Why I'm Loving the Copa America

As the title suggests, here's a quick irreverent rundown of why I'm enjoying the tournament so far:

• There's quality players I'm discovering that even I hadn't heard of. For instance, Estigarribia of Paraguay, whose reward for dismantling Dani Alves (yes, that Dani Alves) against Brazil was to get Dani Alves dropped. Unfortunately for Estigarribia, the bizarre tournament format means he now will most likely have to face the much more defensively-sound (well, unless your name is Gareth Bale) Maicon in the quarter-finals. Also impressing was Venezuela's pirate-like centre-back Vizcarrondo, about whom Alexandre Pato is still probably having nightmares


• There's an underlying feeling that this is a football tournament for proper football geeks like yours truly. ESPN's excellent, unflashy coverage, the late kick-off times, the regular tweets and Guardian columns of football tactics God Jonathan Wilson, this is a tournament for those who know their football


• Following on from that point, the variety of different tactics and formations (far, far more than in any European tournament) have really added to the Copa. This writer will resist from going into too much depth in this post, but the contrast between, say, Argentina's 4-3-3, Chile (more on them later) and their 3-3-1-3/3-4-1-2, Brazil's 4-2-3-1 and Uruguay's 4-4-2 is fascinating


• Chile. I adore them. The breathtaking all-out attack style favoured at the World Cup by Marcelo Bielsa has been continued by his successor, Claudio Borghi. Borghi has at times favoured adding another central midfielder at the expense of one of the front 3, but even that has helped release playmaker Jorge Valdivia, who excelled in the space between Uruguay's back 4 and midfield. And then there's Alexis Sanchez. Wonderful, wonderful player-unlike many of the other star names at the tournament, he's actually lived up to his headline billing, embodying the spirit of his team beautifully with his pace, trickery and technique. Should he, as expected, join Barcelona after the Copa, the rest of Europe might as well give up

Shifty's Team of the World Cup so far

Basically, I have long held the opinion that anything Mick Mccarthy can do, I can do better. So, when I saw the Irishman with the broad Yorkshire accent pick his team of the tournament on the Guardian website this morning, I decided to have a go myself. Unlike Mccarthy, who picked 11 players in no shape, with many of them out of position, I have decided to try and pick something which could work as a team, in a 4-3-3 formation.

Goalkeeper: Fernando Muslera (Uruguay). World Cup Sticker Book Status: Got

One of only 2 goalkeepers to have kept a clean sheet in all 3 of his side's games so far (Muslera got the nod just infront of Portugal's Eduardo, who would warm the bench for this side if there was one). Muslera has been commanding behind an ever-changing defence both in terms of personnel and shape- Uruguay have altered between a back 3 and a back 4 during the tournament so far. He has dealt with everything that has been thrown at him so far, and, with the Uruguayan front line lead by Diego Forlan in fine form so far, a continuation of his current form could see Uruguay go a long way

Right-back: Maicon (Brazil). World Cup Sticker Book Status: Got

Brazil's rampaging right-back edges out Holland's talented but rash Gregory van der Wiel and Germany captain Philipp Lahm in a position where, apart from the three aforementioned number 2s, no-one has really stood out: Argentina's Jonas Gutierrez is yet to be properly tested defensively, Portugal have used 3 so far, Spain's Sergio Ramos has yet to hit top form and Glen Johnson has looked shaky. Chile play with 3 central defenders, of whom Gary Medel looks like having the attributes required to play this position

Left-back: Fabio Coentrao (Portugal). World Cup Sticker Book Status: Not in book

One of the stars of the tournament so far, the 22-year-old only started to estabish himself for Benfica this season, before making the breakthrough into Carlos Queiroz's side. He has defended dilligently, and has ventured forward at every opportunity, getting involved in a number of Portugal's 7 goals against North Korea, using his pace to get into advanced positions, where his crossing has been excellent. Expect rumours of Real Madrid/Barcelona/Premier League interest to appear soon

Centre-backs: Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal, Got) and Ryan Nelsen (New Zealand, Got)

Carvalho has once again demonstrated his ability at the highest level, as well as an understanding of the dark arts of the game (and getting away with it) that is uneuqalled on the world stage. New Zealand's performances were nothing short of heroic, with Nelsen the perfect embodiment of that, displaying not only immense bravery but also good organisational and communication skills in marshalling the less experienced players around him, namely Tommy Smith and Winston Reid, both of whom should also get honourable mentions in this category

Defensive Midfield: Rafael Marquez (Mexico, Got)

Nominally a centre-back for Barcelona, Marquez has been used at the base of Javier Aguirre's 3 man midfield, the position he plays for this team. He brings the ball out of defence well, with short, quick, simple passes to his more forward-thinking team-mates, as well as providing useful height at set-pieces, as seen in the opening game, along with cover in central defence.

Central Midfield: Juan Sebastian Veron (Argentina, Need) and Angel Di Maria (Argentina, Got)

Seba Veron has been a joy to watch so far- such composure on the ball, with a fantastic passing range ('tis a very rare sight, Veron giving the ball away) and a ferocious strike. At 35, he no longer has the legs to run up and down the park for 90 minutes, but next to him he has the livewire Di Maria, who normally plays as a left-winger for Benfica (linking up with Coentrao), but an ingenious move by Diego Maradona has seen him stationed nominally in central midfield for Argentina alongside Veron, but with license to push on.

Outside-Right: Alexis Sanchez (Chile, Got)

Arguably the player of the tournament so far. Chile have been ultra-entertaining so far, with Sanchez on the right wing the pick of a very exciting young group. He has bags of tricks, plenty of pace and a great work ethic, tracking back when required. Another thing he does well that has drifted out of the game is that he holds his position wide when not in possession, thereby stretching the game and restricting any forward runs from the opposing full-back. His club Udinese will do well to keep him, although if they do lose him, they're likely to receive a transfer fee in excess of £20 million

Outside Left: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Got)

Has single-handedly led Portugal's attack. Has shown only flashes of his immense talent, but expect him to improve as the tournament goes on. Along with Sanchez, he just edges out Landon Donovan, Giovani dos Santos, Lionel Messi and Lukas Podolski for these positions

Centre-Forward: Diego Forlan (Uruguay, Got)

Forlan has been imperious so far, dictating the pace of the game from a slightly deeper position. He would operate just off the front in this team, moving away from the opposition centre-backs, allowing Ronaldo to move onto the shoulder of the last defender. Another contender for this position would be Gonzalo Higuain, but Forlan's all-round game has been much better than the poacher Higuain

Shifty's World Cup Preview: Group H

Apologies, readers, for not doing the groups in order: I'm skipping past groups E, F and G until we hear more definite news about the injuries to Arjen Robben, Andrea Pirlo and Didier Drogba respectively. For now, let's plod on with Group H. Spain are overwhelming favourites to top the group ahead of an exciting, adventurous young Chile side and Central American outsiders Honduras. Oh, and Switzerland have qualified again.

Spain
They go into every tournament with a talented squad and many people saying this is their year before failing around about the quarter-finals, but this time could well be different. Firstly, they have a frankly preposterous record in their last 47 games of 44-2-1, which is most certainly championship-winning form. Secondly, the side is largely settled, with most of the starting 11 the same as Euro 2008, but with enough newcomers such as Pedro and Jesus Navas emerging in (and on) the wings to keep the first XI on their toes. But perhaps most importantly of all is that this side, and these players, are winners. Spain have used Euro 2008 as a springboard and come into this tournament full of confidence. Significantly, many of the side's players have also tasted major success with their clubs. They should sail through this group and are, along with Brazil, the pre-tournament favourites to win the competition, a billing they can live up to

Chile
Expect Marcelo Bielsa's young, adventurous side to be one of the more entertaining sides to watch during the tournament. Bielsa is likely to send his team out in a 3-3-1-3 formation, with Sporting CP playmaker Matias Fernandez playing just behind a 3-man frontline that is likely to include ex-Liverpool winger Mark Gonzalez on the left, and thereby proving tht he and Fabio Aurelio are, in actual fact, 2 different people. Livewire Udinese frontman Alexis Sanchez is set to feature on the right, with Zaragoza centre-forward Humberto Suazo through the middle. Many of Bielsa's current squad featured in the 2007 Under 20 World Cup, where Chile finished 3rd. In that tournament, it was the 3-3-1-3 formation that brought them success, and as long as their talented youngsters perform again, Chile should progress from this group

Honduras
The Central American minnows are making their 1st appearance at the World Cup since 1982, and have only just made it now. They struggled to make it to 3rd place, and even that required the USA nicking a late draw against Costa Rica. They do have a few individuals playing in the Premier League, namely Wigan pair Maynor Figueroa and Hendry Thomas, alongwith Thomas' central midfield partner Wilson Palacios of Tottenham, but apart from that the team looks decidedly mediocre. They may not even be that attractive to watch, with coach Reinaldo Rueda likely to favour a cautiosu approach- it's difficult to see them finiishing anywhere other than bottom of this group

Switzerland
Ottmar Hitzfeld's side have qualified again, but were far from convincing during their qualifying campaign: indeed, their qualifying campaign featured the standout result of qualifying: Switzerland 1 Luxembourg 2. The side is solid if unspectacular, although a crop of talented youngsters are beginning to emerge- they won the Under-17 World Championship last year, though this tournament will be too soon for the players involved to make it into Hitzfeld's squad. There are question marks over centre-back Philippe Senderos' lack of match practice this season, and they lack a top-class goalscorer- it's therefore difficult to see them making round 2

The bets for Group H
Spain to win 9 points: best price 6/4 general
Chile to score over 4.5 group stage goals: best price 13/10 with bwin
Honduras group finishing position 4th: best price 4/7 with Sportingbet
Switzerland to win 3 group points: best price 10/3 general