While a lucky pool of soccer millionaires can now get down to some serious daydreaming about World Cup glory in South Africa next year, there’s another group of equally well renowned and respected players who will be spending the summer sprucing up the gardens (or getting their agents to buy them fridges).

Here at the Reuters Soccer Blog we’re a little bit saddened by this fact and, doing some daydreaming of our own, we’ve come up with a plan for a 33rd team at the World Cup, made up of players whose countries have failed to qualify.

I’m nominating Sven-Goran Eriksson for the job of coaching them, provided he will agree to swap his plush office at League Two Notts County for a month whipping our World Cup ‘unfortunates’ into shape.

Here’s my stab at a starting XI for the opening game, with a few standbys for the bench.

Sven’s unfortunates (4-3-3): 1-Petr Cech; 2-Yiri Zhirkov, 3-Thomas Vermaelen, 4-Josip Simunic, 5-Christian Chivu; 6-Andrei Arshavin, 7-Luka Modric, 8-Mohamad Zidan; 9-Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 10-Eduardo da Silva, 11-Emanuel Adebayor.

Subs: Shay Given, Razvan Rat, Robbie Keane, Martin Petrov, Dimitar Berbatov, Edin Dzeko, Adrian Mutu.

Razvan Rat makes the cut purely because of the headline grabbing potential of his name, while Shay Given and Robbie Keane deserve something to go right for them.

Bulgaria’s new record goal-scorer Dimitar Berbatov also makes the squad as one of a ridiculous amount of strikers, another is Edin Dzeko who has taken the Bundesliga by storm this season and the last for VfL Wolfsburg.

Have we missed someone obvious? How far could this side go? And, removing tongue from cheek for a second, is this an idea FIFA should consider?

MAKE SURE THIS MAN ISN’T STUCK DOING THE GARDEN: Barcelona’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates his second goal against Zaragoza during their Spanish first division soccer match at Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona October 25, 2009. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino

Monday morning update 2: Mike Collett claims, with some justification it must be said, to have altered his predictions on Friday afternoon. I do indeed have an email from Mike asking me to change them, so I guess we’ll have to give him credit for getting Liverpool v Man City, the double pointer, bang on at 2-2. OK, Mike … but next time, one shot please.

I also decided to give Mitch a one-point bonus for his 5-0 prediction in the Spurs game (closer than anyone else), making him one of the week’s big winners with 18 points. Martyn Herman would have got 20, including a two-point bonus for being the only person to predict an Arsenal defeat, but I docked him two for trying to sneak in a 2-2 prediction on the Anfield game … after the final whistle.

So here’s the latest table here at Reuters Soccer Blog Towers. Let us know how you are doing. Just to recap, it’s a point for the right result, or five points for the correct score. Double points on Liverpool. A two-point bonus if you got Arsenal losing. More bonus points for style if you make a convincing argument in the comments.   

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 129, Mitch Phillips 111, Paul Radford 106,  Mike Collett 101, Simon Evans 89, Kevin Fylan 88, Mark Meadows 87, Miles Evans 86, Neil Maidment 81, Julien Pretot 74, Asia Sports Desk 68, Martyn Herman 46, Justin Palmer 38, Sonia Oxley 29

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Original post: Tired of Thierry? Had enough of Henry? Exhausted at the attempts of headline writers around the world to come up with a catchy way of describing Ireland’s unfortunate World Cup exit? (The Hand of God II, Le Hand of God, La Main de Dieu, Thierrygate … and that’s just us on Reuters Soccer Blog).

If so, we have just the thing for you, as our predictions game is back with a bang following that pesky World Cup break.

Remember the name Rafa? The big big man is back, quite possibly with Sir Steven Gerrard, as the Premier League returns with a belter: Liverpool v Man City at Anfield, 1245 Saturday.

Elsewhere, Man Utd need to put the Chelsea defeat behind them at home to Everton, while Wigan Athletic will have to watch out for the angriest striker in the Premier League, Ireland frontman Robbie Keane, when they face Spurs.

For those new to our score predictions game, you get one point for getting the right result, but make that five points if you get the score exactly right. Pit your wits against us here at the Reuters Soccer Blog panel and just see how quickly you overtake us. Here’s the state of play at the moment.

Reuters Soccer Blog panel: Patrick Johnston 117, Paul Radford 102, Mitch Phillips 93, Mike Collett 88, Miles Evans 86, Simon Evans 85, Kevin Fylan 78, Mark Meadows 77, Julien Pretot 74, Neil Maidment 67, Asia Sports Desk 55, Justin Palmer 38, Martyn Herman 28, Sonia Oxley 26

Rest of the world: Keep your score and let us know in the comments. From next week I’ll try to keep tabs on how you’re doing and add you to the table.

Without further ado, here are this weekend’s matches … and your double pointer is Liverpool v Man City. They couldn’t lose again, could they?

Liverpool v Manchester City: Patrick Johnston 1-1, Paul Radford 2-1 (Gerrard winner), Mitch Phillips 3-0, Mike Collett 1-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Mark Meadows 1-0, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-1, Asia Sports Desk 2-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-2 (came in after match had finished, so points surely to be deducted), Sonia Oxley 1-2

Birmingham City v Fulham: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 0-0, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Mike Collett 1-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-0, Mark Meadows 1-1, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 1-2, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-1, Sonia Oxley 1-1

Burnley v Aston Villa: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 1-2, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Mike Collett 1-2, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Mark Meadows 1-1, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 1-1, Asia Sports Desk 1-2, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-0, Sonia Oxley 1-2

Chelsea v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Patrick Johnston 4-0, Paul Radford 3-0, Mitch Phillips 4-1, Mike Collett 3-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 3-0, Kevin Fylan 4-1, Mark Meadows 3-0, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 4-0, Asia Sports Desk 4-0, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 5-0, Sonia Oxley 3-1

Hull City v West Ham United: Patrick Johnston 0-2, Paul Radford 0-1, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Mike Collett 2-2, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 1-2, Kevin Fylan 0-0, Mark Meadows 1-2, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 1-1, Asia Sports Desk 0-0, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 1-1, Sonia Oxley 2-3

Sunderland v Arsenal: Patrick Johnston 1-3, Paul Radford 0-2, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Mike Collett 1-2, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-3, Mark Meadows 0-3, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 1-3, Asia Sports Desk 1-2, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 1-0, Sonia Oxley 0-2

Manchester United v Everton: Patrick Johnston 2-0, Paul Radford 2-1, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Mike Collett 2-0, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-0, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mark Meadows 1-0, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-0, Asia Sports Desk 2-0, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-0, Sonia Oxley 2-0

Bolton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers: Patrick Johnston 2-3, Paul Radford 1-1, Mitch Phillips 2-1, Mike Collett 2-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-1, Mark Meadows 1-2, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-1, Asia Sports Desk 2-2, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 0-1, Sonia Oxley 2-1

Tottenham Hotspur v Wigan Athletic: Patrick Johnston 4-1, Paul Radford 3-1, Mitch Phillips 5-0, Mike Collett 1-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-0, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mark Meadows 3-0, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-1, Asia Sports Desk 2-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 2-1, Sonia Oxley 3-2

Stoke City v Portsmouth: Patrick Johnston 2-1, Paul Radford 2-0, Mitch Phillips 1-0, Mike Collett 1-1, Miles Evans , Simon Evans 2-1, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mark Meadows 2-1, Julien Pretot , Neil Maidment 2-0, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Justin Palmer , Martyn Herman 1-0, Sonia Oxley 2-1

Major League Soccer’s finale, MLS Cup, takes place on Sunday in Seattle and (perhaps surprisingly to some) the game between L.A. Galaxy and Real Salt Lake will be broadcast in over 120 countries.

For the benefit of those fans outside of the States, who might be tuning in to watch David Beckham play for the Galaxy (or perhaps admire the intelligent midfield play of Real’s Clint Mathis?) and aren’t familiar with MLS or it’s final, here are some answers to the kind of questions you might be asking yourself as you sit down on the sofa and get ready for…

Well no, not really a Cup final. Officially the game is known as ‘MLS Cup’ (or Copa MLS in the league’s Spanish language literature) but unlike say every other Cup final in the world, this is not the final game of a knockout Cup competition. No, this is the game which decides the league champions of MLS.

But what about the team who finish top of the league table? Aren’t they the champions?

What league table? There is no single league table in MLS. The 15 team league has two league tables for the two conferences – East and West. The top two teams from each conference alongside four teams with the next best record in the league overall go into a knockout playoff format and this is the final game of that process.

Ah, so it’s like the NFL’s Super Bowl then, or the World Series. MLS Eastern Conference champions v MLS Western Conference champions?

Got it! L.A Galaxy are the Western Conference champions and Real Salt Lake are the Eastern Conference champions.

But, hold on, isn’t Salt Lake City in the West of the United States?

Yes it is and it plays in the Western Conference. But as five of the eight playoff teams were from the West, Real were moved into the Eastern playoffs – which they won. So both teams in this final are from the Western Conference…

Right…erm, moving on…what’s all this ‘Real’ about anyway? Isn’t it a bit silly to copy Real Madrid’s name when the team has nothing to do with the Spanish giants?

To be fair, the alternative name was apparently Salt Lake City Highlanders and the Salt Lake team, who only joined MLS in 2005, have a 10 year co-operation agreement with Real Madrid which is to include a $25 million youth academy in Salt Lake which Real cough up half the costs for, in return for access to the young players.

However, as this article shows, little has been delivered on the agreement.

$25 million academy…there seems to be a lot of money in MLS. Isn’t Beckham getting something like $250 million for his five-year contract?

No he isn’t. Nowhere near that amount. That widely quoted figure was put out by Beckham’s management team when he signed for Galaxy but it includes an estimate of likely revenue in sponsorship. His actual salary is $6.5 million a year, which is not bad either but not at all typical of the league.

In fact there is very little money in MLS for players salaries – Real Salt Lake’s leading scorer Robbie Findley (18 goals in 27 regular season games) this year earned just $72,000. The MLS Players Union kindly provides details of every player’s salary here.

But if Findley keeps scoring like that he will get a big money move to another club won’t he?

Do you really want me to go into salary caps, drafts, roster regulations etc? Let’s just say MLS is very different from the league you are used to in your country. MLS is called a ‘single entity league’ which means that all the player contracts are actually owned by the league not by the clubs.

There isn’t really an internal transfer market. And as for moving abroad – if say, Manchester City wanted to sign Robbie Findley, they would need to do a deal with MLS not just Salt Lake.

But anyway, Americans don’t care about soccer do they? Will most Americans even know this game is taking place?

Come on, get with the program. 40,000 tickets have been sold in Seattle for Sunday’s game. The main newspapers – like the New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today and TV channels like CNN and ESPN have been building up to the game.

Remember with cable or satellite you can watch soccer from around the world pretty much non-stop every weekend from any living room in the States. And quite a number of Americans do just that. If you have the good fortune to meet a committed MLS fan be ready for a two hour conversation covering various aspects of the global game over the past 20 years and to be told about their lifelong passion for Scunthorpe United….

Scunthorpe United?

Or some obscure Irish team or a French third division club. Soccer is a sub-culture in the United States, maybe even slightly counter-culture. It is an alternative ‘scene’ and the fans are intensely proud of their involvement in the sport, take their ‘fandom’ very seriously and consume and debate huge amounts of information about the game locally and internationally.

Yet despite all that they aren’t trainspotters – just very passionate and remarkably well-informed. Soccer fans are basically amongst the nicest people you will meet in the U.S. Oh and its not just Americans, don’t forget Canada is part of MLS too – with a team in Toronto and a future team from Vancouver joining in 2011 with Montreal possibly following.

Expansion franchises eh?

Now you’re getting it….

By the way, who is that white guy with the long dreadlocks in midfield for Salt Lake?

That’s Kyle Beckerman. He’s pretty good actually and could well be part of the U.S midfield at the World Cup. Keeps it ticking in midfield, intelligent passer.

Is he a Rasta or what?

A Reuters reporter asked him that this week and Beckerman replied that his haircut does not reflect any religious beliefs. However he did say that if he was religious he would probably be a Rastafarian.

And that Donovan fellah playing upfront for L.A. He doesn’t like Beckham does he?

Nonsense. Landon Donovan may have made some very critical remarks about his team mate in the book “The Beckham Experiment” and made no attempt to hide his antipathy for how the Englishman was behaving at the Galaxy but he and David are best friends now. The other day they spent two thirds of the pre-final press conference expressing their admiration and respect for each other.

What is that Shakespeare line about protesting too much?

Stop being cynical. But if it goes on like this much longer, they’ll be modeling underwear together….

Hold on a minute, aren’t they playing on a plastic pitch?

The surface is called ‘FieldTurf’ and is indeed an artificial grass pitch. It’s very different to the early artificial surfaces (English fans may remember a very bouncy ‘plastic’ pitch at QPR’s Loftus Road) and is used on a number of NFL venues. Qwest Field is home to the Seattle Seahawks as well as the MLS’s Seattle Sounders.

So American players like playing on artificial surfaces then?

No. “All the players prefer grass” said one MLS Cup participant this week.

What happens if the scores are level after 90 minutes?

Extra-time and penalties if needed — same as anywhere else. The days of the ‘shootout’ with players running with the ball and taking on the keeper are long gone. Shame really, that was pretty good.

So will they be dancing in the streets of Salt Lake or honking their car horns around L.A if their team wins?

OK, MLS Cup is raising its profile but sure, it isn’t the Super Bowl. There will however be several thousand fans from both cities in Seattle to support their team and many more at viewing parties in the pubs back home. The pub has become a central part of the new MLS fan culture as the last few nights in Seattle have proven.

Hmm almost sounds worth going to a game over there, but if I go to America do I really have to call it ‘soccer’?

Well, is it really so bad? Think of the history of that term — soccer was a phrase first used by the English as a way to shorten the term ‘Association Football’ used to distinguish the game from Rugby Football. Charles Wreford-Brown is credited with coining the phrase and if it was good enough for a man schooled at Charterhouse it is surely acceptable for former subjects of the crown to use.

And doesn’t it make perfect sense in countries with other kinds of football (Australia or the U.S) to use the phrase soccer?

But anyway if you really have ‘issues’ with the phrase then don’t worry – almost everyone in America knows what the rest of the world means when it talks about football. They won’t think you are talking about the NFL. MLS probably gets it right with its slogan – Football, Futbol, Soccer (video here).

In other words, take your pick.

Ok, let’s have your pick then. Galaxy or Real?

I’m not a betting man but the form book shows that Salt Lake lost more games than they won in the regular season and only won twice away from home.  But then again this is a Cup final…..

PHOTO: Kyle Beckerman (R) of the U.S. and Walter Julian Martinez Ramos (L) of Honduras fight for the ball during the first half of their CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-final soccer match in Chicago, Illinois, July 23, 2009. REUTERS/Frank Polich

Overseeing qualification for the World Cup via a blatant handball is unlikely to do much for the popularity of French coach Raymond Domenech, either at home or abroad (his Wikipedia page is currently saying some very nasty things about him, but it will doubtless be put back to its less offensive version soon).

The 57-year-old former defender, whose name is booed at every match, has never made any effort to make himself popular, but here are 10 reasons (or nearly 10) why football fans may want to reconsider their view:

1. He has never won anything as a coach, a characteristic shared by most soccer fans, which makes him less intimidating than, say, Giovanni Trapattoni.

2. He was a workaholic defender with limited skills in his playing days, with makes a nice change in a country full of retired magicians.

3. He is more successful as a coach than the great Michel Platini, under the guidance of whom France failed to win a single match at Euro 92.

4. He convinced Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele to come out of retirement and guide France all the way to the 2006 World Cup final.

5. He made Yoann Gourcuff his playmaker when others doubted he even had a place in the starting line-up.

6. He made sure Loic Remy, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Bafetimbi Gomis became famous outside their regions.

7. He is an incurable romantic, asking his partner to marry him rather than apologising to the fans after France lost a World Cup final largely because of Zidane’s infamous headbutt.

8. He is not obsessed with television, being the only Frenchman not to have watched the replay of Wednesday’s controversial goal.

9. Most people don’t like him, so being a fan of Domenech is more original than liking Nelson Mandela, the Beatles or chocolate ice cream.

10. OK, that’s only nine. Anyone care to nominate a 10th?

PHOTO: France team coach Raymond Domenech (C) celebrates their win against Ireland in their World Cup qualifying playoff return leg match at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis near Paris November 18, 2009. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

France’s decisive goal against Ireland in their World Cup play-off will only add further weight to the case for using a video ref, or extra goal-line officials, at least in the biggest matches.

The controversial extra-time strike from William Gallas took France through to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while leaving the Irish barely able to contain a sense of frustration and injustice.

It was goal which should not have stood, as TV pictures made plain. French captain Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball, not once, but twice before crossing for Gallas to score from close range.

Once again, fans are wondering how a mistake of such magnitude, in such a high-stakes game,  could be allowed to happen.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA chief Michel Platini both disagree with the use of video referees but their case would have been a hard one to make in front of Irish fans on Wednesday. Soccer’s top officials say a video referee will only slow down the game. True enough, but would it not be better to stop the game and get the right decision rather than continue and see a faulty decision stand?

Platini, for his part, has managed to push through the idea of an extra official behind both goals with an eye on spotting such infringements. Currently the idea is being piloted in UEFA’s second-tier Europa League, but it may now be time to take the brave decision to introduce this across the board.

If we see another “Hand of God” moment in South Africa, perhaps one that decides the final, will football’s reputation survive it?

TO: France’s team captain Thierry Henry reacts in their World Cup qualifying playoff return leg match against Ireland at the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis near Paris November 18, 2009. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

France ensured the likes of Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Thierry Henry will be at the World Cup in South Africa next year after winning through with a goal that has left Irish fans seething.

There was nothing wrong with the finish from William Gallas, but Thierry Henry admitted using his hand to keep the ball in play and commentators and Irish supporters are already talking of “The Hand of God II” and “The Hand of Henry” in reference to Diego Maradona in 1986.

“Yes, there is handball but I am not the referee,” Henry told reporters. “I’m in the box, there are two defenders in front of me. The ball bounced off my hand, the referee did not see it and I played on.”

Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni called the goal a “great mistake” by Swedish referee Martin Hansson but he chose not to accuse Henry of cheating.

“I told the referee that it is possible to make great mistakes,” Trapattoni told a new conference after the game at Stade de France. “It is a bitter evening.”

Trapattoni said he felt the referee should have talked to his assistants and to Henry before awarding the goal.

“I am sad because the referee had time to ask the linesman and I am sure he should have asked Henry as well,” the Italian said.

The result, 1-1 on the night, gave France a 2-1 aggregate win and saw them join Portugal, Greece and Slovenia as the successful sides on the final night of European qualifying.

So Ribery and the rest will join Cristiano Ronaldo and Deco at the finals, after Portugal booked their place with a more convincing performance away to Bosnia.

Joining the list of big name players to miss out are Andriy Shevchenko, after Ukraine were denied by Greece, and Andrei Arshavin, following Russia’s elimination against Slovenia.

With Algeria winning through 1-0 against Egypt in Sudan, 31 of the 32 places have been decided, with Uruguay v Costa Rica to decide the one remaining issue.

France wining through against Ireland was by no means a shock but the manner of their victory will be painful to take for a team that played out of their skins in the French capital.

(Post updated with quotes)

From 1730 GMT.

Depending on the results of the second legs of the UEFA World Cup playoffs on Wednesday, next year’s tournament in South Africa could contain rather too many of football’s lesser lights for some fans out there.

Portugal, France and Russia, could all perish and the tournament, which is supposed to be the pinnacle of the game, could have a cast list including Honduras, New Zealand, North Korea, Slovakia, Bosnia and Slovenia.

Some fear the absence of world stars like Portugal’s Real Madrid playmaker Cristiano Ronaldo, Russia’s magician Andrei Arshavin and France’s mercurial Frank Ribery would de-value the tournament.

But would it be such a bad thing?

Some would suggest that Europe’s top nations should be guaranteed entry into the World Cup finals with a few token places for the also-rans.

But where would that leave the likes of Bosnia? Who could deny them their place on the biggest stage for the first time if they overturn a 1-0 deficit against Portugal in Zenica.

While that would leave Ronaldo kicking his heels on some beach next year, it would open the way for new names. Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko may not have much of a profile yet outside his home country and the Bundesliga where he plays, but after scoring 10 times in qualifying few would begrudge him his chance.

France have endured a fairly miserable few years under Raymond Domenech since finishing as runners-up in 2006. They should be there next year after winning 1-0 in Dublin last weekend but there may well be a few wry smiles from some of their rivals if they blow it in Paris.

Bar owners in South Africa’s host cities may also be hoping that Ireland’s party-loving fans are in town next year. And while Ireland have no A-list players, their supporters would certainly embellish the tournament.

PHOTO: Bosnia’s Edin Dzeko react during their World Cup playoff first leg against Portugal at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Nov 14, 2009. REUTERS/Jose Manuel Ribeiro

Spain’s 2-1 friendly victory over Argentina on Saturday was further evidence that the European champions are going to take some stopping if they are to be denied their first ever World Cup triumph.

Vicente del Bosque’s men will have the bruises to show that ‘friendly’ was perhaps not the best word to describe an exciting and competitive match that was lucky to finish with 22 men still on the pitch.

“You are likely to see games like this in the World Cup finals,” Argentina coach Diego Maradona, before receiving his two-month ban from FIFA, said after the game. “Argentina didn’t come to kick their opponents. Argentina played to the limits.”

Argentina may have struggled in qualifying for South Africa but they have lost none of their abrasive edge (committing 23 fouls to Spain’s 7) and gave Spain, who won all 10 of their qualifiers, a run for their money.

But Del Bosque’s side are not easily thrown off their stride. They played the better football and crafted a wonderful opening goal with a slick passing move that Xabi Alonso netted, after David Silva’s shot was parried.

Lionel Messi equalised from the penalty spot before Xabi Alonso sealed the victory with a late penalty for the hosts.

“It was a friendly but we knew it would be tough,” Spain captain Iker Casillas, who won his 100th cap, said. “It’s important to beat the major sides, more so if they are a former world champion.

“Now all we need to do is beat Brazil, because we have already beaten England, Germany, Italy and France. After this result the rest of the world will have more respect for us.”

Spain have recovered well from their shock 2-0 defeat to the United States in the Confederations Cup in June – a result that denied them a shot at Brazil in the final – but it served as a useful reminder that they cannot afford to rest on their laurels.

Before the Argentina game, Del Bosque admitted his greatest concern was preventing any over-confidence, but he appears to have successfully nurtured the competitiveness in the side to keep it fresh.

Since Euro 2008, outstanding new talents have debuted in an already impressive squad, including Barcelona’s Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets, Valencia’s Juan Mata and Pablo Hernandez, and Sevilla’s Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo.

A World Cup showdown between Brazil and Spain next year would be a fascinating encounter, and it is difficult to bet against one of them being the likely winner.

PHOTO: Spain’s Joan Capdevilla (L) battles for the ball against Argentina’s Fabrizio Coloccini during their friendly soccer match at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid, November 14, 2009. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

Most of the French fans who made up over half of my red-eye flight back to Brussels from Dublin on Sunday concurred that “Le Bleus” were lucky to emerge from the Croke Park cauldron around eight hours earlier with a 1-0 victory over Ireland in the first leg of their World Cup playoff.

“The result was fantastic, but the performance was not so good,” Jean, from Lille, said after the dust had settled on the win over Giovanni Trapattoni’s team, thanks to a 73rd minute deflected goal from Nicolas Anelka.

“We were lucky to score and we didn’t show any flair. The Irish will be disappointed not to have got a draw,” said Marie, sporting a red, white and blue wig.

“If we don’t play better on Wednesday, Ireland will definitely score and it will be difficult for us.”

Those views had perhaps been shared by an uncomfortable-looking France coach Ray Domenech, who failed to heap any praise on his side and threatened to walk out of the post-match news conference if he was questioned further over a reported pre-match spat with captain Thierry Henry.

French media reported the Barcelona striker was unhappy Domenech had not picked his former Arsenal team mate Patrick Vieira — now at Inter Milan — in his squad for the playoff.

Henry didn’t look to be as involved as he can be, failing to chase down a number of half chances, though the the Irish defence, marshalled brilliantly by Aston Villa’s Richard Dunne, deserves a bit of credit for that.

On the flip side for the French, Anelka showed a hunger and willingness to try to unlock a game which was cat and mouse for the most part and lacked any outstanding or memorable periods of play from either side.

Ireland for their part stuck to wily Trapattoni’s game plan by closing down France at every opportunity. It was reminiscent of the glory days when Ireland under Jack Charlton used to play by the motto ”Put them under pressure”.

The home side also created their own opportunities to score and went close on a number of occasions. John O’Shea in the first half and Glenn Whelan late in the game both scuffed their chance for Irish immortality.

On the evidence of the first leg encounter, the French fans on board my flight on Sunday agreed that if Ireland can get an early goal, turn the impatient home support against their team, and show more confidence in attack, Trapattoni has a real chance of emulating Charlton in Paris and steering the Boys in Green to South Africa next June.

PHOTO: France’s Nicolas Anelka celebrates scoring during the 2010 World Cup play off qualifying soccer match against Ireland at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin November 14, 2009. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton