Group B preview

Is this the guy that you want to lead your team? Diego Maradona is a man of contrasts: a cocaine addict, Fidel Castro supporter, and an admitted cheater (Hand of God), but also one of the two best players of all time and the only player to ever make it onto a Buffet sponsored coffee mug. So how has he done so far as a manager? He got into a spat with Juan Roman Riquelme which led to Riquelme's decision to retire from international futbol and tinkered with his team so much that despite a wealth of talent they barely qualified.

Predicted Finish:

1. Argentina
2. Nigeria
3. South Korea
4. Greece

Argentina:

It's not fair how much talent Argentina has. Leo Messi, World player of the year. Diego Millito, most valuable player of the recently played Champion's League Final, having scored two goals. Sergio Aguero (Maradona's son in law), Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain, and the list goes on. Not all of these world class strikers are going to be able to play. Look for Tevez and Higuain to get the start with Messi playing in Maradona's old role as a floating midfielder/striker. Juan Sebastian Veron may be old but he is playing well and will be anchoring the midfield.

No matter what Maradona does, Argentina will win this group. They are far and away the most talented team in this weakest of groups.

Nigeria/South Korea:

These teams are in the pickem category. The Buffet will give a slight advantage to the taller and stronger Nigerians over the feisty South Koreans, but it could go either way. Nigeria is normally known for their talented attack, but this team is actually more well-rounded if less flashy. Some stars to watch include John Obi-Mikel, who plays as a defensive midfielder for Chelsea, but for the Super-Eagles will be play in the offensive midfield. Taye Taiwo of Marseille is known as a set piece specialist and Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Everton) is a monster of a forward who won't be outmuscled off of any ball. Of course, he also won't outrun Aaron Arnold.

South Korea breezed through Asian qualifying going undefeated, a remarkable feat. The critics say that they do not have a deep enough squad to be successful in the World Cup. But they do have some star power with Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung. The Buffet fondly remember's Park's 2002 WC last minute goal against Portugal that sent Portugal packing, and the United States through to the next round. He will be joined by the young gun Lee Chung-Yong, recently signed by Bolton. The Buffet has been told by its Asian scouts that Chung-Yong should be a force on the right wing.

Greece:

It is not 2004, and there will be no repeat of that miracle tournament. Greece is a solid team that focuses on defense and tries to steal the rare goal. The Buffet hates this and can't be expected to give a realistic evaluatino of their chances at the World Cup. So here it is: They are awful and if there is any justice in the world Greece will lose 1-0 in every game, go home, and get back to work on fixing that wonderful social safety net. I would retire at age 50 if I could too!

2010 World Cup Preview - Group A

Welcome to the 2nd Quadrennial Buffet FIFA World Cup Blog, sponsored by Schlitz beer, the official beer of the FIFA World Cup South Africa. (Correction: After receiving a "cease and desist" letter from FIFA headquarters in Zurich, the Buffet acknowledges that Schlitz is only the official beer for the Central Phoenix Chapter's numerous viewing parties.) And so we go from the comfortable confines of Germany to the great unknown in South Africa. The struggle to complete the stadiums on time has been successful, although the transportation infrastructure will likely be a nightmare.

The people of South Africa are excited, yet controversy continues to swirl. FIFA originally only sold tickets over the internet, a system that was dreadfully impractical for those South Africans who don’t have a bank account, much less a credit card. By the time cash ticket sales began, word leaked that the official World Cup song would be sung by Shakira – a Colombian. That did not go over well with the locals either. Word has it that every time the Shakira song is played the South Africans will drown it out with the noise from their vuvuzelas, a plastic horn that the Buffet will come to hear in its sleep during the coming month.

Unfortunately, the Buffet has not sent representatives to the festivities, but it has been in contact with FIFA president Sepp Blatter, as well as CONCACAF president Jack Warner, who send their best wishes to the Buffet. The Buffet had a chance to interview them both telephonically as they travelled from Zurich to Johannesburg aboard their privately owned Boeing Dreamliner.
From the Quotesheet:

Sepp Blatter:

No, I was not personally involved in the Thierry Henry handball. Just because I told the referee to let France win no matter what, that doesn’t mean that I had any impact upon the result. France simply outplayed Ireland and deserved to qualify. In any event, the French are a great group of guys - not withstanding that whole juvenile prostitute thing. It could have happened to anyone.

Jack Warner:

Yes, I certainly deserve to remain the president of CONCACAF. All of these accusations of bribery and theft of FIFA funds are truly outrageous. Just because every player on the 2006 Trinidad & Tobago squad claims that they were not paid their FIFA payment doesn’t make it true. And it’s beside the point that a lot of those players were semi-pro players with no fixed income. Sepp, could you pass the champagne and caviar?

Group A
In order of predicted finish:
1. Uruguay
2. South Africa
3. Mexico
4. France

Uruguay
Uruguay played inconsistently in South American qualification, but they arrive in South Africa with the hottest duo of attacking options in the tournament. Luis Suarez, of the Dutch club Ajax managed to score 35 goals in only 33 matches. His partner up front will be Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan - he of the golden mane. The firepower will push them to the top.

South Africa

Before you stop reading this blog because I'm picking South Africa to advance over France and Mexico, keep in mind that no host country has failed to advance to the second round. Not even the supremely untalented 1994 United States team. Since manager Carlos Alberto Perreira, the Brazilian, has returned for his second stint in charge of the "Bofana Bofana", the team has improved considerably. True, their FIFA ranking is pathetic (#83), but they have put together some recent solid performances, their star midfielder Steven Pienaar is back with the team, and their fans will be intimidating with the vuvuzelas.

Mexico

Mexico has a knack for getting to the second round no matter who is in their group - but not this time. Like always, Mexico will dominate ball possession, knock the ball back and forth and occasionally scrape together a goal through either the speed of Giovanni Dos Santos or Carlos Vela, but their lack of defense will be their downfall. Mexico doesn't have the size in the back to stop set pieces. Look for Mexico to control games - and lose anyway.

France

The post-Zidane era is not going to get off to a good start. They stole a spot in the World Cup finals through Thierry Henry's blatant handball. (How much would I rather be writing about Ireland right now?) Their top player, Franck Ribery, the winger from Bayern Munich, is in trouble at home for hiring an underage hooker at a Paris nightclub. And most importantly, the manager, Raymond Domenech, is going to employ a 4-3-3 formation, a la Steve Sampson. At the end of the group stage there will be calls for "Off With His Head."

Keys to the Group:

1. The Opener: South Africa and Mexico begin the tournament with the whole world watching. The emotion will give the South Africans a huge lift.


2. Steven Pienaar: The South African (Everton) midfielder is in good form and will be the central midfield engine for the Bofana Bofana. He's set to have a huge coming out party on the world stage.


3. Luis Suarez: If he stays on fire, Uruguay will be a fun team to watch.


4. Rafael Marquez and Cuahtehmoc Blanco: Who would have thought that these two would make it to yet another World Cup? Blanco is simply too old and slow to play at this level. And I think I speak for every American fan (and especially Cobi Jones) when I wish Marquez a tournament full of heartache and pain.


5. 4-3-3 Formation: Enough said.