Dunga
“Anyone nicknamed Dopey– or as the moniker quite nicely translates into Portuguese, Dunga–will be an easy mark for ridicule. Even Carlos Dunga’s most tender gestures, like wearing attire designed by his daughter to big matches, result in the commentariat doubling over in cruel laughter at his expense. But in this World Cup, he has cut an image that is more villainous than comic. He is cast as the heartless assassin of joga bonito, the mercenary who took a pillow and snuffed the élan out of the Brazilian game. Where Maradona is portrayed as lovably unable to control his appetites and Domench as a hapless buffoon, the biopic of Dunga’s life will star Gary Oldman.” (TNR)

“Brazil approach their second game in the World Cup with anxieties about future opponents tempered by the insipid 0-0 draw between Ivory Coast and Portugal. History should also provide comfort for Brazil in relation to Ivory Coast – Sunday’s opponents would join Zaire, Algeria, Cameroon and Ghana as African teams who have succumbed to the five-time champions at the World Cup.” (WSC)

“‘It’s just like watching Brazil,’ English supporters sing when their club produces a brilliant moment. Well, watching Brazil is no longer like watching Brazil. We all have in our heads past Brazilian sides playing jogo bonito, the beautiful game. Watching the current side puff and grunt against North Korea, on a freezing Johannesburg night on Tuesday, felt more like watching Blackburn Rovers. By the final whistle, Ellis Park was half empty.” (FI – Simon Kuper)

“Theories abounded that this World Cup would favor attacking teams. The cold weather was supposed to lead to superior fitness and, ergo, a goalfest of epic proportions. However, these scientific theories overlooked a very simple fact – we live in the dark ages of soccer. Despite Barcelona’s great season a year ago and Spain’s title as European champion, the tendency to pack the box and not risk tossing numbers forward plagues the world of football like pox-carrying rats. These locusts have resulted in a paltry first round goal total and abysmal goal per game percentage.” (futfanatico)

“Brazil, the most successful team in the World Cup, started the group stage with a match against North Korea. It’s a match that would appear to be very one sided but North Korea have shown in AFC World Cup Qualifying they can be a very tough defensive team.” (The 90th Minute)

“The sound of booing from his own team’s supporters will not surprise Brazil’s head coach at Ellis Park tomorrow night. Whatever goes on inside the mind of Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri, better known as Dunga, his exterior is armour-plated. And, having heard it all before, he will not allow criticism to deflect him from his mission.” (Guardian)

“Kaká. Cafu. Zico. Ronaldinho. Adriano. The names are the stuff of soccer genius, sporting legend, and Western confusion: Why do all Brazilian soccer players have only one name? It’s a good question. Another good question is, What would my name have been had I been born in a Brazilian favela, raised to kick a soccer ball down Rio de Janeiro’s dirt roads, and fallen into ill repute for allegedly having connections to a notorious drug lord?” (Vanity Fair)

“If the World Cup television pundits tell you to forget everything you know about Brazil, then forget everything they tell you. This is a wonderful side that plays superb football. There’s a sense that people have got Brazilian football wrong, that every four years they become convinced the Brazil national team has won five World Cups by playing Globetrotter-esque football with no regard for defence. Did Joga Bonito ever exist? Fans of the 1970 World Cup-winning Brazil side would say yes, but football has advanced an incredible amount in the past forty years, and it’s simply not possible to successfully play that way.” (Zonal Marking)

South Africa will need home support – and luck
“They’re the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, the lowest-ranked hosts in history, and they’ve been drawn in a very difficult group despite having been the seeds. Is there any chance South Africa won’t become the first-ever hosts to fail to get past the group stage?” (Zonal Marking)

Slovakia may quietly sneak into knockout stage
“This is Slovakia’s first-ever appearance at a major international tournament, so you can be forgiven for knowing little about them. That might be their biggest strength – the surprise factor. Not only is their team as a whole relatively unknown, despite having won their qualification group ahead of Slovenia, but many of their players are relatively low-key. Napoli’s Marik Hamsik is unquestionably the star name and Martin Skrtel of Liverpool is well-known, but players like Vladimir Weiss and Mirolav Stoch have had relatively little time in the limelight, and defenders might be facing a threat they know little about.” (Zonal Marking)

“The 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off in just two weeks today, which is so exciting the hair on my legs keeps on spontaneously erupting into flames. By this time next week – when your correspondent Dotmund (to use his Brazilian footballer nickname) completes his guide to the groups – all the final squads will be announced and we’ll be good to go. This is especially useful for him, as he’s just realised he’s not written the preview for Group H yet. Group G, however, is in the can. Let’s suckle at the teat of knowledge and learn about the fortunes of Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast and Portugal.” (twohundredpercent)