"We talked ourselves up too much. Never again. In future tournaments we must learn to be humble. Be calm." These the words of Steven Gerrard, reflecting on Germany 2006 and England’s legendary propensity for over-hyping their national team. So, what was the reaction to the draw for 2010? Humble? Calm? The front page of the top-selling Sun newspaper offered a clue, spelling out the group in a headline that summed up the English view on Group C:
England
Algeria
Slovenia
Yanks
This assessment did not go unnoticed, especially across the Atlantic, where the Los Angeles Times described the offending English newspaper as “scurrilous”. But it wasn’t all indignation. The Washington Times, for example, reflected on “a very favorable draw for the US - certainly not the feared group of death.”
Nearly everyone in Group C appeared bullish about their chances, in fact. Algerian newspaper Al Khabar wrote of Les Fennecs having “a huge chance” to advance, “maybe even at the top of the group”. There was confidence elsewhere in Africa too, with Nigeria’s Vanguard quoting Kashimawo Laloko, a former national technical director, describing Group A as “easy”.
The section’s top seeds, Argentina, shared this optimism. Diario Deportivo Olé encapsulated the sense of satisfaction, pointing out that, instead of landing in "El grupo de la muerte" (the group of death) - as they had in 2002 and 2006 - La Albiceleste had been handed "El grupo de la suerte" (the group of luck). Reaction in Greece was more muted, with Greeksoccer.com reflecting on the “uncanny irony” of being reunited with Argentina and Nigeria, two of the teams who ensured a miserable FIFA World Cup debut for their side at USA 1994. In Korea Republic, United News
also looked to the past, recalling in the article “Huh Jung-Moo resumes rivalry with Maradona” that their national coach performed a brutal man-marking job on his Argentina counterpart in the teams’ Mexico 1986 opener. (fifa.com)
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