Group E analysis

In this group, we find ourselves with Netherlands and Cameroon as clear favorites to progress to the second round of the tournament. But Denmark, who had a brilliant World Cup qualification, and Japan, who are still fighting for respect in the soccer world, should not be taken lightly as they will try to bring upsets in the tournament.

Netherlands is one of football's most mysterious teams to appear in the World Cup. Their first appearances were seen with first round exits in 1934 and 1938. The Dutch then had to wait 36 years until they played in the tournament again in 1974. The creation of Total Football (in which there is free-flowing position exchange within the team to create new attackers and defenders) in the 1970s by Netherlands shot the team to stardom and helped them reach two consecutive finals in 1974 and 1978, but lost to the host in both occasions (West Germany and Argentina, respectively). After their high of the 1970s the Dutch missed all the World Cup editions in the 1980s, but returned in the 1990s. Their bad luck though also followed them and have had disappointing exits as when they lost to Brazil in penalties in France '98, or in the Battle of Nuremberg when they lost to Portugal 1-0 in 2006 in one of the worst games in the tournament's history (16 yellow cards and 4 red cards were awarded in the game).

However, with each new tournament, the Oranje always bring new talent and expectations that make their fans hopeful of lifting the World Cup. This year is no exception as they are currently ranked fourth in the world and are gaining confidence from their recently friendly game victories over the United States (2-1), Mexico (2-1), Ghana (4-1) and Hungary (6-1). In addition, head coach Bert van Marwijk guided his team to an undefeated World Cup qualification (8-0-0), where they scored 17 goals and only conceded 2 (the least by any European team in this qualification round). He mixture of experience with players as Gio van Bronckhorst, Mark van Bommel and Wesley Sneijder, and youth with players as Gregory van der Wiel, Ibrahim Afellay and Eljero Elia has paid off effectively. Their great run to the World Cup has been extraordinary, and is only obvious why they are considered heavy favorites to win it all.

My player to watch for the Netherlands is Arjen Robben. The 26-year-old has accomplished more than what any other footballer could in a career. He has won five league titles in four different leagues (the Dutch Eredivisie with PSV, the English Premier League with FC Chelsea, La Liga with Real Madrid and the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich). Although Robben has been inconsistent throughout his career due to injuries, this past season in Germany with Bayern Munich has seen him reach an incredible form that helped them to a season double (won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal) and almost completed the treble as they lost in the Champions League final against Internazionale (Fellow Dutchmen teammates van Bommel and Sneijder also played in the Champions League final with Bayern and Inter, respectively). I choose Netherlands to win the group.

Photo: Robben prepares to score in a friendly game against Hungary (By Peter Dejong/AP Photo)

The second team in this group is Denmark. After failing to qualify to the 2006 World Cup and 2008 European championship, the Danes burst out of the scene in an excellent qualifying run to this summer's tournament. They took first place in their European group by beating out Portugal and eliminating Sweden to reach South Africa. In one of their most memorable games of their qualification campaign, the Danes came back from behind twice when they scored 3 goals in the last ten minutes to beat Portugal 3-2.

Head coach Morten Olsen has been at the helm of the team since 2000, and is a symbolic figure to the team from his playing days. He was part of the Danish Dynamite team in the 1980s where he captained the team at the European Championship, where they finished in 3rd place, and to their first World Cup appearance in 1986. Olsen considered leaving the job after he failed to take his team to 2006 World Cup, but stayed as the fans still found him popular. Now, Olsens Elleve, led by striker Jon Dahl Tomasson, midfielders Christian Poulsen and Daniel Jensen, will try to cause an upset against Cameroon in their second game of the tournament to try to advance to the second round.

My player to watch for Denmark is Nicklas Bendtner. The 22-year-old striker is a tall and quick player that can be dangerous with the ball in his feet or in the air. At Arsenal, he has yet to breakthrough as a starter but is a great substitute for the team. Bendtner will most likely start with veteran forward Tomasson in the front line to form a good partnership of youth and experience. I believe that Denmark will have a fighting chance to advance to the second round, especially with Cameroon's recent struggling problems; however, I see them falling short to Cameroon and finishing in third from the group.

Photo: Bendtner in action for Denmark (By Hans Punz/AP Photo).

The next team in the group is Africa's most successful team, Cameroon. They have won four African Cup of Nations, a gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics, placed second in the 2003 Confederations Cup, and were the first African team to reach the quarterfinals in the World Cup (lost 3-2 to England in extra time in 1990). In addition, Cameroon has the record of the most World Cup appearances by an African team with 6 (1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010).

Les Lions Indomptables have long been an African soccer power, but ever since they failed to qualify to the 2006 World Cup, their dominance has been threatened by rising teams such as Ivory Coast and Ghana. But what is more alarming, is their recent form ahead of the World Cup. They started off their preparation this year with three consecutive ties (0-0 versus Italy and Georgia and 1-1 versus Slovakia) and two losses (3-1 versus Portugal and 4-3 versus Serbia). In addition, Cameroon's all-time scorer and leader Samuel Eto'o threaten to walk off the squad ahead of the tournament after receiving criticism from his compatriot and living-legend striker Roger Milla.

My player to watch for Cameroon is Eto'o. The 29-year-old striker is fresh off another treble season with Internazionale (Also won the treble last year with FC Barcelona) and is one of the most consistant forwards in soccer. However, what Milla said about Eto'o achieving just about everything with Inter and Barcelona but not accomplishing anything with Cameroon is true. It will be interesting to follow Eto'o and see if he will silence his critics this year at the World Cup. I choose Cameroon to place second in the group.

Photo: Eto'o with Cameroon in a friendly game against Italy (By Lionel Cironneau/AP Photo).

Finally, the last team to analyze in the group is Japan. The three-time Asian champions will participate in their fourth World Cup (Have consecutively qualified to the tournament since their first appearance in 1998). Although Japan has become a regional giant in Asia, they have failed to compete in international tournaments. Their best result in the international scene came in 2001 when they were runners-up in the Confederation Cup (lost 1-0 to France in the final) and have only won two games at the World Cup (in 2002 when they were co-host with South Korea).

The Samuri Blue are regarded as the weakest team in the group, and probably in the tournament as well. Japan were the first team to qualify to the 2010 World Cup other than the host, and finished in second place in their qualifying group after Australia. However, they have only won 3 out of the 10 games they have played this year, and are currently on a four-game losing streak which have all featured World Cup teams (3-0 versus Serbia, 2-0 versus South Korea, 2-1 versus England and 2-0 versus the Ivory Coast).

My player to watch for Japan is Shunsuke Nakamura. The 31-year-old midfielder has great vision of the field and excellent ball touch. He primairly plays on the wing, and is deadly on set-pieces and freekicks. The former Reggina and Celtic player has been the symbol of Japanese football along with former midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata, and was the first Japanese player to score in the Champions League. His experience and leadership will be helpful to his team as they must obtain a favorable result against Cameroon in their first game if they want to advance in the tournament. However, I see Japan not obtaining a win in the World Cup and ending in last place of their group.

Photo: Nakamura in action for Japan in an Asian Cup qualifying match (By Shuji Kajiyama/AP Photo).