Watching the US v Czech Republic yesterday, I was thinking it must have been an incredible blow to the Americans to realize that their World Cup was likely over after just 36 minutes. At that point the Czechs went up 2-0, all but assuring that the US would not be able to advance out of their group, unless they find a way to shock Italy on Saturday.

The same feeling of distress must have been felt by the Poles and Ivorians as their losses almost certainly mean they will be going home after three matches. In 2002 only one team, Turkey was able to recover from a opening match loss to make it to the second round. And in 1998, no teams in the second round had lost their first games. You have to go back to 1994 to find more than one team advancing after losing their first match.

Of the teams that have lost their opening matches so far, the Ivory Coast would seem to be the most talented, but their group may be too difficult to recover from. One would have thought that Poland would have the best chance of recovering, but they will face a determined England on Thursday.

Ivory Coast coach Henri Michel put it mildly when he said, “We have players who come from the top European clubs but we are inexperienced as a team on this level. We were close, so close, but we did not have that ruthless streak. Perhaps that is something we will learn from this tournament.”

Four days into the World Cup, many countries are taking lessons in the difference between having several players of quality and a team that can excel at this level. The most striking example of this was the Argentina v Ivory Coast match but it’s been illustrated everyday.

During their first half against Argentina, the Ivory Coast looked like a team that could win the World Cup. They worked together, were pacy and aggressive and had the confidence that world beaters need. Their problem was that the Argentinians possessed the same qualities but always looked to have a little more. Where Ivorian midfielder Didier Zakora made strong runs into the heart of the Argentine defense, South American midfielder Juan Riquelme made the same runs, but knew when and where to lay the ball off. Unfortunately for the Africans, in the 38th minute, the ball went to the resurgent Javier Saviola, who delivered the deciding goal.

The United States came into this tournament with loads of confidence built on their performance in 2002. But 36 minutes into their opening match with the Czech Republic, a Tomas Rosicky strike increased the European lead to 2-0 and the US fans’ chants of “2010″, looking ahead to the next World Cup were totally appropriate. For 90 minutes the Czechs, especially Pavel Nedved, were of a completely different class and talent level. Whenever the Americans, who had a majority of the possession, attempted to put anything together, they were stifled by the Europeans defense and counterattack. The Czech Republic was always a step ahead.

Sometimes it?s a player that steps up and provide the class that can carry a team. Holland’s Arjen Robben was not only superior to Serbia & Montenegro, but he was head and shoulders above the quality of his teammates. While fellow Dutch players Robin Van Persie and Ruud Van Nistelrooy struggled somewhat to find their feet, Robben and his blistering pace were all over the park and was a constant threat. If his teammates can find a way to catch up, the Netherlands will go deep into this tournament.

The actual question that sparked this idea off was “If England swapped Peter Crouch for Luca Toni, would they win the World Cup?”, posted on the From The Lane messageboard.

Maybe it’s a little harsh on the robotic dancer to single him out as the man to go in a swap for Toni but I’m sure he’d understand. Luca Toni’s credentials over the past season are exemplorary with over 30 goals in a season in Serie A making him top scorer and the highest league scorer in Italy in decades. His powerful runs and vicious shooting last night for Italy against Ghana shown just how much of a handful he is and with Gilardino playing off him and Francesco Totti providing the ammunition from a withdrawn role we got a look at a man who has the potential to make big waves at this World Cup.

The most surprising thing for normal punters who don’t follow Italian football would be his age. Toni isn’t some 17 year old wonderkid like Theo Walcott or even a 20 year old great white hope like Wayne Rooney, he’s in his late 20s, the proverbial late bloomer and a fine example of age being no barrier for true class.

If he was English though, could they find a system to fully utilise his pace, power and strength enough or would it be the same old England tactics of get the ball to Becks and let him hit it 40 yards long from the byeline in the hope of a knock on? Joe Cole’s stint in the “Number 10″ position against Paraguay did nothing to show that he could the man to play Totti-like in that position providing craft and guile and the required class of through ball to capitalise on a player like Luca Toni.

Steven Gerrard is a fantastic player but he’s not quite cut out for that kind of attacking role while Frank Lampard is too similar to Gerrard to really stand out from the crowd. In reality you are looking strength, pace, aggression and the ability to play a killer through ball as a traditional number 10 then Wayne Rooney is England’s only answer. He’s got the lot as a certain bleached blond Chelsea “I’m a celebrity, look at me” Sky Sports presenter might say before looking for sycophantic laughter from the cast and crew.

If Rooney is Totti and Toni is Toni, does that make Michael Owen Gilardino? In this scenario we’ll say yes for the sake of easy argument, the real problems for England would come in finding a suitable combination of three midfielders to sit behind this attacking trio. Gerrard, Lampard and Beckham are the obvious names on the teamsheet although as a defensive unit the three together don’t really offer enough protection, you can see Becks running out of puff chasing men down and then jumping over tackles a la the Brazil game in 2002.

While I’m not much of a fan of Michael Carrick this week with his impending move to Manchester United looking ever more likely, I really think a midfield three of Carrick holding and Gerrard and Lampard along side him would provide the necessary power and energy so it’s goodbye Golden Balls. Whether Ashley Cole and Gary Neville have the legs to provide the support on the wings this very narrow formation would need is debatable but would it really be that much of a disaster to give something like this a go?

The only problem the England management would then find would be that, sadly for them, Luca Toni isn’t actually English after all and with Peter Crouch up front they’re resigned to lobbing long balls to him to knock down. Who said it was a beautiful game?

Despite reports in the weekend press of having been given the all clear for another season at Celtic, Roy Keane has today announced that he is retiring from professional football because of his problematic long term hip injury.

The former Manchester United star only signed for Celtic on a free transfer last january but was unable to shine for his boyhood heroes as a career ravaged by injuries and playing at the top level finally caught upwith him, eventually resulting in his retirement from the game.

As a transfer record breaking ?3.75m signing for Alex Ferguson and Manchester United in 1993, Keane went on to become the driving force behind United’s dominance of the English game during the 1990s and helped them to a trophy haul of seven Premiership titles, three FA Cups and, somewhat cruelly, to the European Cup final in 1999 which they won in his absence as he sat it out through suspension.

The definitive defensive midfielder in British football, Roy Keane was an often controversial figure, as aggressive on the pitch as he was private off it, and was no stranger to the controversy of red cards or bust ups with fellow professionals, referees or managers. The eventual onslaught of time and injury coupled with increasingly outspoken behaviour finally brought the curtain down on his time at Manchester United and lead to his career swansong in Glasgow with Celtic.

Keane said: “Having received advice from my surgeon and the Celtic doctor my only option is to retire.”

In a statement, Keane added: “I would like to send the manager, staff, the players and the supporters of Celtic football club best wishes for the future.”

With Liverpool’s summer transfer plans thrown into as much disarray as Djibril Cisse’s World Cup dreams after the striker’s leg break for France in a World Cup friendly against China, Rafael Benitez has called for compensation for the club from FIFA.

With Cisse widely linked with an ?8m move back to France after the World Cup, Liverpool now find themselves with an unsellable player and a large hole in their transfer kitty because of a terrible accident to their player while he wasn’t in their care.

Benitez has even went so far as to say that FIFA may find top clubs refusing to release their players in future if compensation for injury during international matches isn’t worked out and this stance would have the full backing of the elite G14 who have already put their considerable financial weight behind Belgium’s Charleroi in a similar bid for compensation for a player injury while on international duty.

“When I spoke at the UEFA coaches meeting last season, this was one of the important issues I raised,” said the Liverpool boss in the Liverpool Echo.

“In this situation, we have a player who has cost Liverpool a lot of money injured preparing for a World Cup. Now we have to face the cost. There are wages to pay and also we can’t sell the player.

“It’s clear there is a problem with the rules. As a club, not only have we lost a player we have lost big money.

“If a team loses one of its most important players, it can make a big difference to their season and determine if they compete for the title or fight against relegation.”

“I know there are some associations who are less wealthy, particularly among the African nations, but in those situations FIFA should help because they make a lot of money, particularly during a World Cup,” added Benitez.

“I know Liverpool has suffered a lot because of the rules. This time it’s Cisse, but last year we had a problem with Milan Baros when he was injured playing for the Czechs.”

Tell me if I’m missing something here:

Peter Crouch last summer moved for ?7m after one decent season at Southampton. Now after a pretty average year at Liverpool he’s starting for England at the World Cup and could expect to have a price tag of around ?12-15m on his head (I won’t mention that he’s a former Spurs youth player who we released on a free)

Andy Johnson, who despite playing most of his career in the lower leagues, has signed for Everton for ?8.5m.

Manchester United bid for England international Michael Carrick who has consistently proven himself in the top flight over the past two seasons with Spurs and is now a regular in the England squad.

What price did they think was ample for the man they would like to replace Roy Keane? ?10m.

Compare that price for one of the top defensive midfielders in the Premiership to what Everton and Liverpool paid for those two donkey strikers they’ve picked up and tell me that Manchester United live on the same planet as the rest of us.

If a public bid of ?10m is not an attempt to unsettle Michael Carrick then I don’t know what is. The price isn’t right, the player is not for sale and, take note Glazers and Ferguson, Spurs are not a selling club. We have more than enough cash to withstand some financial bullying and we certainly won’t give away our best players for peanuts. I read somewhere last week that Portsmouth were looking Jermain Defoe for ?7m.

Is it April Fool’s Day again or something?

Its commonly held that Brazil will stroll through this World Cup, but I’m here to tell you that not only will that probably not happen, but it won’t happen. Along the way we will see dreams shattered, countries thrown into turmoil, at least one African country make it out of the group stage, and at the end, Italy lifting the World Cup trophy.

ROUND OF 16:

A Winner GERMANY v B Runner-up SWEDEN - German defense finds a way to stifle the Ljunberg, Larssoon, Ibrahimovic triumverate and Ballack scores a late header for the win.

C Winner HOLLAND v D Runner-up MEXICO - Speed versus speed cancel each other out, but Dutch have way too much quality.

E Winner ITALY v F Runner-up AUSTRALIA - Gattuso is back in full force, Italians shut down Aussie midfield, Kewell and Cahill humbled, Hiddink trades in Outback for long Russian winter.

G Winner FRANCE v H Runner-up TUNISIA - Tighter game than expected comes apart at the end with Henry goal(s), world learns how to pronounce “Ribery”.

B Winner ENGLAND v A Runner-up POLAND - Poles scare Sven’s men, Rooney comes on in the 60th minute, all is well.

D Winner PORTUGAL v H Runner-up ARGENTINA - Dubbed the “Teams With Potential” match, Argentina finally lives up to theirs.

F Winner BRAZIL v E Runner-up UNITED STATES - American public wakes up and jumps on World Cup bandwagon, not enough to stop Brazilian onslaught.

H Winner SPAIN v G Runner-up SWITZERLAND - Spaniards go crazy, four or five different players score, someone makes joke about defenders and Swiss cheese.

QUARTERFINALS:

SPAIN v BRAZIL - Upset of the tournament as Spanish wingers continuously get behind Brazil’s ageing fullbacks and Alonso and Xavi stifle service to “Brazilian Four (or Five)”.

ENGLAND v ARGENTINA - Rooney starts, but Crouch comes on late to earn draw. Going to penalties, Beckham, who hasn’t been sent off, secures win.

ITALY v FRANCE - Old men of France tire and wilt in German heat, replay of Euro 2000 final goes other way, Luca Toni becomes household name, Chelsea offers ?50m for his services.

HOLLAND V GERMANY - German lack of class finally shows. Ballack frustrated, Robben/Ruud/Kuijt roam at will, Dutch stroll to semis.

SEMI-FINALS:

ENGLAND v SPAIN - Cole and Neville are not Cafu and Carlos and actually play defense, Crouch again is hero, tearing apart Spanish defense, leaves ball for Rooney to score late winner.

ITALY v HOLLAND - Italians revert to old ways and put nine men behind ball, Dutch have nowhere to run, Totti scores in extra time.

FINALS:

ITALY v ENGLAND - Italians revert to old ways, put nine men behind ball, England strikers have nowhere to run, Toni and Totti score late to seal win, Beckham and Lampard tearfully leave field.

Germany’s World Cup hopes have hit a snag as their captain and inspirational leader Michael ballack has been ruled out of the opeing showpiece against Costa Rica with injury.

Having been unable to train for most of the past week, Ballack had looked doubtful but it has been confirmed this morning that the Chelsea new boy will miss the Costa Rica game and possibly more of the group games. The Chelsea midfielder sustained a calf injury in a friendly against Colombia on 2 June and was forced to pull out of training on Wednesday.

The news will come as a blow to Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann who, despite having an uneasy relationship with Ballack, will have been depending on the midfielder to provide the creative spark for his side and help relieve some of the pressure on his own position.

Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann said:

“He is not available, he was forced to end practice after 30 minutes.

“It does not look as if he will be able to play tomorrow against Costa Rica.”

Predicted Order of Finish: Spain, Tunisia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia

This is certain to be Spain’s year. No really. They are going to do it this time. Really.

Spain (alongside Argentina, Portugal and England) are one of those teams that has not lived up to their potential over the years. Many reasons have been put forward but mostly, they have just failed to perform at the most inopportune moments. What could prove to be different this year is that part of their core plays abroad, adding an extra dimension to their team. Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso alongside Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas or Barcelona’s Xavi are a dream pairing in central midfield while upfront Fernando Torres, David Villa, and Raul are sure to score many goals. Undefeated since September 2004, this could finally be the year the Spanish make some noise. No, really.

Tunisia are due to the be the surprise of the tournament, besting Ukraine to get out of the group stages for the first time. The African Nations Cup ‘04 winners impressed on the way to Germany playing very well against Serbia & Montenegro and easily defeating Belarus. French coach Roger Lemerre has the Tunisians playing a disciplined game with the occasional breakout from Brazilian born striker Franciluedo dos Santos who has become a national hero in the North African country.

Ukraine live and die by the feet of Andriy Shevchenko and his recent struggle with fitness have worried coach Oleg Blohkin to the point where he’s publicly admonished the Ukranian Football Federation for not working hard enough to provide him with enough depth. For them to advance, Shevchenko will have to be one of the top scorers of the tournament.

Saudi Arabia talk a good game, and are certainly one of the top two or three teams in Asia, going undefeated in qualifying, but on the world stage they have mostly failed miserably. They did get out of the group stage in USA ‘94. Sadly, things have gone downhill since then and they’ve not won a match the last two World Cups. Look for that trend to continue in Germany ‘06.

Predicted Order of Finish: France, Switzerland, South Korea, Togo

Group G, which includes the countries that have hosted the last two World Cups, should be the most predictable of the groups. France is the clear talent, Switzerland is a strong but distant second, South Korea will not replicate their 2002 success, and Togo are just happy to have qualified.

Even with the terrible leg break of Djibril Cisse, France will not worry, as it has one of the deepest teams in the tournament. Cisse was named to start in attack alongside Thierry Henry, but David Trezeguet and Louis Saha are more than able replacements. Called into the roster in Cisse’s absence will be Nicolas Anelka or Ludovic Giuly. Play will still go through Zinedane Zidane, who will be alongside Patrick Viera, Claude Makelele and Lyon’s Florent Madoula. Again, it?s the depth of the French team that puts them ahead most other teams, as in midfield they can call on pacy winger Franck Ribery, Alou Diarra, or veteran Vakoosh Dhorasoo.

Switzerland qualified for the World Cup through a somewhat fortuitous playoff win against Turkey and don’t look to make much of a dent in the Finals. But they did draw France twice during qualifications, so the potential is there. Coach Kobi Kuhn is doing a great job mixing veterans and newcomers. Somewhat inexperienced players like Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta will make names for themselves this summer, and the Swiss should do okay, with one eye being kept on a future that sees them co-hosting Euro 2008.

The brilliant coaching of Guus Hiddink, home field advantage, and some curious refereeing decisions propelled South Korea to a semi-final place in the 2002 World Cup. They will not be so lucky this time. A recent 3-1 loss to Ghana and a draw with uninspired Senegal revealed that this team may be a one-hit wonder.

No matter how poorly Togo do in the Finals, their first time qualification is a great story. All eyes will be on Arsenal’s exciting striker Emmanuel Adebayor as he is their one (and only) spark.