Categoría: Todas las equipaciones de fútbol

Outright Odds: 300/1

Group A Winners: 9/1

Ecuador qualified for their second World Cup finals in succession on the back of a remarkable home record which included victories over both Brazil and Argentina. So should punters rush out and lump on the huge 3001/ (Bet365) odds available for the largest upset in World Cup history? In short, no.

Ecuador qualified with one of the most lopsided qualifying record of any team competing in Germany this summer. Quito, the country’s capital, stands 2,850 metres above sea level and assisted by the thin air, Ecuador were almost unstoppable at home. They won seven out nine home games, including victories against the South American giants with the other two results goalless draws against Peru and Uruguay.

Away from home it was an entirely different story. Five defeats, two draws and one victory in the equally high altitude of Bolivia was perhaps a more realistic measure of their capabilities but overall they sealed third place in the group.

Ecuador will have to improve on their travels if they want to avoid humiliation in Germany. Their stint in the 2002 World Cup was their first but they have the victory over the third-placed team of 1998, Croatia, to draw inspiration from.

Potentially, they could be a tough team to break down in defence. Captain Ivan Hurtado, a 31-year old veteran with nearly 130 caps to his name is partnered by Giovany Espinoza who was the only player in South America to play in all 18 qualifying matches. For all this experience, the defence can be caught flat and, if Espinoza is taken out of the reckoning, is all over the place when high balls are played in the box. They are also weak in terms of goalkeeping.

Ecuador have moved away from the short-passing through the middle which has categorised their game in favour of striking quickly down the wings. In Edison Mendez, who scored the winning goal against Croatia and five goals in qualifying, they have a player who can cause problems. There are also high hopes surrounding Luis Antonio Valencia, 20, who chipped in with another three.

Former Southampton flop Augustin Delgado is Ecuador’s main focal point in attack. He netted five times in qualifying and scored his country’s first ever World Cup goal, taking the lead after five minutes against Mexico in a match they eventually lost 2-1.

Ecuador’s lack of experience in Europe could prove to be their downfall as they have only played three full internationals on the continent and they looked completely overawed when playing Italy four years ago. They will do well not to finish bottom of the group.

Recommended Bet:

Ecuador’s lack of experience in Europe and dire away form means they cannot be backed with any confidence apart from finishing bottom of the group. Look out for potentially tasty odds on them suffering a «shock» defeat against Costa Rica and consider them to finish bottom of Group A.

Costa Rica to beat Ecuador @ 2/1

Outright Odds: 80/1

Group C Winners: 9/1

The Ivory Coast topped their qualifying group but the margins between success and failure were so intense it came down to a single penalty kick with just four minutes of qualification remaining.

In the penultimate qualifying match, the Ivorians needed a victory against Cameroon to ensure qualification, but they lost 3-2 in Abidjan. Their subsequent 3-1 away win at Sudan would be meaningless if World Cup mainstays Cameroon beat Egypt. The match was all square at 1-1 until Cameroon were awarded a penalty four minutes into injury time. A successful spot kick would send them through but Pierre Wome hit the outside of the post and the Ivory Coast were heading to Germany.

The Ivory Coast are arguably the strongest African side participating in the finals, with Cameroon, Nigeria, Morocco and Senegal all failing to qualify. However, they are also pitted in the toughest group and will need to be at their best against traditional favourites such as Argentina and Holland.

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba leads the front line and contributed nine goals as his country qualified for the first time in eight attempts. Arsenal defender Kolo Toure is the most recognisable defender but the team oozes quality from players mainly plying their trade in France.

Partnering Drogba in attack is Lens forward Aruna Dindane while playmaker Bonaventure Kalou, from Paris St Germain and St. Ettiene’s Didier Zakora are all capable of making an impact. In defence Toure is joined by Abdoulaye Meite from Marseille, Strasbourg’s Etienne Boka and veteran Cyrille Domoraud, now playing for Creteil.

Being placed in such a tough qualifying group, the Ivorians will benefit greatly from having a coach of Henri Michel’s stature. The vastly experienced coach is in charge of his sixth national team following stints at France, Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. With twenty years experience to call upon, he will ensure Drogba and co. are fully prepared for the task ahead.

While the team are strong in most areas, they are also probe to a lack of concentration. This was highlighted in their qualifier against Cameroon which could have seen them miss out on a place in the finals. There are also doubts raised on their ability to play away from home after qualifying defeats to Egypt and Cameroon and a goalless draw with Libya.

Recommended Bet:

Senegal burst onto the international scene four years ago when they beat an under-par France 1-0 in the opening game so the Ivory Coast could possibly do the same. If they could do the unthinkable and beat either Argentina or Holland, a point in their final match against Serbia & Montenegro could see them through to the last 16.

Ivory Coast vs Serbia & Montenegro draw @ 5/2

Outright Odds: 40/1

Group D Winners: 13/8

As per usual, Mexico, ranked in the World’s top 10, had an impossibly easy qualifying path to the finals in Germany. After hammering Dominica 18-0 across two legs, they won all six matches in Stage Two of qualifying in a group which contained fellow qualifiers Trinidad & Tobago and football heavyweights St Vincent / Grenadines and St Kitts and Nevis.

The final group saw them lose two matches, away to the United States to whom they finished the group as runners up on goal difference and their final match at Trinidad & Tobago. They did however, net 22 goals in the process, making them the group’s top goal scorers overall.

Those two defeats within 90 minutes were the first endured under manager Ricardo La Volpe since he took over in October 2003, with his side beating Brazil 1-0 in the Confederations Cup and also taking both Germany and Argentina into extra time. No matter how easy a passage into the finals Mexico may have had, there is no denying they can mix it with the «big boys» when the occasion arises.

They have appeared in 12 World Cups and reached the quarter final stages in both 1970 and 1986 when the tournament was held on home soil. However, they haven’t faired so well in recent finals, suffering a 2-0 second round defeat by rivals the United States in 2002 and bowing out 2-1 at the same stage to Germany in 1998.

Following a not-too-taxing qualifying process, they will be delighted at being seeded and being placed in arguably the weakest group of the tournament. They should have no problem qualifying for the second round and Lavolpe’s coveted 3-5-2 formation should serve him well in the opening stage.

The formation is used to benefit striker Jared Borgetti, who plundered 14 goals through the qualifying campaign while Jaime Lorenzo struck 11 times from midfield.

However, ironically what used to be the team’s main strength could now be a major weakness. Borgetti has flopped at Bolton Wanderers and is just a bit-part player while fiery striker Cuahtemoc Blanco may not even feature in the finals squad.

Where Mexico do boast a genuine world-class player is holding player Rafael Marquez, who plays just in front of the defence for both club – Catalan giants Barcelona and his country. Goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez is in the form of his life too so while Mexico may not be the force in attack they used to be, they will certainly be a tough nut to crack.

Recommended Bet:

Being seeded in such a weak group means there is no value in backing Mexico to qualify for the second round. They don’t play fellow seeds Portugal until the final round of fixtures and if both sides have already made it to the last 16 by then, a draw could be on the cards.

Portugal vs Mexico draw @ 5/2

Outright Odds: 13/2

Group B Winners: 8/13

We’ve seen it all before and do the tabloids genuinely believe this is «England’s best chance of success»? What, again? Another year, another major tournament England are expected to win, yet they always bow out with a whimper. Why should this World Cup be any different? It’s not 1966 any more, after all.

For all the media playing up England’s chances, the bookmakers are far more conservative. The favourite stage of elimination odds-wise is the second round at 12/5, with quarter final elimination at 4/1 and the semi-finals at 9/2.

This is because England under Sven Goran Eriksson are just far too predictable. They may be able to qualify with ease through mediocre qualifying groups in which they are almost always top seeds, but the plain fact is they cannot perform on the big stage.

England will breeze through the group stage with comfortable victories over Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago before an inevitable draw against Sweden in the final game. However, should they come up against Germany in the second round that may be the end of their World Cup adventure.

When it matters the most, England follow the same pattern time and time again. They always go a goal ahead but then lose their bottle and put everybody behind the ball for the remainder of the game in hope of clinging on to what they have got. Sometimes it works, such as against Argentina in the last World Cup, but more often it doesn’t, namely the defeat to Brazil in the next round and later France and Portugal in Euro 2004.

England are the best in the world at flattering to deceive, well, apart from Spain. On paper they have perhaps the best squad they have ever had at the manager’s disposal but for all the individual talent, the players often fail to gel effectively as a team. Arguably two of the best central midfielders in the world in Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard don’t appear to be able to play together while there is also the timeless problem of the absence of a natural left-sided player to deal with.

England have been dealt a further blow with the news that Wayne Rooney may also miss the finals. The side could do with his genius play and sheer brute force and give the faithful supporters something to cheer about in what could now be a short stint in the Finals.

Recommended Bet:

Don’t believe what you read in the papers and get swept up in patriotic bets. While this could be the best squad of players England have ever had they cannot be trusted with your betting money. You could try some handicap bets for the matches against Paraguay and Trindad & Tobago while a second round elimination bet could also be a wise, if not painful, investment.

England to be eliminated in the second round @ 12/5

Who are the key players in World Cup 2010? Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi? Kaka or Wayne Rooney? Are they able to influence and define the fate of their teams?

Let’s see a list of the top players in this World Cup and how they can affect their teams.

1. Lionel Messi Argentina: Messi is something like the Messiah of Argentina. He is considered the best pound for pound player right now and one of the key players in World Cup 2010. He is just 22 and he has won pretty much everything in his career with his clubs. The only thing he hasn’t won yet is a World Cup trophy with Argentina. Is this his year? Maradona named Messi his successor in the Argentinean Team.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal. When Manchester United bought him 6 years ago, he was expected to become the leader of the team. He became more than that, outdoing all the legends of the team until then. Cristiano has been severely criticized because he doesn’t seem to play his best games when playing with his national team. Is this about to change? What is certain is that Ronaldo definitely wants to achieve something major with Portugal, so we just need to see what he can do against some serious opponents.

3. Wayne Rooney England: Wayne Rooney broke through internationally when he was just 18 years old and became an indispensable part of the English offense next to major strikers. Rooney is considered the bad guy in the fields, however, he is ready to «kill» any opponent whenever needed. A player to watch and definitely one of the key players in World Cup 2010.

4. Kaka Brazil: Kaka is one of the top stars of the Brazilian Team. He comes from a middle class family in Brazil, which is quite rare for a football player in this country. Kaka belongs to Real Madrid but he never chased money. He is the mastermind of the Brazilian team, one of the best organizers and smart players in the field. He is not as fast as he used to be due to some injuries, but he is a world class player with a lethal counterattack.

5. Xavi Spain: Everybody is saying that Spain is the best team this year. If you read the roster of the team it’s easy to figure out why. Xavi is one of the players every team would like to have. He is a midfielder with great organizational skills, ability to read the game and become a leader when needed. His short passes are considered infallible and he is considered one of the key players in World Cup 2010 for his team.

Who is the player that will manage to lead his country and his team to the final of the World Cup? We will soon find out, but what is most important is that these key players in World Cup 2010 are ready to give their best and create memorable moments for us spectators.

Do you know what is happening to the Italian soccer jerseys now that Italy is not in the World Cup anymore? In Naples they are selling them off for half price or even stocking them in their warehouses. The same must have happened in France or is happening there.

Nevertheless in Naples where the people always find a creative way out of difficult situations they are launching the International soccer jerseys and specifically the ones of Argentina. You might ask yourself why Argentina? Is it because the colors are similar to the soccer team jerseys of the local team? No the reason why they are so keen on them is because Maradona, today’s National coach of Argentina, has played many years in Naples and in those days Naples was among the strongest teams in Italy.

So if you are not really concerned in getting authentic soccer jerseys you should get yours in Naples, where they certainly cost less. But at the same time to go the safe way maybe you should check the matter out on the internet where the offers are not missing. Especially also if you are looking for kids soccer jerseys.

People are saying, that Argentina is one of the favourite teams to win the World Cup 2010 so maybe if your sons or daughters are asking you for complete soccer uniforms and you are not tied to any specific team maybe this could be a good choice. Also make sure to get the Adidas ball, not the nike soccer ball, as Adidas is the official one.

If you have bought soccer jerseys of the teams, that are already out of the 2010 World Cup you might consider a garage sale, unless they belong to the team of your heart and no matter what has happened you are still connected to it.

The England team has always been a favourite among football lovers, and although it may not be more popular as the teams of Argentina and Brazil, it is most certainly as popular as them. And to the home crowd, the England Team has a different place altogether. Over the years, it has produced some of the best football stars of the current football era like David Beckham and Owen and Wayne Rooney, and there aren’t many who would not love to have their team shirts as souvenirs. However, since that it often not possible, replica shirts of the soccer stars are the next option. It is a great way to show your support for your team and if you are fortunate enough to meet your idol, you can have them autographed and display it with pride.

England Football Shirts: England Football Shirts replicas are widely available in almost all the leading sports store in England. You can easily buy them off the rack or have them custom made. Shirts with the name of the football stars imprinted at the back are also available but they cost a bit more than the ones with no names. You can even choose goal keepers’ shirt if you want to stand out from the crowd.

England Football Kit: Instead of just buying a shirt to support your team and if you are a sports person yourself, you can buy the entire football kit. All the items have the logo of the England soccer team and you will definitely look like a national team player yourself when you step out in them. The items like sneakers, gloves, socks etc will all come in useful when you play and the jersey will grab eyeballs when you support your team in them.

Hiring Shirts: If you do not want to buy the shirts because you want to have the one with the latest designing, then you can even hire the football shirts. The jersey of the England football team has undergone quite a few modifications over the years, with each design aiming to make the players look better than before. However, some die hard soccer fans prefer to collect all the shirts, so that they can boast of a collection, which are even handed down from generation to generation.

Football is a maddening game and the frenzy that it creates is undeniable. The team can only perform well when they have its supporters to boost their morale, and the sight of hundreds of supporters in the gallery cheering for them is a treat for the eyes.

They might not be the best team in the world according to the official ranking system, but there is no doubt that when it comes to fan following and media coverage, the English national football team is second to none.

Let us take a look at how the Three Lions have performed at world football’s biggest event- the FIFA World Cup.

1950 Brazil: – England chose not to play the first three editions of the World Cup (1930, 1934 and 1938), and made their first World Cup appearance five years after WWII. They started well with a 2-0 win over Chile, but subsequent 1-0 defeats to the USA and Spain saw them make an early exit.

1954 Switzerland: – England improved upon their 1950 performance by reaching the last eight in 1954. They topped Group 4, which also consisted of Switzerland, two time world champions Italy and Belgium. Defending champions Uruguay beat them 4-2 in the quarterfinals.

1958 Sweden: – This squad was weakened due to the absence of several players who perished in the September 1957 Munich disaster, but still did well enough to draw all of its league games. England lost their playoff game to the USSR 1-0, with Anatoli Ilyin scoring the winner for the Soviet Union

1962 Chile: – England recovered from an opening loss to Hungary to beat Argentina 3-1 in the next game. Despite only drawing the next game against Bulgaria, England’s superior goal average took them to the quarterfinals, where Garrincha scored twice in Brazil’s 3-1 win.

1966 England: – Sir Alf Ramsay, Walter Winterbottom’s successor orchestrated a famous title triumph that still remains one of England’s greatest sporting achievements. An opening draw against Uruguay was followed by wins over Mexico and France. A bitter quarterfinal against Argentina was won 1-0, with Geoff Hurst, playing instead of the injured Jimmy Greaves, scoring the winner from Martin Peters’ cross. Eusebio and Portugal were beaten 2-1 in the semifinals, and West Germany awaited them in the final. Despite Greaves returning to fitness, Ramsay chose to stick with Hurst, a gamble which paid off as the young West Ham forward netted a hat trick in England’s 4-2 extra time win. Ramsay showed great flexibility and adaptability, using a 4-3-3 for the group games, and then switching to the 4-4-2 for the knockout ones.

1970 Mexico: – Pre tournament favourites England finished second in their group behind Brazil. Despite leading 2-0 in the quarterfinal against West Germany with a little over twenty minutes to go, England lost the game 3-2, and the Germans gained revenge for their loss at Wembley four years ago.

1982 Spain: – England failed to qualify for the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, depriving the world of the opportunity to see stars like Emelyn Hughes and Kevin Keegan on the big stage. England qualified for the second round with a 100% win record from the group stages, but failed to advance after drawing with both West Germany and Portugal.

1986 Mexico: – A loss to Portugal followed by a goalless draw against Morocco saw England come dangerously close to elimination, but Lineker’s hat trick saved the day against Poland. Paraguay were beaten 2-0 in the round of 16, but Diego Maradona knocked England out in the quarterfinals. The legendary playmaker opened the scoring with his «Hand of God» goal, and then dribbled past five English outfield players to score the «Goal of the Century». Lineker’s sixth of the tournament was to be nothing more than a consolation goal as Argentina won 2-1.

1990 Italy: – England’s best performance since 1966 saw them finish fourth in the tournament. They beat Belgium and Cameroon en route to a semifinal clash against West Germany, where Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle both missed their spot kicks in the shootout. England lost the third place match to the hosts 2-1.

1998 France: – Wins over Tunisia and Colombia saw England qualify for the next round behind group winners Romania. They faced Argentina in the second round. A young David Beckham got sent off for a kick on Diego Simeone, and despite Michael Owen scoring one of the goals of the tournament, England were eliminated on penalties.

2002 Korea and Japan: – David Beckham recovered from a broken metatarsal and exorcised the ghosts of St.Etienne as England beat Argentina in the Group of Death. However a piece of magic from Ronaldinho left David Seaman completely flummoxed, and Brazil showed England the door in the last eight.

2006 Germany: – England’s poor record in penalty shoot outs continued as they were beaten by Portugal in the last eight. They qualified for the knockout stages by topping Group B, and beat Ecuador in the round of 16. Wayne Rooney was sent off for stamping Ricardo Carvalho, and the match became more controversial when Cristiano Ronaldo was seen winking by the cameras as Rooney stormed off. Portuguese keeper Ricardo was the hero in the shootout as Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher all missed their penalties.

With 15 different managers taking the reins since their participation in the FIFA World Cup, England have only hosted the event once and it’s no coincidence that the only time they have won the competition, was in 1966, the year they hosted it.

Every country is unique in a certain way. And to understand the culture of a country you must have experienced this culture. Culture is something that is so extent, that in order to opinion about it you need to be very focused. For example, by comparing one specific aspect of the culture with the culture you know best — that of you native country.

Without this focus, Argentinean culture would give an enormous amount of views. Ask for example someone in the street about Argentina and you will hear: Tango. And maybe also, Buenos Aires, Evita, Military Coups, Borges, Once one of the Wealthiest countries or … Maradona, Soccer.

Culture is about what keeps people together in a community or society (the internal aspect). How strong is this internal binding? But culture is also about how this group interacts with others groups and cultures. For the first aspect it is important to know that Argentina is a country with a very high historic immigration level:

• «In the peak period of the world’s oversee migration, 1821-1932, six countries absorbed 90 per cent of the total, and among these six, Argentina ranked second in the number of immigrants, with a total of 6,405,000. Between 1857 and 1958 the main source of immigrants to Argentina were Italy and Spain accounting for 46 and 33 percent, respectively, of the total. (www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1990/1/90.01.06.x.html)

Despite this high level of immigration, the Argentinean culture is quite (and comparatively) strong.

For the second element — the interaction of the group with / against others — Argentina is very much a competing culture, whereas the Dutch culture is much more consensus based and cooperative. The fighting spirit — so to say — is much more part of the Argentinean culture that that of the Dutch.

Argentina won the world cup twice. The first time they could celebrate in 1978 (against The Netherlands) and the second time in 1986, they were too strong for West Germany.

Holland participated twice in the world cup finals. In both cases they finished second best. This is where they could learn from the Argentinean Culture.

© 2006 Hans Bool

The Mexican soccer teams are consists of the best players in Mexico. Though they don’t have as much trophies compared to the teams of Brazil and Argentina, the Mexican players are considered among the best when it comes to excellent strategies and techniques. The Mexican team still managed to prove their best and gained the respect of the millions of fans all over the world.

With the skills and hard work of the players, the Mexican soccer teams managed to win numerous achievements in the sport. Among the achievements of the Mexican team in the World Cup and other international tournament includes:

• Mexico hosted the World Cup in 1970. They were able to make the lead when they were able to beat El Salvador and Belgium.
• The 1986 World Cup was again hosted by Mexico. The Mexican team managed to make it on top when the win against Belgium, Iraq and Bulgaria.
• The year 1990 had been a turning point for the team. They managed to win the 2^nd place in the 1993 Copa America.
• The 2002 World Cup is another success of the national team when they managed to make it to the finals.

The Mexican team had been actively participating different international competitions despite the fact that they only have a few winnings. For the Mexican team, it is not all about winning but the most important thing for them is the passion and love of the game.

Their high spirits remain and had continuously helped in promoting the beautiful sport to their countrymen.