10 Reasons to Carry on Watching the World Cup
You could be forgiven for having lost interest in what's left of the World Cup, After all, England are out, so is the sun and, well, those shelves in the spare room aren't going to put themselves up, are they?
There's still plenty of reasons to carry on watching the football right up until the final on July 11th, though. Here's 10:
1) England aren't in it any more
Remember how everyone said that Euro 2008 was all the better because England failed to qualify for it, meaning we could sit back and enjoy the football without worrying about our boys popping up and spoiling everything with their hoofing and spooning tactics? Well, now the same applies to World Cup 2010. Rooney, Terry and the rest of our feckless flops are already on their way to the beach meaning it's once again safe to switch on the telly.
2) Japan can't play Paraguay again
Yesterday's second round game between Japan and Paraguay was so dull that, for once, you could excuse ITV pundit Edgar Davids had a bona fide excuse for sounding like he'd fallen asleep mid-transmission. The good news is that things can never be that bad again, and every game from now until the final will seem like the Italy and Brazil's legendary 1982 quarter final in comparison.
3) We're all Europeans now
South American sides have ruled the first half of the tournament; the only reason all five qualifiers haven't progressed to the quarter-final stages is that Chile came up against Brazil in the first knockout round. The remaining matches offer four finely balanced geographical clashes, though, with Spain, Germany and Holland all having the opportunity to uphold Europe's honour. And then there's Ghana, Africa's sole remaining representative, bearing the dreams of an entire continent against Uruguay. Can the South Americans make it a clean sweep? It's going to be gripping viewing either way.
4) There's still loads of familiar faces to watch out for
If the continental clash doesn't grab you then why not follow your Premier League team's stars instead? There are still plenty left in the tournament for you to keep an eye on:
Holland v Brazil: John Heitinga (Everton), Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel (Liverpool), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Nigel de Jong and Robinho (Manchester City), Heurelho Gomes (Spurs)
Uruguay v Ghana: John Paintsil (Fulham, John Mensah (Sunderland), Richard Kingson (Wigan), Kevin-Prince Boateng (Portsmouth)
Argentina v Germany: Carlos Tevez (Argentina), Javier Mascherano and Maxi Rodriguez (Liverpool), Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle), Jerome Boateng (Manchester City)
Paraguay v Spain: Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City), Paulo da Silva and Cristian Riveros (Sunderland), Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina (Liverpool), Cesc fabregas (Arsenal)
5) You can pretend to be a Premier League scout
You can bet your redundant car flags that the country's top talent spotters will be glued to the remaining games with a view to tempting the cream of the competitions footballers to England with huge great wads of cash. Players that could be gracing a ground near you next season include: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart (Holland), Luís Fabiano, Felipe Melo and Dani Alves (Brazil), Sergio Agüero (Argentina), Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Ozil (Germany), Juan Mata and Fernando Llorente (Spain),
6) Lionel Messi is due a goal glut any moment now
The Argentinean schemer is simmering nicely in the competition and, having masterminded Mexico's defeat in the last round, is now primed to stuff England's conquerors Germany like a oven-ready turkey. Their quarter-final should be one of the games of the tournament (although we did say that about Spain versus Portugal as well...).
7) The Brazilians have remembered how to turn it on
Brazil boss Dunga has come in for some stick for his side's pragmatic approach but the 3-0 demolition of Chile earlier in the week suggests that Fabiano and co have found a way to combine steel
and
flair. Next up are Robin van Persie's flying Dutchmen in Friday's 3pm kick-off - as good a reason to bunk off from work early and go to the pub as you could hope to find.
8) Let Spain restore your faith in the passing game
They may not have hit their stride quite yet, but Spain have still shown glimpses of the form that made them the pre-tournament favourites. David Villa's winner against Portugal rounded off a move of breathtaking quality and, with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Alonso running the midfield, the potential for a passing masterclass is only ever a heartbeat away.
9) You'll miss it when it's gone
There won't be any more competitive football on the box until the second weekend of August when the Championship season kicks off and Chelsea play Manchester United for the Community Shield at Wembley. And while August 7th doesn't seem all that far away, that's still a whole 38 days with nothing but pre-season friendlies.
10) What else are you going to watch?
Tennis? Cricket? The crock of chick flicks TV chiefs cunningly scheduled 'for the ladies' thinking England would still be in the competition by now? We don't think so... Best break the bad news to the wife, then.
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