Allan Ssekamatte
26 June 2009
column
The success of this year's Confederations Cup tournament in South Africa points to a bright future for the Fifa event. Picketing from racist Spanish fans and the Pharaohs clumsy accusation that they had been burgled, when in reality they had been making merry with Ladies of the Night are the only events to generate negative publicity. Otherwise, it has been all smooth-sailing with some upstarts grabbing the headlines.
Brazil: Not surprisingly, the Samba Boys have once again produced new stars in SA. Fiorentina's midfield terrier Felipe Melo went into the tournament with just five caps to his name, but he is sure to leave with a burgeoning reputation, having capped his mercurial displays with sublime attacking play. This man-mountain is so strong in the tackle and I would not be surprised if a shrewd manager like Arsene Wenger pays over the top for his services.
Ramires Santos Dos Nascimento: Brazil coach Carlos Dunga must also take the credit for bringing this Cruzeiro speedster into the team. Ramires is so fast, he makes Brazil's breakneck counterattacks much more lethal. We all know about Ricardo Kaka (he is quite fast with ball at his feet), but the tactician was making a mistake by retaining the inefficient Elano Blummer in his starting line up. Ramires, who is very tactically aware in midfield, helping out with defensive work, is the real deal.
Andre Santos: The tournament begun with Kleber occupying the left back slot, but there has been no stopping Santos, who has taken over the position with such aplomb. Italy: Pint-sized Villareal striker Giuseppe Rossi started the tournament as a fourth choice, but with his sterling performances, Marcelo Lippi will be hard-pressed not to include him in future sides. In fact, if Lippi's head isn't already too swollen from World Cup glory, he is the coach who should learn the most from this tournament. The Andrea Pirlo-Gennaro Gattuso-Daniele De Rossi midfield trio is not working. Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluca Zambrotta are past their sell-by-date, whereas Luca Toni simply can't run! It is thus time to inject some new blood into the fading Azzuri.
America: The Americans have confounded pundits with their energetic displays. After conceding six goals in their first two matches, they have bounced back in style, disposing of African champions Egypt and pre-tournament favourites Spain. These victories have been masterminded by four players - London Donovan, Tim Howard, Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey. We know about Howard and Donovan, but the 19-year-old Altidore is quite a prospect. Powerful as a bull, he also has a sublime touch that belies his tender age. If I were Carlo Ancelotti, I would snap him up as a long-term replacement for Didier Drogba. Dempsey's tireless running in midfield, and timely arrivals in the opposition box should also alert scouts to his ability. He is already part of an outstanding Fulham team, though you have to feel he can be a squad member at a top-four club
Spain: The less is said about these primadonas, the better. They have the world's best squad, but they believed so much in their own hype and paid dearly.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 The Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
