Only 193 days are left till the 2006 World Cup, yet between now and then lies a maw of uncertainty. The club vs. country debate is an old one but still rages acrimoniously every year.

The argument of the clubs is simple. We pay the players’ wages and if they are to come back injured from international duty then national federations should be held accountable. Makes sense.
But conversely, imagine how the World Cup would suffer as a spectacle if the likes of Adriano, Wayne Rooney and Luca Toni were to be injured while playing for their clubs. The maw aforementioned is not only uncertain but perilous.

In a time when you would be hard pressed to name prominent local talent in Arsenal, Internazionale and Barcelona, the appeal of international football should be even greater. The ornate nationalism that a tournament like the World Cup brings is welcomed respite from blurry club identities. Though the cosmopolitan cast of clubs is undoubtedly progress, it has come at the expense of local talent, which no country should abide by.

The World Cup allows us at least to forget about wage disputes and managerial turnover (that comes in the frightening aftermath). It also makes us remember how pervasive football is. The thirty-two countries that make up the show come from all zones this time. Australia finally beat a South American nation in the play-offs, as Uruguay were the ones to bow out to Guus Hiddink’s plucky side.

Africa has also offered new contestants as the likes of Togo, Ghana, Angola and the Ivory Coast supplant the usual suspects of Cameroon, Senegal and Nigeria.

The Asian challenge has recently risen to prominence with South Korea providing heroics all the way to the semi-finals of the previous World Cup. This time, expect Iran to be a handful for many. The country’s proudest export, Ali Karimi of Bayern Munich, is a potent striking weapon up front. If one has any doubts about his ability, look no further than the superb goal he scored against Rapid Vienna this past week.

But despite all the newcomers, the winner of the competition (warning: no brainer coming up) is most likely going to come from Europe or South America. Brazil with Kaka, Adriano, Ronaldinho and Robinho look the usual notch above but certainly not invincible as people suggest. Their defence was easily unlocked by Argentina in a qualifier last June, where a pressing game undid them at the back. The 3-1 Argentina win was almost a relieving reminder that Brazil may be the best team going to Germany but they have some significant weaknesses.

Argentinean coach Jose Pekerman should also address his own side’s shortcomings. In their friendly against England, while Juan Roman Riquelme outclassed Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard in the middle of the park, Argentina’s lack of directness and concentration cost them the game. Admittedly, Pekerman took off experienced defender Roberto Ayala near the end but the way his side took their foot off the pedal must have been worrying for the coach.

Argentina’s problems are at least consistent. Their lack of physical strength and inability to be less pretty and more effective has hurt them before. The World Cup in 2002 was case and point. Coached then by Marcelo Bielsa, who emphasized a slick passing game, Argentina bowed out in the first round.

In Europe, Marco van Basten’s young Netherlands team has been making all the right noises. They won their qualifying group, which contained the Czech. Republic, at a canter and van Basten has done an excellent job of introducing young talent into a team that seemed to have had lost its vigour. Ruud van Nistelrooy is still the one to do the business up front but the likes of Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben will provide youthful enthusiasm for the Netherlands.

The only team to have beaten the Dutch under van Basten’s reign is Marcello Lippi’s Italy. Their recent 3-1 friendly defeat of the Netherlands in Amsterdam emphasized that even without Francesco Totti (missing through injury), Italy possess an abundance of class up front in Luca Toni, Alberto Gilardino and a rejuvenated old hand, Alessandro Del Piero.

After Giovanni Trapattoni left the Azzurri in the wake of a disappointing Euro2004 campaign, Lippi inherited a team mainly built around Totti. While Lippi has still looked to Totti for the main playmaking role, his most credible move has been consolidating Milan’s Andrea Pirlo as the deep-seated playmaker. The presence of Pirlo gives Italy a specialist in free-kicks and a player who can control the tempo of a game. While Totti can provide for the excellent duo of Toni and Gilardino up front, Pirlo can pepper passes all around from his unique vantage at the back.

There is also a lot to be said for Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Portugal. Though they were handed an easy qualifying group they qualified with minimum fuss and scored with consummate ease. In Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo they have a wing-play system that is truly mesmerizing. One of the highlights of Euro2004 was how effortlessly Ronaldo and Figo interchanged flanks en route to that fated final against Greece.

One can go on and on about the European constitution but let’s spare a parting thought for Ukraine. The country has qualified for the World Cup for the first time as an independent nation. A tall feat for the country and their inspiration, Andriy Shevchenko.
Milan’s super striker has been rubbing shoulders with the best at club level and will now finally get a chance to shine for his country. Is that not what the club and country dichotomy should be about?

Hasan Saiyid
TotalSoccer.ca writer/editor