England’s poor 2010 concluded as they slid to a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to France, but the night may be remembered for the “Club v Country” debate returning once again. Steven Gerrard, Gareth Barry and captain Rio Ferdinand all picked up injuries for the Three Lions, summing up a generally miserable year for the Italian.

But it is the injury to Gerrard which has sparked fury. Liverpool fitness coach Darren Burgess was far from happy with the England manager after he didn’t substitute Gerrard around the hour mark as planned.

On his Twitter account, Burgess said: “Unbelievable from all associated with England and English FA with regard to SGs [Gerrard's] injury. Completely ignored agreement and past history, Completely amateurish and now we pay for their incompetence. Absolutely disgraceful.”

While the comments were later removed from the Australians account, Capello did admit that he hadn’t stuck to an agreement with Liverpool. He said: “I told Liverpool he would play for an hour if possible. They asked that he can play one hour if it’s possible. They can’t decide how long a player plays with the national team. If it’s possible, he’d have played an hour.

“I understand why they’re upset and I’m also upset. The problem is that, when you play this game on Wednesday after a lot of Premier League, Europa League or Champions League games, it’s possible there might be an injury for a player. The Premier League, every time, is a tough league for the players.”

While Liverpool will quite rightly be disappointed with the injury to their talisman, as Capello suggests, there is very little that can be done to avoid it, especially if England insist on playing meaningless friendly games.

Capello took the opportunity to give the likes of Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Kieran Gibbs a chance, he still won’t have learnt a great deal from the game. You have to feel that a training camp would have surely been gave him an adequate chance to view some potential additions to his squad.

This isn’t going to happen though, especially with the constant need to make the most out of Wembley and pack in as many friendly games as possible to boost revenue. So the unfortunate fact is the long running debate will run on.

World Cup 2010 South Africa has now been and gone, a feast of football for a month in the rainbow nation. Here are a few memories of the good and bad for the first World Cup of the decade.

The Good

Paul the Octopus – the world stood still in amazement and in humour, (in particular Germany) held its breath on which mussel would Paul take, that ultimately decided the fate of the nation. Paul’s fame quickly grew as the alleged English born two year old Cephalopod gained a 100% throughout the tournament after fierce competition from Mani the physic Parakeet who predicted a Dutch win in the final. After their semi-final defeat to Spain, German fans called for him to end up on a dinner plate.  He is now arguably the no. 2 fan in Spain behind Andres Ineista.

Ghana – In Africa’s first World Cup expectations were high for the African nations if not to win the World Cup then to put on a display to make the continent feel proud. By the arrival of the knock-out stages Ghana were the only African nation left, after squeezing through a tricky group with Germany. The unity that spread throughout Africa was unimaginable and propelled the Ghanaians’ to the last eight after a deserved victory over the US and were a handball (and a miss penalty) from the semis.

Germany – Vorsprung Durch Technik: The new generation proved to be a big surprise at the World Cup especially in the manner they took Australia, England and Argentina to the sword.  German teams in the past have always been identifiable to how they build their cars: strong, powerful engines, reliable with the occasional touch of class and elegance.  This young team are quick, skilful, strong and direct and have been the best counter attacking team of the World Cup with the likes of Ozil and Mueller.  Watch out for them in 2012 European Championships, they will only get better between now and then.

Spain’s tiki-taka football: Now you could argue that Spain weren’t always at their best in this tournament and only scored more than one goal in a game against Honduras.  But the style, patience and self belief they posses to constantly play the tiki-taka style of football has to be commended. Even when games were very tight entering the last 15 minutes against Portugal, Paraguay and in particular Germany they preserved and persisted with the same formula that has served them exceptionally well in the past.

South Africa ‘dancing out’ against Mexico on the opening day – They have become the first host nation in World Cup history not to qualify to the knockout stages, but their entrance to their opening match against Mexico was simple, breath taking and unique and symbolised the spirit and the coming together of a nation through football.

The Bad

Vuvuzelas – the less said on these ‘swarm of bees’ instrument the better, they were quite simply annoying and have been banned from the Rugby Tri Nations and World Cup in New Zealand next year – such is the impact they have had over the tournament.

Suarez and the Hand of God II – With the quarter final level at 2-2 between Ghana and Uruguay and heading towards penalties, Ghana striker Dominic Adiyah’s goal bound header was handled on the line by Uruguayan centre forward Luis Suarez.  He was subsequently sent off, but with Ghana missing the penalty and then being beaten in the shoot-out 4-2 uproar was felt around the football world. With the Ghanaian Sports Minister Akua Sena Dansua requesting for a rule change for the basketball equivalent of ‘goal-tending’.  What made matters worse was the level of joy and celebration from Suarez after the shootout and his claim to be the new ‘Hand of God’

England, France and Italy choking – three of Europe’s more established nations showed how tactically inept they are with over the hill, out-of-position players and ultra egos to cause player-coach bust-ups.

England: a team who were over-hyped carrying a number of injured players (Ferdinand, Barry, Lennon and Rooney to name a few). Key players playing out of position (Gerrard) and dictator of a manager who was unwilling to change the formation or system to balance the team. Recipe equals winning one of your four games, drawing against Algeria and then getting a football lesson from the young and skilful Germans. And to cap it off Rooney mouthing off to England fans when being booed off the pitch.

Italy: The World Cup winners of 2006 looked a shadow of their former selves, and the problems were all too apparent to see. In previous World Cups I fondly remember the likes of Baggio, Del Piero and Totti all being the central point of an Italian team, giving them the spark, the moment of imagination to unlock a defence. This World Cup they lacked a ‘playmaker’ and that water-tight defence that prided itself on being tighter than the Hoover Dam started to looked wary and show that no anti-ageing cream can avoid their ageing: in-deficiencies particularly from set pieces and quick footed players such as Robert Vittek.

France – C”est sacre bleu, Irish men, women and children alike would have been enjoying this one after the deep injustice that was served to them during last year’s playoff defeat. France are a team glittered with huge stars and egos to match, underperforming and splitting their dummies out when they don’t get what they want.  Domenech decisions need to be looked at closer under a microscope. Why pick Henry? And play Ribery in the ‘hole’ out of position that is not suited to him? But these issues are chicken feed to the deeper problems in the team: first Nicolas Anelka being sent home for verbally abusing Domenech, then Patrice Evra and the fitness coach Robert Duverne having a ‘set-to’, players refusing to train, FFF Managing Director Louis Valentin resigning and finishing bottom of group A.

Goal-line technology – This is very simple, Mr Blatter. Please introduce it ASAP, this was a major embarrassment for FIFA and football when Frank Lampard’s goal that was wasn’t given – fait accompli.

Jubalani – Why is it in every major championship does the issue of the ball arise? Adidas claim it is lighter and faster than ever, with more serve and power.  Quite simple it reminds me of the ones I use to use when I was 10 years old paying £1 from your local shop keeper.  It has more bounce than a beach ball, and made a complete embarrassment of some of the world’s best players (excluding Forlan). For future tournaments Herr Adidas why no just create a simple football with 32 panels and leave it to the skill of the footballer.

Mark Van Bommel (closely followed by the large majority of his team mates) – A player who in this World Cup has been more interested in taking players out with poor tackling rather than using experience and craft to out-perform the opponent.  How on earth he went nearly the whole 90 minutes against Uruguay before getting booked, and was lucky to not be sent off for a horrific tackle on Iniesta’s standing leg in the final.  As for the Dutch tactics on that ill-fated night at Soccer City, it’s all well and good to want to get stuck into your opponents and not give them too much respect and pass you around the park like a game of ‘piggy in-the-middle’ but to truly expect a game-plan to hack and saw your way to winning a World Cup is only going to end in tears once you become restricted to 10-men (or fewer as the case should have been).

Kader Keita – Many people remember Rivaldo’s antics from 2002 against Turkey. This was on an equal par – Keita was elbowed (very slightly) in the chest from Kaka and went down holding his face as if Manny Pacquiao had knocked him out in a title fight. What did FIFA do about it? Nothing!!

Before the 2010 World Cup started, who would have expected nations such as Portugal, England, France and Australia to perform so poorly in the tournament?

But who, out of those four worst teams in the World Cup thus far, has been the worst? Vote below and share your opinions in the comments section below.

So the World Cup is now a week old, every team has played at least once. It is now becoming clear whether your team was a sound bet or as dodgy as a Northern Rock balance sheet.

There have already been a few surprises, and those following a minnow may have had a nice surprise. Also those struggling can cling to a few strands of hope as no team has been eliminated thus far.

If like me you have a team you know little about in the office sweepstake, or you have just not bothered with the World Cup so far, I have created a quick summary to get you up to speed.

How is your team doing?

Algeria – A poor start against Slovenia and elimination beckons, unless they pull of a surprise against England. Should Algeria qualify and you live in England you may be forced to change your name, address and seek alternative employment.

Argentina – In Messi you should trust, Argentina recorded one of the most crushing one nil victories you will ever see, in the first game and eventually ran out comfortable winners agains South Korea.  Blue and white fireworks will surely illuminate this tournament sooner rather than later.

Australia – Hammered by Germany and unlikely to progress, the players should start booking their plane tickets home.

Brazil – Although they made heavy work of the North Koreans, I would still be happy to have backed Brazil in this tournament. The quality is there for all to see.

Cameroon - Having lost their opening game, there is a lot left to do if Cameroon are to qualify, hope is not yet lost but I would not back my sweepstake team.

Chile – An opening game victory, playing attacking football, what more can you ask for?

Denmark – Lost to Holland but not out of it yet, Nicklas Bentdner and others will need to be at the top of their game for the next two games though.

England – If you don’t know how they are doing, just google ‘Robert Green’ and all will become clear.

France – Started with a draw and this side looks weary, improvement needed from a side that looks devoid of ideas.

Germany – Emphatic win against Australia, people are already taking notice of the Germans in this tournament.

Ghana – Flying the flag for Africa with an opening game win, this side will receive a lot of coverage in a tournament desperate for African success.

Greece – Poor and uninspired, if they cannot improve they will soon be back to the economic turmoil of their homeland.

Holland – Won their first game, should progress from their group with ease.

Honduras – Lost to Chile, things are already looking bleak for one of the teams no one really knows/expects anything from in this tournament.

Italy – Had a poor first game which was the ultimate defence vs. defence battle that somehow produced two goals.  After 2006 you should resist the urge to rule out these ageing slow starters.

Ivory Coast – After a battling draw against Portugal, Sven’s men need a big win against North Korea, or a miracle against Brazil to progress.

Japan – Secured victory in their opening game, they will be hoping to build on this as expectations back home grow.

Mexico – Only a draw to start the tournament off, massive improvements will be needed in order to prove they can make a mark on this tournament.

New Zealand – The point they got in their opening game was hailed as a miracle for New Zealand, read into that what you like given the opposition was Slovakia.

Nigeria – Massacred in a 1-0 defeat to Argentina, they will be ok if their goalkeeper keeps up the form he showed in that game.

North Korea – Fantastic start, strong favourites to win the tournament, well back home at least. In all seriousness the Koreans showed real passion against Brazil and even got a consolation goal. Unlikely to progress but their compact style may harm the chances of one of the other ‘top’ sides in the group.

Paraguay – Secured a great result against the holders, but may need to play with more attacking intent to progress.

Portugal – Things just don’t seem right in the Portugal camp, a draw in the opening game is ok, however much more is needed.  Only so much can be done as a one man team.

Serbia – Having lost their opening game, the Serbians look to be limping out of the tournament; however there is talent in this side. This will need to shine through if they are to reach the second round.

Slovakia – Having failed to beat the worst team in the competition in their first game, I think the Slovakians are finished in the tournament before it has really begun.

Slovenia – Top of England’s group with a win, Slovenia have a real chance to upset the apple cart and qualify ahead of the USA or England in group C.

South Africa – Full of heart and with their nation behind them, it looks like this will not be enough to help Bafana Bafana progress. Two gutsy displays have not made up for a lack of discernable talent, only a win against France and a miracle will see them through to the next stage.

South Korea – After winning their first game in an impressive fashion, the Koreans will dream of a repeat of 2002 or even better. Combining a strong work ethic with touches of flair. Despite  losing to Argentina, this team has the potential to have a stellar World Cup.

Spain – The favourites lost their opening match to Switzerland, potentially setting up a second round tie with Brazil. Still not out of the running, their Rolls Royce midfield engine needs to start ticking over, and fast.

Switzerland – After beating Spain this team must feel on top of the world, the second round may be their target, but they have certainly already made their mark on the competition.

United States – Brilliant result if not performance against England, confidence must be at an all time high. Slovenia must not be underestimated though and Friday’s game will be key to their campaign.

Uruguay – Almost through to the next round, they looked good against France and South Africa. Manchester United fans may not recognise the Diego Forlan of this World Cup compared to his days in England as he fires Uruguay forwards in the competition.

So this is where we stand after one week, in the next few days the group pictures will become a lot clearer and we may start to lose teams.

If you have backed Brazil or Germany you should be very happy with your investment, those following Slovenia, Switzerland, Chile or Uruguay may have been pleasantly surprised by last weeks games.

As we move forwards every team still technically in with a shout, each team is now  just 6 games from immortality.

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So you may now recognise him as the head of U.E.F.A. and the man that moved the Champions League from a Wednesday night to a Saturday night. What you may not know is that Platini, for 3 or 4 years, was the best player in the world. A fabulous midfield play-maker of the highest level, Platini could destroy teams on his own when he was in the mood. The French side of the early 1980′s was a fabulous flowing football machine that perhaps should have won a World Cup but for one problem. West Germany.

Both in 1982 and 1986, France got to the semi-finals of the World Cup and both times they failed to get past West Germany. In between those semi-final heartbreaks, the French had won Euro 84 on home soil and were one of the best sides in the world. Platini’s artistry on the ball saw his country achieve heights they hadn’t matched for nearly 50 years but they fell short when it really mattered. During this period the French midfield were known as the “magic square”.

The only real issue the French had was the lack of a top quality striker and the teams tactics were designed to allow Platini to switch from midfield play-maker to centre forward with ease. It seems odd these days, but it sometimes falls that a country simply miss a player of real ability in a particular position for years. England had problems with both full back positions in the last few years but it was probably the lack of a top quality striker that held the French back on the world stage.

Of course, psychologically, West Germany had the Indian sign over the French especially after the horrific Schumacher challenge on Patrick Battison in the 1982 semi-final and whilst they were 3-1 up in that game, in 1986, the Germans never let them have a sniff at goal and won 2-0. Platini would join the ranks of players who never managed to win the World Cup despite being probably the best player in the world and is also in a select band of players that scored in 3 different World Cups, 1978, 1982 and 1986.

Platini was such a beautiful player, he never looked rushed whenever he was in possession. World Class players always seem to have so much time on the ball, but that’s what separates them from the rest. They just have that something else that allows them to achieve more than their contemporaries. Platini, for a midfielder scored so many goals and is currently France’s second highest international goalscorer, with 41 which he looks likely to hang on to for some considerable time.

His club career as well saw him leave the confines of the French League, after playing with AS Nancy and St. Etienne, to join Juventus in 1982 and he continued to deliver excellence after a difficult first 5 months in Italy. Playing in tandem with the Polish maestro Zbigniew Boniek who also joined the same year, Juventus were a force of football throughout the mid-1980′s. Under a youthful Giovanni Trapattoni, Juventus challenged for titles both at home and abroad, all built on the abilities of Platini.

Ironically, when Zidane retired immediately after the 2006 World Cup, it reminded me of when Platini bowed out in 1987, still only 32. No fuss, no real reasons, they’d just had enough of the game. Yet for the last 15 years, Platini has climbed the ladder in Eurpean football since being involved in running the 1998 World Cup and has been head of UEFA for 3 years now. From the footballing king of Europe in the 1980′s to the ruler of European football is some ride, but Platini never turned away from hard-work and dedication. A true World Cup legend of the modern age.

Please leave me your comments below or find me on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/paulbestall

Despite the superstars that have graced the World Cup over the decades, there is one record that may never be beaten by any player ever again. Only 3 times has a player scored double figures in a World Cup tournament, once in 1954, Sandor Kocsis scored 11, in 1970 the legendary Gerd Muller scored 10 goals. Yet one man surpassed both of these incredible efforts when he scored 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup, French legend, Just Fontaine.

It often astounds me that whenever lists of great strikers appear, Fontaine is rarely on the list. It’s not like the Swedish World Cup was a flash in the pan for him. He scored goals wherever he played throughout his entire career. Domestically or Internationally, Fontaine found the back of the net with unfailing regularity. It would seem yet another wonderful player is often overlooked in the modern era simply because people don’t look hard enough.

In those far away days before football became the global sport, the European Cup and European Championships were in their infancy and with only 16 teams qualifying for a World Cup, many great players missed the opportunity to play regularly on the main stage. His international career was only 7 years in total from 1953 to 1960, he missed out on 1954 through a lack of experience and was struggling with injuries by the time Chile held the competition in 1962.

That shouldn’t take anything away from his achievements and in normal circumstances scoring 13 goals in a World Cup should see you lift the trophy but for the greater strength of one team: Brazil. Yet we’re getting ahead of ourselves, before we’ve even begun. Fontaine was born in Morocco in 1933, or French Morocco as it was known then. At 17 it was his move to Casablanca that catapulted him towards history as he scored for fun in the league. French league sides fell over themselves to scout him but it was Nice that managed to get his signature first. Aged just 20, Just moved to France and his career went through the roof.

In 3 seasons at Nice, he scored 44 league goals in just 69 matches and attracted the attention of Stade Reims, who were the giants of French football in the 1950′s and 60′s. Reims are a team that we have also lost sight of, struggling in the French Third Division these days but incredibly reached the European Cup final twice, in the debut tournament of 1955-56 and 1958-59. The Olympic Lyon of the day, Fontaine was brought in to replace another French legend, Real Madrid bound Raymond Kopa and hit 30 goals in his debut season.

Ironically, it was the relationship at international level between Fontaine and Kopa that would prove so decisive in the 1958 World Cup as they combined so beautifully that Fontaine and Kopa seemed to have a psychic link. In Sweden, the bond was at it’s dizzying peak and it was almost rewarded with the greatest honour in the game. As strike partnership go, it’s certainly up there in post-war club and international football.

It is odd, especially in the UK that Fontaine isn’t more widely known as the 1958 World Cup is a watermark in British football. It was the only tournament that England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all qualified for and some should remember him more than others. In 1954, the French side had failed to qualify from their group so hopes were high for a more positive tournament in Scandinavia. The group was tough but not impossible and they had to play against Yugoslavia, Scotland and Paraguay.

The first game saw them face Paraguay and by half time the match was tied at 2-2 with Fontaine having scored both of Les Blues goals. 45 minutes later, he was walking off the field with the match ball after scoring his third and France’s 5th as Raymond Kopa destroyed the Paraguayans resistance in a 7-3 mauling.

Next up came the dangerous Yugoslavian side and they were right to be wary. A tense and physically bruising game saw Kopa and Fontaine on the receiving end of some brutal treatment in a 3-2 defeat, which was lost at the death. Yet Just added another two goals to his tally and Scotland were dispatched in the final group game 2-1, with another goal for Fontaine taking his total to 6 goals in the first 3 games. The French were through to the Quarter-Finals and faced another British side, Northern Ireland.

The Irish had impressively finished 2nd  in a tough group and had a goal getting striker of their own, AstonVilla legend Peter McParland who had scored 5 goals in the group. Fontiane and the French were just too good and routed them 4-0, our hero scoring another 2 goals to take them in to the Semi-finals to face the favourites, Brazil.

Despite how impressive France had been so far, they couldn’t hold a candle to the Brazilians. With Vava and Garrincha running rings around them and a young striker by the name of Pele scoring a hatrick, even Just Fontaine couldn’t keep them in it. Brazil were too good and despite recovering from going a goal down after 2 minutes, thanks to his 9th goal of the competiton, Fontaine and France faced a task too far. Brazil ran away with the game, winning 5-2 and the only consolation for them was the opportunity to play for 3rd place.

To say the next game had a bit of needle would be an understatement as they were to face the defending champions, West Germany. The reasons for the animosity were still fresh in the minds of the French and as if possessed, they ripped the legendary German defensive unit to shreds. Kopa seemingly single handly passing them to death at every opprtunity and Fontaine was at his lethal best. 4 times he struck the ball pase the German keeper, Kwiatkowski as the French ran them ragged in a 6-3 victory.

So, 6 games, 13 goals and scored in all 6 matches the French played. Two hat tricks and the French had arrived on the international stage again. Fontaine returned to scoring goals for fun in Ligue 1 and in 1959 was rejoined at club level by Raymond Kopa. Unfortunately for him and Reims, they only managed one season together until a knee injury curtailed Fontaine’s career at just 29 years of age. Who could have said where he would have ended up rather than limp through his last two seasons.

He could only manage 14 games and 6 goals in his final two years before injury robbed football of one of its most underated strikers. He tried his hand at managing to no great success apart from a spell as the Moroccan coach, leading them to 3rd in the 1980 African Cup of Nations. Fontaine is now 76 and is a legend in France. In 2003 he was voted the Greatest French player of the last 50 years and still holds the World Cup record of the most goals in a single tournament.  Il était magnifique!

Well we all know how the competition started but the tournament kicked off in earnest on Sunday evening with the host nation Angola entertaining Mali. Hopes were high after all the political wrangling that engulfed the weekend, football could return to the forefront. What no-one expected was a series of breathless games and major shocks that have turned the Cup Of Nations on its head.

Angola stormed in to a 4-0 lead in the opening game and the home fans were jubilant. When Manucho hit a penalty in the 74th minute, Mali looked down and out, shocked to the core by the host nation. Yet by full time, Angola were delighted to hear the final whistle, after an extraordinary fightback saw the The Eagles score 4 goals in the last 15 minutes. Barcelona’s Seidou Keita scored a brace, with Freddie Kanoute scoring and Mustapha Yatabare hitting the equaliser in the fourth minute of injury time.

It really was a breathless encounter that hardly stopped for a second, a delightful and passionate affair that seems to have set the template for this years tournament. Monday saw Group B kick off and the shocks just kept on coming. The Ivory Coast struggled to a draw against unfancied Burkina Faso in a one sided encounter, but it was a massive result for The Stallions. Ivory Coast had 21 shots but couldn’t find the back of the net and Marseille’s Bakari Kone missed several gilt edged chances to win the match.

In Mondays other game, Algeria were smashed to pieces by Malawi, 3-0. It was a disturbing performance to see the World Cup qualifiers so easy picked apart after the Algerian goalkeeper gifted the opening goal by smashing a clearance against Essau Kanyenda who squared the ball for an easy goal for Russel Mwafulirwa. After that, the Algerians couldn’t get going and by the time Malawi made it 3-0, they were looking like the final whistle couldn’t come quick enough.

The Algerian manager has come under some criticism for blaming the weather for his teams bad performance, but as it has been pointed out, he’d only got himself to blame. If you playing in a humid country, would you prepare by holding your base in a chilly South of France? No, I thought not!

Yesterdays’ clashes saw Group C enter the fray and finally, one of the favourites delivered. Nigeria took the lead against Egypt in the heavyweight clash after 12 minutes, but that was as good as it got. Egypt just kept purring and showed that even without Mido and Amr Zaki, they can still score goals. Egyptian legend Ahmed Hassan, winning his 167th international cap, set one goal up and scored another as the Pharaohs cantered to a 3-1 win. What did surprise me though was the ovation that greeted Kanu when he came on from the Angolan crowd. There is no doubting how much of an icon in African football he is after playing for 3 of Europes most illustrious clubs, Ajax, Inter and Arsenal.

The second game in Group C saw Mozambique and Benin clash and 90 minutes later, both countries were still waiting for their first win in African Cup Of Nations history. It was another super game though, despite some dodgy goalkeeping, as a 2-2 draw was probably a fair result. Despite the relative weakness of both sides, Nigeria will know that a slip up could see them crash out in the group stages, for the first time since 1963.

Yet, probably the biggest shock of the first round of matches happened this afternoon. Cameroon, Samuel Eto’o and all were stunned by some comedy defending that allowed Gabon, ranked 62nd in the world, to snatch a 1-0 win. It was a heroic performance after Daniel Cousin, of Hull City, had scored as Gabon dug in and held out for a famous win. Until today, I didn’t realise they were managed by former French legend, Alain Giresse and he’ll have enjoyed the win over compatriot Paul Le Guen.

Finally, Zambia and Tunisia fought another fairly even draw that was a positive result for the Zambians. Despite the recent troubles that Tunisia have had in world football, they are still one of Africa’s key footballing nations. Zambia will be delighted with the 1-1 result but it will be tempered by the fact they have to face a wounded Cameroon next. Cameroon know they need to win, and well to have a hope of qualifying.

So there you have it, all four of the countries that have qualified for the World Cup have managed a total of 1 point this week. We’ve had 22 goals in 7 games, no sendings off and some dynamite games. All the big countries now have to pick themselves up and show everyone that they deserve their billing, otherwise some very famous footballers will be coming home extremely early.

Well when your side is screaming out for a centre half, why not simply go out and sign a centre midfielder who’s lost his pace and has struggled with injuries for 3 seasons. Yes, Roberto Mancini seems to think that by signing a creaky Patrick Vieira, it’ll help shore up a leaky defence. 5 years ago, Viera was clearly one of the best centre midfielders in Europe, but his four years in Italy have seen his reputation decline.

Whilst certainly not past it by any stretch of the imagination, I cannot believe Vieira can cope with the pace of Premiership football any more. I know his move is motivated by being a regular starter for France, but he hasn’t started a competitive game for Les Blues since August 2007 and I do not see the benefit of disrupting the midfield pairing of Gareth Barry and Nigel De Jong.

It also sends a signal that the manager has no confidence in his midfield anchor men, when Manchester City’s back four have been far more culpable for their weaknesses this season. Barry and De Jong have been amongst City’s better performers this season, and for all the spin that has accompanied Mancini’s victories against Stoke City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Middlesbrough, it’s doubtful that City wouldn’t have won those games with Mark Hughes in charge.

It seems like City are entering that dimension that Real Madrid lived in where players are signed on reputation rather than ability and the wisdom in signing Vieira will become clearer over the next few weeks. The warning signs are there though with Vieira’s total appearances over the last 3 and a half seasons at Internazionale totals 72 games in all competitions. Italian football is not the high paced, frenetic standard of the Premiership and I don’t think Vieira will be able to cope.

By all means, Vieira was one of the stand out midfielders in world football during his spell at Arsenal, of that there is absolutely no doubt. Yet Wenger’s transfer policy of removing older players before they deteriorate at Arsenal has yet to blow up in his face. Remember everyone banging on about what a great pair of signings Adebayor and Toure were in the summer? They’ve strangely gone quiet already. Adebayor’s 6 goals this season and the leakiest defence in the Premierships top ten seem to once again back Wengers judgement.

Of course, the additional revenue that Vieira will bring through shirt sales will be the only thing that Gary Cook will be interested in. The ability the cover the wage package of apparently £140,000 a week won’t be overly important to the owners but surely the value has to be on the pitch. We’re not talking about a David Beckham icon here, we’re talking about a man who can’t get in the worse French team in 15 years. Vieira struggled to cope with the recovery period in his spell at Arsenal when he was at his prime, so I’ve no idea how he can cope with the demands it’ll put on him now.

Mourinho has been deploying him solely as a defensive midfielder, but he still tries to play his old role and gets caught out of position, he hasnt got the pace to get back and he lacks the tenacity to fly in to the tackles like he used to. He’s earned rave reviews for his last Inter performance against Chievo, but come on, it’s hardly the Milan derby is it. I just don’t see the wisdom of the signing, I just feel it’ll tarnish one of the best midfielders in Premiership history’s legacy and that would be a shame.

Which Premier League club has the highest percentage of foreigners? Who has the youngest squad? And who has the oldest squad? Read the following top 10 statistics to find the answers to those questions and many more.

1. Oldest squad: Hull City, average age 27.48 years
2. Player to have spent the most number of seasons at a Premier League club: Ryan Giggs – 19 seasons
3. Player to have played for most number of clubs in Premier League: Michael Pollitt (Wigan), 14 clubs
4. Youngest squad in the Premier League: Arsenal, average age 22.06 years
5. Most common foreign nationality in Premier League: France, 33 players
6. Premier League club with most number of foreign players: Liverpool, 83.78%
7. Premier League club with most home-based players: Aston Villa, 64%
8. Shortest player in Premier League: Aaron Lennon, 5ft 4in
9. Tallest player in Premier League: Peter Crouch, 6ft 6in
10. Fattest player in Premier League: Danny Shittu (pictured above), 222 lbs

Source: IMScouting.

It was supposed to be a classic. Two of the top teams in Europe, Italy and Spain, with some of the best footballers in the world on display. But what we saw was a dire game featuring two teams more focused on avoiding defeat than trying to win. Other than the Romania against France game, this was the worst match of the tournament.

With such a big game being broadcast around the world, you would hope that the teams would come out and play attractive football. Italy, especially, was absolutely abysmal in the way that they treated the game putting so many players behind the ball that it was no wonder Spain had difficulty trying to score. For so much of the match, the Spanish attackers had to try and weave their way past eight players in the back.

Instead what we saw, over and over again, was Spain going down the wings and floating balls into the box only for Italy to head the ball away due to their height advantage.

Living here in the United States, it’s always a battle to try to win over fans of traditional sports and make them soccer fans. But in a game like we saw tonight, the criticisms those non-believers cry out became true: Soccer is low scoring and boring (this one almost put me to sleep at times). Soccer players feign injuries (the Italians were particularly guilty of this). Penalties are a dumb way to end games (I agree). And so on and so forth.

Games like these don’t make it easy for soccer fans in the United States. Sure, not every match can be a classic but I thought Italy’s negative tactics were embarrassing. They defended superbly, yes. But they were far too cautious and sat back hoping to hold on for a 0-0 draw or grab a late winner.

The better team on the night won but only barely. Spain, the consummate underachievers, lacked the creativity and clinical finishing in front of goal to put this match away. Against a different opposition they may have had a chance to shine better but I expected more from the Spaniards. Unless they can improve in a few days time, I feel Russia has an excellent chance of making it to the final.