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Brazil - highly rated
The World Cup action has been frenetic and although the two day break has brought about a temporary halt to the football, you know it is merely building up to all kick off again. The quarter finals of the 2010 South African World Cup are almost upon us and the 8 teams involved will be desperate to get underway and book their place in next midweek¡¯s semi finals.
Holland have been boosted with the return from injury of Arjen Robben and it is said that every World Cup winning team needs a special player to drag them out of the mire when they need it. Robin van Persie may think he is the player to turn the Dutch into a World Cup winning side but the return to the team of Robben may just be the difference for Holland. When you consider the way the Brazilian full-backs like to bomb forward, there may be space for the Dutch to counter on the wings and get behind the Brazilian back line.
Holland made two World Cup finals in the 1970s but have underperformed since then and a lot of the reasons for this constant failure has been due to the in-fighting with the squad. The Dutch have players with a lot of different backgrounds and there has always been trouble in uniting the entire team. Rumbles emanating from the Dutch dressing room suggest that the same may be happening again. The squad cannot have any distractions if they want to win their quarter final match.
Those who say that the World Cup is not the same without Brazil will be delighted that the most celebrated team in World Cup history have once again made it to the World Cup quarter finals. Brazil may not have hit the heights that some people would hope for from them but they have been fairly consistent in all of their matches.
Chile had looked impressive in their group but Brazil brushed past them on Monday night with the minimum of fuss as the boys from Brazil go about their business in the manner that their manager played football.
Far too many people are quick to criticise the Brazilian team and saying they lack flair but for a team which has Robinho on form and foraging full backs like Maicon and Dani Alves cannot be too uninteresting to watch.
It should be remembered that what many people consider to be the best Brazil team of all time, the 1982 squad, failed to win the World Cup so there needs to be a balance between function and flair. The current Brazil squad may just be able to combine these elements and clinch yet another World Cup triumph.
These two teams may not have been many people¡¯s tips to go far in the competition but the winner of this tie will be in the semi final of the 2010 World Cup. Uruguay have won the World Cup twice and a third would be a major shock whereas Ghana are hoping to become the first African nation to reach the last four. It would be good for football in Africa if Ghana were to triumph in their quarter final tie but football historians will no doubt be delighted if Uruguay are able to turn back the clock.
Gyan is Ghana¡¯s top scorer at the moment with three goals, two from the penalty spot, whereas Uruguay have Luis Suarez as their top goal scorer, also with three goals. If either of these players can add to their tally, they may be ensuring their nation parties long into the night and for most of the weekend!
This match is between the two teams who benefitted from strange assistant referee decisions at the weekend and there is no doubt that the eyes of the world will be on this match to see if any further strange decisions take place. Both teams got the luck at vital times in their first knockout round game but they say you need a bit of luck to win the World Cup and both of these teams can certainly claim to have had their share.
Argentina have been one of the teams of the tournament so far and Diego Maradona¡¯s men have surprised a few people, especially critics back home in South America. It is fair to say that Argentina were not strong in qualifying but their showing so far has been of a pleasant nature. That said, this will be their toughest test.
Lionel Messi is yet to totally control a game but there have been enough moments of brilliance by the Barcelona player to suggest he could be the difference between winning and losing. Germany will need to keep a close watch on Messi if they want to book their place in the semi-finals.
Germany booked their place in the quarter finals by demolishing England 4-1 but things could have been a bit different. Germany were cruising at 2-0 up but an Upson goal for England brought them back into it and moments later, Frank Lampard crashed a shot off the bar.
The ball bounced down and over the line, England celebrated an equaliser but the ref and assistant referee waved play on and Germany had an almighty escape. England need only to remember their 1966 World Cup triumph over West Germany with a goal that did not cross the line to realise that karma balances itself out but a goal then would have changed the complexion of the match. As it was, Germany saw it out to half-time and then played an excellent breakaway game in the second half.
Mueller grabbed two goals but with Klose and Podolski also firing home, Germany have the firepower to test an Argentinean defence that has yet to be tested. This match could be rather special and is probably the pick of the semi-finals.
Spain may be overwhelming favourites to come through their quarter final tie against Paraguay but it should be remembered that the South American side have been in great form. Their qualification for the World Cup was straightforward in the tricky qualification process and they skipped past current holders Italy in the group stages. A penalty shoot-out win over Japan was not convincing but Paraguay have proved very hard to beat.
Spain have already lost a match at the World Cup and although the signs of improvement are growing with every match, there are still many shaky moments for the fans to endure. The goals of David Villa have meant the world to Spain and it was his strike that defeated Portugal to put Spain into this round.
Strike partner Fernando Torres has yet to hit form so Spain may once again turn to the new Barcelona striker to see them through to the semi-finals.
These ties are going to bring about an exciting weekend for the teams and will set up two thrilling semi-finals for next midweek. With that in mind, who do you think is going to win the 2010 World Cup in South Africa?
by Andrew Reilly
for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk
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Dear Greg,
I've been a member since July 2003, maybe one of the first to join the Silver Circle.
2004 was a good year but I really enjoyed the long run we had in, I think, July 2005. It was exhilarating! 2006-2007 was not as exciting although still quite profitable and so far 2007-2008 looks quite good. I'm wondering if we're going to hit a long one again soon. Anyway, it's been a pleasure as always with your service, Greg. Armstrong and you are one of the few people I trust on the internet. You have made my retirement so much more fun and financially happy!
Best Wishes, Trent Wrayford, Sidney
