World Cup Team Guide: Slovakia

Slovakia / Dave Farrar / 17 May 2010 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Marek Hamsyk is a good outside bet to finish topscorer

You may be surprised to hear that Slovakia do actually have some pedigree in international football tournaments, though in a rather strange way. They also have Marek Hamsyk in their ranks and if he's at his best, Slovakia could make some waves this summer.

"Hamsyk has been the heartbeat of the Napoli midfield for two seasons, and has been excellent this year as the Neapolitans have challenged for a place in the Champions League. He is able to play in an attacking role just behind the front two, or to anchor the midfield, but we’re likely to see him in his attacking role here. He will be desperate to shine against Italy, and may just have an outside chance of nicking a place in the tournament top scorer market."

Slovakia were one of the success stories of World Cup qualifying, and their achievement in winning a group which contained both Poland and the Czech Republic was truly noteworthy. Not just because of the footballing quality that they showed, but the mental strength that it takes for a small Eastern European nation to overcome two of its more illustrious neighbours.

The Czech Republic are always credited in major tournament guides with having won one international competition, the 1976 European Championship, but closer study of that reveals that it is nonsense. There were EIGHT Slovakians in the team which played the final against West Germany, and only THREE Czechs.

Remember that when you next think of the relative footballing positions of the two countries, because Slovakian fans will never forget it. They brushed aside the Czechs in qualifying, taking four points from them, and they beat Poland twice, with Martin Skrtel marshalling a relatively solid backline and Stanislav Sestak scoring six times.

They have one genuinely world class player in Marek Hamsyk, and a stat that's worth remembering about the Slovakians is that 7 of their 10 qualifying games featured over 2.5 goals (2 of the other 3 were 2-0 wins), and they will certainly be worth a look in the goals markets, where their potency, and occasionally sloppiness at the back, could well be underestimated.

There is a legitimate argument which says that both Poland and the Czech Republic are going through transitional phases, and that Slovakia lost twice to the other country in their group which made the World Cup, Slovenia. On that formline, they could be set to struggle, but I give them a healthy chance of beating Paraguay to second spot here.

Coach: Vladimir Weiss

The Weiss family must be a confusing place. Not only is the coach Vladimir Weiss the father of Vladimir Weiss the player, but the father of the coach Vladimir Weiss is also called Vladimir Weiss. The middle Weiss made his name as a coach with Artmedia Bratislava, taking them to the Champions League, and he has done a good job with the national side, making the most of a talented squad.

Key Players

Marek Hamsyk

Hamsyk has been the heartbeat of the Napoli midfield for two seasons, and has been excellent this year as the Neapolitans have challenged for a place in the Champions League. He is able to play in an attacking role just behind the front two, or to anchor the midfield, but we're likely to see him in his attacking role here. He will be desperate to shine against Italy, and may just have an outside chance of nicking a place in the tournament top scorer market.

And talking of nicking, if you want an example of just how much the Napoli fans love Hamsyk, then hear the tale of his gold watch that was stolen two years ago. He expressed his disappointment, and the tifosi put word out that it should be found forthwith. He got it back within a day, showing that he can make friends as well as goals.

Miroslav Stoch/Vladimir Weiss

Permit me to group together two of Slovakia's rising stars. Both are with Premier League clubs, and both have what it takes to be big names over the next ten years. The coach's son Weiss has made the odd appearance for Manchester City, while Stoch has grabbed hold of the chance of going out on loan at Twente.

Stanislav Sestak

Sestak never looks anything special, and yet his goalscoring return speaks for itself. He got six in qualifying, and does well to keep up a reasonable return for Bochum in the Bundesliga. He doesn't get many chances to score, such is the nature of his struggling side, and his stats would look far better if he played for a bigger club. He'll be available at a silly price to finish as the tournament's top scorer, and he's definitely worth a second look.

Back Slovakia to Qualify @ [2.36] and Back Slovakia/Paraguay Dual Forecast @ [18.0]

Tags: Marek Hamsyk, Marek Hamsyk goals, Napoli players, Slovakian players, World Cup betting, World Cup grups, World Cup previews