Niall Goeghegan apologises for his lack of favouritism and backs Mexico for victory in the opener.
Niall's confident Mexico will silence the home fans
I have a friend who's an avid Bolton Wanderers fan. When talking football, our conversations usually involve Sam Allardyce, Johan Elmander and Bolton's miniscule fanbase.
However, one question I was always intrigued to discover the answer to was why the fans detested Gary Megson as they did during his reign, despite some impressive results, avoiding relegation and a participation in some of Europe's finest cities. And while there'll never be a definitive answer to such a question, my friend's reply, basically, was that Megson just never endeared himself to the Wanderers faithful.
One of the ways in which he alienated his paying customers, I was astounded to hear, was by referring to the club he managed as 'they' in interviews, a sure-fire method of distancing himself from the very people who paid his wages, and proving that he really had no affiliation with his club other than a pay packet.
My point is that, when reading back my first Mexico blog, I realised that I was making the same mistake, referring to Mexico as 'they' despite them acting as my adopted nation for this tournament. I subsequently lambasted myself, before making sure I'd never do it again. So, it's 'our', 'us' and 'we' from this point onwards, and, like Megson, I should be sacked if I slip into using anything else.
Looking forward to the South Africa game, I maintain the comments made in my opening blog - that Mexico's biggest danger is becoming overawed by such a tremendous occasion and failing to play the possession football we impressed with at Wembley.
While many believe that South Africa will benefit from a few decisions in the forthcoming tournament, I'd be surprised if we lost this game because of a referee, so that kind of home advantage can't act as an excuse.
We're used to playing at a high altitude, which could work massively in our favour in later games, if not tomorrow. I honestly believe that we can keep the ball as well as any nation in this competition (we're undoubtedly better at it than England) so frustrating the home crowd by retaining possession could be key in winning us the game. Though what we need to improve on from Wembley is our ability to make the possession count and create enough chances to win the game.
key player
The key player for us is Andres Guardado, who appeared in more of the qualifying matches than any other Mexican and possesses irrefutable talent, with a finer ability to unlock defences than Lampard, Ribery or Deco. If he can get on the ball and dictate, whilst also chipping in with the impressive amount of goals he is prone to, we have every chance of upsetting the hosts.
I hope we see more of the slick Carlos Vela and the enigmatic Giovani Dos Santos than many expect us to, with Miguel Sabah tipped to lead the line on his own in the opening game. You can't win anything with kids, but if you scatter their youthful brilliance and unquestionable spark onto this illustrious stage, it can't do any harm.
But, forgetting everything else, what we must do is make sure we play our game, don't freeze and enjoy playing football on the greatest stage there is, as there would be nothing more utterly unfulfilling - no finer way of doing yourself a grave injustice - than forgetting the way you've played throughout the qualifiers and lose your bottle when push comes to shove.
Because despite being the host nation, despite the big crowds and the pace in their squad, South Africa aren't that good. While neither team boasts any world class stars, we've a host of players who could eventually become brilliant, while South Africa's only household name is the admittedly excellent Steven Pienaarr. Relying on vociferous home support and the momentum of the event carrying them through is dangerously unconvincing, while defeat in their preparatory friendlies has only served to increase the scepticism surrounding their chances in this tournament.
There is growing concern that they could boast the unflattering record of being the first host nation to fail to progress from their group in the World Cup. All of which makes it pretty vital that we get a result, difficult as it may be. So, as all good pre-match articles should end with a prediction, here's mine: 2-0 Mexico, and an already massive stride towards the second round. Come on the Tricolor!
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