Punter's Guide Mon, Jun 12, 2006

Punter's Guide Mon, Jun 12, 2006   
Eriksson considers starting Rooney   

 

Associated Press

 

BADEN-BADEN, Germany -- Wayne Rooney could be ready to play for England against Trinidad & Tobago on Thursday.

 

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said he was optimistic that the striker could play in the team`s second World Cup match in Nuremberg.

 

"I`m very optimistic, always," he said.

 

Eriksson said Rooney was "injury free," less than six weeks after he broke a bone in his right foot but has said he would only play the Manchester United striker when he was match fit.

 

Rooney was on the bench in England`s 1-0 win over Paraguay on Saturday.

 

Eriksson said Rooney`s progress was "day by day."

 

The decision to play Rooney during the group stages will anger his club, Manchester United, who said the 20-year-old had a "good chance of being fit" only after England`s final group game against Sweden on June 20.

 

Against Paraguay, with England struggling in the second half and Michael Owen leaving the field after 56 minutes, the mainly English crowd chanted for Rooney to play.

 

"No, it can`t have an effect on me," Eriksson said. "I have my coaches, my fitness coach and my physios and we have to decide together `OK, it`s time."`

 

Eriksson considered replacing Owen with 17-year-old rookie Theo Walcott, but sent on winger Stewart Downing instead.

 

"We thought about it, but the first game in the World Cup - let`s have more training, let`s go on with the World Cup a little bit," he said. "I think it is a big responsibility to start or to come on in the first game of the World Cup."

 

Walcott slightly injured his calf in training on Sunday, which didn`t involve players involved against Paraguay. He`ll resume training on Tuesday - the squad has a day off on Monday.

 

Peter Crouch is England`s only fit striker with any experience. Owen is still lacking sharpness after returning from a broken foot last month. Saturday was the earliest that Eriksson had substituted Owen for tactical reasons in the 5 1/2 years he`s been in charge.

 

Eriksson said Owen was disappointed to be substituted, adding "it finished there."

 

Owen has lacked match sharpness after returning from a broken foot last month. Eriksson said he knew the Newcastle forward would improve.

 

"I`m quite sure about that," he said after the Paraguay match. "At the beginning of the second half, we didn`t give him the support he needs. But how many games has he played? Four? It`s good."

 

Eriksson is expected to stick with same lineup against Trinidad and Tobago - a 4-4-2 system with Crouch and Owen up front.

 

"I will change something in the team if we have some problems," he said. "Otherwise, it will not be a revolution."

Punter's Guide Mon, Jun 12, 2006

Punter's Guide Mon, Jun 12, 2006   
Preview: Brazil v Croatia   

 

Associated Press
 

 

Brazil forward Ronaldo has been the big talk of the World Cup - literally and physically.

 

With an eye on history to become the World Cup`s all-time leading scorer and incessant questions about his fitness, Ronaldo leads the ``Selecao`` in defense of their 2002 title and their bid to win soccer`s most prestigious event for a record sixth time Tuesday when they play Croatia in their Group F opener at Berlin.

 

Ronaldo enters this World Cup with 12 goals, tied for third on the all-time list with Brazilian legend Pele and behind only West Germany`s Gerd Mueller (14) and France`s Just Fontaine (13). The 29-year-old forward netted both goals in Brazil`s 2-0 win over Germany in the 2002 championship game and finished with eight in the seven matches, gaining total redemption for his side`s 3-0 loss to France in the 1998 final in which he almost did not play after suffering a seizure before the game.

 

While his greatness in the all-time annals of soccer will be eternally debated, the immediate talk around Ronaldo involves his weight. The Real Madrid striker`s web site lists him at 189 pounds, nine more than the figure submitted by Brazil to FIFA. Ronaldo weighed 169 pounds in 2002, causing mass speculation that even had the country`s president inquiring.

 

``I think I deserve a lot more respect because of my services in the national team. I think it`s ridiculous,`` Ronaldo said after Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva asked the team`s coach during a video conference pep talk about Ronaldo`s stature.

 

``People shouldn`t care about this,`` he added. ``What difference does it make?``

 

Ronaldo has had injury problems heading into this World Cup, and many have attributed it to the added weight. He also played just half of Brazil`s last exhibition match due to blisters on his feet, a topic of conversation that lasted almost four days afterwards.

 

``I was surprised with the repercussions, people were talking about the blister for three or four days,`` Ronaldo said. ``Everything was about the blister, they were putting my capacity in doubt because of the blister.``

 

Despite all the speculation, Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who already won the 1994 World Cup with the ``Selecao``, has announced Ronaldo will be in the first 11 and make his 100th career international appearance.

 

``Of course Ronaldo will start in the opener,`` Parreira said. ``The team is set, and Ronaldo is included.``

 

Parreria has an embarrassment of offensive stars from which to choose, and the first match will feature his ``four stars`` lineup which will have Ronaldo, fellow forwards Ronaldinho and Adriano as well as midfielder Kaka. Adriano is the only one of the quartet to be making his World Cup debut in Germany, and the 24-year-old already has 23 goals in 32 international appearances.

 

Coming into the World Cup, it appears Brazil has distanced itself further from the world. The ``Selecao`` won the 2004 Copa America, finished first in the grueling 18-match qualifying process in South America and won the 2005 Confederations Cup in Germany with what was mostly a reserve lineup.

 

Additionally, group play has been a mere formality for Brazil. The ``Selecao``, the only team to qualify for every World Cup, have lost just one group play match - a meaningless 2-1 defeat to Norway in 1998.

 

With Brazil such a heavy favorite to win the group, Croatia has joined fellow Group F teams Australia and Japan in what has become a three-team battle for the other spot to the knockout round. The Croats won Group 8 in European qualifying in strong fashion, winning seven matches and tying the other three to finish ahead of Sweden.

 

This is Croatia`s third consecutive World Cup appearance, but the Croats are trying to move away from their disappointing group exit in 2002 after a surprising run to the semifinals in 1998. But Croatia coach Niko Kranjcar seems willing to sacrifice three points to Brazil in a close loss if it means his team`s psyche will be steady heading into its other two matches.

 

``We will try to win, but it is no tragedy if we lose against a team everybody is touting as perhaps the best Brazilian team ever,`` Kranjcar said Saturday. ``It is more important that we don`t get thrashed, as that would be a blow to the players` psyche.``

 

Kranjcar`s son Zlatko is one of Croatia`s starting forwards and will team with Dado Prso, who lead Croatia with five goals in qualifying. Veterans Igor Tudor, brothers Robert and Niko Kovac and Marko Bobic provide stability, and striker Ivica Olic is expected to play after originally thought to be sidelined for this match with a thigh injury.

 

The team has been suffering from an unknown virus since their arrival in Bad Bruckenau last week. Doctors could not determine the cause of the infection, which included symptoms such as nausea, high fever and headache.

 

Brazil will continue group play June 18 against Australia at Munich, Germany, while Croatia will play Japan the same day at Nuremburg.