Group B - 2010 World Cup - South Africa Car Rentals

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Group B - 2010 Football World cup - Argentina, Greece, Nigeria, South Korea

Group B is an interesting mix of teams from four different continents. Argentina is the main footballing powerhouse in the group and is a fair bet to progress in first place. Nigeria should have some great African support which should motivate their already quick and powerful squad.

Greece and South Korea are both hard-working and disciplined teams. Are they capable of providing an upset in Group B? It’s a possibility as both are capable of holding either Argentina or Nigeria to a draw. Whether either side has what it takes to beat the Group B favourites is not so certain.

Argentina

Argentina is a perennial World Cup challenger and two-time World Cup winner. The squad possesses arguably the greatest all-round strength and depth of any international team playing today.

However, a lacklustre qualifying campaign may well have put a dent in squad confidence. Argentina scraped a fourth place finish in the South American World Cup qualifying group, finishing behind Brazil, Chile and Paraguay. 8 wins and 4 draws could do nothing to hide a disconcerting 6 losses.

With players such Walter Samuel, Juan Riquelme, Javier Mascherano, Carlos Tevez and World Player of the Year Lionel Messi (to name but a few), some may wonder what went wrong. Others, however, would point a finger directly at Diego Maradona’s managerial abilities. Being arguably the greatest player of all time doesn’t necessarily make a man a good coach.

Greece

Greece pulled off one of football’s biggest surprises when they were crowned European champions in 2004. It is unlikely, however, that they will get anywhere near such success in South Africa. Their Group 2 qualifying campaign was uninspiring despite having a relatively easy group.

The Euro 2004 success was based on discipline, hard graft and a tight defence. In the 2010 qualifying campaign, Greece kept only three clean sheets and finished second behind Switzerland. Without the 10 goals scored by in-form striker Theofanis Gekas, the Greeks would not have made the play-offs. In the play-off tie, a 1-0 aggregate win over the Ukraine was enough to book Greece a place in South Africa.

The goals scored by Gekas in qualifying may not come so freely against tougher opposition in the World Cup finals. Despite having a few quality players such as Giorgos Karagounis and Georgios Samaras, Greece lack enough depth in the squad to pose a real threat in Group B.

Nigeria

With a bit of luck and good squad discipline, Nigeria could be one of the World Cup dark horses. The Super Eagles finished top of their African qualifying group but only by a one point margin over Tunisia. However, they managed to qualify without losing a single game.

While perhaps not as strong as some of the other African nations, Nigeria should have enough quality to fight their way out of Group B. Nigeria have often failed to live up to their potential in World Cup tournaments but with the games taking place on African soil this could be their chance to shine.

The Super Eagles have enough talented players to overpower both Greece and South Korea which would be enough to secure them a place in the next round. Joseph Yobo is a rock in defence, John Mikel Obi has the ability to run the midfield, and the likes of Obafemi Martins and Ayegbeni Yakubu can certainly get some goals.

Nigeria will be the greatest threat to Argentine dominance in Group B. The two teams will meet each other in the first Group B game; if Nigeria can force a draw or even beat Argentina then they should progress to the next round.

South Korea

South Korea’s phenomenal run in the 2002 World Cup brought a lot of attention to the nation’s footballing potential. Back then, with Guus Hiddink in charge and South Korea acting as co-hosts for the tournament, the Korean’s looked like a very progressive nation.

2010, however, will be very different. South Korea will not have the fanatical support that they had before, and Hiddink has gone. Some of the squad’s key players, such as Nam-Il Kim, Seol Ki-Hyeon and Young-Pyo Lee, are also beginning to show the signs of advancing age.

South Korea’s qualifying campaign went well despite some tough opposition from North Korea. However, the Korean’s will be facing far stronger opponents in Group B. Their opening game against Greece will be vital. A win will give them some impetus before the following game against Argentina, while a loss could well be fatal.

Likely Outcome

Diego Maradona is an eccentric and largely unproven manager, but Argentina is still a clear favourite to finish Group B in top place. If Nigeria can maintain good squad harmony and discipline then they have a great chance to progress through to the next round. Greece and South Korea are both solid, hard working teams but lack enough all-round quality to pose a significant threat.

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