One of the most encouraging aspects of the World Cup so far has been the prevalence of youth in the most successful teams to date. Germany are the obvious case in point as, with an average age of 24.8 in the eleven that started against Australia, they have one of the youngest teams we will see in South Africa. With just a few tactical adjustments - bringing in Boateng for Friedrich, Kroos for Khedira and Gomez for Klose - that average could even be reduced to under 23.
Holland's philosophy has always advocated the advancement of young players and they were the latest beneficiaries of the youth factor on Tuesday, although not directly from the outset. Bert van Marwijk's side were heading for a draw with Denmark thanks to a lacklustre display against their Scandinavian rivals. Simon Poulsen's miss-timed header rebounded off Daniel Agger and into the net to give the Dutch an undeserved lead at the start of the second half and it was only with the injection of pace and skill afforded by the introduction of Ibrahim Afellay and Eljero Elia that we saw Holland raise their game.
We should not be duped into thinking that these players are not potentially world class just because they continue to ply their trade in the Dutch Eredivisie or the German Bundesliga. At 24 and 23 respectively, Afellay and Elia have probably made the right decision to continue their further footballing education in Holland. Afellay is still under contract at PSV and Elia followed in Rafael van der Vaart's footsteps in moving to Hamburg last summer but this should not be held against them, as big money moves to major clubs do not always work out well; Ryan Babel and Royston Drenthe are an example of a couple of players who flew the nest too soon to the detriment of their progress and careers.
Unlike Germany, the current Dutch squad is not specifically geared towards the future, with veterans like Giovani van Bronckhorst, Andre Ooijer and Mark van Bommel still maintaining significant roles. Hopefully van Marwijk has seen enough, however, to hand the torch over to young players like Afellay, Elia and in-demand right back Gregory van der Wiel in the coming games. Holland have plenty of potential in this competition and, with Arjen Robben set to return for the second match, they will have one of the best players in Europe back among their ranks.
Not everyone is backing youth this summer, though, with Brazil representing the obvious counter argument despite the production line of talent which continues to feed the five time world champions.
Brazil get underway today in what should be a straightforward affair against North Korea. The Asian side are very much an unknown quantity owing to their country's closed door regime, with only three of the twenty-three man squad representing clubs abroad: Ahn Young-Hak and Jong Tae-Se play in Japan's J-League for Omiya Ardija and Kawasaki Frontale respectively, while captain Hong Yong-Jo plays for Rostov in Russia. Tae-Se is likely to be the danger man. He has scored an impressive 15 goals in 22 appearances for his national side and the bullish forward has promised to score in every group game to send North Korea into the knockout phase.
Despite the Korean confidence, the Selecao will surely have too much to allow one of the biggest shocks in the tournament's eighty year history.
Any success enjoyed by Dunga's Brazil this year will not be thanks to fresh faced youngsters. The 1994 World Cup winning captain has controversially resisted calls back home to call up the brightest young stars in the Campeonato Brasileiro. Santos pair Gantos and Neymar, who have set Serie A alight this year, were the most high-profile exclusions back home, as Dunga stuck with the players who have been a part of the qualification campaign from the outset.
Leaving out 20 year old Alexandre Pato, who is already considered in Europe to be one of the brightest prospects in the game, was also quite a surprise, although at least his inconsistent form for AC Milan this season gave some justification to that decision.
Neglecting to include the stars of the future was not the only controversial move by the stubborn coach of the Selecao. Dunga also overlooked global icons such as Ronaldinho, Adriano and Diego, preferring defensive midfield grit to extravagant flair.
Perhaps we should not be surprised that coaches opt to select players in their own image; Maradonna has certainly done so at Argentina. And in Josue, Gilberto Silva, Felipe Melo and Kleberson (yes, that Kleberson, the spectacular Manchester United flop) former anchor Dunga has chosen four holding midfielders to give Brazil an extremely solid base. With a truly world class goalkeeper in Julio Cesar and a formidable back line which could include Lucio, Juan, Dani Alves and Maicon, Brazil should be extremely difficult to break down.
The key to global dominance this year may well be replacing the goals that Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Adriano were so prolific in providing and the responsiblity will lie square on the shoulders of Sevilla forward Luis Fabiano to lead the line as Brazil's new number 9.
Contrary to popular opinion, fitness and physical preparation have long been an integral part of the Brazilian national set-up. In the past, however, there has always been more than a sprinkling of youthful exuberance to go with it - see Robinho 2006, Kaka 2002, Denilson 1998 and Ronaldo 1994. Dunga is hoping that in 2010, at least from a physical point of view, Brazil will be stronger than ever.
Holland's philosophy has always advocated the advancement of young players and they were the latest beneficiaries of the youth factor on Tuesday, although not directly from the outset. Bert van Marwijk's side were heading for a draw with Denmark thanks to a lacklustre display against their Scandinavian rivals. Simon Poulsen's miss-timed header rebounded off Daniel Agger and into the net to give the Dutch an undeserved lead at the start of the second half and it was only with the injection of pace and skill afforded by the introduction of Ibrahim Afellay and Eljero Elia that we saw Holland raise their game.
We should not be duped into thinking that these players are not potentially world class just because they continue to ply their trade in the Dutch Eredivisie or the German Bundesliga. At 24 and 23 respectively, Afellay and Elia have probably made the right decision to continue their further footballing education in Holland. Afellay is still under contract at PSV and Elia followed in Rafael van der Vaart's footsteps in moving to Hamburg last summer but this should not be held against them, as big money moves to major clubs do not always work out well; Ryan Babel and Royston Drenthe are an example of a couple of players who flew the nest too soon to the detriment of their progress and careers.
Unlike Germany, the current Dutch squad is not specifically geared towards the future, with veterans like Giovani van Bronckhorst, Andre Ooijer and Mark van Bommel still maintaining significant roles. Hopefully van Marwijk has seen enough, however, to hand the torch over to young players like Afellay, Elia and in-demand right back Gregory van der Wiel in the coming games. Holland have plenty of potential in this competition and, with Arjen Robben set to return for the second match, they will have one of the best players in Europe back among their ranks.
Not everyone is backing youth this summer, though, with Brazil representing the obvious counter argument despite the production line of talent which continues to feed the five time world champions.
Brazil get underway today in what should be a straightforward affair against North Korea. The Asian side are very much an unknown quantity owing to their country's closed door regime, with only three of the twenty-three man squad representing clubs abroad: Ahn Young-Hak and Jong Tae-Se play in Japan's J-League for Omiya Ardija and Kawasaki Frontale respectively, while captain Hong Yong-Jo plays for Rostov in Russia. Tae-Se is likely to be the danger man. He has scored an impressive 15 goals in 22 appearances for his national side and the bullish forward has promised to score in every group game to send North Korea into the knockout phase.
Despite the Korean confidence, the Selecao will surely have too much to allow one of the biggest shocks in the tournament's eighty year history.
Any success enjoyed by Dunga's Brazil this year will not be thanks to fresh faced youngsters. The 1994 World Cup winning captain has controversially resisted calls back home to call up the brightest young stars in the Campeonato Brasileiro. Santos pair Gantos and Neymar, who have set Serie A alight this year, were the most high-profile exclusions back home, as Dunga stuck with the players who have been a part of the qualification campaign from the outset.
Leaving out 20 year old Alexandre Pato, who is already considered in Europe to be one of the brightest prospects in the game, was also quite a surprise, although at least his inconsistent form for AC Milan this season gave some justification to that decision.
Neglecting to include the stars of the future was not the only controversial move by the stubborn coach of the Selecao. Dunga also overlooked global icons such as Ronaldinho, Adriano and Diego, preferring defensive midfield grit to extravagant flair.
Perhaps we should not be surprised that coaches opt to select players in their own image; Maradonna has certainly done so at Argentina. And in Josue, Gilberto Silva, Felipe Melo and Kleberson (yes, that Kleberson, the spectacular Manchester United flop) former anchor Dunga has chosen four holding midfielders to give Brazil an extremely solid base. With a truly world class goalkeeper in Julio Cesar and a formidable back line which could include Lucio, Juan, Dani Alves and Maicon, Brazil should be extremely difficult to break down.
The key to global dominance this year may well be replacing the goals that Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Adriano were so prolific in providing and the responsiblity will lie square on the shoulders of Sevilla forward Luis Fabiano to lead the line as Brazil's new number 9.
Contrary to popular opinion, fitness and physical preparation have long been an integral part of the Brazilian national set-up. In the past, however, there has always been more than a sprinkling of youthful exuberance to go with it - see Robinho 2006, Kaka 2002, Denilson 1998 and Ronaldo 1994. Dunga is hoping that in 2010, at least from a physical point of view, Brazil will be stronger than ever.
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