Group D Preview and Discussion

Here is my preview of Group D:

Group D

Morocco

After the 1998 World Cup Finals in France, many people had thought that Morocco was on the rise. They did a decent job in a tough group with Brazil, Norway and Scotland and were unlucky to miss out on the Final Round. However, things began to unravel in their 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign. They were holding a very slim lead over Senegal and Egypt and only needed a draw over Senegal away to qualify for the 2002 World Cup Finals. Instead, Senegal scored a late goal and won the match 1:0 virtually eliminating Morocco. Then, in the 2002 African Nations Cup Finals, the Atlas Lions as they are known played below par and did not even get to the quarterfinals. Since then, Morocco has been trying to rebuild and to qualify for a major Finals. They accomplished that feat last year when they defeated Sierra Leone, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea relatively easily in Group 7 in the 2004 African Nations Cup Qualifying Round. Now, in the Finals themselves, Morocco will look to make up lost ground and not only advance out of their group, but to win the title and that is not so far-fetched. Under head coach Badou Zaki, the Atlas Lions bring a lot to the table. Noureddine Naybet, their captain, has an immense amount of talent and is one of the best defenders in all of Africa. He alone can change the morale of his teammates and can spark life into the fans. Also, dangerous is midfielder Youssef Safri and star Jawad Zairi and can put some goals in the back of the net yet also are quick enough to help out on defense. Even though they are a very determined bunch, advancing out of what many are calling the “Group of Death” will be no easy task. In their group is 2002 World Cup Finalists Nigeria and South Africa and newcomers Benin. They start against Nigeria and will need to play superb defensively if they are to pick up points. I think if Morocco can pick up three points in that first match, they should easily make at least second. If they do not, there will be no margin of error in their last two group matches. If they can get out of this group alive, they will have a shot at the title, but must play way better than they have been playing these past two to three years to make it a reality.

Nigeria

The Super Eagles have a great reputation for fielding one of the best squads in all of Africa. They almost always qualify for the major tournament Finals, and are a very dangerous side. However, they are also notoriously known for not having the poise to win when it matters, especially recently. After having some success at the 1998 World Cup Finals (winning their group which was the “Group of Death”) Nigeria looked towards having even more success at the 2000 African Nations Cup Finals when they would co-host it with Ghana. However, even though successful, failed at the final hurdle to Cameroon in the Final. In the next three years after that match, they have continued to disappoint and frustrate their fans. In 2002 World Cup qualifying, it took until their last match against Ghana to get into the Finals, and in the Finals themselves they struggled losing two of their matches and drawing in the other. In the 2002 African Nations Cup Finals in Mali, they got to the semifinals but again fell short by losing to Senegal 2:1 in extra time. In these Finals they will hope to change their luck and win the title. Managed by native Christian Chukwu, the Super Eagles are full of talent. Jay Jay Okocha is the star on their team and can light up a match with his superb scoring ability. Nwankwo Kanu is also a dangerous player up front and can be difficult to stop. Their defense is also strong with Joseph Yobo leading the way, but they are a very good attacking side. Drawn once again in a “Group of Death,” Nigeria will have to be at the top of their game to finish in the top two spots. Morocco will be tough to open up with, but if they can at least get a draw, they will be in a good position. South Africa will be tough and Benin will be tricky, but are definitely teams that Nigeria can defeat. If the Super Eagles can get hot and take advantage of the majority of their opportunities, they could go very far in these Finals.

South Africa

Regarded as one of the most talented squads in Africa, the Bafana Bafana have qualified for this year’s Finals for the fifth time in their history. However, they have been having many internal problems with most of it being focused on their ex-coach Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba in the past few weeks. When he announced the squad he was taking to Tunisia, he left out some very important players who have been playing overseas, including stars Quinton Fortune and Benni McCarthy. This infuriated the FA of South Africa and suspended him because of it. Then, just a day before the team was about to depart for Tunisia, they fired him for good. This has severely hurt the side’s preparations for the Finals and are now in disarray. Even with these problems, South Africa though will still have a great team at the Finals. Now being managed by April ‘Styles’ Phumo, the Bafana Bafana will have a very poised team. Defender and captain Mbulelo Mabizela will lead the way for his side in the Finals and can hopefully lift their morale. Another couple of tough and talented players include Macbeth Sibaya and Jacob Lekgetho, both of whom could play a major role in Tunisia. To get here they had to defeat the Ivory Coast in Group 11 in qualifying. However, many of the players that helped them then will not be making the trip to Tunisia and unfortunately for South Africa, they have been placed into the “Group of Death” with fellow 2002 World Cup Finalists Nigeria, a very difficult Moroccan squad, and outsiders Benin in these Finals. They start off against Benin, which shockingly got to these Finals, and a victory is essential for South Africa to have even a chance in this group. Anything but a win could kill any chance South Africa had on making it to the quarterfinals. It will be very difficult for the Bafana Bafana, especially after what has been happening these past few weeks, and I honestly see them missing out of the quarterfinals.

Benin

If Rwanda’s 1:0 victory against the Black Stars was the greatest upset in the Qualifying Round in this tournament, then Benin’s 3:0 rout against heavily favored Zambia was the second to greatest upset. In Group 3 that contained better than average teams including Zambia and Sudan, Benin stunned all of Africa by winning the group on the last day with that win over Zambia and have qualified for the Finals for the first time. Unfortunately for them they have been grouped with three great teams in Africa: Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. They will go in however with a nothing to lose attitude and could pull off a surprise. Coached by Cecil Jones Attuquayefio, the Squirrels will be a force to be reckoned with. Some of their star players include Moussa Latoundji and Laurent D’Jaffo, who will both bring their experience, and captain Oumar Tchomogo who has an attacking frame of mind and can do wonders up front for his side. They will begin against South Africa, and it has the makings for an upset if the Bafana Bafana get too overconfident. From there they will have the tough task of facing off against Morocco and Nigeria respectively, and picking up points in these two matches could be near impossible for the tiny West African nation. Even though it looks bleak for Benin to advance out of this group, some players on the team think that they will be able to shock everyone at the Finals. “We need a bit of luck and you never know, we might make it out of the group,” said striker Laurent D’Jaffo about their chances in their group. Benin could pull off a draw or even a win, but I believe they are just happy to have gotten this far and will struggle in the toughest group in these Finals.

Note: Quotes and some info provided by www.bbc.com

And that concludes my preview. Good luck to all of the teams! Also, I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on the Finals and of my preview!