This guest post was written by Adrian Bacariza
Continuing in my world cup 2010 preview, I figured I would take a look at some of the teams that have a legitimate shot at winning the cup and are not explicitly favorites. These are the teams that you need to keep your eye on.
Teams to watch:
Holland:
In my opinion this is team is flying under the radar but should be considered one of the favorites. The dutch are very deep and have one of the best mid-fields in the cup. If you give this team too much possession they will pick you apart. Arjen Robben is one of the best wingers in the world right now, the major issue with him is he is made of glass and is prone to muscular injuries but a short tournament like the world cup is perfect for a player like him. However the Dutch have Dirk Kuyt who can fill his spot perfectly if he does go down. People also need to keep an eye out for Wesley Sneijder and Rafael Van der Vaart both very creative central mids that can finish very well both in the area as well as from long range. The defense is a question they have some talented players but haven’t really been tested. Should be interesting to see how they do against teams that control the ball more and have more possession than there recent competition. All this being said this is a team that can score in bunches and should be fun to watch.
Argentina:
This team should be one of, if not the favorite to win this world cup but they struggled mightily to qualify. They had to win the last game of qualification to make it and placed fourth in the South American bracket. This team has five of the best forwards in the world right now as well as the one of, if not the best player in the world in Leo Messi. Their attack consisting of Messi, Higuain, Kun Aguero and Carlos Tevez just to name a few should be the most prolific scoring team in the cup. However their lack of coaching and leadership is a major concern. The other concern i have with them is there mid-field play, they don’t have a creating mid that can get there ball to the front line attackers. All this being said they are still a great team due to there attacking ability. There true test will be when they play against teams that have a strong mid-field. We will have to what and see how Maradona handles a this. The breakout player for them is going to be there left wing Angel De Maria who plays in Portugal and is linked to a summer transfer to some big name clubs. He has great past and his crossing ability and wing play should be fun to watch. He is not a very well know player but i believe he could be the big stand out on this team.
