So, what exactly is the point of the Confederations Cup? As far as I can tell, it is the footballing equivalent of homeopathy - people keep saying it's valid, but it really doesn't do anyone any good and, in some cases can do a bit of harm. The only benefits I can see are that it earns FIFA a bit of cash, and keeps them in with the Asian and Oceanic federations by giving their (woefully inadequate) champions the chance to get hammered by good sides.
Anyway, here are some important lessons that we have NOT learned from the 2009 tournament...
1) European sides are not as good as we think - Spain crashed out in the semis and Italy, well, the less said the better
Italy are an interesting case - were they poor because the team is too old and slow, or because of a lack of motivation? I think it's a bit of both. Certainly too many players are old and slow. The one big thing Marcello Lippi will have taken away from the whole shebang is that Fabio Cannavaro's days at the highest level are numbered. At 5' 9", the man who was World Player of the Year in 2006 was always dependent on pace to get him out of trouble; now that he is two months short of 36, he is increasingly exposed. Luis Fabiano in particular destroyed him with his movement. Apart from that, the main problem for the Azzurri is a lack of depth, especially in midfield - Gattuso was half fit and Pirlo looked tired. But they look in good shape to qualify comfortably for the World Cup and still have one or two aces (particularly Mario Balotelli) up their sleeves. So the jury is very much still out.
Spain, on the other hand, looked to me like a team who saw the competition as an unnecessary distraction, a delay to a summer break which Torres, Xavi et al have earned. They did not look in the slightest bit bothered against the US in the semi. We know, however, that this team is good, and now that Gerard Pique and Raul Albiol have come through as genuine centre-backs of quality, there is now a spine to go with the style. Anyone who thinks Spain are not the favourites for the World Cup at this moment in time is a fool.
2) Brazil are back to their amazing best
Nah. They impressed me with their comeback in the final, but there are still doubts to be harboured. Midfield is still a big issue, where Gilberto Silva looks well past his best, and though Felipe Melo was outstanding, he needs a partner. Dunga still has to solve the conundrum of how to fit Robinho and Kaka' together; they seem to both keep drifting to the same side of the pitch. Considering the problems at left back and right midfield, it seems only a matter of time until Dani Alves, still kept out of the lineup by (the admittedly brilliant) Maicon, ends up in one of these positions. But Brazil simply do not have the depth in their squad to put them up there with Spain, though if Luis Fabiano keeps scoring goals they are still proper contenders.
3) The World Cup in South Africa will be a failure/success (substitute whichever is applicable)
You can't tell anything much yet, a whole year in advance. There will be far more fans next summer to deal with, yet the infrastructure may have been improved by then. On the other hand, there are two burning issues left; one is security, and the other is those bloody vuvuzuela horns, which are like listening to a traffic jam in the USA for 90 minutes. And we thought rattles were bad! What we do know, despite their run to the semis, is that South Africa's team will be the weakest host nation ever.
That's about it - a rant about team USA's run would take too long and just be too annoying. So now it's just a case of looking forward to the joys of the new season. Only one month to go.
L.
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