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2014 World Cup: Ghana will not be intimidated by Group of Death - Stephen Appiah

Posted: Monday, 19th May 2014

Ghana will not be overawed by playing in the Group of Death at the 2014 World Cup, says former Black Stars captain Stephen Appiah.

Ghana will play Germany and Portugal in the Group of Death

Ghana will not be overawed by playing in the Group of Death at the 2014 World Cup, says former Black Stars captain Stephen Appiah.

In Brazil, the four-time African champions are drawn against Germany, Portugal and USA in Group G.

Ghana reached the round of 16 on their debut at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and four years ago in South Africa, they equalled the best African performance by getting to the quarter-finals.

Appiah, a offensive midfielder, who captained Ghana during his five-year stint with the national team, said his team will not suffer any inferiority complex against his fancied rivals.

“We play Germany, USA and Portugal in our group, but we did get this far and we can’t underrate or overrate any team, the game has come of age and it’s any man’s game,” Appiah said.

“All teams in our group are strong, but we can’t fear them because our qualification demonstrates our ability and potential.

“If you have qualified for the World Cup and you fear your opponents, then you might as well not go for the competition,” he said.
http://www.ghanasoccernet.com/2014-world-cup-ghana-will-intimidated-group-death-stephen-appiah/

Soccer: Donovan cut from US squad

10:13 AM Friday May 23, 2014

American career scoring leader Landon Donovan is among seven players cut as the U.S. announced its 23-man World Cup roster.

The 32-year-old attacker, bidding to make his fourth World Cup, was bypassed today by U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann in favour of Aron Johannsson and Chris Wondolowski, who joined Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey as the forwards.

Also cut were defenders Brad Evans, Clarence Goodson and Michael Parkhurst; midfielders Joe Corona and Maurice Edu; and forward Terrence Boyd.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/soccer-football/news/article.cfm?c_id=86&objectid=11260385

Donovan: I deserved to be going

© AFP

24 May 2014

All-time USA scoring leader Landon Donovan answered questions for the first time about his snub from the FIFA World Cup™ squad, saying he "absolutely deserved" to be going to Brazil.

Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann announced his 23-man roster for next month's global football showdown and said Donovan, 32, was a step behind the other strikers in training camp.

"I'm disappointed. I'm sad," Donovan said. "I'm human and I wanted to go. I really wanted to go. I respect the decision, but I just feel in my heart that I deserve to be there and that's the pill that's hardest to swallow."

Donovan, speaking after a Los Angeles Galaxy practice session, told USA Today and the Los Angeles Times he disagreed with Klinsmann's assessment of his performance and overall level.

"I think if I'm being judged based solely on what happened in camp, then I absolutely deserved to be going to Brazil," Donovan said.

That was his repsonse when asked if he thought the snub was due to personal differences between himself and Klinsmann, fueling speculation the move had more to do with strained relations than camp performance.

"I think I was one of the better players in camp," Donovan said. "If I had gone in and didn't think I deserved it then I can live with that, but that is not the case here. Based on my performances leading up to camp, based on my preparation for the camp, based on my fitness, based on my workload, based on the way I trained and played in camp, I not only thought I was a part of the 23, I thought I was in contention to be starting. So that's why all this has been pretty disappointing."

Donovan took four months off before the start of last year's Major League Soccer (MLS) season, a break that saw him miss some World Cup qualifying matches. He played a starring role for the US squad in a run to the CONCACAF Gold Cup last summer and returned to the national team for later qualifying matches.
“

I respect the decision, but I just feel in my heart that I deserve to be there and that's the pill that's hardest to swallow.

USA forward Landon Donovan

Donovan, a three-time World Cup player for USA, has 57 goals in 156 caps and an American record five goals in World Cup matches. But he has not scored for the Galaxy in seven MLS matches this season.

Having been the standout player for the US squad in the past two World Cups, Donovan had been the face for the growing audience of American fans.

"I'm not angry. I'm disappointed," Donovan said. "I've spent most of my adult life and the majority of my life in general dedicating myself to this sport in this country and representing my country.

"I was really looking forward to the opportunity of playing in another World Cup and helping this team. Having been in camp for ten days, I really thought I was going to contribute in a real big way, probably bigger than I expected to at first.

"From that standpoint, I think it's disappointing. I think every one of my team-mates would probably echo the same words."

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2014/m=5/news=donovan-i-deserved-to-be-going-2343801.html

World Cup 2014: Germany have problems at either end of the pitch
Coach Joachim Loew has work to do if nation is to end World Cup title drought

By Martin Downer, Deputy Sports EditorPublished: 06:00 June 4, 2014Gulf News

Dubai: A team boasting attacking talents such as Thomas Mueller, Mesut Ozil, Mario Goetze, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos, among many others, should be looking forward to this summer’s World Cup with confidence.

Yet this Germany squad bears an uncharacteristically fragile look, with the pressure of not having won a Fifa showpiece since 1990 starting to weigh heavy on a gifted squad.


As if playing so far away from home in Brazil wasn’t worrying enough, coach Joachim Loew also has to find a way around a trio of concerns that could prove costly — the centre of defence, the disappointing form of playmaker Ozil and the lack of an out-and-out goalscorer.

In defence, contenders Mats Hummels, Per Mertesacker and Jerome Boateng have all displayed weaknesses this season, while at least in midfield Loew has plenty of potential replacements for Ozil. Up front, however, it will either be Miroslav Klose — who has 14 World Cup goals to his name but turns 36 next week and will surely only be a backup in Brazil — or talented youngster Goetze, who is brilliant as an attacking midfielder but will be somewhat wasted as the attacking spearhead.



At least Loew can count on top-class keeper Manuel Neuer and ultra-reliable captain Philipp Lahm at the back, plus Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira — if fully fit — and Bayern Munich’s Schweinsteiger as a formidable central barrier, while Mueller enters the tournament as reigning Golden Boot winner following his exploits in South Africa in 2010.

The Germans have been placed in a tricky Group G alongside Portugal, USA and Ghana, but they should have enough to top the pool and earn a favourable second round draw, meaning the quarter-finals is a minimum objective. Whether or not they can go on and reach the business end of the tournament depends on whether Loew can find solutions to the pressing problems at either end of the pitch.

Germany
Group G
Fifa ranking: 2

Top man
Thomas Mueller
Date of birth: September 13, 1989 (age 24)
Place of birth: Weilheim
Height: 1.86m
Weight: 74kg
Playing position: Forward
International caps: 48. Goals: 17
Club: Bayern Munich
Germany Thomas Mueller

Coach
SPO_140602 Joachim Loew Joachim Loew
Date of birth: February 3, 1960 (age 54)
Place of birth: Schonau
Manager since: July 2006
Record: P104 W70 D19 L15 – 67% win ratio


Best 11 (4-2-3-1)
Neuer; Lahm, Hummels, Mertesacker, Boateng; Khedira, Schweinsteiger; Kroos, Ozil, Mueller; Goetze

Squad
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hanover 96)

Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Kevin Grosskreutz (Borussia Dortmund), Erik Durm (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke 04), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)

Midfielders: Julian Draxler (Schalke 04), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Mario Goetze (Bayern Munich), Christoph Kramer (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Andre Schuerrle (Chelsea), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich)

Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Lazio)

Group opponents
USA
Ghana|
Portugal

Qualifying campaign
Topped Uefa Group C with 28 points from a possible 30 — their only blip being a 4-4 draw at home to runners-up Sweden.

World Cup history
First tournament: 1934 (in Italy)
Appearances (before 2014): 17
Best finish: Winners (1954, 74, 1990)

Pros
•Boast an enviable crop of attacking midfielders, with classy performers such as Marco Reus and Andre Shuerrle struggling to make it into Joachim Loew’s starting XI.
•Squad has the perfect blend of youth and experience, with many stars at their peak for this tournament.
•Backbone of the team built around Bayern Munich players, who have enjoyed huge success in last two seasons.
Cons
•The centre of defensive has looked vulnerable at times, with all candidates for that position possessing flaws that could be exploited.
•Asides from joint-record goalscorer Miroslav Klose, who will be 36 when the tournament starts, Germany lack an out-and-out striker and may have to play attcking midfielder Mario Goetze up front.
•The fact they have not won the World Cup since 1990 is starting to hang heavy on the German players and coach.

http://gulfnews.com/sport/football/brazil-2014/group-g/world-cup-2014-germany-have-problems-at-either-end-of-the-pitch-1.1342679

World Cup 2014: Ghana out to avenge cruel 2010 exit
Defensive problems leave Black Stars vulnerable despite star-studded midfield

By Ashley Hammond, Staff ReporterPublished: 06:00 June 6, 2014Gulf News

Dubai: Ghana narrowly missed out on becoming the first African side to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup in 2010, when they lost 4-2 on penalties to Uruguay in the quarter-finals in South Africa.

But they were only denied victory in extra time by a Luis Suarez handball on the line. The striker was red-carded, but Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting spot-kick and the cruel defeat — and Suarez’s reaction to Gyan’s miss — sparked anarchy in Africa, with the entire continent behind the team’s memorable run.


The Black Stars will be out to avenge that cruel defeat in Brazil and, in midfielders Michael Essien, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari, they remain well equipped to do just that.

With Gyan still up front and 2010 assistant coach Kwesi Appiah now the manager, the mission to overturn the injustice is particularly personal.


But Africa’s brightest hope have ironically drawn the hardest group of all participating African nations, with the USA, Germany and Portugal their rivals in Group G.

While offensively astute, defensively Ghana leave much to be desired. Centre-back Jerry Akaminko’s ankle injury in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Holland last week has further weakened the back-line and, while Samuel Inkoom is a worthy replacement, the questionable omission of experienced former captain John Mensah could now come under further scrutiny. The fact he has been ignored adds to the problematic situation Ghana face, in that they lack quality beyond and behind their star midfield.

Gyan’s 2012 move to the UAE’s Al Ain from English Premier League side Sunderland bemused many and, while it doesn’t seem to have affected his national team performances, playing in a developing league over one of the best in Europe must affect his ability on the world stage.

With that in mind, although motivated by their unjust 2010 exit, Ghana probably lack the credentials to get out of a very difficult group this time around.

Ghana
Group G
Fifa ranking: 38

Top man
Asamoah Gyan
Date of birth: November 22, 1985 (age 28)
Place of birth: Accra
Height: 1.80m
Weight: 77kg
Playing position: Striker
International caps: 77. Goals 39
Club: Al Ain (UAE)
FIFA World Cup

Coach
Kwesi Appiah Kwesi Appiah
Date of birth: June 30, 1960 (age 53)
Place of birth: Kumasi
Manager since: April 2012
Record: P34 W20 D5 L9 — 59% win ratio


Best 11 (4-5-1)
Adam Kwarasey; Kwadwo Asamoah, Samuel Inkoom, John Boye, Daniel Opare; Andre Ayew, Michael Essien, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Sully Muntari, Asamoah Gyan; Abdul Majeed Waris

Squad
Goalkeepers: Adam Kwarasey (Stromsgodset/NOR), Fatau Dauda (Orlando Pirates/RSA), Stephen Adams (Aduana Stars)

Defenders: Samuel Inkoom (Platanias/GRE), Daniel Opare (Standard Liege/BEL), Harrison Afful (Esperance/TUN), John Boye (Rennes/FRA), Jonathan Mensah (Evian-Thonon-Gaillard/FRA), Rashid Sumaila (Mamelodi Sundowns/RSA)

Midfielders: Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari (both AC Milan/ITA), Rabiu Mohammad (Kuban Krasnodar/RUS), Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus/ITA), Emmanuel Agyemang Badu (Udinese/ITA), Afriyie Acquah (Parma/ITA), Andre Ayew (Marseille/FRA), Mubarak Wakaso (Rubin Kazan/RUS), Christian Atsu Twasam (Vitesse Arnhem/NED), Albert Adomah (Middlesbrough/ENG)

Forwards: Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain/UAE), Kevin-Prince Boateng (AC Milan/ITA), Abdul Majeed Waris (Valenciennes/FRA, on loan from Spartak Moscow/RUS), Jordan Ayew (Marseille/FRA)

Group opponents
Germany
Portugal
USA

Qualifying campaign
Beat Egypt 7-3 on aggregate in the final round of CAF qualification after topping their second round pool ahead of Zambia, Lesotho and Sudan.

World Cup history
First tournament: 2006 (in Germany)
Appearances (before 2014): 2
Best finish: Quarter-finalists (2010)

Pros
•Ghana will be confident after coming within a whisker of being the first African side to make a World Cup semi-final in 2010.
•Coach Kwesi Appiah was the assistant to Milovan Rajevac at the last World Cup and can build the same team spirit.
•In Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng, Ghana have one of the most internationally acclaimed midfields in all of Africa.
Cons
•Centre-back Jerry Akaminko was ruled out of the World Cup after suffering an ankle injury in last week’s 1-0 friendly defeat to Holland.
•Leaving experienced defender John Mensah out of the squad may come back to haunt Appiah, whose defence was weak even before Akaminko’s injury.
•Ghana have been drawn in a tough group alongside the USA, Germany and Portugal.

http://gulfnews.com/sport/football/brazil-2014/group-g/world-cup-2014-ghana-out-to-avenge-cruel-2010-exit-1.1343609

World Cup 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo claims Portugal face strongest group

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo may have won the Champions League and Ballon d'Or this year but he craves international success with Portugal.

The 29-year-old heads to Brazil with doubts over his fitness and question marks still remaining about his ability to influence the biggest tournaments.

And while the national team captain admits Portugal are not favourites for the World Cup - they have been drawn in a group with Germany, Ghana and the United States - he would like to win a title with the national team "one day".

"We aren't favourites but we will try to perform our best as always. We know we have a difficult group stage," he told sportlobster.com.

"In my opinion, we have the strongest group of the World Cup, but we should take it one step at a time.

"We have an important opener against Germany, before we face Ghana and finally the United States.

"Our goal is obviously to pass the group stage and then we'll see.

"We arrived in Brazil with hope, but we will also make sure our feet stay firmly on the ground.

"We have ambition, but with the awareness we have to set ourselves some goals step by step, game by game. We will take it calmly, but also confidently.

"It fills me with pride, satisfaction, pleasure and honour to represent and captain the Portuguese national team but it is also a big responsibility.

"I hope I win a title with the national team one day."

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/worldcup/world-cup-2014-cristiano-ronaldo-claims-portugal-face-strongest-group-9501290.html

NATE Silver’s powers of prediction are unparalleled.

As the brain behind statistical analysis blog FiveThirtyEight, Silver has been forecasting results in political elections and sporting contests for years. During the last US presidential election, he correctly predicted the winner in all 50 states.

Now, Silver has turned his attention to the World Cup.

He has developed a predictive model called the Soccer Power Index (SPI), which harnesses reams of data to rate every team’s chances on a match-by-match basis.

“Technically speaking, SPI is two ratings systems rolled into one,” Silver says. “One based solely on a national team’s play, and one that reflects a composite of player ratings for what SPI projects to be a team’s top line-up.”

If you want to know how the index works in excruciating detail, you can read more about it here. Otherwise, you can see its predictions for every World Cup group below.


GROUP G: Germany, Ghana, Portugal, United States

Germany and Ronaldo — sorry, Portugal — are clearly the better teams, but this could turn into an interesting group anyway. The Germans have an 88.9 per cent chance of making it through, while the US (34.5 per cent) is Portugal’s biggest threat.

“Germany? Well, they’re really good. But as an offence-minded squad, the team might be ever so slightly prone towards letting in a soft goal and drawing (although probably not losing) a game that it shouldn’t,” Silver says.


SO, WHO WILL WIN THE WORLD CUP?

“Argentina, Germany and Spain, like Brazil, are wonderful soccer teams. You could perhaps debate which of the four would be favoured if the World Cup were played on a hastily constructed soccer pitch somewhere in the middle of the desert,” Silver writes.

“But this World Cup is being played in Brazil. No country has beaten Brazil on its home turf in almost 12 years.”

That loss, in a friendly against Paraguay back in 2002, barely counts. Brazil didn’t take the game seriously, and substituted most of its star players well before full-time. According to Silver, Brazil’s last home defeat in a match that actually mattered was in 1975.

With home ground advantage factored in, alongside all the other data, Silver’s Soccer Power Index gives Brazil a 45.2 per cent chance of winning the World Cup, ahead of Argentina (12.8 per cent), Germany (10.9 per cent), Spain (7.6 per cent) and Chile (4.2 per cent).

http://www.news.com.au/sport/football/fifa-world-cup-2014-superstar-statistician-nate-silver-has-bad-news-for-australia/story-fnkjl6g2-1226950736040

Edited by Joffa: 11/6/2014 10:00:56 PM

Germany v Portugal promises to be a cracker

I'm so nervous for this game, don't know what to expect.

Germany's golden youth are now their golden men.

This is the Cup they are expected to go beyond the semi's.

Will they buckle under the pressure? Nein!

Maybe Goebbels was on to something

He had Charles Benedict Davenport and Charles Darwin to thank

USA!
USA!!
USA!!!
USA!!!!



the team played like they defended their honour of being the "True Native Americans"! - Daniel Day Lewis

Edited by condemned666: 17/6/2014 09:59:04 AM

Rofl at Hacksaw :lol:

Promising to be an interesting group!

Cristiano Ronaldo (yes hes playing in this tournament) refused to talk to any interviewers after playing on the 'a token team to get smashed by Germany'

Sookie sookie la la

Perfect day for us. Wasn't sure if it was Portugal or Belgium cause germany just went straight through them.

Wasn't a good performance by us but I think we deserve the win. Defended admirable covering each other very well limiting Ghana to shitty crosses and long outside shots that were mostly off target. But Howard looked like he had the close ones covered anyway.

A draw against Portugal should do us now to get to theft round, I don't see us getting smashed by germany on the final day but I think we'll still go for the win.

Jozy is a big loss, we went downhill from there. Hopefully he can come back soon.

USA!
USA!
USA!

I really don't understand how anyone can see this as a group of death. If anything, it's a relatively simple group for Germany. The other three sides should provide a good contest, but I would hardly say a play-off for second spot is a group of death.

Yepp. Group B and D are both better candidates for the GOD tag.

I'd give you Group D if Uruguay weren't shit.

3 top quality teams> 2 top quality teams and 2 average teams.

Edited by jlm8695: 17/6/2014 03:17:59 PM

Who are the 3 top quality teams in Group D? I only see two in England and Italy, Uruguay a couple of years ago yes, but not anymore imo. B is the only group with 3 real top quality teams.

Uruguay are still an above average team and comfortably > USA and Ghana,

Only group where all teams made it out of the group last WC.

Group d is still my GoD though. 3 of those teams have somewhat realistic chances of winning the whole thing.

This is a tough group though for the fight for 2nd spot since imo all are good enough for top 16.

Edited by tbitm: 17/6/2014 03:41:20 PM

Thought Ghana were the better side and deserved to win against the USA.




Edited by Decentric: 17/6/2014 04:08:30 PM

x2.

The US are plucky, but are lacking genuine quality just like the current Australian team.

Credit to them though - they utilise their abilities to the fullest.

They'll get out of the group stage though. Portugal have a massive hill to climb.

I think they have a bit more firepower, even though Altidore stunk it up with Sunderland last season he is still a beast when he plays for the NT as is Dempsey. Not taking Donovan will probably bite Klinsmann on the back side with Jozy going down...pretty sure in general they have higher tier players compared to our lads...a fair few in the epl and bundesliga.

The Americans always play with balls though, gutsy team.

Edited by southmelb: 17/6/2014 10:14:30 PM

Altidore is out for the Portugal game but he might be able to play down the line so that's not bad news. Dempsey is gonna be wearing a mask too, that'll look interesting haha

Portugal will be eager to get revenge on the USA for 2002