Say, you can stage it in Sydney! Obviously only if you let us play [nt]

Posted by Kippax on October 10, 2000 at 06:17:00:

In Reply to: Re: is it going to happen? posted by Matsu on October 10, 2000 at 06:06:48:

: : Who do you tip for this one?
: : Iran v Japan
: : Saudi v Korea

: Probably the most heavily-bet lineup for the semis, but it may not work out that way. I agree that those are the four strongest teams in the tournament but lets look a bit at the pools and see how it works out

: : Of those, Japan looks to have the toughest route to the semis: I would place them second in their group under the Saudis, in which case they come up against whoever comes second out of the group with China, Kuwait, Korea and Indonesia.

: Good luck if we end up with Kuwait, who have many skilled players but who will emerge from their pool battered, bloodied, and barely able to stand. Kuwait is a very chippy team, and if history is any guide, they have drawn the three teams that respond most agressively to that sort of play. China, on the other hand, will be focused mainly on beating Korea for the first time ever. Assuming they lose to Korea, but emerge second in their group, they may have difficulty "getting up" for Japan.

: However, the nightmare scenario, and one which I think is a strong probability (assuming Japan finish second in the group) is that China are totally psyched up to get their historic victory over Korea, and Korea end up having to face Japan in the first round of knock-outs.

: However, I think Japan are a very good bet to finish top of the group. Saudi Arabia are very strong, but their weakest points (midfield pressure and persistent marking on defence) are exactly the easiest points for Japan to expose. Moreover, Japan will be highly motivated to get a win after dropping out so early in Sydney, but not under such heavy pressure that they might tense up and be unable to finish. From my perspective, the best thing that could have happened was to play Saudi in the first match.

: Finishing top of Group D, Japan will draw a minnow, hopefully dispatch them with no trouble, and then probably get Korea in the semifinal. The winner will take the Cup home regardless of who they face in the final

Follow Ups:

• When I first read this thread, the exact same thought sprang to my mind! -nt Eurasianboy 10:10:46 10/10/00 (3)
  • Thanks, but if it comes to relocating into a different federation... inakamono 13:29:26 10/10/00 (1)
    • Well you could move it to Tel Aviv for example but... MM 17:47:39 10/10/00 (0)
  • Dont flatter yourselves TOO much Matsu 11:40:09 10/10/00 (0)

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