It would be unfair before the final group matches to pass judgement on the bigger footballing nations who are struggling so much at this World Cup. That’s because most of them will go through in the end to the last 16 and probably improve as the tournament progresses.
And in the end one of the teams I have already criticised here might well go on to be be world champions. The fact is that all are having difficulties, the Spanish, the English, the French, the Germans and, at the beginning, even the Brazilians.
It is an unusual tournament. There are many explanations and excuses for this, including spells of injury for players such as Brazil’s Kaka, Spain’s Fernando Torres and England’s Wayne Rooney, to name just a few world-class players.
But it’s not that alone. I have basically only one explanation: the small nations have caught up and the larger nations have got weaker. Now I am sure there are people who will contradict me because in the end one of the footballing powers will come through. But look more closely at the Asians — North Korea, Japan and South Korea - who are playing good football and can compete with the best.
A few decades ago and certainly up to the end of the last century that was quite different. There was a very clear gap between the strong Europeans and South Americans and the rest of the world. Now everybody is competitive, the US, the Central Americans — everyone.
So again my response to this development is that I think the bigger footballing powers have taken a step backwards and the smaller nations a step forward. Now there are no differences, and that’s something which is quite plain to see. The larger nations appear shocked and as a result we are seeing some dreadful football from them.
I will this time use the French as an example. Everyone must by now have realized following their second match, the 0-2 defeat to Mexico, that something is wrong with this team. Everyone seems to be playing for himself. It’s lifeless. The alarm bells start ringing when footballers, who have played brilliantly in past tournaments, suddenly stop running when the ball is lost.
I am not near enough to the French but the expulsion from the squad of striker Nicolas Anelka for insulting comments in connection with coach Raymond Domenench is an unmistakable sign that something is wrong.