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U.S. pulls off a miracle
Portugal a shadow of itself, while Irish spring surprise
Posted: Wednesday June 05, 2002 11:07 AM
Updated: Wednesday June 05, 2002 11:21 AM
CNNSI.com's World Cup analyst Gabriele Marcotti is covering every kick of the tournament, with a "91st Minute" column filed each matchday. Click here to submit a comment or question to Marcotti's mailbag.
Do you believe in miracles?
The United States' 3-2 victory over Portugal ranks alongside Senegal's defeat of France as one of the tournament's shock results thus far. What is all the more amazing is that the U.S. did it without its two best players, Claudio Reyna and Clint Mathis.
Bruce Arena's men played well, but Portugal was abysmal, a shadow of the team admired at Euro 2000. Coach Antonio Oliveira will have to turn it around quickly, while for the U.S., this is a massive confidence boost heading into the next game against co-host South Korea.
Speaking of surprises, who would have thought that Germany, so efficient in punishing Saudi Arabia, could possibly allow Ireland back into the game to grab a share of the spoils (1-1). Forget the fact that Robbie Keane's equalizer only came in injury time: it was wholly deserved given the fact that only some outstanding saves by the incredible Oliver Kahn kept the Irish out earlier.
Russia opened with a solid 2-0 victory over Tunisia, an encouraging performance given the absence of stalwarts Alexander Mostovoj and Alexei Smertin. Look out for 19-year-old wonder kid Dmitri Sichev, who won the penalty that made it 2-0 and elegant midfielder Marat Izmailov as the tournament progresses.
Tunisia held up well for a while but paid the price for defensive blunders. Still, Ammar Souyah's men proved that despite a difficult buildup to the tournament, they can be a dangerous team, suggesting this group may be tighter than expected.
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Oliver Kahn (Germany)
In the second half, the German defense simply fell apart, and it was up to the Bayern No. 1 to spring into action, pulling world-class save after world-class save out of the hat. It's safe to say that without Kahn, Germany would have lost this match.
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Antonio Oliveira (Portugal).
When a team plays as poorly as the Portuguese did against the U.S., the blame needs to be spread around. However, Oliveira made a number of tactical and team selection blunders that only made the situation worse. How did Oliveira destroy Portugal? Where to begin? With his team 3-0 down in the first half, he waited until 10 minutes from time to insert another striker (Nuno Gomes) alongside the overmatched Pauleta.
Lone holding midfielder Petit was getting overrun while Paulo Bento, a much better ballwinner, remained on the bench. The defensive partnership of Fernando Couto and Jorge Costa may be long on experience, but it's definitely short on pace, especially against the likes of Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley. Why didn't speedy defender Jorge Andrade, a rising star in his position, get his chance?
Finally, it's one thing to build patiently from the back, quite another to play at two miles an hour. Portugal's total lack of urgency, even when it was way in the hole, allowed the U.S. to reset its defense each time they lost possession.
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Robbie Keane (Ireland).
His quick instincts in the second minute of injury time enabled Ireland to snatch a crucial point against mighty Germany. A vital goal that could hold the key to his team's passage to the second round.
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For years, the 4-4-2 system has been the bread and butter of soccer formations. If you look at the 16 opening matches, you'll note, however, that only two of the 12 teams that won their openers employ a traditional 4-4-2 tactical set-up: Spain and Italy (and, as far as the Azzurri are concerned, it was a one-off, as they'll be reverting to a 4-3-1-2 scheme with Totti behind two strikers for their next matches). From Brazil's 3-4-1-2 to Costa Rica's dazzling 4-3-3 and Argentina's innovative 3-3-1-3, we've seen a whole variety of formations, giving this World Cup a refreshing tactical diversity.
Why the change? Perhaps because this time more than ever coaches are adapting their formations to the players at their disposal and not vice-versa. The one notable exception seems to be England, where Sven-Goran Eriksson is persevering with a 4-4-2 system despite lacking a natural left-sided midfielder and having a glut of serviceable central defenders on the bench, both of which would suggest a 3-5-2 formation might work better.
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In Group A, Denmark, one of the most impressive teams seen thus far, will have its work cut out for it against one of the other surprise packages, Senegal. Given Morten Olsen's aggressive 4-2-3-1 system and Senegal's one-striker package, most of the action should take place in the African half, with El Hadji Diouf a constant threat on the counterattack.
It's do or die for both France and Uruguay. The world champions still don't know whether Zinedine Zidane, Youri Djorkaeff and Lilian Thuram will be fit. Their absence would be a blow, but France has enough talent to win this game even without them. Provided, of course, boss Roger Lemerre turns it up a notch compared with the opener.
Uruguay has already voiced concerns that the referees will do their best to keep France in the competition at the expense of the South Americans. At this stage, it's the wrong attitude to have. Uruguay has the experience and talent to beat France (though it will be difficult), and that is what Victor Pua's men should focus on.
Following the draw between Germany and Ireland in Group E, it is absolutely vital for Cameroon that it not only wins against Saudi Arabia, but also wins big. This group could well come down to goal difference if Germany and Cameroon draw in the final game (which is entirely possible), and thus the African champions will want to put as much pressure as possible on Ireland when they face the Saudis.
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Patrick Vieira (France).
Given the number of high-profile teammates who are either injured or banged up, someone needs to take control. The Arsenal man is arguably the best all-around midfielder in the world, and France desperately needs his leadership. If Zidane and Djorkaeff are both sidelined, he'll have the difficult job of keeping a watchful eye on Alvaro Recoba while running the team from midfield.
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With the big problem [Argentina coach] Marcelo Bielsa faces in choosing either Batistuta or Crespo as his starting striker, would it not be easier if he started both players in a 4-4-2 system? With this I mean two central/defensive midfielders such as Zanetti and Simeone, and two attacking midfielders/wingers in Ortega and Veron, with both Batistuta and Crespo in attack. I think this would work; what is your opinion?
-- Kwabena Opoku-Agyemang, Cape Coast, Ghana
Marcotti: Personally I do think that Crespo and Batistuta could play together, but it's too late to make a change at this point. Bielsa has a well-established 3-3-1-3 system, and I don't think he's going to tinker with it now. He made a decision and he's sticking with it, which is probably the right thing to do since Argentina has gotten used to playing a certain way. The nice thing about having Crespo or Batigol on the bench is that you have the luxury of introducing a fresh superstar if need be in the second half.
Click here to read Marcotti's most recent mailbag, and here to submit a comment or question.
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