INSIDER World Cup Diary - Wenger Says Expectation Burdening Favorites; Terror Attack Fears

(WFI) Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, says the insatiable level of expectation upon some of the World Cup’s biggest contenders is holding them back and causing them to underperform.

Italy, who last night drew 1-1 with unfancied New Zealand, were the latest country to experience a disappointing result in a tournament that is becoming noted for its upsets.

England, France, Germany and Spain have also suffered surprise results in their opening matches, but Wenger – speaking at a reception hosted by the Football Association on Saturday – says that this is an inevitable consequence of the pressure they face, adding that they play to get through rather than to please.

"The biggest teams who have the highest level of expectation cannot express that talent yet," he said.

"One reason is caution, fear of failure, response to huge demands. These teams will just glide through, most of them, then you will see them [play] really."

Wenger believes the World Cup is much more evenly matched now and that the days when lower ranked teams would be routinely turned over are at an end.

"The lower teams have done quite well," he said. "One of the things of the World Cup now is that there are no real weak teams any more when you beat them 10-0."

"Basically the big teams with high expectations play these first round games just to get through. I don't think consciously but more for fear of failure. In the modern game there is too much demand, too much pressure too much expectation and sometimes too much inhibition."

Wenger highlighted Mexico and the USA for praise from the opening week of matches.

The Mexicans, he said "combine style and efficiency, which is what I like" while the Americans "try to play football to speed up the game and pass the ball well".

As for France, the country of his birth, he resisted the temptation to criticize its beleaguered manager, Raymond Domenech, who he played with while a player with Strasbourg in the late-1970s.

"We are down because we don't manage to win the game," he said. "But I believe that we had a low level of confidence going into the competition because of at least three negative results."

Explosion embarrasses World Cup organisers

Fears that a terror attack had finally hit the World Cup seemed briefly to be realized on Sunday, after a loud explosion was heard by journalists working in the Soccer City media centre.

One journalist reported "a loud explosion" followed by "shockwaves" as confusion briefly reigned.

Police, however, were quick to clear up the situation – it had been a "controlled explosion" at a nearby explosives factory in Roodeport.

Soccer City is within a mining district and stands between two enormous slagheaps, so the presence of explosives in the vicinity should not come as a surprise.

But the incident, coming just a few hours before Brazil met the Ivory Coast, was the cause of some embarrassment to the local organising committee, who were clearly caught off guard by it. Certainly this was not something that they "controlled".

More red faces for the LOC came on Friday when an England fan, Pavlos Joseph, walked into his country’s dressing after their disappointing goalless draw with Algeria.

Joseph told the UK’s Sunday Mirror that he was directed there by a security guard while looking for the toilet.

"The next thing I knew, there was David Beckham standing in front of me," he told the Sunday Mirror.

After overcoming his initial shock, he decided to tell the underperforming squad a few home truths before a FIFA official led him away.

Beckham, on Saturday, played down the incident saying it had been "blown out of proportion".

"The actual fan literally just walked in very casually and just said something to me and then walked out. There was no scuffle, there was no aggression at all."

Police, who last week took over security arrangements at Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium, arrested Joseph on Sunday.

Angry Socceroos fans protest

Egged on by a virulent and critical domestic media, Australia’s fans are arguably second only to England in having unreasonable – even unrealistic – levels of expectation for their country during the World Cup.

At Saturday’s match against Ghana, there was real pride among fans at the gutsy way the Socceroos played – but anger too against their unpopular manager, Pim Verbeek, and the Italian referee, Roberto Rosetti, who correctly (though not in Australian eyes) sent off Harry Kewell for handball in the game’s defining moment.

Frustration boiled over late on, when a hail of at least 30 Budweiser beer bottles thrown by Socceroos fans rained onto the running track.

To the credit of the majority of Australian supporters, the actions of the few were met by boos by the majority.

But the question still remains – were they protesting at Rosetti or the insipid "official" beer?

God watches down on Ghanaian flag

Best flag of the tournament so far undoubtedly goes to the magnificent 60-ft effort unfurled by (presumably) Ghanaian fans with evangelical Christian leanings at half-time at Saturday’s match with Australia.

Bearing the legend "Jesus King of Nations: Every Tongue Will Confess" with all the flags of the world, it passed over heads for half of a lap of the Royal Bafokeng Stadium to astounded looks from the main stand.

Officials, presumably not sharing the flag's sentiments, ensured it was snatched away before the second half got under way.

Blatter watch

On Sunday, the FIFA president finally met a British politician, London Mayor Boris Johnson – possibly to talk about England’s bid for the 2018 finals. However, with Blatter also an IOC memberand Johnson heavily involved in preparations for the 2012 Olympics it might well be that the conversation was not, for once, focused on football.

World Cup in numbers

5 million – the total attendance figure for its combined World Cup matches since 1930, which Brazil passed when it faced Ivory Coast last night. Italy beat them to the 5 million mark when they faced Paraguay in Cape Town last week.

By INSIDER's James Corbett in Johannesburg (james@worldfootballinsider.com)

World Cup 2010 Team Profiles now available in PDF--another INSIDER exclusive!

England Expects by James Corbett -- The definitive history of the England football team, fully revised and updated. Order here!

Your best source of news about the global football business is World Football INSIDER.

Get Free WFI news bulletins Click Here.