Johannesburg: In a World Cup which has so far failed to capture the imagination of many, it is the South American sides who have taken the initiative and who look the most dangerous. After one round of fixtures plus one game it already seems that there will be a strong Southern Hemisphere presence as the tournament develops.
One statistic that was oft-quoted in the run-up to this tournament was that European sides had never won the World Cup away from their continent, while South American teams have won every single championship away from Europe. And after almost a week, other statistics seem to suggest that this could again be the continent's year.
The five South American teams are so far unbeaten, and in six games have recorded four of the 11 victories currently seen. Compare this with Europe - Only four teams from the continent won their opening games, with two of these being against European opposition. Considering there are a grand total of 12 sides, this makes for pretty desperate reading.
All indications point to the fact that the European teams are not enjoying their African stay. Tournament heavyweights such as Spain, Italy, France and England all started their campaigns with draws or defeats, against teams moreover they were expected to beat. Only Germany really impressed, with a dominant 4-0 reverse of Australia showing that they want to be an exception to the rule.
The Favourites:
It was little surprise when Brazil and Argentina overcame their opposition in the first games. North Korea and Nigeria, while spirited were not in the same class as their opponents.
But being clear favourites as Spain and defending champions Italy found out to their cost, means nothing if you cannot dispatch those in front of you. The two South American giants on the other hand, despite being nowhere near at their best managed this when their European rivals couldn’t; showing a cutting edge and hunger missing from other teams to record narrow victories.
The Unfancied Teams:
It is the 'other' teams which hail from the continent however who have most surprised. Whereas Marcelo Bielsa’s Chile were expected to beat Honduras - still, they did this without too much fuss and now must be worrying a shaken Spain side. If star striker Humberto Suazo can get fit and firing there are goals in a side which is 100 per cent committed to attack.
Uruguay and Paraguay on the other hand tore up the script against heavyweight European opposition.
Even with ten men Uruguay showed dogged determination to take a point off under-par France, while the Guaranies were only denied a famous victory over the World Champions by a moment of madness by goalkeeper Justo Villar.
More than anything the two underdogs were equal to the challenge of their European opponents, showing heart and tenacity as well as no little skill. Uruguay then followed up the match with an assured 3-0 win over hosts South Africa - a result which surely puts them as favourites to finish top of Group A.
It is hard to say why the South American teams travel so well when those from the Old World struggle and toil. One factor could be the constant emigration of players from the continent to European sides, as the vast majority of players for all teams play in England, Italy, Spain and other countries. It means they are no strangers to adapting to a foreign land and travelling great distances - something that is relatively unknown for Rooney, Iniesta, De Rossi and company.
One other possibility is the ease which South American players have seemed to settle into life in South Africa. For these players, used to running into the hectic atmosphere of their continent's arenas, the wail of the Vuvuzelas and the constant noise is not an issue, whereas coming from the libraries and museums of English stadia it is like entering another world.
The Implications:
The continued strong showing from South America could have interesting consequences for the rest of the tournament, particularly concerning Uruguay and Paraguay’s refusal to follow the formbook. Instead of a daunting clash against rivals Argentina, Diego Forlan’s men could have the much less intimidating prospect of South Korea, Greece or Nigeria in the second round, while France would have the nightmare of facing Messi and company.
Paraguay obviously have much further to go before they can think of surpassing Italy in the group, but the outlook if they do is very encouraging. Impressive Holland would be avoided in favour of Japan, Cameroon or Denmark, which would be far more agreeable to the Guaranies.
If the first week of the tournament has taught us anything it is that football is unpredictable, and forecasting any results much less a tournament is a tortuous job. What is clear however is that Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay have not arrived to make up the numbers and are in fact a match for even the most fancied teams in the tournament. If the lacklustre European big guns cannot raise their play the later rounds of the World Cup could take on a distinctly South American flavour.
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