Wow! What an incredible start we have had to the 2009 Confederations Cup. Amazing games, incredible goals, brilliant skills … we could not have asked for more – other than a Bafana Bafana win against Iraq of course.But generally our fans have been treated to an absolute feast of football, with the likes of Spain and Brazil showing just why they are considered the best in the world.
First off, Spain … yes, New Zealand are not the strongest side around and had a particularly bad night in Rustenburg, particularly from a defensive point of view, but didn’t the Spaniards take their chances well?
They have only been matched by Brazil in the first half of their match against Egypt. Dunga’s men looked a class apart in that first 45 minutes, but then fatigue set in after some long-distance travelling for World Cup qualifiers, and in the end they were lucky to come away with a win. But those doubting their credentials beware … they will get better as the tournament progresses and they acclimatise.
Take nothing away from the Egyptians though … they fought all the way and showed why they are the reigning African champions. Gavin Hunt actually told me before the tournament that Egypt were one of the best teams at the Confederations Cup and, on that showing, he wasn’t wrong. However, I wonder how much of that was due to the tired Brazil legs?
Also, they find themselves in a very tough Group B, with the USA hardly pushovers either. Like Egypt, the US might find it too tough to get out of the group, but they are a very decent side who were unlucky against Italy – the red card was harsh and they were always going to struggle from there on. But they have players that will punish you if they are given space and are a young team who will be a strong unit in a few years’ time.
As for Italy, for me they are the biggest question mark. They battled to turn it around against the US after going a goal down, and also showed in the friendly against New Zealand last week that they are not the Azzurri of old. They have some brilliant players like Andrea Pirlo, but as a team I am not so sure – for me they are not in Spain or Brazil’s class.
And then Bafana … they were so unlucky on the day. If Parker had not blocked Dikgacoi’s header on the line we would all have been singing a different tune now. Unfortunately it didn’t go our way, and now everyone seems to be on Joel Santana’s back.
We have a tendency in South Africa to always blame the coach when things go wrong, but I’m not sure how much more he could have done. His best player is back in England and, in fairness, Bafana dominated throughout, but could not find the goal.
I also don’t think he was too wrong in his approach – he wanted to make 100 percent sure we didn’t lose first, knowing that if we did, our tournament would effectively be over. So he first secured the point, and then went about throwing everything at Iraq. Yes, it didn’t come off, but we got the point and a win against New Zealand now will just about see us into the semifinals.
I must point out though, that Bafana did enjoy some luck. Iraq’s best player, Nashat Akram, had a woeful day. According to the Castrol Index (www.castrolfootball.com) he ran his socks off, covering 11.1km (his team’s average was 7.3km), but he only found his teammates with 41% of his passes and, more importantly as the man taking the free-kicks and corners, 17% of his crosses.
As for individual players that have caught the eye, I was very impressed with Kagisho Dikgacoi. I thought he did well – very solid in midfield and impressive on the ball – and of course he was unlucky not have scored the winner.
I could pick one of three or four Spanish players, but Fernando Torres stood out – he was magnificent. He ran the New Zealanders ragged; shooting when they stood off, passing when they came at him or just taking them on with his pace. He really is the complete striker in world football at the moment.
With Brazil, the funny thing is they no longer rely on individual brilliance to make them tick, like they have done in years gone by. Yes, Kaká is an outstanding individual, but he plays with the team structure Dunga demands – and I think it will pay off handsomely in the coming months.
Some players will always perform better than other though. Against Egypt, Dani Alves had a magic game. Looking at the Castrol Index, he covered 10 275m (team average 7 005m) but, more impressively, he found his teammates with 90 % of his passes, or 64 out of 71.
By contrast, Gilberto Silva had a tough time against the Pharaohs. He struggled to get a grip on the game and only completed 47 of his 57 of his passes, and 13 out of 15 of those were short passes. He finished with a Castrol Index rating of 5.9, compared to Alves’ 7.3.
Looking at the opening few days as a whole, I think South Africa’s performance can be compared to that of Bafana – overall quite positive. Yes, there are some areas that need to be jacked up – the state of the pitches, some empty seats and one or two transport issues – but I believe it was a good start to a crucially important 12 months.
* Gary Bailey is a former England and Manchester United goalkeeper who started his career with Wits University in 1975 and retired with Kaizer Chiefs in 1990. He will be giving KICK OFF readers expert analysis during the Confederations Cup and leading up to the World Cup, ably backed up by the excellent Castrol Index. To find out more, go to http://www.castrolfootball.com/
