Johan Neeskens got his and my wish: Holland and Cameroon will be pitted together. Denmark is in there to break them up and hopefully throw one of the two out. The first game - Holland-Denmark will be crucial. A Denmark win (not unlikely) will mess up the group good.
Re: Predictions To be honest, Holland should be able to win the matches vs Denmark & Japan. If that indeed will be the case, then the result vs Cameroon isn't important anymore. Just like the scenarios we went through in the group stages of World Cup 2006 and EURO 2008. I only hope that we don't lose to many quality players with injuries. As everybody knows Robben, Van Persie and Sneijder are made out of glass. Unfortunately they are also our best players and we need them to be fit to make some impact in South Africa.
Re: Predictions tough group, it would've been the real GROUP OF DEATH if australia woul've been there
Re: Predictions As a Denmark fan, I'm not comfortable with this group. Cameroon vs Denmark has to be circled on the calendar. A draw could hurt either team's chances. They will have to play for a win to move on. This could be the GEM of the first round!
Re: Predictions I can tell you one thing... Denmark is not going to lose the first match against Holland... I predict a draw or a narrow win to Denmark... Then we will se how the Dutch players will react to a result like that, in their last two matches. .
Re: Predictions Why do you think Denmark is not going to lose to the Netherlands? Is this just a gut feeling or is there an argument behind it?
Re: Predictions Don't be shy Maruti. When you say will hopefully throw one of the two out, you actually mean, will hopely throw the Netherlands out. The NL has never failed to get out of the group stage and I can't see this changing now to be honest, with all due respect to our opponents. It's going to be difficult, but these are all footballing sides and that suits the Dutch to a tee as if there's one thing we're good at it's the counter attack, also we know the Danish well, with a number of Danish players playing or having played in the Dutch league. We've played Japan just recently and we already know that they have trouble scoring and keeping up their stamina for the full 90 minutes. Cameroon is our strongest opponent probably but as that's our third game it'll probably also be the most boring one in the group. Overall though this is a group that promises lots of entertainment value as there are will be no parking the bus. My prediction: 1. The NL 2. Cameroon If the order of games had been different I'd probably have picked Denmark as the second country to progress.
Re: Predictions Not sure about Australia, but Group E is certainly a tough group and though most (including myself) think The Netherlands should get out of this group, Denmark is certainly capable of getting a point or more from that match up. Japan is also a nation that has a quality league to pull its players from and could make it tough for anyone. Cameroon is the wild card IMHO. If this team gels at the right time, look out.
Re: Predictions the last 6 games between Denmark and Holland Holland- Denmark 1-1 2008 friendly Denmark- Holland 1-1 2001 friendly Holland- Denmark 3-0 2000 Euro group Denmark- Holland 0-0 1999 friendly Denmark- Holland 2-2 1992 in Sweden Holland- Denmark 2-2 1989 friendly Holland managed to beat Denmark 1 time having home field advantage. A draw in the opening match doesnt seem that unlikely if you look at the results the last 20 years. but that is history
This group reminds me of the Germany, Ireland, Cameroon and Saudi Arabia group at the 2002 World Cup. One European powerhouse, another very good, yet not unbeatable European side, Cameroon, again a strong, but sometimes unpredictable team who could cause an upset, and an Asian side who would be percieved to be the whipping boys of the group and most likely will be, but at the same time can put up a good performance on their day. Japan are probably actually quite a bit better then the Saudi Arabia side of 2002, although the Saudis were actually expected to put up a decent showing in Japan and Korea, that is until they lost 8-0 to Germany... Anyway, I see the Netherlands, Denmark and Cameroon fighting this group out, with Japan possibly sneaking a second place if they manage to beat one of the later two. I have no doubt Netherlands will make it through to the last 16 but it's entirely possible that one of Denmark or Cameroon could potentially knock them off top spot on the group. Predictions: 1. Netherlands 2. Denmark 3. Cameroon 4. Japan
Re: Predictions A draw between Denmark and Holland would really open the group up and cause a surprise exit of Holland!
It wouldn't surprise me in the least to see Denmark and Japan get out of this group. This group may not be considered the group of death by most folks, but this is a very strong group of nations and could be too close to call. The pressure will be on The Netherlands I think; a lot of people expect them to advance. But as I stated above, Denmark and Japan can produce the desired results and depending what Cameroon team shows up (and possibly some huge fan support for their games), this whole group could be a toss up.
Holland is used to cope with pressure. Desire is also a commodity in the arsenal of the Oranje. And if that fails then they can resort to individual talent to break through. With the emergence of Eljero Elia, we gained another trump card. Nigel de Jong is vying for a place in team of the year and our defence can still enjoy a very strong defensive record. A mix of van Nistelrooij and van de Sar in the fold will be icing on the cake. Bring it on.
I understand your feeling because I am also an Asian. Asian football in general is the weakest in the world so you should expect such disrescpect until we keep proving people wrong in the big stage like the World Cup.
Holland 1-0 Denmark (Denmark will show up to play, just get edged out) Japan 3-1 Cameroon (blunder by japan to go 0-1 down, then comeback and 86 minute goal to seal the win) Holland 2-1 Japan (Japan will take it to holland, but lose in injury time) Denmark 1-0 Cameroon (Cameroon will be low on moral from Japan game) Denmark 2-2 Japan (Japan go through on goal difference) Cameroon 2-2 Holland (Cameroon for pride put in a great game) Holland 7 pts Japan 4 pts (7 for, 6 against) Denmark 4 pts (3 for, 3 against) Cameroon 1 pt
It's not about being disrescpectful, but about being realistic when you look at the squads and where the big majority of the players earn their living... The goalkeeper and defenders will be up against strikers who are used to play at the highest level of Europe. Japan will also be up against players who are physically stronger and will dominate the air as well... Realistically it will be a huge surprise if Japan advance from this group. .
So you expect Japan to score no less than 6 goals in 3 games against top class defenders ?... an average 2 goals a game... How many goals a game were Japan able to score in the WC qualifiers against the likes of Bahrain, Qatar, Uzbekistan and Australia ?... Not even 1.5 goals a game on average, I believe ?. .