Germany, Australia, Serbia and Ghana…that’s what we get for Group D. Some people think this group is obvious in its outcome…me, not so much.
When you look at it from a “country” perspective you can easily see how Australia takes an edge over Serbia and Ghana to leave the group intact with Germany. (I don’t think anybody expects Germany to falter here.) However, if you take my “African Countries Don’t Play Around About Soccer Theory” into account then you’re picking Ghana.
Ghana has Premier League talent on their team and they come from a place where (as I said with Nigeria) they just don’t mess around. However, when I spoke last I didn’t have a war-torn country in the Group and now I must address the “Eastern European Soccer Sensibility”.
Eastern Europeans have been through alot. Just imagine living in a place (Serbia) where your own people are killing more of your own people over religion and other such things. Now imagine trying to play Soccer through all of that. Now imagine that the war is over, but everyone is still scarred by it and you spent many of your formative years as a player living that way.
That’s either going to mess you up royally or make you the toughest team in the ENTIRE World Cup. For my money…I think it makes them tough, but the lack of “formative” Soccer will give way to the “African Theory” (and Premier League players.)
If there were not an African team here I would pick Serbia to leave the Group. (As it is, I hope they do get out of the Group, but I just don’t see it.) I think alot of these theories will play out early and I’ll see whether I’m right or wrong very quickly. Serbia not getting out of Group play after the just qualified for their first major tournament as a new nation would be pretty crappy. Serbia is the underdog…we like underdogs…alot!
So, I’ll be pulling for the underdog, but don’t be shocked if Ghana gets on a roll…my “African Theory” still stands…
