Today the Pulse Files will take a look at Group E, followed by the Paddy Power Index and SportTrades Group Predictions.
The following verdicts are taking in full from our friends at Telegraph Sport. The verdict was compiled by John Ley and Jason Butt.
Cameroon.
World Cup record: 1982 1st rd, 1990 QF, 1994 1st rd, 1998 1st rd, 2002 1st rd.
How Cameroon qualified for World Cup 2010: African Group A Winners.
The Coach: Paul Le Guen (French, 45). Appointed: July 2009. WC experience: Player: 1994 (France). Coach: None.
Le Guen failed to impress in charge of Rangers but, after replacing Otto Pfister, he turned Cameroon’s fortunes around to become an instant hero.
The Country: Cameroon rose to prominence in 1982 finals when an increase from 16 to 24 teams meant there would be two representatives from Africa. And they did not disappoint with Roger Milla featuring for the first time. In the 1990 finals, Milla became a household name as he led the Indomitable Lions to the quarter-finals before they lost to Bobby Robson’s England, but only after a fight.
Cameroon qualified for the next three finals but went out at the first round stage on each occasion. They failed to qualify for the finals in Germany and looked as if they could miss out again.
Under former coach Otto Pfister, Cameroon lost to Togo and were held to a draw by Morocco and the German was sacked. Bottom of their group, Cameroon’s hopes of reaching the finals in their own continent were not good. But the arrival of Le Guen coincided with an upturn in fortunes with the Frenchman guiding the country to a valuable win against Gabon in Libreville.
Samuel Eto’o, an international since he was 14, was made captain and last week Cameroon beat Morroco 2-0 in Fez in their last match of their campaign and qualified for the finals.
The style police are waiting for Cameroon’s kit. For the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Mali they wore sleeveless shirts and, two years later, they tried to wear a one-piece kit - but it was banned by Fifa.
Verdict: Will expect to qualify for the knockout stages having set a new African record to reach a sixth World Cup Finals although they had to switch coaches during the campaign after two games and with the Indomitable Lions bottom of their group. In Eto’o they have a world superstar, albeit one on the wane, who scored eight goals in qualifying, and will expect to qualify for the knock-out stages.
Denmark
World Cup record: 1986 1st rd, 1998 QF, 2002 2nd rd.
How Denmark qualified for World Cup 2010: European group 1 winners.
The Coach: Morten Olsen (Danish, 60). Appointed: July 2000. WC experience: Player: 1986. Coach: 2002.
The Country: Denmark are in their fourth finals with Martin Olsen enjoying one of the most extended runs of any of the coaches in South Africa. The country’s vociferous and colourful fans, known as the 'roligans' will be a welcome addition to the finals.
Danish domestic football is enjoying a purple patch and that could explain how the Olsen-Banden, or the Olsen Gang, as they are affectionately known, did so well in qualifying. The Danes finished two points clear of Portugal, who they beat twice, and they will rely heavily on the likes of Thomas Sorensen, Lars Jacobsen and Nicklas Bendtner, who will fly the Premier League flag.
And in Olsen they have a positive leader. After qualifying he said: “Denmark will not be one of the favourites but if we have our best players available, which wasn't the case in the qualification phase, we can achieve a lot.”
That says much about the optimism of a nation that has reached their first major tournament since the 2004 European Championship courtesy, of a 1-0 win over Sweden in Copenhagen. Midfielder Jakob Poulsen's goal was enough to see off Sweden and ensure the Danes’ progression with one round of games remaining in Group One.
After failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup finals Olsen considered resigning, having received several offers from club teams, but decided to stay and extended his contract until after the 2010 FIFA World Cup, spurred on by his and the team's popularity among the Danish population. What a good decision that proved to be.
Verdict: A superb qualifying campaign, progressing from a tough group. The Danes don’t appear to have as strong a squad as in previous years but Bendtner has developed into a star for his country and any team that finishes above Sweden – so consistent – needs to be respected. Will be organised but lack strength in depth.
Holland
World Cup record: 1934 1st rd, 1938 1st rd, 1974 RU, 1982 RU, 1990 2nd rd, 1994 QF, 1998 4th, 2006 2nd rd.
How Holland qualified for World Cup 2010: European Group 9 winners.
The Coach: Bert van Marwijk (Dutch, 57). Appointed: Aug 2008. WC experience: Player: None. Coach: none.
Lambertus "Bert" van Marwijk played for the Dutch national team. In 1982, he began his transition into coaching, retiring as a player in 1988 and becoming a full time coach. In 2002, he won the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord.
The Country: So much talent, so little aptitude. The Dutch won 2-1 away to Iceland to become the first European side to qualify for next summer's tournament.
Goals from Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel - the manager’s son-in-law - put van Marwijk's team in the driving seat before Kristjan Orn Sigurdsson pulled a goal back. Van Marwijk said: "My goal was to qualify for the finals so now we have a year to prepare. Winning six straight World Cup qualifiers deserves a compliment."
Indeed, and the Dutch appear to be rising again. And if Holland have underperformed at recent major tournaments, it has not been due to a shortage of talent. Rather, as those involved will testify, the Dutch have tended to lack the consistency and dogged determination that generally separates champions from also-rans at these intensely competitive international events.
As captain Giovanni van Bronkhorst, formerly of Arsenal, admitted: "When you have a big tournament with all the best teams, you have to be on top form in every single match if you're going to win. We saw that at Euro 2008, when we played really well but had one bad game against the Russians and were knocked out. That's got to be a lesson for us in South Africa."
Verdict: Qualification was a breeze for a nation that so often under-achieves. Coach van Marwijk has riches at his disposal, and youth also, while the return of van Bommel alongside Nigel de Jong has added steel and experience even if, as England exposed in August 2009, the defence can be suspect. Robin van Persie could be the star of the tournament even if the Dutch will, probably, ultimately fall short.
Japan
World Cup record: 1998 1st rd, 2002 2nd rd, 2006 1st rd.
How Japan qualified for World Cup 2010: Asia, Group 1 Runners-up.
The Coach: Takeshi Okada (Japan, 53). Appointed: December 2007. WC experience: Player; None. Coach: 1998.
After Ivica Osim suffered a stroke while serving as coach of Japan's national team, Okada was named as his successor.
The Country: Japan became the first team to book their place after earning a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Uzbekistan in Tashkent. Shunji Okazaki claimed the only goal of the game after nine minutes to book a fourth successive finals berth.
Japan's first major achievement in international football came in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where the team won the bronze medal. This raised awareness of the sport in Japan but absence of a professional domestic league hindered its growth and Japan had to wait 30 years before qualifying for the World Cup.
In 1991, the owners of the semi-professional Japan Soccer League agreed to disband the league and re-form as the professional J League to raise the sport's profile and to strengthen the national team programme. With the launch of the new league in 1993, interest in football and the national team grew.
Japan co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with South Korea. Despite being held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium in their opening game, the Japanese team reached the second round with a 1-0 win over Russia and a 2-0 victory against Tunisia. However, they subsequently exited the tournament during the Round of 16, after losing 1-0 to the eventual third-place finishers, Turkey.
Verdict: Qualified first for South Africa, breezing into the finals. Now things get tough but, gradually, the Japanese - who expect to face England in a May 2010 friendly - are gaining experience and a competitive edge. This is their fourth finals and they have shown signs of improvement as they have gone along. Will provide stiff group opposition but could be over-powered.
Paddy Power Index
Holland 10/1 Cameroon 100/1 Denmark 125/1 Japan 300/1
SportTrades Group Prediction
1 Holland
2 Denmark
3 Cameroon
4 Japan
Group F will appear on Friday.
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