Welcome to the ‘Group of Death’ folks. For someone who loves football, it is always going to be difficult to digest the hard fact that after the first round, one among Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast will bid adieu to this year’s championship. With due respect to North Korea, the Asians will find it hard to match the skills and quality of the other three teams in the group although anything can happen in this tricky game.
Tuesday’s encounter between Ivory Coast and Portugal will undoubtedly be the most important match in the group not only for the sheer number of superstars in the two teams but also because the outcome of this particular match can go along way towards deciding which two teams go through. This on the assumption that the North Koreans are here only to make up the numbers.
One can’t but feel sorry for Ivory Coast who will miss their skipper and star player Didier Drogba. The Chelsea striker is still not fully fit after undergoing an elbow surgery last week.
Not having Drogba against a side like Portugal will definitely be a telling blow to the African nation. The kind of form that Drogba was in during the club season with Chelsea, he could have single-handedly taken his team forward.
A Lionel Messi or a Cristiano Ronaldo may be a bit more skilful but there are times when you need that brute power which is so useful in the 18-yard box. Drogba provides Ivory Coast with that option. Not to forget his rate of conversion. His absence means that the famous duel between him and Ronaldo will remain in abeyance. Ronaldo’s form of late has been a cause of concern. When he arrived at the Bernabeu, a lot was expected from him but he hasn’t been able to reproduce his EPL exploits in La Liga. This is Ronaldo’s best chance of carrying Portugal forward, something he hasn’t done like the illustrious Eusobio and Luis Figo before him.
However, Ronaldo’s talent and his ability to do the unexpected can’t be questioned. He may lack a bit in consistency but he is one player who can be better than the best on his day. Also, with accomplished players like Deco and Ricardo Carvalho for company, the Portuguese look primed for Tuesday’s game. I will also a have keen eye on the strategy Sven Goran Eriksson adopts, considering that his main weapon is missing.
Will he go with a single striker in Salomon Kalou who has always had the cushion of playing second fiddle to Drogba at Chelsea? Or will he use Kader Keita or Aruna Dindane playing deep? A lot will depend on how Barcelona’s Yaya Toure performs on the day.
One of the most industrious players of his generation, Yaya is the brain of the team if Droga can be considered its heart. Not to forget elder brother and Manchester City player Kolo Toure and Arsenal’s Emmanuel Ebou who would definitely be looking to keep Ronaldo and his mates on a tight leash. Describing this clash as intriguing would, therefore, be an understatement.
LIKELY TEAMS
Ivory Coast (4-4-2): 1-Boubacar Barry, 21-Emmanuel Eboue, 4-Kolo Toure, 22-Souleymane Bamba, 17-Siaka Tiene, 10-Gervais Kouassi, 5-Didier Zokora, 19-Yaya Toure, 9-Cheik Tiote, 8-Salomon Kalou, 7-Seydou Doumbia
Portugal (4-3-3): 1-Eduardo, 3-Paulo Ferreira, 2-Bruno Alves, 6-Ricardo Carvalho, 23-Fabio Coentrao, 8-Pedro Mendes, 16-Raul Meireles, 20-Deco, 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 11-Simao Sabrosa, 9-Liedson
Referee: Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay)
