new zealand profil team 2010

New Zealand

Confederation:

OFC

Star Players:

Ryan Nelsen, Chris Killen

Best World Cup Finish:

First Round (1982)

Current FIFA Ranking:

78

Strengths:

Great team spirit

Weaknesses:

Technical ability

Fans:

All Whites are few in number

Coach: Ricki Herbert
Confederation: Oceania
FIFA Ranking (Apr 10): 78
Previous Appearances: 1 (1982)

Background
Football is not as popular as rugby or cricket in this geographically isolated island nation of 4.3 million people. That is why it is remarkable that 2010 will not be New Zealand’s first World Cup appearance. The All Whites, as the team is known (to distinguish them from rugby’s All Blacks), were there once before, in 1982. After an arduous 90,000-kilometre journey that took the team all over Asia and Oceania, New Zealand qualified for the finals in Spain. New Zealand lost their matches against Scotland, Soviet Union and Brazil, but by that stage history had already been made.

How They Qualified
When compared to the 1982 campaign, the journey to South Africa was relatively straightforward. After winning the Oceania group, New Zealand met Bahrain, Asia’s fifth placed team, in a two leg, do-or-die play-off series. New Zealand prevailed 1-0 over their West Asian opponents.

Strengths

New Zealand is a physically strong team with a good work ethic. The average height in the squad for the last match against Bahrain was just under 185 cm. New Zealand will be dangerous at set-pieces and will not be easily out-muscled by their opponents. The fact that this will be the first winter World Cup since 1978 will probably suit New Zealand’s playing style.

Weaknesses

There is no hiding the fact that New Zealand will not be the most technically gifted team at the finals. Lack of regular competitive international fixtures may also affect performances of the team as a whole. Finally, there is a noticeable lack of depth in the squad.

The Coach

Ricki Herbert, a former defender, was part of the All Whites team that qualified for the 1982 World Cup. He played in all three matches and went on to become one of New Zealand’s most capped players. Herbert has outwardly an understated manner which masks a person who is deeply passionate about the game - as his animated response to the teams qualification clearly demonstrated. Herbert also coaches the Wellington Phoenix side in the Australian A-League.

Star Men
Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn Rovers, England)

New Zealand’s captain brings a lot of top-class experience to the team. He is a true leader and has a calming and motivating influence on players around him. Playing at the heart of the defence, a lot rests on his shoulder and he may have a very busy World Cup.

Chris Killen (Celtic, Scotland)

The former Manchester City and Hibernian striker is another player with big match experience. He is not playing as often as he would like at Celtic but there is no doubt that he can get the job done when given the opportunity. Scored two morale boosting goals in the 4-3 loss to Italy earlier in the year.

Leo Bertos (Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand)

New Zealand’s most creative player. If he can be shut down, New Zealand’s strikers will be largely cut off from the action.

Best Footballing Moment

Needing to beat Saudi Arabia in Riyadh by at least five goals to stay in the hunt for a spot at the 1982 World Cup finals, New Zealand did just that. Remarkably, after going into a 5-0 half-time lead, the All Whites failed to score further goals that would have given them automatic qualification. Instead, a play-off against China was needed.

Off The Pitch
Famous for: Its clean and green image. New Zealand’s spectacular landscapes have been used as a backdrop for a number of big budget films.
Most likely to: Have fans that will enjoy themselves, no matter what the result.

World Cup Objective
New Zealand would have to get extremely fortunate in the draw to entrain any hopes of making the second round. Realistically, if points are taken off one or two teams then this will be deemed a great World Cup.

paraguay profil team 2010

Paraguay

Confederation:

CONMEBOL

Star Players:

Roque Santa Cruz, Oscar Cardozo

Best World Cup Finish:

Second Round (1986, 1998, 2002)

Current FIFA Ranking:

31

Strengths:

Solid defence

Weaknesses:

Can struggle away from home

Fans:

Loud and proud

Coach: Gerardo Martino.
Confederation: CONMEBOL
FIFA Ranking (Apr 10): 30
Previous Appearances: 7 (1930, 1950, 1958, 1986, 1998, 2002, 2006)

Background

This will be the eighth World Cup for la Albirroja, and the fourth in consecutive manner. In three of the last four Paraguay reached the first knockout round (Mexico 1986, Francia 1998 and Korea-Japan 2002). Paraguay have participated in 33 editions of the Copa America, and won the trophy twice, 1953 in Lima, Peru and 1979 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Another recent achievement was the Silver medal at the Athens Olympics of 2004.

How They Qualified

Paraguay qualified for South Africa one matchday before the end of the South American group stage's conclusion after beating Venezuela 2-1. The Albirroja, who were the best team in the first half of the group, ended up in a respectable third place, below Brazil and Chile but before Argentina and Uruguay.

One of the stars of qualifying, Salvador Cabanas, was tragically shot in January of this year. While the forward survived, he is still in recovery and will not travel to South Africa with the rest of the squad.

Strengths

Paraguay's historical main strengh is the defense, and today is no exception. The team conceded just 16 goals in 18 matches during WC qualification, the second best record of all. The counterattack is one of their main weapons, and they are extremelly dangerous in the aerial game. In addition, Paraguay comprises a brave team that likes challenges and plays better if the opposition is harder.

Weaknesses

One of the weaknesses is a lack of possession play. Paraguayans don't really like to have the ball: they feel more comfortable waiting and counterattacking. Teams who pass well, such as Spain, would have a field day.

The Coach

Argentine boss Gerardo Martino has imposed in the Paraguayan national team the same work ethic that made him such a succesful coach with local clubs Cerro Porteno and Libertad. He is from the school of Marcelo Bielsa, so he's a firm believer in tactics and strategy. Generally he goes with a 4-4-2, with 4-3-3 deployed on special occasions.

Star Men

Nelson Haedo Valdez (Borussia Dortmund)

Another threat in the Paraguayan attack zone. He is a different kind of forward when compared to Cabanas. He adds a lot more pace and bravery to fight for every ball. His speed, technique and great aerial power make him a real predator inside the box.

Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul)

Riveros is the player with the main creative role in Paraguay's central line, but he's more like an all-around midfielder, as he is very generous and helps his mates with marking and pressing. Nevertheless, his main atributte is his technique and passing, and his job to create the chances for Cabanas and Haedo.

Best Footballing Moment

Paraguay's best moments are their Copa America victories. The first one was in 1953, in Lima, Peru, after beating Brazil 3-2 in the final match. The second was in 1979 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, beating Chile in the final, with a great generation of players, including Roberto Cabanas, Julio Cesar "Romerito", Roberto "Gato" Fernandez. The Gato, a skilled goalkeeper, later played in the 1986 World Cup.

Off The Pitch

Famous for: Drinking - but not that kind of drinking. Paraguay has extremely hot and dry weather, so the people are obliged to find ways to hydrate themselves. One way is drinking the traditional Terere, which is very similar to Uruguayan Mate (an infused drink made of shrub leaves and water). Also, Paraguay has several typical foods like such as a solid soup thickened with cornflour, and the Mbeju style of starchy omelets.

Most likely to: Shun local delicacies in favour of home-made food. The Paraguayan players will mantain their local diet during the World Cup, as the local FA has recruited a corps of chefs to take with them from South America to South Africa.

World Cup Objective

The dream of every Paraguayan is that the team could reach the famous "fifth match" (quarter-finals). The Round of 16 has been as a wall in recent World Cups for Paraguay, and now it's time for La Albirroja to make a step forward.