By Scott Robins aka Robinho,

Now that the World Cup in Brazil has been run and won it is time to reflect on the teams and what they bought to the world. Of course it is hard to look past Germany who were extremely clinical in front of goal without doing anything over the top, that was until the semi-final. I think Brazil will still be having nightmares of that 7-1 demolition.

There has not been a game between two super powers of the world where such an outrageous score line occurred. Normally these games are tight scrappy affairs, like Nederlands v Argentina. Yet the fluidity in which Germany played not only stunned Brazil but the world and in the end were favourites to win. If they had not have taken the World Cup back I think most people would have thought an injustice had occurred.

Looking at the group stages I think Brazil were very lucky to even make it out of their group. They lucked out against Croatia and think Mexico had the better chances in their match up. Really in Group A I think Mexico and Croatia would have been deserved winners but as we know the football gods chose to smile on who they please. The less said about Cameroon the better, they were abysmal and before they even left for the World Cup didn’t have their mind on the task at hand. When will we learn as a continent that to go far in the World Cup you need to be fully focused on what you need to do, not just the money you may earn.

Grades –

Brazil – C – had more promise and lacked in attack and defence which was exposed by the Germans and the Dutch.
Cameroon – F – internal fighting, money issues, poor display and the Cameroon FA need to investigate.
Croatia – C – Think they were unlucky against Brazil and that put them in the wrong mind set.
Mexico – B – If they had a clinical finisher they could have went further, goalkeeper gave us many highlights.

Group B was a real eye opener and no one expected the Netherlands to demolish the Spanish in the way they did. If you had seen the Confederations Cup two years earlier where Brazil destroyed them you knew their abilities were on the wane. Australia fell asleep at critical times and could count themselves unlucky not to salvage something from their games against Chile or the Netherlands and pushed them all the way.

They played with passion and for each other and being ranked the lowest of all qualified teams no one expected much. If they had their talisman Tim Cahill against the Spanish it would have been interesting. Spain were disappointing with the tried and tested and should have opted for youth, they had the talent. The Netherlands yet again went oh so far and oh so close, they really need to finish off in style to break their duck. Perhaps they started their run too early and should look at their timing in future tournaments. Chile played well and attacked with pace, they have some fine players but were vulnerable to being caught on the attack.

Grades –

Australia – C+ – came out and played with a lot of heart and scared a lot of bigger teams. Drew a lot of fan support with the way they played.
Chile – B – Chile broke fast and have some decent players. You can see why they are on the rise yet need to be careful of quick counter attacks.
Netherlands – B+ – Oh so close yet again but need to get a WC win over the line. Have classy players and know their strengths and weaknesses.
Spain – D – They had nothing and should have opted for more youth instead of relying on their waning stars of yesteryear. They have plenty of depth so Spain will bounce back.

Group C was a bit of a disappointment, other than Colombia no team really stood out for second place. The African continent thought this was a time when the Ivory Coast will stand up and be counted with the talent they have yet failed to impress. Unfortunately a team of stars does not make a team that want to play for each other. Japan were also quite boring, being the champions of Asia I expected a lot more than what they offered. They were too defensive and didn’t have the ability to change strategy. Greece scrapped through yet the style of football played was down to luck, they did not impress me in the group stage and knew they would struggle in the round of 16.

Grades –

Columbia – B+ – had a Super Star in the name of James who nearly got them to the final all the way by himself. His development will be closely monitored at Real Madrid.

Greece – C- Lucky to go through to the round of 16, need to look at youth structures and understand for themselves what is the Greek style.

Ivory Coast – D – Had a great chance to go through to the last 16 but did not capitalise on it. One wonders when they will have the same footballing talent again.

Japan – D – Expected more of the Asian champions and can only think the coaches need to be blamed for poor strategy. If they play this way in the Asia Cup in January they will want to have tight defence and counter attack quickly.

Group D had argued that it was the group of death, yet there were a few you could have picked from. The surprise packets from this group were Costa Rica who gave little regard to the teams ranked above them and showed that when a team plays together it will beat a team of individual stars. England only showed up when it didn’t matter anymore and Italy were never at the races. We expected a lot out of Uruguay however ghost of the 2010 World Cup came back to haunt them – indiscipline.

Grades –

Costa Rica – B – Punched well above their weight and became everyone’s second favourite team.
England – F – England need to realise the Barclays Premier League is hurting them. With so many foreigners taking prime positions at major teams they are not at the level they should be. Need to stop living in past glories otherwise it will be a long time before they win another one.

Italy – D – It was Balotelli or nothing for Italy and if Super Mario didn’t fire either did Italy. Fans were disappointed by Italy’s poor showing all around.

Uruguay – C + – The indiscipline of Suarez cost them their talisman. Surely at this level of the game and with so much on the line you don’t bite the opposition. Don’t think they would have stood a chance even with Suarez in the team but could have changed their fortune if they had won the first group game and faced Greece in the last 16.

Group E another disappointing group, it was a one horse race after France demolished Switzerland in the first game 5-2. At least they showed some ticket to fight back but really didn’t see any other team progressing out of the last 16 other than France. Switzerland promised so much yet delivered so little.

Grades –

Ecuador – (C) – Had a chance to capitalise on France’s demolition of Switzerland and failed to take it. They have potential, at the moment though it is untapped.

France – (B-) – France were unlucky when they came up against Germany and put up a fair fight but without Ribery lost that attacking edge. Also wonder if team harmony was as mentioned with the outbreak on twitter of Samir Nasri.

Honduras – (D) – Offered very little that would make you think they were going to make it out of the group stage.
Switzerland –(C+) – The Swiss talked up their game yet delivered so little when it mattered. The demolition by France ruined their confidence for the rest of the tournament, although did push Argentina in the last 16.

Group F was viewed as an easy group for Argentina and Nigeria to sail through to the round of last 16. They were not expected to be troubled that much, however the minnows of Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina made life difficult for them. In the end Nigeria could count themselves lucky to have made it through to the next round. As much as they were brilliant at times they were also lacklustre. Bosnia and Herzegovina gave a good showing of themselves for their first World Cup, with more development they could go further in the next World Cup.

Grades –

Argentina – (A) – Made it all the way to the final, had too many short strikers and needed a target man up front as Messi tried to do it all himself. Unfortunately Messi had the weight of the nation on his shoulders.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – (C+) – Were unlucky not to at least make the round of 16. Gave a good account of himself and believe Dzeko further enhanced his reputation.
Iran – (D) – Rely on their ability to counterattack, however most teams were aware of what was coming and filled up defence so they did not get too many opportunities.
Nigeria – (C) – As African champions we thought they could do so much better, when they were brilliant they were very good and pushed Argentina all the way. However they did not seem to show the same amount of respect to other opponents. Perhaps they only have one big game in them during a World Cup ? One Keshi will need to look at further to make sure they are switched on for all games.

Group G was always going to be tough with any one of the four teams worthy of going through to the last 16. After Germany demolished Portugal Ghana had the chance to capitalise and make second position their own yet failed to show the required respect to the USA. The USA played some enterprising football and surprised Portugal I think by scraping a draw. Football is definitely a growing beast in the USA and they could be a football super power of the future. Portugal for me were disappointing and after losing to Germany 4-0 in the first game lost their metal. It was an entertaining group but hard to see such quality not all advance to the next round.

Grades –

Germany – (A+) –Went all the way, were well organised and left nothing to chance. You could tell their planning was meticulous and adjusted their strategy to match the opponents they played. The team that pushed them all the way was Ghana. Led the stats all the way and Klose is the deserved striker to hold the record for most goals in World Cup appearances.
Ghana – (C) – Like Nigeria seem to have one big game in them for a World Cup but need to maintain focus for every game. There were also a few team issues which raised their ugly head which may have let them down from progressing through to the next round.
Portugal (D) – Looked like a one man team, it was down to Ronaldo. If you keep him quiet you keep Portugal quiet which was the case against Germany. Think they believe their own hype too much at times.
USA – (B- ) –You could tell the USA were well coached and Klinsmann had left no stone unturned. He was not afraid to upset the apple cart by dropping Landon Donovan to make sure the team was about the team. Thought they were unlucky to lose against Belgium.

Group H left a lot to be desired. Everyone’s favourites for this group were Belgium yet there was no clear second, perhaps Russia on reputation alone. That is where Algeria stepped into the mix and played with a lot of heart and passion to show the world they were going to give everything they had. Korea were disappointing and followed the Asian tactic of counter attacking football which did not work in their favour. A lot was expected of Russia, however yet again for a country with so many resources failed to deliver to the expectation.

Grades –

Algeria (B) –Were one of the surprise packets of the World Cup. You could tell they were at the World Cup for the football and not the money. Their last 16 clash against Germany went down to the wire and they can consider themselves unlucky. They continued to attack until the dying minutes of all matches and as such won a lot of fans.
Belgium – (C) – For me Belgium were disappointing, they could put a lot of stars on the pitch but at no stage did they seem fluid in their game plan. They hope to get all the way to the final on the back of 1-0 wins. Unfortunately if you don’t finish off teams you invite them to come back at you.
Korea – (F) – For Asia’s second most potent team they delivered very little. Asian football will need to reassess itself if it is to have any chance of winning a World Cup. Counter attacking football will only get you so far. Sometimes you need to be able to take the game to the opposition.
Russia (D) – Had one of the worst goal keeping clangers of the World Cup. With the resources they have at their disposal I expected a lot more from Russia.

Overall –

For the conferences the following teams played well. –

Africa – You cannot go past Algeria, passion, heart, commitment, team spirit and then gave away their earnings to charity after the World Cup, what true gentlemen of the game.

Asia – Australia, call me biased yet at least they tried to attack and take the game to the opposition no matter who they were. Unfortunately could not keep it up for a third game and claim the scalp of Spain.

Europe – Germany were head and shoulders above everyone else from the continent, the Netherlands may have pushed them in the final but we will never know. Played like a team of champions that were possessed with one thing, winning the World Cup.

South America – This is a difficult decision but for their ability to ignite the continent and surprise us all I would have to go with Columbia. They played like a team where Argentina relied on an individual and Brazil were lucky to beat them in the quarters. I expect more of this team in the future.

North America, Central America and the Caribbean – Another difficult one and no stand out for me. Yes USA played very well and should be congratulated but you cannot really go past Costa Rica. No one expected them to get out of their group let alone cause upset after upset against teams that have all won the World Cup.

Memorable games –

For me the following games were highlights of the World Cup –

Brazil v Mexico, Mexico’s keeper was a different class.

Australia v Netherlands, this match could have gone either way, the minnows pushed the heavy weights all the way.

Germany v Ghana, it was another match which went end to end and was entertaining for the fans.

Netherlands v Mexico, Netherlands were very lucky to scrap home with this game and showed all of their fighting ability.

Colombia v Uruguay, James announced himself to the world and showed his class.

Germany v Algeria, Algeria gave as well as they got and pushed the eventual champions all the way.

Germany v Brazil, no one saw this hammering of Brazil coming.

Well that is the wrap, would love to hear your thoughts. All the above is my own personal opinion and as such you have the right to disagree with me.

Enjoy!

Can always send your questions through or topics you would like covered to –Twitter  @SkipinSaffaland who is the director at Sports Tv Graphics company Alston Elliot

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com