Five Most Explosive Teams at The World Cup
By MICHAEL DA SILVA
World Cup 2010 sees many of the world’s top strikers get the opportunity to do for their countries what they’ve been doing for their clubs all season.
The Chelsea duo of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou (who have combined for 30 Premier League goals and 17 assists) will be leading the line for the Ivory Coast, while 2006 Golden Boot winner, Germany’s Miroslav Klose, will surely add to his outstanding tally of 48 goals in 94 international games in South Africa.
With so many countries posing a fantastic goal threat this year, we’ve narrowed the list down to just five teams worth backing as the top-scoring nation.
Spain
Played 10, won 10, scored 28. There’s no getting away from what was a flawless qualifying campaign for the tournament favorites. With an uncanny ability to score against anyone, Spain is an obvious but great bet to finish the tournament as the highest-scoring team.
David Villa bagged seven goals in those 10 qualifiers and if you add a fit Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas and Iniesta to the mix, it is clear that there are goals from all over the pitch for this golden Spanish side. Even defender Gerard Pique found the net on three occasions.
The 2006 competition saw Spain rifle four goals past the Ukraine and score seven goals in their first three games. This Spanish side can, and will, score a lot of goals.
Argentina
Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito, Gonzalo Higuain... and they are just the forwards.
Argentina has an embarrassment of riches in attack and with the addition of Real Madrid’s prolific Higuain to the team, Argentina have finally ended their search for a classic No. 9 to replace the retired Gabriel Batistuta.
Higuain (Real Madrid) has scored 25 goals this season, Messi (Barcelona) has bagged 31 and Tevez (Manchester City), who usually serves as a substitute, has netted 22 goals.
In 2006, Argentina fired six goals past Serbia and Montenegro. This is a team that knows how to find the back of the net.
England
Wayne Rooney has become a goal-scoring machine at Manchester United this season.
With 26 Premier League strikes and five assists to his name, few players in the world have outshone Rooney this season. He has also been named Man of the Match on a staggering 13 occasions this season.
Rooney, who has unfinished World Cup business after his red card against Portugal in 2006, will undoubtedly notch a few goals for the English.But he's not a one-man show. Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Aaron Lennon are all capable of joining the party and, if their qualifying campaign is anything to go by (34 goals in 10 games, including nine against Croatia), then England will find the back of the net more often than most.
Given England’s opponents in Group C, it will be aiming to set an early standard in attacking play.
Brazil
Brazil’s Luis Fabiano of Manchester United could be one of the stars of World Cup 2010. He has scored 25 times in 36 international games and helped Brazil top the South American qualifying group. In the process, he scored a crucial double against Argentina in September 2009.
With Kaka pulling the strings from midfield, Brazil is always dangerous. Given its philosophy of playing relentless, attacking soccer, Brazil always scores at least twice as many as they concede. Its goal difference was +22 in qualifying and, having won the tournament five times and never failing to qualify, Brazil is always worth backing as the top producer.
The Netherlands
All you have to do is look at Holland’s starting lineup and it will strike fear into even the stingiest of defenses.
Wesley Sneijder will be playing behind a front three of Arjen Robben, Dirk Kuyt and Robin Van Persie, forming a terrifying quartet of goal threats. Given that Van Persie has recently returned from a lengthy injury, he is likely to be fresh and at full fitness by the time the Netherlands kicks off against Denmark in Johannesburg on June 14. Before his injury, Van Persie’s record spoke for itself: 11 games, seven goals, seven assists.
And if for any reason the quartet doesn’t work, then he has Rafael Van der Vaart, Ryan Babel and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in reserve. Not a bad Plan B.