LIVERPOOL has been included as a host city for England's 2018 World Cup bid despite uncertainty over the proposed new Anfield stadium but Hull, Derby and Leicester have m

Felipe Melo was meant to be one of the missing links in the Juventus team, a man capable of transforming the Bianconeri into title challengers. A US$30 million signing from Fiorentina, the Brazilian international was one of Juve's two big summer signings, with fellow countryman Diego the other. So far, Melo has flopped, and to cap off a miserable first four months of the season, he has now won the Bidone d'Oro (Golden Bin), a prize commemorating the worst signing of the season in Italy. He polled 22.87% of the vote. Read more... Melo in the Dustbin originally appeared on About.com World Soccer on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 07:00:32.

Road to South Africa The tournament’s ever presents reached South Africa with three games to spare as they secured a sweet victory on Argentine soil in Rosario to make sure of their place in South Africa. Dunga successfully implemented a no-nonsense approach to international football and axed many of Brazil’s star names in favour of building a more cohesive unit. With only two defeats along the way Brazil’s route to the 2010 World Cup finals was always a procession. Although Dunga has been roundly criticised for taking much of the natural flair out of the Selecao the team still finished up top scorers in the CONMEBOL qualification series. There were many memorable moments along the way in Brazil’s qualification for South Africa including their lifting of an old hoodoo with a thumping 4-0 win away to Uruguay and Luis Fabiano’s nine goals signalling his arrival as the real deal in front of goal. Brazil were also able to take some time away from qualifying to win the Confederations Cup and have a good look at the conditions they can expect when they return to South Africa for the World Cup. Analysis Things seemed to be going so well for Brazil when North Korea popped out as their first Group G opponents. Events took a turn for the worse however when the Ivory Coast and Portugal completed the line-up. Brazil have had some easy groups in the past but they will have to start early in South Africa if they don’t want to suffer an embarrassingly early exit. Thankfully for fans of Brazil after nearly four years in the job Dunga has a well oiled machine at his disposal which trusts him enough to follow his instructions down to the letter. The World Cup winning captain of USA 94 knows what he wants from his team and has a way of getting his point across which has translated into the right results on the pitch. Júlio César of Inter Milan is widely recognised as the best goalkeeper in the world right now and a string of near faultless displays have made him a shoe-in to wear the gloves for Brazil in South Africa. The Brazilian defence houses one of the side’s most potent attacking forces. Júlio César’s team-mate at the San Siro Maicon is as close to you get to the complete footballer. His surging runs from right-back can frighten the life out of the opposition as he seems to be able to gallivant at will through anything thrown in his path. Alongside Maicon are the duel colossuses of Lucio and Luisão, as well as being assured in defence these two are also a real threat from set-pieces. The left-back position remains up for grabs but due to Maicon’s influence on the team his counterpart on the other side of the pitch is often asked to tuck in and provide protection. The point which has the purists knocking Dunga is his unfaltering selection of Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo in the middle of the park. This duo offer little in the way of creativity but both can play the hatchetman role with unerring ease. Elano is able to cover Maicon on the right side of midfield while Robinho is encouraged to roam from his starting post on the left. In the middle they have Kaká whose growing understanding with Luis Fabiano usually translates itself into goals. They sound fairly decent don’t they? Well, they are Brazil after all. Key Player: Kaká If you looked closely enough you will have seen Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite with his hands on the World Cup once already. As a 20-year-old he travelled to the Far East as part of Brazil’s World Cup winning squad of 2002 but only got on the pitch for 25 minutes against Costa Rica. Since then he has fought his way to becoming the star man of the Brazilian set-up and owner of the much coveted number 10 shirt. Despite already being a regular in the team during the 2006 World Cup it was the appointment of Dunga which saw Kaká’s stock rise within the Selecao camp. With Kaká’s devotion to religion and family he was seen as the antithesis of the partying antics of Ronaldo and co which was identified as the root of Brazil’s poor performance in Germany. With Kaká’s ability however he needs few favours or special treatment from managers, just the opportunity to take the field and do what he does best. His most recent moment of magic in the yellow of Brazil was a pin point throughball to Luis Fabiano for Brazil’s third against Argentina in the game which sealed their passage to South Africa. The pass was a carbon copy of his ball for Hernan Crespo in the 2005 Champions League final. If you miss a piece of sublime skill from Kaká don’t worry, he’s bound to do it again sooner or later. One To Watch: Nilmar Nilmar Honorato da Silva is very highly rated in his homeland after two prolific spells with Internacional. He first left Brazil aged 19 to play for Lyon but it was clearly a step to soon for the youngster as he struggled to get to grips with the French League. He returned to Brazil and the goals starting coming again, it was Villarreal who were brave enough to give the player a second chance in Europe. Nilmar is currently in the process of repaying the Spanish outfit for the faith that they showed in him and his goals have seen him on the fringes of the Brazilian set-up. The one thing he has done whenever he has played for Brazil is looked dangerous and his international tally of eight goals in nine games certainly supports this. He recently scored back-to-back goals in friendlies against England and Oman, anyone who saw his headed goal against the English will recognise this is a player not afraid to improvise. Nilmar plays on the shoulder of defenders, waits his moment and relies on his electric pace to take him away from his marker. The only trouble for the 25-year-old is that he must get himself ahead of a long list of strikers including Diego Tardelli, Adriano, Alexandre Pato and O Fenômeno himself, Ronaldo, if he is to make it to South Africa. Coach: Dunga Results-wise things could not have gone much better for Dunga in the World Cup winner’s first management position. He has already started adding to Brazil’s overstacked trophy cabinet with victories in both the 2007 Copa América and the 2009 Confederations Cup. His only defeat at tournament level came during 2008 Olympic’s but he soon got revenge on Argentina by beating them 3-1 in their own backyard. In fact Dunga is a man who takes defeat personally and after Portugal inflicted the first loss of his time in charge he masterminded a 6-2 demolition of the same opponents next time they played. He will no doubt be plotting something similar for when the two teams meet again in South Africa. Dunga has interpreted his no-nonsense playing style into his role as manager. He inherited a side dominated by the Magic Quartet of Ronaldinho, Kaká, Adriano and Ronaldo. Dunga soon showed that nobody had a guaranteed place in the side and four years later it is only Kaká who is certain to feature if fit when Brazil play in South Africa. These days you are just as likely to see flair in the dugout as on the pitch as Dunga continues to wear unusual matchday attire courtesy of his fashion designer daughter. Recent Previous Tournaments France 1998: Runner-up South Korea/Japan 2002: Winner Germany 2006: Quarter-finals Soccerphile says... As always Brazil has all the tools required to win the World Cup, they already have five triumphs to their name and of course a sixth in South Africa is not out of the question. The Selecao have been on the top of their game for four years now under Dunga and are yet to play a game under their current boss where they looked overly suspect in any department. Personally though I just cannot see it being their year in South Africa. I worry about the squad having to wait so long before taking the field for their first game and I worry about the possibility of an early meeting with Spain. I worry that they have looked so good since the end of the last World Cup that they will not know what to do when they find themselves up against it. I also worry that Dunga does not play Jugo Bonito and there are so many back home looking for the opportunity to get at him for taking the joy out of the Brazilian game. Nobody will be asking for a game against the Selecao in South Africa but as the Brazilians say themselves, “The only team who can beat us is ourselves.” World Cup 2010 squad TBC © Tim Sturtridge & Soccerphile.com

Road to South Africa Was it ever really in doubt that the two time World Cup winners were coming to South Africa? The answer is yes, towards the end of Argentina’s qualifying campaign they came within one game of missing out on their first World Cup since Mexico 1970. In the end an away 1-0 win over their neighbours Uruguay booked the Albicelestes’ trip to Africa. As the nation breathed a collective sigh of relief coach Diego Maradona let out an expletive laden tirade on anyone who ever doubted his powers. Argentina’s troubled qualifying campaign started a long time before El Diego took over. Back in October 2007 Alfio Basile was in charge as Argentina took their first step on the road to South Africa. The 2-0 win over Chile with both goals from Juan Roman Riquelme seemed to suggest that it would be plain sailing for Argentina to book their seat at the top table of world football. In fact they won their first three qualifiers under Basile but things turned sour with just one win in the following seven CONMEBOL qualifiers. With qualification slipping out of their hands the Argentine public called for a change and Diego Maradona made himself available for the post. El Diez won his first competitive game with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Venezuela but followed it up with an embarrassing 6-1 defeat away to Bolivia. The form in qualifiers remained patchy but a single goal from Mario Bolatti eventually stamped their World Cup ticket in Uruguay’s Centenario Stadium. Analysis Argentine could not have hoped for a kinder draw as they prepare to play Nigeria, South Korea and Greece in Group B. The trouble for the Albicelestes is that their first round opponents at the World Cup are the only certainties for the squad ahead of the tournament. Time is ticking for Diego Maradona not only to decide on his final squad but also his preferred system. Over 70 players have represented Argentina during the last two years and the gaffer has experiment with a number of different shapes. We’ve seen the whole gambit of five man defences, six man midfields and four pronged attacks during Diego’s time in charge. It seems likely that Maradona will field a fresh faced keeper behind a backline full of aging legs in South Africa. Hardly the ideal defence for a good run in the tournament but the trademark of Argentine play has always been flair in the final third and again they have no shortage in that department. They have the current holder of the Ballon d’Or in Lionel Messi and a lot will be expected of the mercurial talent at the World Cup. He has rarely been at his best in the blue and white of Argentina but his commitment to the cause cannot be faulted after he jetted home for every single one of Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers. Further firepower is available in the shape of Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Milito, Carlitos Tevez and a host of others. One problem which has to be solved is the supply line to these players capable of turning a game with a single moment of magic. A very public falling out with Riquelme left Maradona with a very challenging question to answer but it turned out the solution was under his nose the whole time. Key Player: Juan Sebastián Verón Juan Sebastián Verón is playing his football like a man possessed at the moment and at time of writing his performances for his home town club Estudiantes de La Plata have booked them a place in the final of the Club World Cup against Barcelona. After playing every minute of Argentina’s 1998 World Cup campaign he was handed the captaincy in 2002. The midfielder was then made the scapegoat by the whole country for the nation’s dismal showing in the Far East. After failing to make the squad for the 2006 World Cup it looked as though the player’s international career had come to a premature end. However he defied the boo-boys to put in a stearling performance against Brazil in the 2010 World Cup qualifier and despite his team falling to a 3-1 defeat he left the pitch with the fans cheering his name. Verón will be the go-to man in Argentina’s World Cup team as he links midfield and attack and dictates the side’s play in the final third. If he shows the kind of form he producing for Estudiantes then it looks like Maradona may not be as tactically naive as his current record suggests. One To Watch: Jesús Dátolo When Jesús Dátolo is on the pitch expect the unexpected as the left winger has a tendency to produce something out of nothing. After a successful time with Boca Juniors the player was snapped up by Napoli and although he is currently having a less than spectacular season he is still held in very high regard in his homeland. He may have only bagged once for Napoli this season but he has already found the net twice for Argentina in just three appearances. His first came within 20 seconds of his debut against Russia and his second was a 30 yard thunderbolt against Brazil. A disappointing team performance from Argentina as a whole saw him withdrawn at half-time against Paraguay in his third appearance for the Albicelestes. However Maradona keeps a keen eye on Napoli and a strong second half of the season will see Dátolo cement his place as Diego’s surprise package. Coach: Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona answered his country’s call in their hour of need to take the reins of the national team and steer them towards the 2010 World Cup finals. There are still many in Argentina who feel he may not be up to the job but nobody who would be willing to tell him to his face. Maradona has already written his own story at the World Cup and if the previous chapters are anything to go by then this latest instalment promises intrigue at the very least. After making his debut for Argentina aged 16 in 1977 he was overlooked for his nation’s World Cup winning squad of the following year. He was a fully established international by the time Spain 82 rolled around but his tournament ended in disgrace after he was sent off for violent conduct against Brazil as Argentina crashed out. During Mexico 86 he produced some of the finest individuals displays the World Cup has ever seen as he captained his country to triumph. Four years later he broke the hearts of his adoring public in Italy as he knocked out the host nation with a penalty in Naples. Argentina were eventually beaten by West Germany in a drab final which saw little magic from Maradona. Maradona played his last World Cup in the USA and after two games he was sent home after failing a drugs test. It is fair to say that when Maradona heads to a World Cup he generally makes something happen. Recent Previous Tournaments France 1998: Quarter-finals South Korea/Japan 2002: 1st Round Germany 2006: Quarter-finals Soccerphile says... Navigating their way out of Group B should not present too many difficulties for the Argentines and having their first game nice and early will benefit them a great deal. History shows us that to be drawn in one of the first groups is a great advantage as you get your first round games out of the way nice and early and have plenty of time to rest ahead of the knock-out rounds. After the group stage Argentina’s luck appears to run dry. It is a lottery who they will face in the second round but South Africa, France, Mexico and Uruguay all present a different set of challenges. If they make it Argentina look set to face Germany in the quarter-finals and Brazil in the semi-finals. As much as I would like to see the Argentines go all the way I just cannot see them clearing these back-to-back hurdles which have proven their downfall so many times in the past. World Cup 2010 squad TBC © Tim Sturtridge & Soccerphile.com