World Cup 98 - A Preview In More Detail

World Cup 98 - A Preview In More Detail

WORLD CUP 98 is part of	THE SHOT THAT PASSED RIGHT THROUGH THE NET
	world cup 98 site map

in this document: Who is NOT there / The CONTINENTAL hop / The OLYMPIC lesson /
see world cup 98 site map for: The ASIAN coming out? / An AFRICAN champion? (RULES confusion? and tournament MODE traps will be added soon)

GO WORLD CUP

32 teams will battle it out at France from June 10th to July 12th: who will win the World Cup. The extension to 32 was made to make more starters from Asia, Africa and North-/Centralamerica possible without taking away places from the two established powers Europe and Southamerica.
Certain questions will be focussed on apart from who wins: the clampdown on tackles from behind, which continent deserves more places next World Cup, what happens in the penalty shoot-out question.
But before the preview on who will be there The Shot remembers some great teams the fans will miss...

Who is NOT there

32 nations take part but maybe it should be 36. At least four promising teams are missing. Australia displayed its vitality in the qualification and the Intercontinental Cup and would have been possibly even a bigger threat than USA. The Chech Republic impressed at the Euro 96 and even later outstanding player material and ability for different tactical strategies but failed in the qualification because of strong opponents and a goalscorer crisis. Uruguay played with the wrong team. Their new team, based on the sensational U20 squad of last years youth world championship, surprised at the Intercontinental Cup and will play its part in future World Cups for sure. And Egypt just became African champions in impressive manor and might have surprised even big ones with their combination of discipline and skills.

	1. who is not there
	2. the continental hop
	3. the Olympic lesson (1)
	4. Olympic lesson (2) with U20 World Cup and Intercontinental Cup
	back to top

Some might throw in the name Angola, who went out undefeated but disappointed at the African Cup Of Nations. Or Russia and Ukrania. There is no team from the former Sowjet Union despite their talented players. But they faced too strong opponents in the qualification. Chinas new build team will be a team for the future but it was too early for them. Sweden, the 1994 semi-finalist had something like a hangover but will be back. And Greeces talented side missed close featuring one of the big individuals names missing: the best European goalscorer Nicholas Machlas (plays at Netherlands for 3rd place Vitesse Arnheim).
Another is George Weah, former World footballer of the year. Liberia is not strong enough too qualify. The country could not play the qualification matches at home because of war troubles. Japhet N'Doram has been one of the outstanding African players of the decade, but Chad cannot afford any international matches and so he cannot even dream of a Nations Cup success.
The list can go on and on, added the injured players to, it will grow, but now it is time to prepare and study the past:

the continental hop...

The CONTINENTAL hop

Never since 1962 a team has been able to win two consecutive World Cups. It was Brazil who won 1958 at Sweden and 1962 at Chile.
But there have been teams in consecutive finals: Netherlands 1974 and 1978, Germany 1982, 1986, and 1990, Argentina 1986 and 1990.
Anyway since 1962 the size of the tournament has grown, there is one play-off-round more, the gap between the teams might have become smaller because experience and knowledge all over the world has grown. Morocco for example is there already the fourth time.
In the beginning of the World Cup it was almost an impossible task to win the tournament on another continent. Travelling weeks on a ship with almost no training possibilities. Then living for weeks in a completely foreign hemisphere. During the decades the experiences grew and travelling became less a problem. In today's football teams travel for intercontinental friendlies so that even young players collect experiences many stars of the past did not have before the tournament.

	1. who is not there
	2. the continental hop
	3. the Olympic lesson (1)
	4. Olympic lesson (2) with U20 World Cup and Intercontinental Cup
	back to top

Anyway also in recent past the location of the tournament has been important: Only once in the entire Wold Cup history a team from another continent has been able to win: Brazil 1958. In all other tournaments Europeans won at Europe, South-Americans at America. The USA 1994 tournament can be considered a bit as neutral ground (northern hemisphere but American continent).
But the European continent has become a second home for many players from South-America and Africa so that this edge has become a little smaller. What has remained big: Europeans outnumber the others and by this the likelihood of an European victory is big. (On one hand it is more likely that Brazil wins than that Italy wins. On the other hand it is more likely that one of the European bigs, Germany, Italy, France, England, Netherlands, Spain, Yugoslavia, wins than that Brazil (or Argentina) wins).
Taking this idea into consideration, Africas chances are slim. They need to be lucky. Lucky like at the Olympics 1996...

the Olympic lesson...

The OLYMPIC lesson

The Olympics 96 had been a serious tournament but also a World Cup preview, especially for Nigeria, Tunisia, Japan, South Corea, Argentina, and Brazil.
Those took the tournament very seriously and displayed the younger parts of their 1998 faces. With 3 older players allowed, Brazil went for gold with Bebeto and Aldair at the side of Ronaldo.
The tournament saw Tunisia with no impact on this level. On the other hand it saw Nigeria as gold medal winners beating Argentina and Brazil, coming back from behind in both matches. Does this make Nigeria favorites?
No. Nigeria was brilliant but it was lucky. The first story is always the first round. It does not show in the final result but that story was: the threat of the Asians. Both Ghana and Nigeria had scraped through against South Corea and Japan only on goal difference. And both seemed lucky. Nigeria lost its third game to Brazil, that had been beaten before by Japan. Already in USA 1994 South Corea had scared Spain and Germany. (more about the Asian perspectives)
The Olympics tought (among others) two other things:
1) the return to the usual system, in which only two out of four of each group advance, may produce teams that have to go home with 6 points (like Japan 1996, or as Argentina would have had to in 1994). This happens when A beats B, B beats C, and C beats A, while all three beat D.

	1. who is not there
	2. the continental hop
	3. the Olympic lesson (1)
	4. Olympic lesson (2) with U20 World Cup and Intercontinental Cup
	back to top

2) The third first round match is a very special kind of knock-out match: As the African Cup Of Nations 1998 has confirmed, the psychological situation is tricky. Teams that defend their advantage (only need a draw) tend to play too carefully especially in the progress of the match. The reacting often then gets punished by the acting.
3) And of course: Teams do better against particular other teams. Examples will be discussed a few lines later (see Olympic lesson (2)).
Back to the teams at the Olympics. Nigeria made some mistakes by lack of concentration and that made them fall behind against Brazil again and later Argentina. They managed to come back. But in France they face more experienced sides. Those will hardly allow them numerous comebacks against experienced defences. They will have to avoid those errors. Like in USA 94 they had been unconcentrated in some moments, for example in both matches against Argentina - just remember the free kick situations.
Anyway Nigeria is the big hope of the African continent. And this has been triggered by the Olympics where the team beat Argentina and Brazil, two wolrd giants to win the tournament.
(more about the African perspectives)

Olympic lesson (2)...

The OLYMPIC lesson (2)

The Olympics showed another thing, the U20 championships at Malaysia confirmed again. It is not new but it has to be recalled again: teams do different against particular styles. At the U20 championships Brazil won 10:3 against Corea and 10:0 against Belgium (who had progressed to the quarter finals) but then had almost no goal opportunity against Argentina.
At the Tournoi De France in summer 1997 England convinced against France and Italy while was dominated by Brazil. On the other hand Brazil had far more difficulties against France and Italy. At the U20 championship and at the Intercontinental Cup Arabian teams looked odd but suddenly impressed against the Africans. Those Africans on the other hand were able to scare the same Europeans that had thrashed the same Arabian teams.
England and Germany traditionally had problems with North African teams at past World Cups. Especially England has made enough test matches to prepare seriously for the Tunisia encounter seriously enough this time. This will solve the problem of approaching the match not seriously enough but will it make the match easy?

	1. who is not there
	2. the continental hop
	3. the Olympic lesson (1)
	4. Olympic lesson (2) with U20 World Cup and Intercontinental Cup
	back to top

Japan has shown at the Olympics that it might be able to scare South Americans. Some play at the J-league and there is no such physical superiority as compared to Europe (see before). The Argentinians are relatively small. And will they be mentally prepared for a Japanese team that will run for their lives? On the other hand Japan seemed totaly dominated in their Olympic encounter with Nigeria who were dominated by Brazil in their first round match who lost to Japan...
This should - Just do it.

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