By Myles Palmer
Halfway through a World Cup I usually pick my World Team- and it is always easy.
Not this time.
I can’t see many great players, only players who should be great having average/awful games.
So far I think KLOSE is better than Owen, HAKAN SAS is better than Totti, BASTURK is as good as Rivaldo and DIOUF is better than Henry or Eto’o.
I’m three players short at the moment and my memory banks have become memory blanks.
It must be football overload. I’m burned out by too many 7.30 kick-offs.
After the tournament, or maybe next week, it will be easier to find eleven names.
HERE ARE THE EIGHT NAMES I HAVE PENCILLED IN SO FAR
1. Rustu Turkey
2. Coly Senegal
5.
6. Ferdinand England
3. Cole England
7. Zanetti Argentina
4. Vieira France
8.
11.
9. Vieri Italy
10. Keane Ireland
Next week I might have some inspiration, some more ideas, some better ideas.
Next week I will reveal my full team.
It can’t be that hard to come up with three more names.
Maybe they will come to me in a dream.
Gonna do some work now before the Italy-South Korea game.
18th June 2002.
PS I realise that people might think an unfinished team is eccentric, silly,ridiculously self-indulgent.
But my World Team is a work-in-progress.
I haven’t made as much progress as I expected, but then this has been a World Cup of the unexpected.