England
No-one can deny England qualified in style, going to Croatia when they hadn't been beaten at home and winning 4-1, scoring 21 goals at home in 5 games and though they lost in Ukraine, this was only after qualification had been assured. with a wealth of experience from established first team players like captain Rio Ferdinand and John Terry in defence, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard in midfield and Wayne Rooney in attack, they were assisted in qualifying by David Beckham who has now earned 155 England caps, making him the most capped England outfield player of all time, if it wasn't for the ankle injury he picked up while playing for AC Milan, he would of surely been in the squad. England's Italian manager Fabio Capello has moulded a team to success after the failure of previous manager Steve McClaren and the team's morale down after not qualifying for Euro 2008, they have defied everyone's expectations (which are always high) and the English have a genuine belief that this could be their year.
Those expectations have been dampened slightly by the provisional squad announcement, with Jamie Carragher coming out of international retirement after a patchy season playing for Liverpool and fitness and injury concerns over Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand and Tottenham's Ledley King and with 2 caps between Stephen Warnock, Leighton Baines and Michael Dawson, a lot will depend on Chelsea duo John Terry and Ashley Cole. England's weakest link has for a while been goalkeeping, with a number of 'future talents' like Chris Kirkland and Ben Foster been given chances over the past few years, Capello has selected a goalkeeper from the team that finished bottom of the Premier League after conceding 66 goals and who has the nickname 'Calamity James' for a reason. With Robert Green of West Ham pushing for the no.1 shirt and Joe Hart been given the chance to impress, it's looking like England can be caught out defensively and will need to concentrate at set pieces.
The midfield is packed with talented players like Liverpool's Steven Gerard, Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Capello will be wanting his first choice holding midfielder, Man City's Gareth Barry, to be fit for the finals. With Barry struggling to overcome an ankle injury, Capello has picked the out of form Michael Carrick from Manchester United and West Ham's Scott Parker, the coming weeks will show who will make the final cut. Quite why Shaun Wright-Phillips was picked is a mystery, the player hasn't shown much form and only played 19 league games for Manchester City, the man that has taken his club spot, Adam Johnson, has also been selected and has the chance to show the world his talents but will he take that chance?
Much has been made of Emile Heskey's scoring record for England but it's been shown time and again how Wayne Rooney and England operate better with him in the side and with Tottenham's Jermain Defoe usually replacing him in the second half of games, his fresh legs against tired ones often means he gets among the scorers though Defoe's work ethic over personal glory over team performance remains in question (let's hope he doesn't get a kidney stone, he'll never pass it). with Peter Crouch (Crouch walks into a crossbar.....) offering an alternative option as a tall frontman, expect Darren Bent to miss (though Tottenham fans will say he made the unmissable missable) the finals but hopefully show his worth to future squads.
Overall i see strengths in the England squad, while Ashley Cole gets forward as a left wing back and returns to defend, Glen Johnson often gets caught out on the right and teams will exploit this. If Capello can instill a strong team discipline and the teams key players remain fit and available, England can progress but defensively (and to reiterate, the goalkeeper in particular) they can be caught out, a consolation goal for a smaller nation is one thing, a winning goal for a larger nation will put the weight of a nation on Wayne Rooney's shoulder......in Capello we must trust. Though would be very interesting should we play his native Italy).
Interesting fact, the first building to overtake the the height record from the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt was Lincoln Cathedral in 1280. Although it's spire was destroyed in 1549, it kept the title of highest construction ever built in the world until 1884, when the Washinton Monument was erected. National dish, fish and chips (give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day, teach a man to fish, he'll eat for life.....give an octopus nun chucks and no-one is ever eating fish again)
United States
It has to be admitted, since USA 94, the States national team has got better and can give most teams a good game, think back 15 years and the likes of Roy Wegerley and Cobi Jones graced the English league, now with the likes of Fulham's Clint Dempsey, Everton's Tim Howard and their recent on loan star Landon Donovon all showing what the Americans can add to the world of 'soccer'. Head coach, Bob Bradley has spent the last four years aiming to make an impression at this tournament and with players like his son Michael Bradley aiding the experienced Donovan, Dempsey and Rangers DaMarcus Beasley (with Rangers not offering Beasley another contract, he'll be looking to impress potential suitors). In goal they have three players all based in England, Aston Villa's Brad Guzan, Wolves Marcus Hahnemann and Tim Howard, with Howard as established no. 1 he'll be tough to beat in a defence including captain Carlos Bocanegra from Rennes and Hannover's Steve Cherundolo. Their glaring weakness is in attack, with former Hull strikers Jozy Altidore and Eddie Johnson included alongside Housten Dynamo's Brian Ching (if he had a daughter, has to call her Cha), they have their work cut out against world class defenders. Expect the team to make some sort of mark and getting to the quarterfinals would be an over achievement. Al Qaeda have to be wondering over the June 12th clash with England
Interesting fact, a monkey was once tried and convicted for smoking a cigarette in South Bend, Indiana (but this is a country that voted for George W. Bush
National dish, cheeseburger, say what you want but who doesn't eat them at BBQ's all over the world (why don't McDonald's do hot dogs?)
Algeria
A team being managed for the 5th time by Rabah Saadane, don't expect Algeria to be making up the numbers after knocking out African Nations Cup winners Egypt to qualify for this tournament. A team where players either have an abundance of experience or little at all at international level. Portsmouth pair Nadir Belhadj and Hassan Yebda will be aiming to make a name for themselves as they surely will be looking for a new club next season. Defensively led by Rangers Madjid Bougherra, they will be tough to score against. Captain Yazid Mansouri plays for French side Lorient though after playing 65 times to date, he has failed to score from midfield and that is where they struggle, only one player has scored double figures in the squad, Rafik Saifi of French Ligue 2 side Istres managing only 18 goals in 58 games. Expect the team to be tough to break down but after conceding, having little to offer (i don't want to make jokes about Algeria, let's just say for religious reasons (No-one wants a jihad declared on their blog)
(un)Interesting fact, fossil fuels are the major export of Algeria
National dish, couscous (so **** they named it twice)
Slovenia
A side that qualified above the Czech Republic in their group and then knocking Russia out in the play off, former player Matjaz Kek has moulded Slovenia into a side that play as a unit and give good solid performances. The team were unbeaten at home though were beaten away at Northern Ireland. Captained by West Brom's Robert Koren, it's Koln striker Milivoje Novakovic who is the big name player, also their 4 th scorer of all time and only needing to score three goals to become the second highest scorer (the highest, legendary player Zlatko Zahovic). The team will struggle away from their own home and will look at this as experience for future tournaments.
Interesting fact, on June 25th, Slovenia will be 19 years old after gaining Independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, i am older than Slovenia
National dish, Zganci, buckwheat flour is poured into boiling salt water, after a while, the lump of flour is pierced with a wooden spoon, this allows the steam to escape and the water to boil over the flour. After twenty minutes, some water is poured off and the flour mixed with fresh water and served. Funny, never seen Zganci in a Gordon Ramsey restaurant
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