Brock: Some startling trends can be determined from the first eight days of the 2010 Word Cup: 1) Goals are hard to come by, 2) By comparison, the sound of the vuvuzela makes a Yoko Ono album seemingly listenable, and perhaps most importantly, 3) This is the "Year of the Underdog."
It would be safe to assume that fans and pundits alike are collectively wishing they had written their match brackets in pencil, because a series of shockers have already rocked the footballing world. These upsets include powerhouse Spain's 1-0 loss to Switzerland, Brazil's scare from North Korea and France's inability to score a goal in 180 minutes. With all of this in mind, it begs the question: is there still a favourite to win the World Cup? Consider that no champion has ever lost its first match of the tournament.
So why are these upsets occurring? Some are blaming the Jabulani soccer ball. Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has claimed, "It is very sad that a competition so important as the world championship will be played with such an inadequate ball."
Jane: It seems that every time the world’s soccer powerhouses get together there’s some complaint as to the quality of the ball. Players nicknamed the 2006 Teimgeist ball "the flying ball" for appearing to stay up in the air too long. The 2002 Fevernova ball was criticized for being too bouncy and light. But the Jabulani ball has been available to teams since December, meaning they’ve had months to register any complaints. Did nobody notice those bad bounces until English goalkeeper Robert Green let in a weak shot?
It is indeed the year of the underdog, but it isn’t fair to put all the blame on a ball. This year cup favourites just don’t seem to want it as much as countries like Greece, Chile, Slovenia and Switzerland. There’s a pattern emerging from all these upsets.
B: Although it is tough to quantify a team’s level of "want" or "desire," it would certainly be an overstatement to state that the winning team has always "wanted" it more. The case in point is the Spain-Switzerland match. Spain had 25 shots, compared to Switzerland’s nine, as well as four times as many corner kicks (12:3), and 74 per cent of ball possession — yet La Furia Roja still lost the match. The numbers show that Spain clearly "wanted" it more, though they simply could not convert on their chances. The luck was with the Swiss, and sometimes, that is all it takes to win a crucial match.
In 1998, Croatia finished in third place, and in 2002, both South Korea and Turkey made it to the semifinals. All of these teams were never expected to make it as far as they did, yet their talent, along with some help from Lady Luck herself, allowed these underdogs to advance beyond expectation. The only question left is: who will be this year’s Cinderella story?
J: Luck might not have been with the English when Green fumbled the ball in the England-USA match, but it certainly cannot be blamed for a lackluster 0-0 draw against Algeria. One analyst blamed English performances on a lack of imagination and co-ordination, while another said fame and fortune has weakened their drive.
Currently, it would seem that Argentina is the only favourite keeping it together, with a 1-0 win over Nigeria and a decisive 4-1 win against South Korea. Still, as the first round has clearly shown there are no guarantees in the World Cup.
Team conflict, luck, willpower and some uninspired plays from World Cup powerhouses just might make the difference in South Africa this year.
B: Agreed.
Brock’s Pick to Win: Argentina
Jane’s Pick to Win: Brazil
Brock’s Underdog Pick: Mexico
Jane’s Underdog Pick: Switzerland