Uruguay's guile can end Africans' dream

SOCCER ANALYST:We're down to the business end now and Uruguay, Spain, Brazil and Germany are well-equipped to make the last four, writes BRIAN KERR

I’VE BEEN away with the Faroes for the past week. Back waving “Goddag” to my friends at arrivals in Copenhagen airport. Straight to the connecting flight, I rushed over to Vikingur versus B68 in Gothe on Friday evening. Nil-all. I went down to the Pesche restaurant afterwards to watch Chile and Spain. They have the biggest telly on the islands.

The next morning I took in several schoolboy games (I will find a Duffer yet!). I was going to grab the ferry for a two-hour jaunt to see some of my players in action but the mist was creeping in and I might be stranded. Took in a second division match between EB Streymer and Klaksvik instead. Westlife are playing in Klaksvik on August 7th. I’m going.

Sure enough the place was cloaked in cloud so I happily dug in to watch Ghana and Uruguay progress in the new Irish Pub in Torshavn. Kevin, whose parents hail from Galway, was manning the taps. He is London-raised but followed the Republic of Ireland to the Faroes in 2005. The fog delayed the flight home. He met a local girl, they ended up living together in Copenhagen and she recently brought him back to her home town.

On Sunday afternoon the landscape cleared so it was over to the beautiful east coast village of Fuglafjordur to watch IF play B36. It meant I had to Sky Plus England versus Germany but a one-hour drive back through the five undersea tunnels and over a bridge got me to a cracking game between HB Torshavn and EB Streymer’s first team. Many of my squad featured in the 5-2 win for HB, who face Red Bull Salzburg soon in the Champions League qualifier this month, while EB Streymer played Kalmar from Sweden yesterday in the Europa Cup qualifier.

All told, it was a valuable few days keeping tabs on my current and prospective Faroese players.

By Sunday night I was back on a stool alongside Kevin to catch Argentina and Mexico. They have RTÉ in the pub. Only the two of us could understand what the lads in studio were on about.

Day 22 of the World Cup and the meat has been ripped from the bone. The tasty eating comes next. I am mildly surprised by the progress of four South American teams – a semi-final whitewash is possible but I am thinking two from four will make it and not who you might suspect.

We saw enough obvious signs in qualification to know Italy and France would struggle. We so very nearly exploited their glaring deficiencies. Alas.

England’s collapse was more dramatic given their almost flawless progress into the finals. I’m not wasting a column on their team selection, lack of shape or sharpness but it will become apparent the more I highlight the remaining eight teams’ strengths and formations. England’s travails will all be forgotten once the Premiership blazes across our screens next month. Sky Sports will probably pretend it never happened. The English rarely learn from history. Still, it is still amazing that they clung on to four-four-two formation so stubbornly.

Ghana’s survival gives the tournament its romance as it allows the whole of West Africa to dream. They tip-toed through a difficult group because their unsmiling Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac (when they beat Serbia he carried the haunted expression of a man burying his wife) sent out a disciplined and organised team.

Rajevac harnessed the potential shown in their brilliant youth teams and combined it with the education received in their mainly European-based squad without losing the natural exuberance of African players.

The 21-year-old Kojo Asamoah of Udinese and Asamoah Gyan of Rennes – the match winner against the United States – have sparkled while Anthony Annan and Kevin Prince Boateng have been tidy and constructive in centre midfield, more than compensating for the loss of Michael Essien.

Still, I think Uruguay may have too much guile and toughness for them.

The Latin nations are flourishing largely due to a flexibility of movement in attack allied to defensive efficiency.

The two Diegos at centre back, Godín and Lugano, have been excellent. Streets clear of Messrs Terry and Upson. Ajax’s free-scoring Luis Suarez, Edison Cavani and the revitalised Diego Forlan pose a real threat.

I can see Uruguay repeating the feats of their 1970 team but what a story it would be if Ghana can make it.

Given how poor Paraguay looked at the RDS recently it’s a surprise they came through the group unbeaten and with three clean sheets now. It will be tense but I suspect the best-passing, ball-retention team in South Africa will pick them apart.

Spain are slowly coming to the boil. Fernando Torres’s continued lack of confidence is compensated by David Villa. Four goals in three games makes Villa the star of the tournament so far. Maybe Vicente Del Bosque will pick Llorente but all the dejected-looking Liverpool striker needs is one clean touch to turn that magical corner.

Just like their South American cousins, Spain can change shape and formation at will because they have intelligence and adaptable, skilful players brought up in a refined coaching culture (unlike, say, the English).

Vicente Del Bosque has altered the system these past two years to accommodate Busquets, Xavi Alonso, Xavi and Iniesta in a middle four where previously David Silva (who just signed for Man City) was a regular.

It is working for now. Villa provides width down the left and Sergio Ramos is prevalent down the right side but what surprises me is the lack of confidence Del Bosque has in Cesc Fabregas. If Spain are to win the World Cup I feel he must come in at some stage.

Brazil and Holland today promises so much. The Brazilian shape has been exactly what Big Phil Scolari used in 2002 (it wins World Cups but doesn’t work at Chelsea); attacking full backs and two holding midfielders providing the security that allows the attacking four their freedom.

The excellent Julio Cesar, Juan and Lucio provide a strong wall that Van Persie, Sneijder and the fit-again Robben will find hard to penetrate. They are bigger and stronger than the Dutch.

There are similarities in their systems. It could lead to stalemate. One sumptuous pass off a counterattack could settle it. Maybe Kaka will be the difference.

Something about the Germans’ new multi- cultural squad makes me believe they can catch Argentina. The strength of Khedira and Schweinsteiger just seems so imperious. We know from experience that the Argentinians won’t go quietly. Goodbye Maradona? That’s my head on the chopping block.