single point in the group stage?

Join me after the jump for generalizations, highly inaccurate predictions, and straight-up misinformation, won’t you?

Spectator reporting for duty. My good friend the NY Kid already let you know about Group A, including where the hell the stadiums are located.  Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about Group B.

(All times EST)

Saturday, June 12:
Match #1 – Argentina v. Nigeria; 7:30 a.m. at Ellis Park Stadium (Johannesburg)
Match #2 – Korea Republic v. Greece; 10:00 a.m. at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (Port Elizabeth)

Thursday, June 17:
Match #3 – Greece v. Nigeria; 10:00 a.m. at Free State Stadium (Bloemfontein)
Match #4 – Argentina v. Korea Republic; 2:30 p.m. at Soccer City (Johannesburg)

Tuesday, June 22:
Match #5 – Greece v. Argentina; 2:30 p.m. at Peter Mokaba Stadium (Polokwane)
Match #6 – Nigeria v. Korea Republic; 2:30 p.m. at Moses Mabhida Stadium (Durban)

And now a little bit about each team…

Country: Argentina (a/k/a the Argies, or La Albicelestes if you are being polite)
Coach: This guy
Current FIFA ranking: #8
WC history: 14 appearances, won in 1978 and in 1986 thanks to that goal, made to the final match in 1930 and 1990, but have not advanced past the quarterfinals since 1990.
How they qualified: Poorly
Players of note: The teamsheet begins and ends with Lionel Messi, but elsewhere there’s the rising talent of Javier Mascherano, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Agüero and Fernando Gago, alongside vets like Gabriel Heinze, Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso and Diego Milito. (I’ll just assume you know which clubs these players appear for.) Maradona does not lack in options and should, if he has half a brain, be able to put forth a world-beating starting XI. The question as always is whether the team will click and whether Maradona has the man management skills to avoid yet more underachievement.
Important notes: Maradona has been famously suspended for two months thanks to that outburst. Now we will see whether Argentina adopts a bunker mentality, us against the world, or whether the circus act begins to wear thin. Argentina has the best player in the world and a very deep squad, and they lucked out with a fairly easy group stage draw. However, they are just so damned inconsistent that about anything is possible.

Country: Nigeria (a/k/a the Super Eagles)
Coach: Shaibu Amodu
Current FIFA ranking: #22
WC history: Appeared in 1994, 1998 and 2002. Advanced to the Round of 16 twice.
How they qualified: Narrowly made it to the 2010 World Cup on the last day of qualifying when they beat Kenya and Tunisia lost.
Players of note: Nigeria lacks out-and-out superstars but has a wealth of well-known middling talent from the EPL and Europe, including Obafemi Martins (Wolfsburg), Mikel John Obi (Chelsea), Yakubu (Everton), Joseph Yobo (Everton), Danny Shittu (Stupid F**king Bolton), Kanu (Pompey) and Taye Taiwo (Marseille).
Important notes: Nigeria wobbled its way into the World Cup, but now safely aboard they have the making of a proverbial Cinderella story. Nigeria can put forward a decent starting XI and will enjoy the well-documented advantage of playing on their home continent. Plus, they face Argentina in their first match. A hard-fought draw against a slow-starting Argentina could provide Nigeria with a great deal of momentum through the tournament. While Ivory Coast and Ghana will enjoy more attention thanks to names like Drogba and Essien, in terms of a balanced teamsheet, Nigeria is equally capable of pulling off a few upsets.

Country: Korea Republic (a/k/a South Korea, the Taegeuk Warriors)
Coach: Huh Jung-Moo
Current FIFA ranking: #52
WC history: Seven appearances, including their famous fourth place finish as host nation in 2002. South Korea now has the most appearances in the World Cup of any Asian nation.
How they qualified: Did not really dominate but easily managed against lesser teams in their qualifying group like Iran, Saudi Arabia and North Korea.
Players of note: Park Ji-Sung (Manchester United) is South Korea’s captain and most recognized face. Elsewhere, Kim Dong-Jin (Zenit St. Petersburg), Park Chu-Young (Monaco) and Lee Chung-Yong (Stupid F**king Bolton) have established themselves in Europe. The rest of the teamsheet would only be recognized by avid followers of the K-League.
Important notes: It’s one thing to earn a trip to the World Cup against weaker teams, it is another to then perform well on the big stage. Just ask the United States. Other than 2002, South Korea has never advanced to the Round of 16. I would expect the same thing in 2010. There is just so much that Park Ji-Sung can do.

Country: Greece (a/k/a Stupid F**king Greece)
Coach: Otto Rehhagel
Current FIFA ranking: #12 (rankings are based on performance the previous four years… expect Greece to plummet once Euro 2006 is not included) Right, Greece won the Euros in 2004… I have no idea why Greece are ranked so high but I’m sure that the BCS Committee approves.
WC history: Only one previous appearance, when they lost all three matches in 1994.
How they qualified: A 0-0 tie at home followed by a 1-0 victory against Sheva and the Ukrainians (which would make a great band name).
Players of note: Greece’s teamsheet includes Georgios Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Theofanis Gekas (Pompey), Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Liverpool), and a bunch of players whose names end in the letter “s.”
Important notes: Greece will play eye-bleeding defensive football in the hopes of gaining a nil-nil draw or a one-nil victory. As they proved at the 2004 Euros, on any given day they are capable of beating any team in the world. Pity us the poor viewer. The good news is that they should struggle against the offensive-minded teams in their group. Either that or Greece will destroy football in the process of advancing to the Round of 16.

Group Prediction:
Nigeria
Argentina
Greece
South Korea

Argentina really ought to win this group easily, but I simply do not trust them not to slip up. Hopefully that will mean more colorful language from Maradona. And besides, someone has to predict that a top seed won’t win their group.

Coming tomorrow, Groups C and D!