Group B at the 2010 World Cup is not another one of my “Groups of Death” (don’t worry…I won’t call ALL of them a “Group of Death”) but it is slightly intriguing because I think here we can take into account inner passion over straight-up-soccer-skill.
You got Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, and Greece. Last time I checked South Korea is very happy to be here and they’ll probably play like it. I don’t think they’re bad, but I don’t think they have the fire in their bellies that the other 3 clubs have.
To quote one of my favorite movies the Nigerians have what the Greeks call “Thrasos”…Guts! And just as Columbo says in “For Your Eyes Only” the compliment will end up coming from the Greeks to the Nigerians.
I don’t think the Greek team is bad, but I do think that the Nigerians have more “Thrasos” than we give them credit for. We all know that Argentina is going to win the Group, but I’ll beat you anything that the Nigerians can beat Argentina AND South Korea and Greece and get out of this Group before the devil knows they’re dead.
Why? Thrasos. That’s it. No in-depth breakdown of every team. We don’t need that. Nigeria and Greece are fairly evenly matched and if you go down the line of speed, athleticism, style of play, etc. you’ll find that Greece and Nigeria match-up very well, but that doesn’t mean that we should just call that match a tie. I really think that the Nigerians (and all other African teams) have an edge in this category over everyone except the Brazilians (who are freaking lunatics that no one should mess with. It would be like trying to talk a jumper while you’re handcuffed to him “Lethal Weapon” style. You’re GOING to have to jump with them.)
Think about it for a minute. How messed is everyone going to be if they have to get Nigeria after Group play? Would YOU want to play them?
