Algeria team in crisis after captain Yazid Mansouri is axed for Group C Slovenia start

By BEN LYTTLETON/DAILY MAIL UK


Algeria's quest to sabotage England's World Cup dream is being wrecked by an astonishing dressing-room row which almost saw their captain walk out.
The north Africans, who play Fabio Capello's men in Durban on Thursday, are in disarray on the eve of their Group C opener against Slovenia.

The upheaval started last Wednesday when captain Yazid Mansouri was told by coach Rabah Saadane that he would not be in the team to play Slovenia - and he furiously threatened to quit the team.

The 32-year-old midfielder stormed off to his hotel room and was packing his bags before desperate team officials managed to persuade him to rethink his decision after an hour of heated chat.

'It's hard to accept the decision,' said Mansouri. 'I've been in this side for 10 years and that is why I'm struggling to digest the news.' Saadane's decision was also greeted with dismay by Mansouri's team-mates. Portsmouth defender Nadir Belhadj said: 'It will be difficult for us without Yazid because we listen to him all the time.'
The bust-up comes at a terrible time for the North Africans but is music to the ears of England players and supporters.

Mansouri, meanwhile, has vowed to stay and fight for his place. The one-time Coventry player said: 'I am not used to sitting on the bench for Algeria, especially since I have been captain for several years. That's why I am confused. But the coach has made up his mind. I just have to accept it. It has hurt me a lot, that's true, but I will fight to regain my place in the other two games. I want to play at least one game in this tournament.'

An unrepentant Saadane said: 'It was difficult for Mansouri because he is such an important player in this team. But I am at the World Cup and I have to make a decision based on tactics and football. He is not the best at the moment.'
The spat comes at the end of a difficult few months for Algeria, who were shock qualifiers for the finals after beating bitter rivals Egypt last November.
Then came a traumatic African Nations Cup campaign which ended in three players getting red cards, including Belhadj, in a woeful 4-0 demolition by Egypt.

Their build-up for the finals was also below expectations - a 3-0 hammering in Dublin against Ireland was the low point - and Mansouri was among several players who were jeered by frustrated fans.

But Belhadj said: 'We have been waiting 24 years for this moment and now we have nothing to lose.

'I hope the African fans show solidarity with us as we won't have many fans there, but this is the first time our group of players have been at a World Cup and we are all hungry for some success.'

Saabane has sprung another surprise by dropping striker Abdelkader Ghezzal against the Slovenians, who aim to punish the lack of harmony in the Algerian camp.

Coach Matjaz Kek said: 'It would be unfair to talk about Algeria's weaknesses. I can say my staff and I have detected them and we are confident that we can chalk up three much-needed points.'

I can bounce back, insists Green

Blundering England goalkeeper Robert Green insists he has the mental strength to bounce back from his costly error that gifted the USA an equaliser in the 1-1 Group C opener in Rustenburg.
By Soccernet Staff


Steven Gerrard scored after just four minutes to give England a flying start but Green committed the kind of howler David Seaman, Paul Robinson and Scott Carson have all done down the years and allowed Clint Dempsey's harmless shot to slip through his fingers.

But Green, who made a good save to deny USA striker Jozy Altidore later in the match, insists he has put the error behind him already.

"It was a mistake. The important thing is not to let it affect you for however long is left in the game," Green said.

"That is what you prepare for mentally. You don't prepare mentally for making great saves and playing the perfect game. You prepare for trauma.

"It is regrettable and not what you want to happen but that's life and you move on, you hold your head up high and get to work in training. It won't affect me psychologically. I'm 30, I'm a man, and you have hardships in life and prepare for them.

"I'm strong enough to move on. At a younger point in my life it would have affected me more. But you hold your hand up and say 'that's gone, move on and don't let it affect you'.''

Green found out he would be starting the World Cup opener after winning selection ahead of David James and Joe Hart when Fabio Capello announced the team to the squad two hours before kick-off.

"I found out before we left for the game when they announced the team, with everyone else," said Green. "It wasn't a factor. I prepared the same as if I was going to play.

"You go through mental preparation the night before the game and prepare for moments of trauma in a game when it happens. It happened today and for me the important thing was to bounce back from it."

England captain Gerrard publicly backed Green to continue to play a vital role in their World Cup campaign.

''Rob will learn from this and he might make an important save that wins us a match. We're all behind him. It was a bit of shock and it took us a while to get over it,'' Gerrard said.

''It was a difficult game. The most important thing in the opening game is not to lose. The idea was to win but unfortunately we let a poor goal in and we couldn't go and get the winner. The target now has to be seven points."

Meanwhile, England manager Capello defended his decision not to name his goalkeeper until a couple of hours before kick-off, insisting it was not a mistake.

"No, absolutely not," he said. "I decided Green would be the goalkeeper because he played the last game very well and at Wembley (against Mexico) the performance was very good too. He made one mistake, but in the second half he made a good save. This is the problem of the goalkeeper.

"We have to accept the mistakes of goalkeepers and of referees and of forwards. This is football."

Capello, however, refused to say whether he would stand by Green against Algeria, saying: "We have time to decide and to speak with him and I will decide."

The England manager also substituted James Milner after half an hour, bringing on Shaun Wright-Phillips, explaining that he was worried the Aston Villa midfielder would get sent off after receiving an early yellow card.

But Capello insisted: "We played a good match and created a lot of chances. But the result is not okay for us. We played better than USA but the USA are very good. I saw the spirit of England and the team. They fight every time to win back the ball.

"I am not worried for the next game about their physical condition. We ran better in the second half than the USA. But now we have to look forward for the next game."

They will have to do so without King whose injury-prone body was always a gamble for Capello.

On Wayne Rooney's performance, Capello said: "I think his movement was good. He shot once very well and his movement was very important."

USA goalkeeper Tim Howard, meanwhile, admitted he had sympathy for Green after witnessing his howler. Howard put it down to the controversial World Cup ball.

"He made some good saves but this ball is doing silly things and at this level these things happen," said the Everton player. "I feel terrible for him, but in goalkeeping you have to have broad shoulders."

For U.S., a soccer upset to remember

By Fred Bowen, Washington Post

The United States men's soccer team plays England on Saturday to begin its quest for the 2010 World Cup. England is one of the favorites to win the World Cup, and most soccer experts expect it to beat the United States.

The United States played England in the 1950 World Cup. That match, which was played in Brazil, is the most famous game in the history of American soccer and the greatest upset in the World Cup. Here's the story:

Sixty years ago, soccer was not played by many people in the United States. The U.S. World Cup team was not very good. The Americans had been crushed by Italy (9-0), Norway (11-0) and Scotland (4-0) in games leading up to the World Cup.

Most of the American players had other jobs and played soccer on the weekends to have fun and earn some extra money. For example, Joe Gaetjens, the team's top scorer, was an accounting student and a part-time dishwasher. The goaltender, Frank Borghi, was a former minor league baseball player who worked for his family's funeral business.

The English team, on the other hand, was loaded with professional stars from such famous teams as Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. England's record in international matches was 23 wins, 4 losses and 3 ties. No one expected England to have any trouble beating the United States.

The English pros dominated the American amateurs in the early going. The English blasted six shots at the American goal in the first 12 minutes, including two that bounced off the goal posts. But none of the shots went in, and the score remained tied, 0-0.

The United States managed only one weak shot on the English goal in the first 25 minutes. The Americans' second shot, however, changed everything. Gaetjens, the American center forward, threw himself headlong at a crossing pass near the English goal. The ball nicked Gaetjens's head and flew into the net.


So the Americans led 1-0, even though England had outshot the United States 14-2 in the first half. England continued to dominate the second half but still couldn't score. Some shots sailed wide of the net. Others were blocked by the American goaltender, including one that Borghi stopped just inches from the goal line.

The United States held on to win, 1-0, and thousands of happy Brazilian fans stormed the pitch and carried Gaetjens and Borghi on their shoulders.

The Americans' magic did not continue. They lost their next game to Chile, 5-2, and were eliminated from the tournament. Uruguay won the 1950 World Cup.

Hardly anyone in America knew about the big upset. There were no television, radio or Internet reports of the game. Although more than 400 reporters from around the world attended the 1950 World Cup, only one was from the United States.

Now the World Cup is big sports news in America, and lots of soccer fans know about the 1950 upset. It's a reminder that anything can happen in a soccer game and in the World Cup.

Fred Bowen is the author of 14 kids' books that combine sports fiction and sports history. The history chapter of his book "Soccer Team Upset" is about the 1950 United States-England match.

Rio Ferdinand heads home as Capello's best-laid plans start to crumble

England manager faces up to loss of his captain with knowledge that none of his other defenders quite fits the bill

THE GUARDIAN

The injury to Rio Ferdinand opens the way for Ledley King to start in England's opening game against the USA on 12 June. Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

So, farewell then Rio Ferdinand. Not the back in the end: instead it is a knee injury that has ruled England's captain out of a place at his fourth consecutive World Cup. And so England's squad, billed in some quarters as a last, final, one-more-time hurrah for an internationally unfulfilled generation of talented Premier League thirtysomethings, begins to look even more unexpectedly diffuse and stitched together.

Mainly this is a blow for England's central defence, not least the balance of personnel. John Terry, Matthew Upson and Jamie Carragher are not the type you'd back in a straight foot race with Arjen Robben or, come to mention it, Landon Donovan or Robbie Findley, allegedly the fastest man in the MLS. Ledley King is quick enough when he gets going, but is shorn of decisive acceleration.

This was all fine, we assured ourselves. There was always Rio. Rio can cover, as he did often brilliantly for Sol Campbell during their successful partnership of the last decade. But without Ferdinand England have a platoon of one-pacers, a slow-coach brigade. Michael Dawson has been called in as cover, but he is not the answer to this problem.

Of course, this all comes as no great surprise: repeatedly injured man sustains further injury is hardly a sensation. Ferdinand played in six of England's 10 qualifying games, but missed three months of the season and has looked physically subdued at times. With this in mind it is disappointing that there is no similar player in the squad, no centre-half with outstanding speed and mobility whom Fabio Capello might have groomed ahead of time to cover for the possibility of Ferdinand's wonderfully athletic frame breaking down again.

Capello is obviously hostage to personnel. There is a dearth of high-class, mobile, pacy central defenders out there waiting to be picked. Although with hindsight England might look more balanced if Phil Jagielka was now being added to the squad as a more fittingly ball-playing replacement. Capello had a lot of time to think about this. The end result is England have a very samey pack of centre-backs.

Who will play now? The obvious choice alongside Terry would be Upson, who played in four qualifiers and did a sound job. On the other hand neither Jamie Carragher nor Ledley King were available at the time.

Despite the shakiness King showed against Mexico, Capello is perhaps likely to favour the Tottenham man, having purred so lasciviously over King's all-round defensive generalship (poor Rio: replaced in the team because your knee is in an even worse state than Ledley's). This is a heartening opportunity for a player of immense talent. But it would leave England fielding a walking-wounded first choice: both Terry and King play with pain most of the time. It is bound to show at some point. The World Cup is a litmus test for footballing frailty. You can only progress so far. You will be found out.

It is also a terrible blow for Ferdinand personally. He has been an occasionally superlative performer for England. In 2002 he was the defender of the tournament (even though Campbell made the Fifa team). It seems unlikely he will play at another World Cup and the circus (his word) of Baden-Baden will be his final memory of it.

Dawson, meanwhile, is one of the chief "ghosts", as Harry Redknapp put it this week: players made to feel like invisible men by Capello's ruthlessly pragmatic selections during the whittling-down of the 30-man squad. Dawson, the ghost, is currently flying out to South Africa. He looks like the forgiving type.

Either way it is hard to say that England's chances of winning the World Cup have been significantly dented by this. They already looked to be lacking something. Now down to their third-choice skipper in Steven Gerrard, they will at least carry a sense of make-do and mend, of hope over expectation, and even a refreshing tinge of unfamiliarity.

Pele's Predictions

The former Brazil striker may be the greatest player ever, but his World Cup predictions are never up to much.

THE GUARDIAN

Pele has offered some odd predictions ahead of World Cups in the past. Photograph: Elizabeth Dalziel/AP

Pelé may be the greatest player in history but despite being paid to travel the world talking about football, what he actually says about it is hugely unreliable. 'When Pelé's quiet, he's a poet,' says Romario. 'But he just talks shit.' Here are the highlights of his past 20 years

1990

"Italy is the favourite"

Italy lose to Argentina in the semi-finals and West Germany win it

1994

"For me Colombia is the best team. It doesn't mean they are going to win it but they will be one of the four semi-finalists. Brazil has very good players but as a team they are not so compact. Germany work well together"

Colombia are eliminated and defender/own-goal scorer Andrés Escobar is shot dead, Germany go out in the quarter-finals. Brazil win it

1998

"Spain is the big favourite, and I always believe Brazil will be in the final. France have good players who play well as a team and, of course, they are at home. They have a great chance to be in the final. England have a good manager, a good style and a very strong team"

Spain crash out in the group stages and France beat Brazil in the final

2002

"Brazil have not been playing well. They haven't been playing as a team. There are a whole series of teams who are fighting to be at the top level – Argentina, France, Italy and Portugal – but none of these stands out. Below the top four there is a second level of teams that could easily win it such as Germany, England and Spain"

Argentina, France and Portugal are all eliminated in the group stages, while Italy lose in the second round to South Korea and Brazil win it

2006

"The last four? Brazil, Argentina, England, France"

England, Argentina and Brazil all lose in the quarter-finals as Italy beat France in the final

…and famously

"An African nation will win the World Cup before the year 2000"

An African country has still yet to get past the quarter-finals.

World's best soccer teams collide

THE GATEWAY/UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, CANADA

The excitement is building as the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg kicks off in eight days. While the World Cup Trophy will be hoisted 15,608 kilometers away from Edmonton, here at home, the Gateway staff forecasts on who will earn soccer glory.

Matt Hirji

Its been 44 years since England hoisted the World Cup, and while Alf Ramsey won’t be on the pitch to lead the Union Jack to victory, England’s winless drought will end this summer in Johannesburg.

Led by young veteran striker Wayne Rooney, England’s 23-man roster is strong and poised to break out of their championship slump. Italian born manager Fabio Capello seems to have his squad focused on the task at hand: hoisting the Golden Trophy and claiming glory for the homeland in their national sport.

England’s road to the World Cup has not been without setbacks. Last year, John Terry’s captainship was revoked because of his affair with a former girlfriend of national team teammate Wayne Bridge, who subsequently withdrew his intention to play in South Africa. While this incident was surely a distraction for the team, this year’s veteran squad seems more able to deal with the distractions that have haunted previous incarnations of the Three Lions.

Justin Bell

It’s a long way from Germany to South Africa, but Les Bleus, France’s national soccer team, will be looking for revenge after a bitter defeat at the 2006 tournament finals.

For those who don’t remember, France lost to Italy in the final during extra time, playing a man down when Zinadine Zidane went batshit nuts and headbutted Marco Materazzi, getting a red card in his last match.

That memory will surely haunt this team, replete with returning players. Hopefully, it will also propel them to victory this year.

Expectations on the French side have already been low; they barely squeaked into the World Cup with a draw against the Republic of Ireland on a questionable play. But they started the 2006 slowly as well, tying Switzerland and Korea in their first two matches, barely scraping into the round of 16.

France’s combination of speed and finesse will help them this year, with returning striker Thierry Henry up front and midfielder Frank Ribéry feeding him passes. And they’re going to need that combination to make it out of their group matches — Mexico and Uruguay could both make life difficult for Les Bleus, and home team South Africa may do better than expected.

But still, look for Henry to hoist the World Cup this year in Johannesburg.

Evan Daum

According to my colleagues, our European founding nations are the favourites to capture football’s biggest prize. While England should waltz through their pool, France surely won’t make it into the round of 16, let alone win the whole thing — they shouldn’t even be in South Africa. Sorry chaps, but the English will fall before hoisting that golden trophy just like the French.

My pick to bring home the title is a team that is familiar to football’s upper echelon. Having won the European championship in 2008 and being ranked second in the world heading into the tournament, Spain has yet to capture football’s greatest prize, but that will all change this time around.

The Spaniards are on an impressive run, having won all 10 of their World Cup qualification matches. Between November of 2006 and June of 2009 campaign, they won a record 15 consecutive matches.

Like other top contenders heading into the tournament, Spain features one of the most balanced attacks, with striker David Villa — the squad’s top offensive threat — having scored seven goals in his team’s 10 qualifiers.

All this, coupled with the fact that the Spanish have middleweights Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile in their pool, means that when July 11 rolls around, it will be the Red Fury that who finally get their World Cup title.

Edu Disappointed He Won't Be Able To Take On Beckham

Rangers midfielder rues absence of Los Angeles Galaxy star.

By Michael Wade/Goal dot com

Rangers and USA midfielder Maurice Edu has admitted that the absence of former England captain David Beckham from this summer's World Cup has taken some of the shine off the competition.

Edu hopes to be in Bob Bradley’s starting XI for their opening Group C fixture with England but veteran Beckham is missing due to an Achilles injury and the former MLS man spoke of his disappointment at not being able to go toe-to-toe with someone he admires.

He told the official Rangers website: "I must admit, when we were drawn with England, I fancied trying to get the better of Beckham. He's been one of the best in his position for the last 10 years or so.

"It's going to be so difficult for him to watch from the sidelines - and I should know. I was supposed to be in South Africa last summer for the Confederations Cup with the American team, but there was no chance because of my knee."

Edu, who previously played for Toronto in the MLS before joining Rangers for £2.6 million, missed the first half of the season through injury before returning to make 20 appearances after December.

England V Japan -- Live!

Fabio Capello set to give Tom Huddlestone and Darren Bent last chance
•Fabio Capello says all but three of World Cup squad decided
•England coach demands improvement against Japan

By Dominic Fifield/The Guardian

Darren Bent will be given a final chance to stake his claim for a World Cup place when England play Japan. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images

Fabio Capello will hand Tom Huddlestone and Darren Bent surprise opportunities to force their way into his final 23-man squad for the World Cup finals after indicating both will start this afternoon's friendly against Japan in Graz.

The England manager revealed that he has decided all but three places in his party for South Africa and remains confident Gareth Barry will recover from ankle ligament damage to play a part in the tournament. The Manchester City midfielder will be assessed by a specialist in London on Tuesday and will be included if the diagnosis suggests he can start full training on 13 June, the day after England's opening game against the United States.

The likes of Huddlestone and Bent will still cling to the possibility of joining him at the team's base in Rustenburg as Capello weighs up his strength in depth in central midfield, an area complicated by Barry's injury, and whether he should include five out-and-out forwards. "I have made up my mind, more or less," said the Italian. "I have 20 names, for sure. I must decide on the other three. For now, I want to see different players and to see how the team reacts to the game against Mexico.

"I was not happy after that game and we spoke about it, analysed the mistakes, and now I want to see some players, a different style and what will happen during the game with Huddlestone, Bent, [David] James and [Aaron] Lennon. I want to see Huddlestone because the midfield is very important for the balance of the team, and players there get more touches than anyone else. But someone could get injured, so we still have to decide about one defender, one midfielder and one forward.

"With Barry, we will see what the doctor says after his last check on Tuesday. The last news we had was very good, but we want to wait. After that check, we'll know if he'll be fit in a short time and ready to train with us, or whether he will not. I don't know if he is able to run on the ankle yet, but he must show us he will be able to train normally the day after our first game, against the United States. He is doing a lot of physiotherapy to get the movement going, and following what the doctor says without pressure."

Capello used Lennon on the left of midfield in training yesterday, with Theo Walcott on the opposite flank, and will explore that attacking option today with Steven Gerrard starting on the bench. Joe Cole, who has not represented his country for 20 months, will play the second half and there could yet be opportunities for Scott Parker, Michael Dawson, Stephen Warnock and Emile Heskey to impress after the break.

"Joe is fresh and needs to recover his normal situation on the pitch because he has not played much for a long time," said Capello. "But he is like a lot of these players: I know their value. I have followed them during the season but, in the end, I have to decide which players to take. I will telephone those that I am leaving out on Tuesday morning, and it will be disappointing to tell them because they've all worked hard here."


"Everyone feels he is auditioning for a part," said the captain, Rio Ferdinand, who experienced the numbing disappointment of being omitted at the last ahead of Euro 2000. "I remember the sense of embarrassment I had back then. My pride was hurt that I wasn't in the squad, but I looked at myself and I knew what I needed to do. I had a clear picture from then on of what I needed to do in my career. If I hadn't reacted, I might have been playing in the lower-leagues now. It spurred me on to work harder.

"In the November after that tournament, I went to Leeds [from West Ham for £18m]. I'd begun to train harder and thought about football more. I wasn't going round to my mates' houses until two in the morning playing computer games and listening to music. I was more serious about football. That moment was a big part in making me what I am now. I'm not on the rave scene like I used to be, I'm not the go-to man that I was. I learned from that disappointment."

Ferdinand is now set to emulate Sir Bobby Charlton in gaining selection for a fourth World Cup finals and will seek to see an improvement today upon Monday's sloppy display against Mexico. "Back in 2006 we beat Jamaica, a side that weren't even going to the tournament, 6-0 just before the finals and we were going to be world beaters," he added. "We have a better sense of perspective this time around."

Fabio Capello to quit England for Inter Milan after the 2010 World Cup?

From ODDS PREVIEW STAFF

England boss Fabio Capello has been cut to succeed Jose Mourinho as Inter Milan manager with less than two weeks to go until the 2010 World Cup gets underway

Capello is in to 4/1 with Sky Bet (from 10/1) to take the reins at the San Siro following England's World Cup campaign in South Africa.

Capello has played down rumours that he is in the frame to take over as coach of the newly crowned European champions, insisting that his sole focus is the upcoming World Cup.

But recent changes to his contract with the Football Association would allow him to talk to clubs following the World Cup and some reports in Sunday's newspapers suggested Capello was ready to walk away from the England job if reassurances about his future as England coach were not given to him.

Sky Bet make Catania coach and former Inter Milan player and assistant manager Sinisa Mihajlovic favourite to be in the dugout at the San Siro next season. Inter President Massimo Moratti has admitted he would love to bring the fans’ favourite back to the club and Mihajlovic is a 6/5 chance to replace Mourinho.

Rafa Benitez, who was strongly linked with Juventus earlier this month, has also been mooted as a contender and is Sky Bet’s 7/1 second favourite, out from 9/2 after pledging his future to Liverpool.

Another Premier League boss thought to be in contention is Fulham’s Roy Hodgson, who managed Inter from 1995-1997. He is a 14/1 chance to return to Italy.

Guus Hiddink, who enjoyed a highly successful spell at Chelsea last season and is currently manager of Turkey, is also a 14/1 chance.

England must be on their guard for Algerian game of bluff

Even allowing for his legendary attention to detail and knowledge of the game, the name of Luis Gabelo Conejo is unlikely to prompt anything other than a bemused look from Fabio Capello.

By Mark Ogden/Telegraph/UK

Call your bluff: Algeria looked woeful against Ireland but could it have been an act? Photo: GETTY

After all, Costa Rican goalkeepers are probably not Capello’s strong suit, but a scouting trip involving Conejo prior to Scotland’s unsuccessful Italia 90 campaign ought to serve as a timely warning to the England manager and his coaches as they prepare to dissect the underwhelming performance of World Cup opponents Algeria during their 3-0 defeat against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Friday.

Three weeks before Andy Roxburgh’s Scots were due to begin their World Cup campaign against Costa Rica in Genoa, the central American minnows suffered a 1-0 defeat against Wales in their final warm-up fixture.

Word reached the Scotland camp that Costa Rica possessed a goalkeeper who could best be described as ‘vampirical’ when it came to crosses, so unconvincing was Conejo’s performance at Ninian Park.

Yet when Scotland tackled the Costa Ricans at the World Cup, Conejo caught everything, devouring every Scottish delivery from the flanks, in a match-winning display that provided the foundation for his eventual selection, by France Football, as the goalkeeper of the tournament.

Costa Rica inflicted a humiliating 1-0 defeat on the Scots, who had been hoodwinked by Conejo’s erratic display in Wales.

It was the ultimate bluff and, with Algeria so poor against Ireland, Capello will be mindful to wonder whether Rabah Saadane’s team were really as bad as they appeared at the Royal Dublin Showground, or merely attempting a con trick similar to that played by Costa Rica 20 years ago.

Franco Baldini, Capello’s right-hand man, sat among the horn-blowing Algerian supporters at the RDS, but his notebook will be full of observations about the North Africans’ frailties.

The Wolves defender Adlene Guedioura proved himself to be a glaring weak-point at right-back, abandoning his post so often that Damien Duff virtually had Ireland’s left-flank to himself.

Baldini will also have noted the propensity of the Benfica centre-half Rafik Halliche to dive in at every opportunity with bruising and, often reckless, challenges.

The goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi, while appearing a solid shot-stopper, punched and waved at a series of crosses, with one misdirected punch contributing directly to the first of Robbie Keane’s two goals.

Algeria are likely to be bolstered by the return of the Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra, who missed the Ireland game with a calf injury, by the time they face England in Cape Town on June 18, however, and the former Charlton centre-half will add much-needed experience at the back. Yet despite their obvious weaknesses and an apparent inability to deal with crosses that led to the first two goals, Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has warned Capello not to underestimate the Desert Foxes.

Trapattoni said: “Algeria are a strong team and they have good technique, but in a World Cup, every nation is like this.

“When you look at their team, though, Algeria have many players who play in France, in Italy and in England. This is a sign of the quality of their players.

“Playing in the big leagues in Europe makes players more experienced and Algeria will benefit from this. England are a very strong team, though, and Capello is a very good manager. His players have the potential to go to the semi-finals.” Trapattoni’s words of caution would appear misplaced on the evidence of Algeria’s performance in Dublin, but players such as Wolfsburg midfielder Karim Ziani, centre-half Habib Ballaid and the winger Mehdi Lacen all suggested an ability to compete against England.

Rafik Djebbour, the AEK Athens forward, insists that England should not read too much into Algeria’s insipid performance at the RDS.

“We had a lot of players missing for this game, so we are not worried by the result.” Djebbour said. “We are still very confident about the World Cup and we know we can play much better.

“Perhaps we showed a lack of discipline in defence against Ireland, but we have the players who can do well in South Africa.” Defender Djamel Mesbah, likely to be deployed at left-back against England, believes the Portsmouth winger Nadir Belhadj, will be key against Capello’s team.

Mesbah said: “Against Ireland, we did not get the ball to Belhadj often enough, but we will work on that because he is a dangerous player for us.

“We know the 3-0 defeat was not a fair reflection of the game against Ireland. We will be better in the World Cup, don’t worry about that.”

Coach Saadane, a hero in Algeria for securing World Cup qualification for the first time since 1986, is not quite so convinced about his team’s prospects, however. “We have to improve in many areas before the World Cup,” Saadane admits. “England will be a tougher team than the one we faced in Dublin. They are one of my favourites to reach the final.”

David Beckham presents England's 2018 World Cup bid to Fifa

From Times Online

David Beckham presented England’s 2018 World Cup bid to Fifa today and spoke of the "passion and emotion" the nation would bring to the tournament, by declaring "football runs through our veins”.

The former England captain arrived in Zurich to hand over the 1,752-page bid book which he hopes will persuade Fifa to award England the right to stage the World Cup. The 35-year-old was accompanied by Lord Triesman, the FA and bid chairman, Andy Anson, the bid chief executive, Britain’s Fifa vice-president Geoff Thompson and Nothemba Bambiso, a 17-year-old South African who lives in a children’s home and coaches in an FA-backed township project.

On the day it was revealed that Beckham will accept a role in Fabio Capello’s World Cup coaching staff, the 35-year-old emphasised the England's historic links with football and promised to stage a World Cup like no other.

“I’m here on behalf of our fans,” Beckham said. “Football runs through our veins. We are all brought up on it. It’s truly an honour to be here. On behalf of our team, the delegation and our fans, we present you with our bid book.”

The hosts will be announced on December 2, with Russia and Australia also among the bidders, but the FA have made no secret of their desire to use Beckham to promote the bid across the world. England’s most capped outfield player said winning the vote to stage the World Cup would rank among his greatest achievements. “It would certainly be up there. What the prospect of having the World Cup brings is huge. I know because I’ve experienced it.”

In thanking the English delegation Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, referred to England as the “motherland” of football and revealed that he had spoken to David Cameron who had personally endorsed the bid.

“Yesterday I received a phone call from the new Prime Minister,” Blatter said. "Not only did he express his determination to be behind the bid but he is also behind the World Cup in 2010.

The next milestone in the bid process is Fifa’s technical inspection at the end of August. This ended in tears for England’s ill-fated 2006 campaign when they were judged worse than South Africa and Germany. This time around, however, England officials are confident they will suffer no such setback.

Ian Riley, the director of England 2018’s technical bid, had the same role for South Africa’s bid for the 2006 and 2010 tournaments and has been careful to ensure there will be no repeat. “I genuinely believe we present a low-risk option to Fifa” he said.

"One of the biggest risk profiles of staging any major event is construction and we have a really good balance of existing stadiums and new builds and that alleviates any risk concerns that you may have.”

The final vote will be taken by Fifa’s executive committee on December 2. It is expected that the 2018 tournament will go to Europe, where England are up against Russia and joint bids from Spain/Portugal and Holland/Belgium.

The other countries expected to fight it out for the World Cup in 2022 are Australia, United States, Qatar, Korea and Japan.

FIFA World Rankings, May 2010: Brazil Replace Spain as Number One

By Matt S, Bleacher Report

Brazil have ended Spain’s five-month reign at the top of the FIFA World Rankings to become the top ranked side in the May 2010 rankings released by FIFA last week.

A Seleção now top the rankings for the seventh time in the history of the rankings, Dunga’s side replacing the European Champions at the summit of world football.

Portugal’s rise continues with Carlos Queiroz’s side now up to third, their highest ever position since the launch of the rankings in 1993. They switch places with the Netherlands, who had held third spot for nine consecutive months.

Other movement in the Top 10 sees Argentina move up to seventh, with England down to eighth.

Croatia are up to ninth, and remain the highest-ranked team not to have qualified for next month’s World Cup.

Other non-qualifiers Egypt remain Africa’s top-ranked side at 13, and the continent now has three representatives in the Top 20 with Nigeria joining Cameroon alongside the African champions.

Switzerland (down six to 26) are the only nation to drop out of the Top 20.

World Cup host nation South Africa fall two positions to 90, their worst ranking for over 16 years.

Meanwhile North Korea remain the lowest ranked team to have qualified for next month’s World Cup, down one place this month to 106.

Republic of Ireland move up one place to 43, one spot ahead of Scotland, who slide three places to 44. Northern Ireland are down seven to 57, whilst Wales are up two places to 75.

Very few matches were played last month so all positional changes are the result of the devaluation of points for past results.

The next rankings will be released on May 26 after many nations will have played their warm-up games for the upcoming World Cup, so more movement can be expected then.

FIFA World Rankings, Top 20, May 2010

(movements from April rankings in parenthesis)

1. Brazil (+1)

2. Spain (-1)

3. Portugal (+1)

4. Netherlands (-1)

5. Italy (-)

6. Germany (-)

7. Argentina (+2)

8. England (-1)

9. Croatia (+1)

10. France (-2)

11. Russia (+1)

12. Greece (-1)

13. Egypt (+1)

14. USA (+2)

15. Chile (-2)

16. Serbia (-1)

17. Mexico (-)

18. Uruguay (-)

19. Cameroon (+1)

20= Nigeria (+2)

20= Australia (-1)

2010 World Cup Top Goal Scorer Prediction

Bet On World Cup 2010

Aside from the outright winner, one of the most fun things to debate, speculate, and gamble on in a World Cup is who will win the coveted Golden Boot, awarded to the top goal scorer in the competition.

Here we discuss some of the players in the running and take a look at what might work for and against them.

1 – David Villa – Spain (8-1)

With Spain the current favourites to win the tournament outright and David Villa’s excellent goal scoring record for both clubs and his national side, it is no surprise that he leads the pack in terms of the prices on offer to bet on the Golden Boot.

Despite it being logical that the longer a player’s team stays in the cup the better chance they have of scoring the most goals, the theory behind predicting this is actually a lot more complex.

The highest scoring games in the majority of major tournaments come during the group stages, before the weaker teams are sent home. In later stages, as teams become more evenly matched, low scoring games and matches settled on penalties (which don’t count towards the Golden Boot) become more common. For this reason, strong players like Villa in strong teams like Spain have a much better chance if their group stage opponents are “easy” teams they can beat with a high scoreline.

With Spain facing Honduras, Chile and Switzerland, their group does, with no disrespect to their opponents, look much easier than that which other strong sides were drawn in (Brazil’s group looks very tough by comparison with the Ivory Coast and Portugal).

What may work against Villa is the fact that one of the other favourites, his strike partner Fernando Torres, is on the same team. With only so many goals likely to happen in the tournament, whether either of them will lay claim to enough of them to win the Golden Boot remains to be seen.


2 – Lionel Messi – Argentina (9-1)

With some bookmakers offering him as joint favourite with Villa, again, there is nothing surprising about the short odds on the Argentina and Barcelona star. Many consider Messi to be the greatest current footballer in the world.

The Argentina squad are generally thought to be less strong going into the competition than Spain, with odds of 8-1 compared with Spain’s 4-1 at the time of writing, however they are still a fairly safe bet to progress far enough to give Messi a chance to notch up some goals. Like Spain, their first round opponents are not, on paper at least, likely to be too troublesome for the Argentine team – they face Nigeria, South Korea and Greece.

3 – Wayne Rooney – England (10-1)

These odds are from the UK betting market, where there is likely to be a slight bias towards England and England players in the odds, given that a lot of people in the UK will want to take these bets.

Even so, Wayne Rooney has a brilliant goal scoring record and when fit can give Villa and Messi a run for their money. As England’s top striker, Wayne may never quite have lived up to the “new Pele” talk around him when he shot to notoriety during the Euro 2004 tournament, but his skills are a force to be reckoned with and he should have no problem putting goals past fellow Group C competitors the USA, Slovenia and Algeria.

4 – Luis Fabiano – Brazil (12-1)

With ultimate football heavyweights Brazil second favourites to win the Jules Rimet trophy outright with bookies almost unanimously offering 5-1 odds, Luis Fabiano is another man in with a very serious chance of securing the Golden Boot.

The Sevilla striker has scored 25 goals in 36 appearances for Brazil since 2003, and has had some amazing club seasons too, the peak being the 07-08 La Liga season when he scored an incredible 34 for Sevilla in 44 games across all competitions.

The one thing counting against Fabiano here is the comparative strength of the opponents in Brazil’s group. Whilst they can still be expected to progress to the next stage, defeating the Ivory Coast and Portugal by a number of goals will be no mean feat.

5 – Fernando Torres – Spain (12-1)

Liverpool’s golden boy is the second appearance by a Spanish player in the top five. Torres plays very well alongside Villa for the national side, and is a consistent, reliable scorer. Often scoring enviably inspired goals, Torres can almost certainly be relied on to supply some of the most entertaining goals of the competition, but can he also deliver the most?

With an injury keeping him out for the rest of the season, though he is expected to be fit to play in the 2010 World Cup, Torres will be missing out on a lot of the preparation he was probably hoping for. Also, with Liverpool’s disappointing season, where it seems that they have lost their place as part of the renowned Premiership “Big Four”, it is possible that odds on Torres will drift as those favouring Spain opt to back Villa instead.

England cannot win World Cup without Rooney - Shearer

The Times of India

LONDON: Former skipper Alan Shearer has said that without Manchester United ace Wayne Rooney, who is recovering from an injury, England have little chance of winning the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Shearer, who scored 30 goals in 63 internationals for the Three Lions, has been worried in recent weeks as Rooney has struggled with knee and ankle problems.

"If Rooney's there we've got a chance - if he's not we'll struggle. Rooney is a superstar. He's a Messi, a Kaka. Take Rooney out of the England team and they wouldn't be the same," The Sun quoted Shearer, as saying.

"I just don't think they could win it without him. We've got some very good players around him in Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand but every country needs a great player like Rooney to have a chance.

"If everyone's playing well, we get a bit of luck and we've got Rooney then we can go far," Shearer said.

Shearer also wants Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge to go to the World Cup regardless of his differences with his former pal John Terry.

"Bridge has said he's not going, wrongly in my opinion. I think you should put things aside, it's football. It's the manager's job to make sure they get on with it. Bridge should just say he's going," he said.

"No other issue should get in the way of a World Cup. If he has the choice to go and he says no then I think he might regret it in time," Shearer added.