FIFA World Cup 2010: The Story So Far

With all due respect to the organizers of the prestigious Jules Rimet trophy, the FIFA World Cup 2010 has been nothing spectacular so far. After 5 days of action, with 14 matches played and an unimpressive 23 goals scored, this could turn out to be one of the least scoring World Cups of all time. This trend gets even more concerning though, when we find that not one player has been able to score more than one goal as yet.

With the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Didier Drogba having graced the field so far, it's amazing to note that the total number of goals these potential Ballon D'or winners have scored is a big fat zero. In the 14 games that have been played, we have seen a draw in no less than 6 games, and 11 teams out of the 28 that have played so far have not even managed to score a goal.

These statistics are useless until we compare them to the FIFA World Cup 2006 held in Germany. At this same stage of the tournament in that edition, 31 goals had been scored in 14 matches, with only 2 games ending in a draw and the same number of teams (11) failing to find the net. As we go back to older editions of the tournament, we'll find a progressively higher number of goals being scored as well.

In fact, if we look back to the FIFA World Cup 2002 in Korea and Japan, by the time 14 games had been played, 40 goals had been scored, only 3 matches had ended in draws, and only 7 teams out of 28 had failed to score.

You can have a look at updated table standings and results here.

• FIFA World Cup 2010 Standings: Day 1
• FIFA World Cup 2010 Standings: Day 2 & 3
• FIFA World Cup 2010 Standings: Day 4
• FIFA World Cup 2010 Standings: Day 5

The Culprits
So which teams are contributing to this regressive trend more than others? It can be pointed out that the African teams have been the biggest disappointment so far. With the tournament being held on their continent, they were expected to put in a really good shout this time around. Out of the 6 African teams (South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Ivory Coast), only 2 goals have been scored and only Ghana managed to win their game. Ivory Coast and South Africa managed a draw each. These teams need to start performing soon, because they will not get an opportunity like this again.

Out of the European contenders, the Italy squad, the France squad and the England squad have been very disappointing so far. A combination of over reliance on players past their prime, an incompetent coach and blundering tactics respectively have contributed to their disappointing showing. A return of 2 goals from these powerhouses is simply unacceptable. The Germany squad have been the most impressive team so far, but their young team has many tougher tests ahead.

The Argentina squad looked shaky too, and could be punished for their wastefulness in front of goal in their future games. The Brazil squad had the easiest game so far (against North Korea) and still managed to win unconvincingly, by a margin of one single goal. It seems like this edition of the FIFA World Cup is a mix of slow, defensive minded players and naïve coaches. Or maybe the trend in world football is simply changing to a rather defensive one, going by the amazing success that Inter Milan enjoyed at club level this past season.

The Reasons
The argument that teams are overly cautious in the first game of the tournament is redundant, as the simple comparison against previous editions of the tournament shows. Maybe it's the drowning noise of those annoying Vuvuzelas that is prohibiting communication on the field, maybe it's the freezing temperatures in South Africa, or maybe it's just a bunch of players unable to deal with the pressure.

We have another 50 matches yet to be played, and hopefully the excitement and entertainment is going to be turned up a notch in the coming weeks. The saving grace is that the most skillful and silky team in the tournament (the Spain squad) are to play their first match today. If they can make a statement against Switzerland, the rest of the teams will surely be casting nervous glances in their direction. Either which way, it's time for the FIFA World Cup 2010 to erupt.