World Cup Preview - Group F

You might recognize one of the teams in Group F. As for the others, we'll tell you what you need to know.

Australia

The football gods have not been kind to the Aussies. By the curse of geography, Australia has been stuck in the Oceania region, where the Socceroos are the only real quality team. World Cup qualification has meant winning a two-leg tie against a battle-tested South American team. So Australia only played two seriously competitive matches every four years, and if they came up short their World Cup dreams went down the drain (counterclockwise down the drain, of course). But things are looking up for the Aussies. This time around, the Socceroos did get past their South American opposition (Uruguay) and have qualified for their second ever World Cup. And, Australia has been granted permission to switch to the much more competitive Asia region after the World Cup, where qualification no longer hinges on just two games.

Not many are giving the Socceroos much of a chance to progress out of Group F. But the Aussies shouldn't be taken lightly. The starting 11 all play in Europe and they have one of the best managers in the sport in Dutchman Guus Hiddink. Australia will have a formidable front line with Middlesbrough's Mark Viduka leading the attack and Everton's Tim Cahill, who looks to recover from a knee injury in time, playing in the hole behind him. The midfield features hard-nosed battlers like Jason Cullina (PSV), Vince Grella (Parma), and Scott Chipperfield (Basle) in the middle, and skillful wingers like Marco Bresciano (Parma) and Harry Kewell (Liverpool). Hiddink's 3-5-1-1 could cause teams fits. Sure, they lack experience on the world stage. But these guys have played enough European football to not be scared of the bright lights.

Key Player - Harry Kewell
Five years ago, Kewell was mentioned among the best midfielders in the world. Often thought of as the finest footballer Australia has ever produced, he was instrumental to Leeds United's Champions League run in 2001 and eventually earned a big money move to Liverpool. But Kewell has been a major disappointment on the Merseyside. He's scored only four goals and missed 32 league games in the last two seasons combined. Injuries and poor form have many thinking Kewell is past it at this point. This summer will be his chance to prove everyone wrong. If the Socceroos want a shot at the Round of 16, Kewell must produce.

What to Watch For
Obviously, the Aussies will need to get positive results out of their games with Japan and Croatia to have any shot at getting out of this group. Unfortunately, the Aussies lack the depth, combined with their shortcomings on defense, will probably lead to an early exit. But hopefully the Socceroos can build on this experience and take advantage of their move to the Asian federation to catapult this team to bigger and better things down the road.

Brazil

What is there to say that hasn't been said about Brazil so far? They've won the World Cup five times and they're 5-2 favorites to win it again this year. Brazil is good - very good. We all know that. But there have been times before when Brazil was the clear favorite for to win the cup and the Samba Stars came up short, like in 1998. Clearly, progressing through the group stage and then four rounds of knockout football is not easy, so let's not hand the trophy to the Brazilians yet.

When you consider the talent this team can call upon, it's really not fair for the rest of the world. Imagine being an opposing centerback or goalie and seeing Ronaldinho AND Ronaldo AND Adriano AND Kaka in front of you, and Robinho warming up on the bench. How exactly do you stop those guys? And it's not like those are the only guys you have to worry about. Dida is one of the top five or 10 goalies in the world. Emerson might be the best holding midfielder in the world not named Makelele. And Roberto Carlos is still as deadly as ever on free kicks. The Brazilians obviously have a lot of offense. The key for them is to just play their game and convert on the numerous chances they'll undoubtedly create. But if they come up against a team that can actually hold the ball against them, it'll be interesting to see how they react when forced to hold their shape and defend.

Key Player - Ronaldo
Four years ago, there was doubt if Ronaldo would ever be the player we thought he'd be. But he rebuilt his injury-plagued career with a spectacular World Cup 2002 that saw him win the Golden Boot and earn a big money move to Real Madrid. It's four years later, and once again there are more doubts surrounding the burly striker. His season at Real Madrid was notable for the rough treatment he received at the Bernabeu and his expanding waistline more than it was for his goalscoring. World Cup 2006 is Ronaldo's time to set everyone straight and remind us who the world's best forward is. With Adriano's inconsistency and Robinho's inexperience, Ronaldo will need to take charge up front. Then again, it really might not matter how he plays as long as Ronaldinho is working his magic.

What to Watch For
Let's be honest here - the group stage will be a walkover for the Brazilians. But they should immediately face tough competition in the Round of 16 where they will face the runner-up from Group E. That will mean a serious test from a battle-hardened Czech, Italian, or American team. It will be interesting to see how well the Fab Four - Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Adriano, and Kaka - link up with each other. And it will be interesting to see how the Brazilians respond to a team that can hold the ball a bit against them and force them to defend. Still, it would be shocking if this team didn't make it very, very deep into this tournament.

Croatia

The Croats have performed admirably since coming on the football scene after gaining independence a decade and a half ago. The Balkans have always produced excellent footballers, and Croatia more than any of the former Yugoslav republics has carried the torch for Balkan football. The Croats have only missed one major tournament since becoming a FIFA member (Euro 2000), and reached as high as third place at World Cup 1998. This time around, Croatia proved it belongs once again by topping a group that included Euro 2004 participants Sweden and Bulgaria in order to qualify.

Much like their neighboring Serbians, Croatia is limited in playing traditional swashbuckling Balkan football due to a lack of creative midfield players. Coach Zlatko Kranjcar has dealt with this by devising a defensive mindset where at least eight players sit behind the ball and offense comes as a result of counterattacks. However in recent months, he has reverted to the traditional attack-minded 3-5-2 formation. It is yet to be seen which formation the Croats stick with. Up front Croatia has a world class forward in Dado Prso. The problem will be getting him the ball enough to do any real damage.

Key Player - Igor Tudor
It hasn't been a great last two years for Tudor. He had a very lackluster Euro 2004, which saw the Croats crash out in the group stage. He then was at fault for a number of widely publicized blunders at Juventus the following season. He's fallen out of favor at the Turin club and was loaned out to Siena (where he might be better off these days). So like with a lot of players, this World Cup will be a time for Tudor to prove himself once again. His versatility helps a lot, as he can play as a centerback or as a defensive midfielder. But it's yet to be seen if he can regain his form that once saw him as an automatic choice in the Juventus defense.

What to Watch For
The Croats have the unenviable task of opening the World Cup against Brazil in Berlin. No one will be picking the Croats in that game, and despite their quality it would be a shock if they took any points off of the Brazilians. They key to qualifying for the Round of 16 will be how the Croats bounce back in their subsequent games against Japan and Australia. While they lack the big names, Croatia has a knack of performing well on the big stage. The Round of 16 is a real possibility.

Japan

Japan was a novelty in 1998 as a first time participant, and then an attention-getter as host in 2002. At this World Cup, they are no longer everyone's favorite new underdog. The Japanese continue to improve as a footballing nation, but that improvement has stalled a bit in recent years. While the Japanese are able to consistently beat up on inferior Asian competition, they have yet to prove that they can take points off of a top class European or South American nation. With this being their third World Cup, it's time for Japan to step it up in class.

The problem for Japan is talent. While the Japanese have produced world class midfielders who ply their trade in Europe like Hidetoshi Nakata and his protege, Shunsuke Nakamura, Japan has yet to produce top notch defenders and forwards. Not helping things is recent news of troubles in the Japanese camp. Nakata came out and said the team lacked heart. Many are troubled with the constant tinkering by their Brazilian coach, Zico. And there are injury concerns up front. With less than a week away, there might not be enough time to overcome all of these concerns.

Key Player - Shunsuke Nakamura
Nakamura has the chance to become the greatest player Japan has ever produced. He has everything you'd want in a midfielder - skill, speed, vision, and a deadly left foot. His artistry on free kicks will be desperately needed since goals will be tough to come by for the Japanese. Nakamura was left off the Japan squad in 2002 because of his perceived fragility and dislike of physical play. He took that as a personal challenge and moved on to Serie A and later the Scottish Premier League, where he's more than held his own in two of the most physical leagues in the world.

What to Watch For
The opening game against Australia is key for Japan. If the Japanese can take three points - and recent history suggests they can, as they've won four of the last five against the Socceroos - then they'll have a chance at the Round of 16. If the Japanese need to get points out of their final game with Brazil in order to move on, they'll quickly be on a plane back to Tokyo. Expect Japan to put up a good fight, but they just don't have the horses to get past the group stage this time around.

Photos courtesy football.co.uk, tiscali.co.uk, vg.no, tportal.hr, and shunsuke.com. Let us know what you think about Group F, which we like to call "Brazil +3." Email us at bookableoffense@gmail.com.