The 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar will provide a feast of football for the world’s largest continent to enjoy. And, with a fair few household names and exciting young talents on show, eyes from further afield will be cast in the direction of the Middle Eastern country. Here is part two of our guide to all the teams in all the groups in the Asian Cup.
Click here to read the first part of our Asian Cup Preview >>
Group C
South Korea – FIFA Ranking: 40
“To win the Asian Cup for the first time in 51 years, speed is a key point,” said South Korea coach Cho Kwang-Rae. “I selected players who can deal with the quick tempo and who are physically and technically prepared.” This includes stars such as Manchester United’s Park Ji-Sung and Bolton’s Lee Chung-Yong, two of the more familiar names from this squad. Leading on from a relatively successful World Cup where they were knocked out by Uruguay in the second round, the Koreans are aiming to grab the trophy for the first time since 1960. To do so they will need to find some goals in their team however, with much hope resting on Son Heung-Min whose exploits for Hamburg have caught the eye. The 18-year-old has played just one game for the national team so far though.
Key Man: Park Ji-Sung, Midfielder, Manchester United. After 95 caps, and 13 goals, this is likely to be Park’s last Asian Cup and he has the ability to help South Korea win it. Much maligned at times, there is no doubting his talent and, combined with a winning mentality instilled at club level, the midfielder is a huge asset for any team.
Chances: Favourites to get out of the group, but whether it is first or second will be important with the chance of an all-Korean match in the quarter-finals or holders Iraq. A top three finish would not be a surprise.
India – FIFA Ranking: 142
India’s football team, coached by journeyman manager Bob Houghton for the last four years, have had a poor 2010. Just two wins in nine games, with no draws, they have shipped 27 goals, including a 9-0 thrashing at the hands of Kuwait, a 5-0 drubbing from the United Arab Emirates and a 6-3 lesson from Yemen. This shouldn’t be a huge surprise as India’s presence in this competition is thanks to winning the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup, a competition for emerging nations, where they won 4-1 against Tajikistan in the final. Two and a half years later and that victory is long forgotten. Throw in a recent spat between Houghton and manager Pradeep Chowdury as well as reports of low morale in the camp and there could be a disastrous campaign brewing.
Key Man: Baichung Bhutia, Striker, East Bengal Club. The captain’s importance is such that he has been taken along despite nursing a calf injury that will rule him out for at least the opening game. So good, he may be better half fit than anyone else in the side.
Chances: Very slim and not helped by having two of the favourites in their group. A point in any of these games will be a good return for the Indians whose player development continues to be lacking.
Australia – FIFA Ranking: 26
Australia are taking the Asian Cup seriously and have come to Qatar win it. Whilst domestic observers suggested taking a team of younger players and building for the future, coach Holger Osieck instead believed that Australia could, and should, win this competition and picked his strongest squad accordingly, with a smattering of youngsters who he deemed good enough. The World Cup was a disappointment and there is a belief that the players would like to bring the trophy home. However, a recent 3-0 defeat against Egypt does not inspire confidence and the Socceroos will be hoping to get back to winning ways in their warm-up match against the United Arab Emirates. Australia somehow laboured to qualification under Pim Verbeek, but with current Asian Player of the Year Sasa Ognenovski marshalling the defence, the side will not be playing with the same shackles on their creativity.
Key Man: Tim Cahill, Midfielder, Everton. The Everton midfielder oozes quality and will be relishing the opportunity to arrive late in the box and pop up with goals. Always seeming to be involved in the good things Australia do, although will need to be played in position, with a striker ahead of him.
Chances: Failure to reach the semi-finals would be a bad tournament for a squad of this quality. They will have learned last time out the importance of finishing top of their group and should stay focused.
Bahrain – FIFA Ranking: 93
Bahrain has less than a million people and yet manage to routinely punch above their weight at international level. 2010 may not have been a great year in terms of results, and featured an infamous friendly with a fake Togo team, but they go into this tournament knowing they have nothing to lose. New coach Salman Sharidan is a former international who led Bahraini team Al Muharraq to the AFC Cup title in 2008, so he should know how to get the best out of his resources. However, he is no doubt aware that beating India may be their most likely highlight.
Key Man: Mohammed Salmeen, Midfielder, Dhafra. A second generation Bahraini football hero, Salmeen’s experience will be crucial with well over a 100 caps to his name.
Chances: In a tough group, Bahrain should provide a few scares, but nothing more. Unlikely to be involved at the business end.
Group D
Iraq – FIFA Ranking: 101
The reigning champions, Iraq surprised everyone by running out winners in 2007, bringing a wave of hope to their nation as among other memorable results they beat Australia 3-1 in the group and South Korea on penalties on their way to a final 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia. Since then however, a gamut of coaches have swept through the doors at Iraqi football HQ with mixed results, including an unremarkable two-point, zero-goal haul at the 2009 Confederations Cup. More recently the side have started showing solidity under coach Wolfgang Sidka and he is speaking a good game about their chances. Iraq may have lost the element of surprise, but they remain a solid team and will receive a huge boost if they can kick their tournament off with a win against arch-rivals Iran.
Key Man: Younis Mahmoud, Striker, Al-Gharafa. The captain has the valuable habit of scoring winning goals, much as he did in the 2007 final and again against the same opponents in a warm-up match recently. Based in Qatar, he will also be familiar with the venues.
Chances: Iraq may succumb to a group stage exit, although a similar fate was predicted before they lifted the trophy four years ago.
North Korea – FIFA Ranking: 108
Much has been made of the humiliation dished out to the North Korean national team on their return from the World Cup, with a public dressing down handed out, but they should have bounced back from this by now and will recognise that they won’t be coming up against any team as competent as the three they faced in South Africa. With a side mainly based in the closed-off country, many of these players will be a mystery to their opponents. From the World Cup it is clear the North Koreans are hard-working, but inexperienced and at times a little naive. North Korea could prove to be easy pickings or, more likely, simply unpredictable. Qatar found the latter to be the case in their final warm-up match, getting beaten. Jo Tong-Sop’s men will hope to keep this theme going.
Key Man: Kim Kuk-Jin, Midfielder, FC Wil. Turning 22 just days before the tournament starts, Kim may not have many national caps under his belt, but he is a dynamic midfielder who plies his trade in Switzerland and neatly combines pace with directness.
Chances: To escape the group, most likely second, but probably no further given the draw.
United Arab Emirates – FIFA Ranking: 105
The United Arab Emirates may not have star billing at the Asian Cup and whilst they qualified top of their group it was in the same three-team affair as Uzbekistan, making their arrival in Qatar much easier. Srecko Katanec’s team have scored some good recent results, not least a 5-0 hammering of India, but look too weak across the park to seriously challenge here. Last year’s Gulf Cup saw them eliminated at the first knockout stage and their last notable run in the Asian Cup was in 1996 when they finished as runners-up. An entirely home-based squad, UAE won the Under-19 Asian Cup in 2008. It will take a few more years for that team to fully filter through to the national setup however.
Key Man: Subait Khater, Midfielder, Al Jazira. Experienced and calm on the ball, he will need to get the team playing round him by setting the tempo. With nigh on a 100 games for his country, Khater won’t be daunted by the task.
Chances: On paper the weakest team in their group, may end up as cannon fodder if they don’t keep things tight.
Iran – FIFA Ranking: 66
After breezing into this competition with games to spare Iran are looking like a good outside bet to make an impact. A cohesive team with a nice mix of youth and experience, the Iranians have had a poor run of form just recently that will have taken them off most people’s radars. Coach Afsin Ghotbi’s squad selection has been questioned at home, but he is staying positive however, pointing out that form now has little relevance if they turn it around in the tournament proper. “We have to be intelligent and try to learn and improve.” he said, which sounds far easier than it may prove to be. A final warm-up against Angola might be instructive for observers and for the team itself.
Key Man: Javad Nekounam, Midfielder, CA Osasuna. This defensive midfielder brings quality and experience in bundles and has stated he believes Iran is one of the top three teams in Asia. That is a winning mentality.
Chances: Iran should not be written off. The opener against Iraq will be important, but provided the Iranians start well they could build up a head of steam and will be hard to stop.
