FIFA World Cup 2010: Europe reassures it’s dominance in the World Cup
This FIFA World Cup in South Africa had a lot happening for the South American teams from the start. As the big European giants like Italy and France failed to qualify for the knock-out stage and the African Nations failed to inspire on their home soil, the South American had an easy playing field for their place in the Second Round. All the five teams from the continent, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina, passed through, while Argentina and Brazil were tipped to be the teams who would face each other in the final showdown.
However, even at that moment Diego Maradona, the legendary player and the Argentinean coach, was pessimistic about the South American nations. He claimed in one of his press conferences that South Americans will always be a step behind the Europeans in football. At that moment, four Nations made it into the Quarter Finals, as Chile was eliminated by their compatriots Brazil. On the other hand, England had also been eliminated after annihilation by the Germans.
Maradona’s words did prove to be true as the quarter finals went on, in South Africa. First, Brazil was eliminated, despite being the favourites from the very start of the tournament, by a resilient and energetic Dutch side. Although, the South Americans did dominate for the most part of the match, but they were unable to match the tactics of the European giants, as the Brazilians were outplayed in the last half an hour of the match. This was not the end of the disaster, as Argentina soon was also eliminated by the Germans, who really displayed a disappointing performance losing 4-0 to them. In addition, the Paraguayans did not last long as well, as they were sent home by the Spanish side. The only side that remained intact was Uruguay, who also lost to the Dutch in the semi-final; however, they put on a good game and lost 2-3 to Netherlands.
Maradona was actually very right, as the Germans, the Spaniards and the Dutch outplayed their South American opponents in every part of the game. The Europeans defended well and attacked in a much better way. Although, the South American Nations are famous for faster players with good ball control, but still the Germans were the ones who really displayed the speed in their fierce counter-attacks. Even, David Villa of Spain outplayed his South American counterparts in displaying composure in front of goals and the ultimate finishing. South Americans are also very well known for their fast full-backs, but the likes of Philip Lahm and Sergio Ramos dominated their counterparts like Maicon and Heinze. South Americans failed, as soon as they faced the real strength of Europe in the quarter finals of the World Cup.
There can be many reasons associated with the failure of South American Nations in the World Cup twice in succession. Even last time in Germany, no team was able to go past the quarter finals, despite the heavy presence of talent in their team. The major reason is that the leagues in Europe are very well established as compared to South America. Nowadays, every club runs a youth academy to develop the skills of the youngsters. On the contrary, according to Maradona as well, the youth system in the South American Nations is non-existent. Therefore, the young players go to Europe looking for the chance to play in the big clubs, in order to earn big money. Therefore, these players do not develop themselves into the particular South American players, as the football in European Leagues is totally different. The South American players are supposed to exhibit a lot of flair in their games, while the Europeans focus on passing style game. This results in the destruction of the unique talent that the South Americans possess, as they move at a stage where their skills still need polishing.
Therefore, in order to come-back in the game, there is a dire need for the South Americans to develop their leagues. The set-up should be broadened to accommodate all the youth players coming to these clubs. With a little effort and spending, there is no doubt that the Americans can challenge the Europeans in the future.
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