Bring on the World Cup, Germany Says

The 2005 Confederations Cup can be considered a success for the majority of those involved. For those who organized and conducted it, a few pitch invaders and leaky roofs aside, the tournament ran smoothly with few visible hitches.

The German World Cup Organizing Committee (OK) should be looking to the main event next summer with optimism after presiding over a festival of soccer which brought in impressive crowds for the big games and delivered, on the whole, exciting matches played in the right spirit.

As a result, those fans that did travel can also be regarded as winners. The German transport system coped well with the cowrds that flocked to the Confederations Cup and made sure that most people go to and back to where they wanted to be safely. The stadiums, apart from the leaky roof in Frankfurt on Wednesday night, were in tip-top shape and provided safe and comfortable venues in which the average gates of 36,000 fans could enjoy the soccer.

There were problems with slight lapses in security which allowed four interlopers to get onto the field in four separate matches, something which will have to be addressed before nations with more dubious fans arrive for the World Cup, and some of the games looked to be poorly attended. But on the whole, the supporters were catered for in a way you would expect from the efficient and organized Germans.

On the pitch, the Confederations Cup surpassed its rather insulting title of "mini World Cup" and provided a feast of goals, nail-biting matches, shocks and surprises as befitting a major international tournament.

A return to the heady days of Brazil greatness

Brazil showed that hype and weight of history can be carried effortlessly on even the youngest shoulders as the new breed of samba stars rolled back the years and finally put on a performance worthy of the canary yellow shirt by thrashing Argentina 4-1 to win the cup.

They had stuttered against Mexico, almost imploded against Japan and labored against Germany but on Wednesday night they showed what it means to be Brazil. The way Carlos Alberto Parreira's team dismantled their old foes was a throwback to the days of Pele, Socrates and Zico.

Entering the competition with question marks over their heads, the new Brazil can surely look to the World Cup next year and have high hopes of retaining the trophy.

Argentina, however, will feel that they never got into their highest gear despite two wins and a draw in their group stage. While the 4-1 final score line in the final was anything but flattering, the Argentineans will know that it was not a true reflection on how they can really play. The likes of Hernan Crespo, Roberto Ayala and the suspended Javier Saviola will surely feature at the World Cup if fit and one would expect a more confident display.

Saying that, it was not a B-list side that Jose Pekerman put out at the Confederations Cup and when it came to the crunch players like Juan Pablo Sorin and Juan Riquelme went missing at times. The electrifying confidence of the 3-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Brazil in May was sadly missing throughout this tournament.

Read more about the Confederations Cup.

Germany will be looking to the World Cup on home soil next summer with guarded optimism. There were huge positives gained from the campaign that saw the host nation take the third spot but there will be just as large question marks over certain aspects which led them to a play-off final rather than the final proper itself.

Jürgen Klinsmann should be applauded for using the Confederations Cup to really blood his young stars and the impact on the tournament of attacking players like Lukas Podolski, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mike Hanke and his youthful back line should bode well for a successful future.

However, while the offensive displays put Germany ahead in the scoring stakes, defensive fallibilities almost ended the adventure before it began. In an expanded tournament against more world class teams, Germany may be found wanting.

Mexico were just one of the teams that exposed the German defense. Ricardo Lavolpe's team were supposed to be a surprise but coming into the tournament on the back on an 18 game unbeaten streak, it was hard to see why. When they increased that to 21 with wins over Japan and Brazil and a draw with Greece, it looked less like a surprise package but a team coming into a golden period.

The long and painful semi-final defeat to Argentina knocked the stuffing out of them but they still managed to fight back three times against the Germans before succumbing to Michael Ballack's superbly executed free-kick in extra-time. Mexico showed they could play but need to take it to another level if they are to be considered dark horses for the World Cup next year.

Elsewhere, Japan showed that their so-called "future" brand of soccer was coming of age with impressive performances against Greece and Brazil but also showed that, if they are to progress from being the most consistent and imaginative Asian team, they have to learn how to put chances away.

Greece could have been buried under a goal avalanche if Japan had scored half the chances they missed against them and it would have been no less than the woeful Greeks deserved. Something radical needs to be done in Greece to get the European champions fired up again before the World Cup.

African champions Tunisia made a lot of friends in Germany but failed to really get to grips with the stage they were on. Despite holding Germany for 74 minutes, giving Argentina a scare and beating the Socceroos, Tunisia looked exactly what they are: a team in evolution.

Australia also made friends and also some enemies with their combative style. The Socceroos finished without a point and with ten goals against them in three matches but they showed spirit and goal-scoring prowess against the Germans and Argentineans on their way out.