World Cup Germany 06 update

There's nothing better than a good old-fashioned barney between teams to get the blood up, is there? Holland v Germany, USA v Iran, England v Everyone.

And when two players in the same team don't like each other, it's even better. But more of that later.

Trinidad and Tobago's match with England (Thursday, 15 June 2006, KO 17:00 BST) is already spicy due to the Caribbean side's excellent 0-0 result with Sweden. This hasn't stopped the T&T coaching team and some of the players making some unwise comments about England.

Even before the tournament kicked off, veteran Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker had said "All I see with my eyes wide open is a team [England] that doesn't perform when it comes to the World Cup and the European Championships." Although this is perfectly true, it allowed the media in England to depict Beenhakker as saying he was tired of all the hype about the Three Lions.

And he was at it again yesterday: "It's like Real Madrid. You can have all of the stars in the world but if you [England] cannot play as a team then the stars do not matter."

Even Beenhakker's assistant Wim Rijsbergen has decided to have a pop at our Dave: "Beckham is just a commercial player. If you see how he plays in Madrid, he doesn't carry Madrid. He doesn't make a difference." Actually, Beckham's done well at Madrid this season and has been one of the few players to do some running around for his wages.

The bad news for Becks doesn't stop there. T&T player Aurtis Whitley has backed Rijsbergen by saying in The Sun newspaper: "I know I am as good as Beckham, you saw that against Mexico and I will prove it against England."

Which is a big claim seeing as it was Iran who played Mexico and not T&T. Sun mis-print or not, it's likely to rile the England camp and help them squeak to the disappointing 1-0 win we're all expecting.

***

As mentioned earlier, it's particularly gratifying to see two teammates who hate each other.

One notable feature of the current Dutch team has been their harmony, a most un-Dutch characteristic -- normally the squad is divided down the middle due to perceived tactical, personal or even racial slights.

This year, it's all been sweetness and light. Until now. Arsenal's Robin Van Persie (anonymous in their opening 1-0 victory over Serbia & Montenegro) has had a pop at match-winner Arjen Robben: "He needs to take his team-mates into account. Sometimes he makes choices that are good for him, but not the team."

Robin ain't too happy with the rest of the side either: "There is a problem with the balance of the team."

I reckon that can be resolved by simply striking the name Van Persie from the teamsheet. Amazing that an Arsenal player should be striking a sour note after a match hasn't gone well for him, innit?

And speaking of miserable Arsenal players, Freddie Ljungberg has made the news again for having a "short but hot" altercation with Olof Mellberg (phwoar, eh girls?).

These two have what our American friends call "previous". TV cameras captured them having what is known in tabloid parlance as "a training ground bust-up" during the World Cup in 2002. Ljungberg admitted: "I socialise more with other players than I socialise with Mellberg". Which means that apart from grunting swearwords at each other while scrapping, they don't speak at all.

The Swedes have a reputation for stolid predictability which the match against T&T did nothing to dispel, so well done to Olof and Freddie for their continuing two-man campaign to make Sweden more interesting.

LINKS

T&T comments:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/5024830.stm

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2006270299,00.html

Dutch disharmony:

http://home.skysports.com/worldcup/article.aspx?hlid=394556&CPID=4&clid=366&lid=4163&title=Van+Persie+upset+with+Robben

Freddie v Olof round 2:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/sweden/5073242.stm