England's Wayne Rooney, left, and Ashley Cole talk as they jog during a pre-match training session at Royal Bafokeng Sports Complex. - AP Photo
England on verge of shock group elimination
England’s usual World Cup worries at this stage revolve around the fact it hasn’t won the title since 1966.
The more pressing concern this time, though, ahead of its Group C match against Slovenia on Wednesday, is the fact that not since 1958 in Sweden has England failed to advance past the group stage once they’ve qualified for the tournament.
Yet that is the scenario facing coach Fabio Capello and his apparently discordant English players a loss to Slovenia would end any chance of England making it to the round of 16. England has two points after a 1-1 draw with the United States and a surprising 0-0 stalemate with Algeria.
England didn’t qualify for the World Cup in 1974, 1978 and 1994, but when it has made it to the quadrennial event, the team usually performs relatively well: losing in the semifinals in 1990, the quarterfinals in 1962, 1986, 2002 and 2006 and the second round in 1982 and 1998.
Its chances Wednesday won’t be helped by rumors of a rift between the players and Capello which spread rapidly after John Terry’s remarks about a summit between squad and coach.
But on Monday at England’s training base in Rustenburg, midfielder Frank Lampard said Terry’s emotional talk of the team meeting was in keeping with ex-captain’s style.
“I understand what John is saying because he’s passionate,” Lampard said. “He’s like that as a player. All 23 players deal with things differently. Some people don’t want to say too much, some people want to hit things head on. Everyone appreciates that.
“The messages I got yesterday from people was that John was saying some positive things. We will try and hit things head on on the training ground.”
Lampard was emphatic that any reports of problems were driven by those outside the team.
“A rift honestly isn’t there,” Lampard said. “When things get difficult in football results and performances people will try to say there are factions (within the squad) and we have to make sure we stay very united.
“We’re not happy with how we’re playing as a group. Nobody is.”
He said Capello has “given us our confidence back.”
“We didn’t have that before. Over the two years before (Capello arrived) it was very low. He got us into a compact form of a team and some of our performances have been top draw.”
After the match against Algeria, England players were booed by their own fans.
On Tuesday, West Ham defender Matthew Upson called on England “to get the best out of themselves” against Slovenia. Upson said he has been told by Capello that he will start the match.
“We had some spare time in Cape Town and everyone went off and reflected on what happened,” Upson said. “We have had to put that behind us and move on to the next game.”
Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek also offered a tidbit about his starting team.
“Usually I never speak about my first 11 but this time I can say that Mavric (Matej Mavric-Rozic) will definitely play if (Marko) Suler doesn’t make it,” said Kek. “Perhaps I will give this information because Fabio Capello has told everyone that Matthew Upson will start.”
ALGERIA IN THE WAY OF USA
United States will advance to the knockout rounds of the World Cup with a victory Wednesday over Algeria, but the Desert Foxes will try and sustain their own bid by ending American dreams.
Slovenia, the Group C leader on four points, face England, on two points after a pair of draws, while the US team, also on two points but with more goals than England, meet the Algerians, who drew England for their lone point.
“This group has proved there isn’t an easy game,” US defender Jay DeMerit said. “It’s going to be an interesting last day.”
Bottom line for the Americans – win and they are in, lose and they are out.
“We need to keep them from scoring and keep scoring ourselves,” US veteran Clint Dempsey said. “Our game is good enough to win if we play our best.”
The Americans have never won a World Cup game in which they fell behind, but they have battled back in 2010 for a 2-2 draw with Slovenia – having a winning goal wiped out by a referee at the death – and a 1-1 draw with England.
“My guess is there aren’t many teams in this tournament that could have done what we did,” US star midfielder Landon Donovan said. “That’s what the American spirit is about.”
US teams are only 2-10 with five drawn in World Cup group play since ending a 40-year Cup finals absence in 1990, but the latest edition is not one to ignore before the final whistle.
“This team keeps fighting until the end,” US coach Bob Bradley said. “We have the experience of pushing games when we’re behind. It’s something we feel good about. It’s a credit to the mentality of the players.”
But there is some US concern about playing well before their rivals score.
“We seem to play better when we’re behind and that’s all got to change,” US goalkeeper Tim Howard said.
“For whatever reason we seem to be very resilient. With a little more luck and concentration we can get on the right side of the scoresheet early on.”
Scoring first will be especially important against an Algerian squad that has not scored at all.
“We’re frustrated now that we’ve fallen behind too often,” DeMerit said. “It’s not always easy to put together that type of comeback.
“I wouldn’t call it a ‘Cry Wolf’ situation. It would be a situation you hope you wouldn’t get into in the first place. One thing about not starting as well as we like, when we do start well, we’re going to be in good shape.”
Algeria must win to have any chance at extending their first World Cup appearance in 24 years.
“Initially it will be a game that’s going to be tight, seeing how things go,” Dempsey said. “Algeria is a good team. They are athletic. We have to keep playing our game, try different things, mix up our passes.”
The North Africans carry plenty of confidence into the match.
“If Algeria plays to its potential, we do not need to worry about our opponents,” Foxes midfielder Karim Matmour said. “If we play our style, we can beat anyone.”
Midfielders Karim Ziani and Yazid Mansouri set the tempo for Algeria, which was undone in a loss to Slovenia only after a red card dipped them to 10 men and made England pay for saying they barely knew any Foxes player.
“We showed that we were worthy of at least a minimum of respect,” Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra said.
GERMANY, GHANA IN DECISIVE MATCH
Ghana has already achieved one milestone and now stands a victory away from achieving maybe an even bigger one sending Germany to its earliest exit from a World Cup.
Ghana became the first African team to win a World Cup game in Africa by beating Serbia 1-0 in its Group D opener. Now it can ensure that Germany exits at the group stage for the first time.
However, Germany coach Joachim Loew is sure that won’t happen.
“Ghana is possibly Africa’s last chance in the tournament and will be very motivated,” Loew said Tuesday. “It’s not going to be a piece of cake, but we are confident that we have what it takes to beat Ghana.”
Going into the decisive final round, Ghana leads the group on four points, Germany and Serbia have three and Australia is on one, meaning all four have a chance of progressing and all are at risk of missing out.
Loew said he would try to prevent his players from knowing the outcome of the other match, played simultaneously in Nelspruit.
“We should concentrate on winning our own game,” he said. “Maybe at the end, if it’s all clear.”
Both sides will be eager to improve on their previous performances: Germany was surprisingly beaten 1-0 by Serbia, while Ghana failed to capitalize on an early red card to Australia forward Harry Kewell and was held to a 1-1 draw.
Loew said his young players were mentally strong enough to put the loss to Serbia behind them.
“The impression I have is that they are not showing nervousness or doubt. But Ghana is a physical and robust team, and it will be mentally and physically very demanding on our players,” Loew said at a news conference at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Loew said he was likely to start with Cacau up front as a replacement for Miroslav Klose, who is suspended after being sent off for receiving two yellow cards against Serbia.
“We know our qualities and have no doubt that we’ll make it,” Cacau said. “I can see that my teammates have the confidence that we’ll win.”
Germany has been in a similar situation before two years ago, it needed to beat host Austria in the final group match to advance at the European Championship. The team did that and then went all the way to the final.
But the winning goal against Austria came from captain Michael Ballack, who was forced out of this World Cup by an ankle injury. That contributed to Germany having the second youngest team in its World Cup history.
Kevin-Prince Boateng, whose tackle in the English FA Cup final took Ballack out of the World Cup, will be on the opposite side Wednesday.
Boateng was born in Berlin and played for Germany’s junior teams before switching allegiance to the land of his father. His half brother Jerome is a Germany defender.
According to Jerome, the two have not had contact since the start of the World Cup, after Kevin-Prince complained that the hostile reaction in Germany to his foul on Ballack had racist elements.
“It was stupid that something like that became public … but I wish him the best and I will shake his hand before the match,” said Jerome, who is unlikely to start.
Ghana has a Serbian coach, Milan Rajevac, who will have captain John Mensah back after a hamstring injury ruled him out of the match against Australia. Mensah’s usual central defensive partner, Isaac Vorsah, remains in doubt.
Like Germany, Ghana is at the World Cup without its injured regular captain, Michael Essien Ballack’s Chelsea teammate.
“I don’t think there is pressure on us,” Mensah said. “They will probably have more pressure because they are the favorites.
“We all know Germany has a good team, but we believe we have a good team as well. We have to keep things tight, stay compact and I’m sure we can win the match.”
Hans Adu Sarpei, the Bayer Leverkusen defender who has spent his entire career in Germany, believes Ghana can exploit weaknesses in Germany’s defense. Ghana has yet to score from open play in two games, with both its goals coming from penalties.
“This is a big game. This situation of win or die makes it much bigger. Myself, Kevin-Prince Boateng and the rest of the team must be calm and go into the game with our minds and not emotions, so we don’t get red cards,” Sarpei said.
AUSTRALIA’S HUGE TASK AGAINST SERBIA
Australia have the odds stacked against them as they bid to get past Serbia here Wednesday and hang on the Germany-Ghana result if they are to progress to the last 16 at the World Cup.
Australia, trailing in Group D with just one point, need to beat the Serbians and hope either group leaders Ghana win by any margin or Germany hammer the Ghanaians in the simultaneous match in Johannesburg.
It looks a tall order for the embattled Socceroos, who have won only one of their overall nine World Cup games and find scoring goals difficult.
Australian bookmakers rate Serbia 5-6 odds-on favourites with the Socceroos at 3-1 to win Wednesday’s match at Mbombela Stadium with the Aussies listed at 10-1 to reach the last 16.
Apart from their fate being outside their control, the Aussies will also be without suspended senior players, Harry Kewell and Craig Moore, but on the plus side they will welcome back their talisman midfielder Tim Cahill from suspension.
“Lose one, gain one, don’t we?” Blackburn Rovers midfielder Brett Emerton said.
“They’re both great players. It will be great to get Timmy back but it’s really disappointing to lose Harry.”
It has been an ill-fated World Cup tournament for Australia, getting thumped 4-0 first-up by Germany, losing Cahill and Kewell to red cards in successive matches and defensive linchpin Moore banned after two yellow cards.
Coach Pim Verbeek, who brought just three recognised strikers to South Africa, has only Josh Kennedy and youngster Nikita Rukavytsya left along with midfielders Cahill and Brett Holman to score the goals to get Australia through to the knockout phase.
Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac, whose Ghana team drew 1-1 with the 10-man Australians in Rustenburg last Saturday, believes Serbia will be too strong for the Socceroos.
“I believe it’s beyond them. Serbia have the quality and the players who are individually strong. That should be enough to see them through to the next round,” Rajevac said.
While it’s all or nothing for Australia, Serbia, on three points, could go through to the knockout phase with a draw.
Although they disappointed in their opening 1-0 loss to Ghana, Serbia bounced back to down Germany 1-0 and are poised to go through to the last 16.
Rajevac believes the imperative for Australia to score goals with open up their normally conservative game plan under Dutchman Verbeek.
“It’s positive for Serbia that Australia have to open and attack,” he said.
“(Serbia coach) Radomir Antic knows Australia will have to attack Serbia and
that will change the outlook of Australia’s game totally.”
Serbia will have plenty of attacking firepower with wingers Milos Krasic and Milan Jovanovic to supply giant striker Nikola Zigic.
Their defence is marshalled by Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic with Borussia Dortmund’s Neven Subotic alongside him, Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic at right back and Real Madrid-bound Aleksandar Kolarov on the left.
Four years ago in Germany Harry Kewell scored a late equaliser against Croatia to take Australia through to the last 16 where they lost to a stoppage-time penalty against eventual champions Italy.
This time the odds are significantly steeper. The Socceroos need a win and hope for the result of the other group game to go their way.
Serbia lost all their matches as Serbia and Montenegro at Germany 2006 in a group containing Netherlands, Argentina and Ivory Coast.
The Serbs will relish having under-manned Australia as their last hurdle to playing in the knockout round.
