The last group of the bunch features Euro giants and winners of Euro Cup 2008 Spain. They went on an incredible tear through their qualifiers and in Euro. Their first defeat in quite some time is one of the most memorable matches in that stretch, however, as they were downed by the Yanks in the epic Confederations Cup semi final. Spain is, and always will be, one of the top football nations on the planet. They produce top notch players like a factory it seems. Their flaw, however, is that they cant get it done on the top stage. Far too many times they make early exits in quite embarrassing ways. In South Africa, however, many have pinned them as the team to win it if not be in the final. I have a hard time buying into that, especially with this group matching up with the group of death right away. In this group are 3 other teams that have quite the different backgrounds. First, the nation that LOVES Jonathon Borstein, Honduras. I have a close friend who was born in Honduras and, to this day, loves them more than any other nation (as he should). It is always fun during the world cup cycles and the gold cup to place bets with him as a US fan. Because of him, however, I have developed a bit of a liking for that team and the way they play. It's an attractive style with some flair and brilliance up top. Their biggest obstacle for the second spot (nobody is taking Spain in this group) is the wonder kids from Chile. They are the attacking team of the tournament (as we don't know much about North Korea just yet). No doubt in my mind, this will be the team that creates the most buzz in the early goings. They will score a lot, and likely get scored on a lot. The beautiful thing of sport, however, is that all it takes to win is to score more than the opponent. Last in this group is the neutral nation (ba-boom-psh) of Switzerland. They aren't a push over, but find themselves with 3 other teams well above their level of play. The best shot they have at getting points is playing defense against Chile and stringing out Honduras and getting one late (not a prayer against Spain). Group H is a very talented group, not the best of the bunch, but far from the worst.
Spain
The question for me is not "can they repeat Euro 2008?" but rather "what round do they choke in this time?"
The Spanish always seem to have awesome kits, this is their home one
Their road kit, to me, is even better
Spain reminds me a lot of the Cubs. They just seemed to be cursed when it comes to the big stage. Even worse than the Cubs, however, is that they always have some of the best (if not the best) players in the world on their squad. That fact alone makes defeat so hard to swallow for them. Add that to a nation that demands you play as well as their beloved Barcelona and Real Madrid, and this country is doomed unless it can somehow get over that hump. Trying to pick out a player to zoom in on, with this squad, is a joke. You name a position, they have a player that almost anyone could recognize in the soccer world. They are simply loaded, top to bottom, with talent. Their shining jewel has to be their attacking presence, though. Up top, The Liverpool man (for the time being) Fernando Torres puts a scare in anyone. His girlish looks and attitude are not a reason to take him lightly. The guy will finish with pure class and smile while doing a god's salute on the corner of your 18. Next to him is the sould patched man himself, David Villa. The recent addition to Barca will put a scare in anyone. He has finishing skills that rival Torres' and a much meaner look. Behind them is one of the best, if not the best, midfields in the world. Xavi, Iniesta, and Fabregas all play top soccer in the world. All are called amazing midfielders, and all live up to the hype. The beaufitul soccer this team plays is because of these 3. They are simply legends of the game playing before our eyes. Grab some popcorn, this is a fun team to watch.
Roster:
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas, Pepe Reina, Victor Valdés
Defenders: Raúl Albiol, Álvaro Arbeloa, Joan Capdevila, Carlos Marchena, Gerard Piqué, Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fábregas, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, David Silva, Javi Martínez, Juan Mata, Jesús Navas, Pedro
Forwards: Fernando Llorente, Fernando Torres. David Villa
Honduras
Lucky enough to be here, Honduras wants to shock the world a bit and get out of the group stages
I am sad to see the big H go, but still an awesome home kit
The road kits are just simply awesome. I am a sucker for the kit
Honduras is the little nation that could. Celebrating as Jonny Bornstein put a header away against Costa Rica, this nation was heading back to the world cup. The country shut down for a day pretty much as celebrations everywhere were lived through the night and into the day. I love this country and their football. It's all because of my buddy Moroni that I have this love. This being his homeland he always would tell me to watch, see the pretty soccer they play, and how they are just on the edge of being top dogs in CONCACAF. I have to agree, this country has talent even given its small size and should be a scare to the US, Mexico, and Costa Rica in the future. I fear, however, that their trip to South Africa will be a short one. Drawing Chile first is easily their biggest game. If they can find a way to even get a point in that one, they could find a way to advance. I want to have faith, I really do, but I just dont see it in the cards for los catrachos this time around.
Roster:
Goalkeepers: Ricardo Canales, Donis Escober, Noel Valladares
Defenders: Victor Bernárdez, Osman Chávez, Maynor Figueroa, Oscar Boniek García, Emilio Izaguirre, Sergio Mendoza, Johnny Palacios Mauricio Sabillón
Midfielders: Edgar Álvarez, Roger Espinoza, Amado Guevara, Julio César De León, Ramón Núñez, Wilson Palacios, Hendry Thomas, Danilo Turcios
Forwards: Walter Martínez, Carlos Pavón, David Suazo, Georgie Welcome
Chile
The crazy offensive Chileans are lead by their crazy leader Marcelo Bielsa
With how attacking they play, you would expect a better kit, oh well, home kit for them:
The barely less boring road kit
This was the shocking team in the South America qualifiers. Their attacking play caused problems for the best defenses in the region and got the qualified quite early. Their coach, the former Argentina coach, is the reason for this emergence of skill. The mad man, as he is known, has them pushing 3 and sometimes even 4 forwards against teams just waiting for them to make a mistake and then punish them. I this this is possibly the best team to watch if you want to see some goals. Their D isnt atrocious, but it sure isnt solid. They will simply try to score more goals. Because of that, all you offensive lovers will have a joy watching them play.
Roster:
Goalkeepers: Claudio Bravo, Luis Marín, Miguel Pinto
Defenders: Pablo Contreras, Ismael Fuentes, Mauricio Isla, Gonzalo Jara, Gary Medel, Waldo Ponce, Arturo Vidal, Jean Beausejour, Carlos Carmona, Marco Estrada, Matías Fernández, Gonzalo Fierro, Mark González, Rodrigo Millar, Rodrigo Tello
Forwards: Fabián Orellana, Esteban Paredes, Alexis Sánchez, Humberto Suazo, Jorge Valdivia
Switzerland
The Swiz are good, but they will be out in the group stages without a doubt
If you have ever wondered what a red Italy kit would look like, just look at the Swiz home kit
The road kit, quite respectable, is very white
Switzerland is a decent team. By no means are they the worst team in this tournament. With that said, they are the worst team in their group. They will give all 3 a bit of a challenge, but come the end of the 90 minutes, expect them to be on the losing side of pretty much every game. They could possibly get points off of Chile or Honduras, but I just dont see it happening. Not much to say about this team, it would be a waste of time really.
Roster:
Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio, Johnny Leoni, Marco Wölfli
Defenders: Mario Eggimann, Stéphane Grichting, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Ludovic Magnin, Philippe Senderos, Steve von Bergen, Reto Ziegler
Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta, Valon Behrami, Gelson Fernandes, Benjamin Huggel, Gökhan Inler, Marco Padalino, Pirmin Schwegler, Xherdan Shaqiri, Hakan Yakin
Forwards: Albert Bunjaku, Eren Derdiyok, Alexander Frei, Blaise N'Kufo
Matches:
6/16: Honduras 2 - Chile 3
6/16: Spain 4 - Switzerland 0
6/21: Chile 5 - Switzerland 2
6/21: Spain 2 - Honduras 1
6/25: Switzerland 0 - Honduras 3
6/25: Chile 2 - Spain 4
Derived Standings
Spain 9 pts, +7 GD, 10 GF, 3 GA
Chile 6 pts, +2 GD, 10 GF, 8 GA
Honduras 3 pts, +1 GD, 6 GF, 5 GA
Switzerland 0 pts, -10 GD, 2 GF, 12 GA
Key:
pts = Points
GD = Goal Differential
GF = Goals For
GA = Goals Against
Best kit in group: Spain Road
- Honorable mention to Honduras Road and Spain Home
Worst kit in group: Chile Home
- Honorable mention to Chile Road and Swiz Road
Because I have already done Group G, here is how the first round knockout phases will look:
Brazil 4 - Chile 3
Spain 2 - Portugal 2 (Portugal 6-5 on pks)
Cheers,
15 to 32
- P.S. I will, later today/tonight do the rest of the knockout phases and crown who I think will be champion along with say who I think has the best kit and the worst kit in the whole tournament.
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