FIFA World Cup
Group E Italy-Ghana- USA-Czech Republic
Germany 2006 will mark Italy's 16th appearance at the FIFA World Cup
finals, making Sweden 1958 the only finals they did not grace with
their presence. The 32 qualified nations have been playing a series of
friendly matches designed to try out new tactics and help teams to gel,
but Italy's coach Marcello Lippi said he had feared for the health of
his players in their match in Geneva.
"We came for a friendly, but we came across a team that was aiming for
a little more than that," he said. Lippi said he had been forced to
change half his team in the second half because of Switzerland's
physical tactics. "We suffered from so many incidents that I was
forced to make substitutions that I hadn't planned." On a positive
note, Italy's talismanic Francesco Totti proved he is regaining
sharpness.
With the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany less than a week away, sports
betting fans and media from most countries are gaining an ever-firmer
idea of what the coaches of each respective national team has planned
for the tournament.

Not so for USA fans, whose notoriously secretive coach Bruce Arena is
proving typically wary of tipping his hand. Known for the loyalty he
earns from players and the unity he instills in his team, Arena showed
in Korea/Japan 2002 that he is also a skilled tactician.
This was most evident when he trotted out a 3-5-2 formation, previously
unused by the US in the tournament, against arch-rivals Mexico in the
round of 16. The compact system frustrated the Mexicans in a 2-0 US
victory, leaving their then coach Javier Aguirre to lament: "I'm
not sure what happened out there."
Czech Republic midfielder Vladimir Smicer is expected not to play in
the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany after suffering a thigh injury in his
right leg. The Bordeaux midfielder, who was part of Liverpool's 2005
UEFA Champions League-winning side, initially hurt his right calf
during training before a friendly match against Turkey in February.
Smicer sustained the latest injury while he was engaged in a separate
practice session away from the rest of the team. Czech Republic coach
Karel Bruckner sat down with the player and the medical staff to
discuss the problem and it seems certain he will not play in the
finals.
Many FIFAworldcup.com readers, especially in England and Germany, will
remember Anthony Yeboah as a fearless forward who impressed for
Saarbrucken, Eintracht Frankfurt, Leeds United and Hamburg. The
three-time top scorer in the Bundesliga is now in the hotel business in
his native land of Ghana. As the first African player to captain a
German club side, FIFAworldcup.com caught up with the former striking
star to assess the Black Stars' chances at Germany 2006.
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