World Cup 2010 - Which Asian Team Will Reach The Last 16?
As sad as it was, 2006 was not a good year for the teams of Asia. In the German World Cup, the giant continent was represented by powerful teams, but all four of them struck immense bad luck and failed to make it past even the first hurdle. South Korea was surprisingly the only team that came even close to achieving the honour of securing the World Cup title, but their efforts proved futile. Iran, Saudi Arabia and Japan all failed to win and lagged very far behind.
Football fans from Asia along with their teams would never want to see an outcome of this nature during the closing ceremony of South Africa 2010. It is hoped that the stance of the Asian teams has changed over the past four years. Additionally, the inception of Australia as a qualified member of the Asian Football Confederation along with Japan and the two Koreas, should give the Asian teams a better chance this time round, or would it? Starting with the most likely, what are the chances of the Asian teams during this year’s World Cup in South Africa?
The best chance seems to be in the hands of South Korea, the only team that would possibly still be around after half the teams have gone home. Of course, securing a win would be far from easy for this team but perhaps it is the most likely team to bask in any level of lime light as compared to the rest. Argentina is packed with a huge amount of talent and has always been a favourite around the world, while Greece and Nigeria have fairly strong stances as well. The team is in great form and players such as Premier Leaguers Park Ji-sung and Lee Chung-yong are performing at their peak this year. But defence is still something of a worry for South Korea, especially with the injury sustained by Kwak Tae-hwi against Belarus.
The second best chance rests with Australia. The Australian’s have an abundance of experience along with some tough European campaigners in the ranks. Mark Schwarzer, the magnificent Australian goal keeper has had another very good season in the Premier League while Harry Kewell looks to be fit enough to act as a live wire in the field. The Socceroos are hard to beat; they are mentally and physically strong and raise their game when playing against strong teams.
The third best chance for Asian domination is along with the team prepared by Japan. Japan has some solid European experience in their team which is a huge plus for them. Makoto Hasebe has won the German title with Wolfsburg and has also played in the UEFA Champions League as well. It shows that the Japanese have a good amount of experience in their ranks. Shunsuke Nakamura and Keisuke Honda, who really played their hearts out in the Netherlands and then Russia, have gained the same quality of experience. On the other hand though, Japan is not really a strong side when it comes to scoring goals at the front. In the nine games they have been a part of during this year, they have only scored ten goals. This might not seem terrible but considering the fact that eight of them came against Yemen, Hong Kong and Bahrain, makes the goals look a little insignificant. Despite an improved performance against England, their confidence is quite fragile at least by looking at Coach Takeshi Okada who is under a huge amount of pressure.
The most horrible chance rests with the very unlikely North Korean team. North Korea has the hardest group which is entering the World Cup along with teams such as with Brazil, Portugal and the Ivory Coast. The team is relatively unknown, but is playing without pressure. They have a knack of creating upsets when playing against stronger teams as has been witnessed in the past. They also have Jong Tae Se, who can score spectacular goals in the front. On the other hand though, the team lacks international experience, and is not necessarily known for scoring goals.
Overall though, the situation looks bleak for Asian fans and their representatives in the World Cup. However, the World Cup has had surprising outcomes before, and this year might just have one of those unexpected turnouts.
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