World Cup Thoughts...So Far

We are now five days into the world's biggest sporting event, the World Cup, and I thought there was no better way to turn around our lack of posts over the last few months then to post some of my reflections at this stage of the tournament, and I hope this will be followed by posts from Jon and Sean. Here are some of my opinions about the first World Cup to be held on African soil...

First, I am constantly reading and hearing complaints about two things, the vuvuzelas and the Jabulani match ball. Fans watching on tv and players on the pitch have both complained about the noise they create, and I'm sure it is clear to all who watch that the sound is, simply, bloody annoying. I even heard of one unfortunate old lady who became very afraid she had a swarm of bees in her house! I am often one who is all for not infringing on local tradition, and that is in fact why World Cup organisers, after mulling over whether to ban vuvuzela from stadia, decided not to stop their use. I have discovered, however, that vuvuzela have only been around for about nine years, so I find it very hard to call it a South African tradition. I also miss the very traditional noise of fans singing for their team and cheering when they score, rather than just a slight increase in the vuvuzela volume. With broadcasters receiving so many complaints and players complaining that it affects their concentration and ability to communicate with one another (although they may just have spared Robin Van Persie a red card), I think it would have been fair to ban them for all matches after everyone had played one match. Unfortunately, the noise is set to continue, although broadcasters are taking measures to reduce their noise.

The jabulani match ball is very controversial, as outfield players and goalkeepers alike are complaining about the ball's unpredictability, with balls in the air seeming to swerve in ways that players did not intend, ruining a pass, or curling wickedly and deceiving helpless 'keepers. Manufacturers Adidas are adamant that this is the best soccer ball ever produced, and say the players have had ample time to get used to it. They say the altitude may be to blame for some of the unpredictability, and claims that it is lighter than other balls are simply not true. I do not know where I stand on this issue. On one hand, I have not seen a single good free kick and I have seen a couple of goalkeeper errors (Robert Green's not included) that have seen them fumble the ball or opt to punch instead, though so far not really to a great cost. I have also heard many player complaints throughout the tournament that the ball is dreadful, such as one from Dickson Etuhu. I feel that FIFA could have just stuck with a tried and trusted ball. On the other hand, the ball has been "extensively trialled"by some of Europe's top clubs and was used in leagues such as the German Bundesliga, so players have had plenty of opportunity to practice with the ball, and I would have thought that if it had major design flaws these would have come up long before the World Cup, so perhaps players are just seeking excuses.

These two issues are very much debated, and I am interested to hear more opinions, but I think it is time to move on to the football. Most noticeably, there has been a lack of goals. So far, there have been 23 goals in 14 games, or 1.64 goals per game. This is a very low ratio. Typically, I look for a league to have a 2.5 goals per game average, something which the Premier League has started to do again after a dip mid-decade. Until now, the 1990 World Cup has the lowest average number of goals per game at 2.21. I think this World Cup needs to step it up after a cagey opening few games. The last tournament opened with Germany beating Costa Rica 4-2 in a Munich thriller, and it is only the Germans who have given us a good load of goals to enjoy this time round with a fantastic 4-0 win over Australia. While the occasion and euphoria that I am actually watching the World Cup has been enough to override the lack of goals to give me some entertainment value, I will look for more impressive football on the whole as we really get down to business. Let's see if World Cup favorites Spain can impress tomorrow with some attacking flair.

I have enjoyed numerous games at this stage, however. The opener between South Africa and Mexico was a great spectacle, with Tshabalala's goal one of the moments of the tournament. The England-US match was a tense and nervy affair, and certainly worth a watch for the neutral. Germany finally showed us some good attacking football and it really paid off, while Ghana's win was so great for the continent. The Brazil-North Korea match was also entertaining, with North Korea's resilience really impressing me and their goal well-worked.

I am fascinated by a number of the groups at this stage, and it will be virtually impossible to predict some of them until after the second round of games has passed by. These include both Groups A and B, with the second round of group matches beginning tomorrow (Wednesday) in the afternoon. South Africa vs. Uruguay could be a defining match in that group, and I am so frustrated I will have to miss that one. USA vs. Slovenia could be the most important fixture in group C, and the U.S. must make sure they show up with the right attitude for this one. A repeat of 2006 would spell disaster for them, with England likely to beat Algeria later that day (yes I am biased, but England should have little problem). Slovenia and Algeria played out a very poor game on Sunday, and if they play like that will pose little threat.

There will be plenty more controversy and entertainment as we move forward, and I hope you're as excited as I am for round 2 of the group stage.