The real dangermen that Fabio Capello must look out for
England’s World Cup group is by no means a difficult draw; Slovenia and Algeria were arguably the weakest teams in their pots and to have them both in the group is a gift. The USA are a more difficult prospect, though still a team that England should be beating. Despite the kind draw, Capello will still be meticulous in his planning and there are danger-men in each of these sides.
USA
Clint Dempsey – Landon Donovan may get the headlines but Dempsey is probably the USA’s most accomplished player. England will know all about the Fulham man, but knowing about him and stopping him are two separate things. Dempsey is a powerful, technically gifted player who has a good goalscoring record with 19 in 96 league appearances for Fulham and 17 goals in 59 international appearances. He will need to be watched carefully in England’s first game.
Michael Bradley – Or Michael Bradley ‘the coach’s son’, as the commentators will no doubt refer to him. Bradley plays his football in Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach and is the driving force of the USA’s play. He has a terrific engine and the central midfielder is an old-fashioned box-to-box player who breaks up opposition attacks and starts his own. He was impressive in the Confederations Cup but missed out on the final as a result of suspension; he is a player that could make a big impact in the summer.
Algeria
Nadhir Belhadj – The Portsmouth man is a regular starter for Algeria at left-back and also occasionally plays on the left of midfield. Defensively he is something of a liability and Glen Johnson and whoever is playing on the right of midfield should find success against him. But going forward Belhadj is a real threat, if he is deployed in midfield against England, he could cause some serious damage with his surging runs; his crossing and shooting are of a fairly high standard and he may take advantage if Glen Johnson gets caught out of position.
Karim Ziani – Wolfsburg’s attacking midfielder is Algeria’s most talented player. He is highly skilful and has the pace and power to compete with any defenders. He can be something of a luxury player, but if he is given time on the ball, he has the talent to trouble England.
Slovenia
Robert Koren – It says a lot about Slovenia’s chances that their captain plays in the Championship. In a squad lacking in top-level experience, Koren is their most well-known player. He is a neat midfielder and was one of West Brom’s more impressive performers last season and was their most used outfield player. His passing is neat and he has the ability to carry the ball into dangerous areas.
Rene Krhin – An unknown quantity in many respects; the 19-year-old has only recently broken into the senior squad but is the rising star of Slovenian football. He is an attacking midfielder playing for Inter Milan and is highly rated by Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff. He recently made his first league start for Inter and while he may not start for Slovenia, the World Cup is as good a place as any for him to announce himself.
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USA will no doubt catch us out if we are complacent against them. The group should be no problem but when have England ever made anything look easy?
I second that! No matter how easy the group England will most likely make it difficult on themselves. USA aren’t too bad a side these days, and quite physical as well – could cause us problems from corners and set pieces.