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| GROUP A |
| ENGLAND Made a pig of qualifying but will be semi-confident following encouraging performances against Argentina and Brazil and not so encouraging performances against the Ukraine and Malta. Key Players Campbell - England's only World Class defender. Exceptional tackler and good going forward although can be prone to lapses in concentration Beckham - The best crosser in World football has also added the ability to play inch perfect through passes to his game. His temperament still remains a problem as evidenced in the World Club Championship Owen - Seems to have recovered from a hamstring injury that has plagued him since the 1998 World Cup. Exceptional pace, cool finisher. Doesn't link well with Shearer Liabilities Semen - Fat and old. Has made costly mistakes for Arsenal and England throughout the season Gary Neville - King of the hospital pass, wretched positional sense Shearer - Has the pace of a 40 year old thus cannot get into positions to put away chances, something he is still good at, and is easily dispossessed by defenders Should have gone to the Low Countries : James & Ehiogu (Aston Villa), Lampard (West Ham), Cole (Man United) Should have gone on Holiday : Seamen, Gary & Phil Neville, Fowler, Shearer Prospects The defence lack understanding - the Arsenal pair of Adams and Keown have a tendency to stand still waiting for an offside flag that all too often doesn't arrive, while Neville and Campbell get caught due to poor positional sense. Keegan's insistence on picking established internationals like Shearer and Semen could prove very costly. England's midfield is one of the strongest in the completion but Keegan must resist the temptation of giving McManaman the freedom of the pitch otherwise he will render Beckham useless. Have the talent to go all the way but will probably come unstuck due to Keegan's squad selections. GERMANY The nationalmanshaft (hope I've spelt that right) qualified with ease after recovering from an opening defeat away to Turkey. Friendly results haven't been too bad aside from a comprehensive 2-1 defeat by Holland, well about as comprehensive 2-1 can be. Key Players Kahn - One of the best goalkeepers in World football, confident off his line spectacular shot stopper Ziege - After a disastrous time in Serie A, Ziege is back to his best making those devastating runs down the left flank. One of the few genuine creative players in the squad Bierhoff - Hasn't had a great season at Milan but remains the focal point of Germany's attack. He'll soak up crosses like a sponge and is excellent at bringing others into play Liabilities Matthaus - Yeah, yeah, we've heard it all before, he's a great sweeper, he reads the game brilliantly, blah, blah, blah. He's 39. He's slow. He's 39 Hassler - Is Ribbeck taking the piss? Consistent choker at club and international level Prospects Germany were never known for their champagne soccer but they always had a touch of quality to go with their methodical, workmanlike approach. This team lacks the quality. Ribbeck has tried to bring in new faces but the likes or Ramelow and Ballack aren't exactly likely to put fear into the opposition. PORTUGAL Qualified as the best runners-up from a group in which Romania were their only serious threat. Have been spectacular in recent friendlies. Key Players Rui Costa After several seasons of inconsistency at Fiorentina, Rui Costa blossomed into the great playmaker he always threatened to become. Would probably score more goals if he bothered to get forward more often Luis Figo Barcelona's versatile winger (he can play on either flank) has been arguably the best player in Europe this season. An assist machine. Pace, technique, good crosser, good finisher Prospects Will probably play the best football of the tournament, pass the ball to death and find over elaborate ways in which to blow 100% chances. Still lack a proven goalscorer but the midfield should get the goals to see them though to the next stage at least. ROMANIA Qualified from the same group as Portugal, taking four points from their Group A rivals. Form in friendlies has been erratic. Key Players Hagi Despite being older than time Hagi remains Romania's key player and is still capable of prising open the tightest of defences with that magical left foot Ilie Doesn't score enough goals but is Romania's biggest threat in attack, some would say only threat in attack. Sublime technique Prospects Romania have a solid balance of youth and experience and always play good football. They hold recent victories over two of their group opponents, England and Portugal, and have been one of the most consistent European teams of the past decade. Are too reliant on Hagi and haven't got a prolific goalscorer. A lot is expected of Mutu who has spent most of the year on the bench at Inter. Overall : This is wide open. The most evenly balanced group. |