Five conclusions from the Confederations Cup
Columnist By Ben Somerford, 30 Jun 2009 Ben Somerford is a Roar Expert
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- 2009 Confederations Cup, All Whites, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Benni McCarthy, confederations cup, Euro 2008, FC Sevilla, FIFA World Player of the Year, football, Kaka, Luis Fabiano, Mario Balotelli, Roberto Donadoni, World Cup qualification, World Football
The 2009 Confederations Cup just finished up on Sunday with Brazil taking out the big prize in a dramatic 3-2 win over the United States, with skipper Lucio grabbing a late winner.
All in all, the tournament was a big success on-the-field, with plenty of decent football played and plenty of quality drama-filled matches witnessed, breathing new life into the continental competition.
Off-the-field, there were a few issues with crime, security, public transport and low crowds. But mostly everything went rather smoothly by all reports, which is good news for South Africa ahead of the big one in 2010.
But focusing on the football side of things, I thought I’d collaborate a short list of five conclusions from the 2009 Confederations Cup.
1. Brazil Are Favourites For The 2010 World Cup
After all the talk of Spain’s beautiful football at Euro 2008 and their unbelievable unbeaten run since, it was the Brazilians who really stole the show, despite being slightly ignored by many onlookers prior to the Confederations Cup.
The Brazilians really are the heavyweights of international football as they consistently challenge for top honours and with the World Cup less than a year away, it would be hard to discredit them as favourites after their latest success.
With 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Kaka returning to regular football after a couple of injury-interrupted years, the signs are good for Brazil. Captain Lucio had a fine Confederations Cup and FC Sevilla’s Luis Fabiano showed his class at the top level taking out the Golden Shoe with 5 goals.
And while the Brazilian class of 2009 may not seem as strong as Selecao sides of the past, they somehow seem to keep getting the job done in style.
2. Landon Donovan Is World Class
A lot is made of Landon Donovan in the USA, but until now, not many outside North America really understood what all the fuss was about. But the 27-year-old American’s performances at the Confederations Cup showed his true class as a top player as he almost took the USA to an unprecedented title victory.
After the US emphatically lost their first two matches, coach Bob Bradley changed his formation to a 4-4-2 with Donovan roaming free in behind the front two and it was no coincidence that after that move, the Americans began to make inroads.
Indeed, it was Donovan’s ability to play end to end football, helping out in defence before setting up attacks which enabled the Americans to stun Egypt, Spain and almost Brazil.
Donovan has tried his luck in Europe twice without success, at German Bundesliga clubs Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich, and has had varied success at World Cups in the past so the Confederations Cup was arguably his finest hour to date on the world stage.
Now he needs to take that form into next year’s big one for the Americans to have any chance of recreating their heroics in South Africa.
3. The World Champions Need To Move On
Without doubt, Italy were the flop of the Confederations Cup. It seems ever since the Azzurri’s success in Germany in 2006 they’ve been trying to recapture that glory with an ill-fated stint in charge by Roberto Donadoni before their World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi was re-installed as boss in mid-2008.
Lippi, with all respect, returning to the helm is indicative of where Italy are at.
National team veterans like Gennaro Gattuso, Luca Toni, Mauro Camoranesi, Gianluca Zambrotta, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Alberto Gilardino (all part of the 2006 squad) didn’t impress at the Confederations Cup and may need to move aside and make way for the new talent.
Indeed, Italy need to learn to move on and put their faith in the new breed. Giuseppe Rossi impressed in South Africa while others including Riccardo Montolivo, Antonio Cassano, Antonio Di Natale, Claudio Marchisio, Sebastian Giovinco and Mario Balotelli should get more opportunities.
4. South Africa Need Benni McCarthy
For all of the achievements made by Bafana Bafana at the Confederations Cup, it seems clear they could have gone further with a finisher. Indeed, 31-year-old former UEFA Champions League winner Benni McCarthy fits the bill perfectly, except for the side issue of a dispute between him and the South African FA.
South Africa showed good signs ahead of 2010, with Itumeleng Khune, Tsepo Masilela and Teko Modise, amongst others, all impressing.
But their big problem was scoring goals, considering prior to Katlego Mphela’s dramatic late brace against Spain, the Bafana Bafana had managed just 2 in 430 minutes.
With better finishing they would have beaten Iraq in the opening game, thrashed New Zealand by more and perhaps knocked off the Brazilians when they had them in trouble.
But the answer could be right there for South Africa, with accomplished Blackburn Rovers striker McCarthy waiting in the wings. African football has been hurt by politics in the past, but with the continent’s first showcase World Cup event on their soil next year, surely the SAFA and McCarthy can put their differences aside and reconciliate for the good of the nation.
5. New Zealand’s Quest For World Cup Qualification Is Going To Be Very Tough
The All-Whites came into the Confederations Cup hoping to gain some quality preparation ahead of their World Cup intercontinental playoff later in the year against either Bahrain or Saudi Arabia. But after barely half an hour of the Confederations Cup, New Zealand would’ve realised they’ve got a long way to go as they were torn apart by European champions Spain in a 5-0 rout.
Putting the Spanish result aside, New Zealand did break their Confederations Cup duck and claim their first point ever in the tournament. But it was against a very ordinary Iraq side. Realistically, New Zealand didn’t look up to the required level to compete in South Africa next year.
They’ll need a lot of change, and perhaps a lot of luck, if they’re going to get the better of either Bahrain or Saudi Arabia. The return from injury of experienced skipper Ryan Nelsen will help them, but they’ve got a long way to go.
Recommend this story.
June 30th 2009 @ 6:34pm
Midfielder said | June 30th 2009 @ 6:34pm | Report comment
Ben
A nice top five you made… for me seeing some good football .. and yet another example of how the football snobs can get it so wrong about the non traditional football countries.
Actually found myself cheering for the yanks…
June 30th 2009 @ 6:50pm
Hemjay said | June 30th 2009 @ 6:50pm | Report comment
All I can say is that if New Zealand had the same amount of opposition as Australia maybe they would be improving. As it stands New Zealand is in a Quagmire and left holding the reigns in an inept Oceania Conference.
June 30th 2009 @ 6:58pm
the all rounder said | June 30th 2009 @ 6:58pm | Report comment
Ben. i agree with almost everything, except I don’t believe that Brazil are favourites for the World Cup next year. Just because Spain lost one match, doesn’t mean they have lost their ability or their self-belief. Regardless, I think that Germany are a better all-round team than Brazil at the moment anyway.
June 30th 2009 @ 7:31pm
Macs.football said | June 30th 2009 @ 7:31pm | Report comment
I have to agree with the all rounder.
June 30th 2009 @ 10:52pm
Ben J said | June 30th 2009 @ 10:52pm | Report comment
Vuvuzela’s rock and will not be banned, it is what make South African football unique and contribute to the athmosphere. What bloody cheek will go as a visitor to a country and complain if they experience something out of the ordinary?
July 1st 2009 @ 9:19pm
AC said | July 1st 2009 @ 9:19pm | Report comment
As a South African having attended most of the Johannesburg & Pretoria matches, please allow me my two cents worth. 1st – Brazil are not favourites for 2010. Yes, they’re good, but there are many good teams that didn’t participate in the Champions tournament, like Germany, Holland, England etc. 2nd – Landon Donovan is world class in the US, outside he’s ordinary, its shown with his spells in Germany, if he was World Class, they would’ve asked him to stay or offered him a contract, but neither happened, bearing in mind he’s just 27. 3rd – the World Champions will remain Champions, maybe their team selection was wrong but Gattuso, Zambrotta are still world class players. As for the youngsters, only Rossi was excused, as the others (Balotelli & Giovinco) were participating in the Under 21 Championships. 4th – South Africa DOES NOT need Benni McCarthy. His attitude sucks and he brings the team down, we have one year to find some good strikers, bearing in mind, this is the only problem SA seems to have, scoring goals. 5th – New Zealand impressed despite what many people say, playing against Spain they were overwhelmed, but they learned quickly and moved on.
Great show for all South Africans, and heads up to Bafana Bafana, you really made us proud!!!
July 2nd 2009 @ 2:59pm
Greg Russell said | July 2nd 2009 @ 2:59pm | Report comment
Can I add a 6th conclusion?
6. FIFA has it right in not allowing New Zealand to perform a haka.
This is a bugbear of mine, and I will not desist. Yes, FIFA can be too authoritarian, but this is one instance where we can be grateful that at least one sporting body has the balls to insist on what’s fair.
July 2nd 2009 @ 3:23pm
Hammer said | July 2nd 2009 @ 3:23pm | Report comment
“This is a bugbear of mine” – really who would have guessed … were they ever planning to do one – it’s never been part of NZ football teams in the past …
I’m interested to know if it’s just haka that you object to or do you have the same stance with regard the rugby teams from the islands perfroming their pre-game rituals
July 3rd 2009 @ 1:47pm
Greg Russell said | July 3rd 2009 @ 1:47pm | Report comment
Hammer,
My attitude on hakas is the same as that on national anthems: you either have 2 of them or 0 of them, not 1 of them. So when both teams want to do a haka – as when NZ or any of the island nations play each other, or when most NZ schools play each other – that’s great, go right ahead.
As this statement makes clear, I have no problem with hakas per se, in fact I quite like them (I even mentioned them once in a scholarly article on chemistry – go figure!). Rather, my problem is purely one of equity: I see it as unfair that one team gets to do a haka (and gain an advantage from it), the other does not.
Needless to say I have been a bemused spectator as debate has raged in NZ over recent weeks about the insipid singing of the national anthem by the All Blacks … it’s quite clear that all the players really want to do is perform the haka, not sing GDNZ.
I did wonder whether any rugbyheads would pick up this comment of mine with a football article … you are sharp!
July 3rd 2009 @ 1:56pm
Pippinu said | July 3rd 2009 @ 1:56pm | Report comment
I actually didn’t know the All Whites had been banned from performing the Haka at FIFA competitions.
To be perfectly honest, I have a lot of trouble picturing a bunch of skinny white boys doing the Haka.
But that aside, when the request was received in Geneva, or Zurich, or wherever FIFA is domiciled, I can imagine them all scratching their heads and asking: Haka?? what the huck is that??
In the rugby world, the All Blacks are such an institution (plus they’re such big mothers) – who the hell is going to say no to them??!!