Someone wake me up when it starts!

Hi again

As gameweek 1 comes to a close with the surprise result of the tournament, it doesn’t mask the fact that this has been a really slow start.

Those of us who are playing world cup games and were gung ho in our score predictions have been massively disappointed up to now. I don’t think I can recall a cagier start to any tournament. Sure, I understand teams don’t want to lose at the first hurdle and of course it can take time to hit your stride but the lack of ambition from all the teams, favourites or not, has been a surprise. This is the world cup after all, the greatest show on earth.

And pardon me for expecting too much but with England failing to qualify for Euro 2008, I’ve been waiting four long years for South Africa 2010. All I’m asking for is a goal or 6 and players who look as if they mean it.

So thank god for the North Korean No 9. Even though I was frustrated to see even Brazil fail to score in the first half I couldn’t help but admire the passion and ability of the chap. I think he might get snapped up after the world cup.

With a heavy heart I have to admit that Germany are the team of the tournament so far. Functional and efficient they may have once been but there’s talent in their multi-cultural squad sprinkled with some great experience and three strikers who know where the goal is, despite indifferent domestic campaigns – especially Podolski and the evergreen Klose.

In all honesty, Germany were up against a very poor Australian team but they despatched them with cool precision. There are tougher tests to come but I still hope England can avoid them for a while.
Surprise package so far, for me, are South Korea. On their own patch they did well. Exceeded themselves of course but they had home advantage. I gave them little hope this time round but they swept past Greece and have some really good players and maybe one to watch.

Their nearest neighbours won’t last long but they have shown spirit and you have to applaud them for holding Brazil for so long and persisting long enough to score a well deserved consolation.

Major disappointments so far are both 2006 finalists France and Italy. France probably nudge it for now as the worst for being so bad on opening night that it took all my powers of persuasion to convince Mrs G that the world cup was worth a go. They really didn’t help my cause. Italy were so bad in the first half that I personally offered to change the channel.

Player of the tournament so far? Messi has lived up to his billing – one of the few high profile players to do so. Robinho was good too. He looked a completely different player to the disinterested and spoilt one that left Man City in January. Most impressive, though is tiny Ozil, the German/Turkish playmaker who looks absolute class. The rest of the so-called big name players have been dreadful.

So here’s my team of Gameweek 1:

Enyeama (Nigeria)

Maicon (Bra) Heinze (Arg) Lichsteiner (Swi) Lahm (Ger)

Park (S Kor) De Rossi (It) Ozil (Ger)

Messi (Arg) Tae-Se Jong (N Kor) Robinho (Bra)
Only 2 days to England vs Algeria. Come on boys...