Slovakia 2010 World Cup Preview: The Impact Of A Debutant

The repre—short for the representatives—are a young squad that revolves around an even younger midfield. They’ve got pace and they like to dribble, which means that they’re likely to unsettle teams used to a more direct style of play. There’s nothing more irritating to supporters of an opposing team than when a defense comes unlocked through tricky footwork.

Right now, the Slovakian team are also hoping for a little off-the-field magic: they need some speedy healing for three ailing players. Martin Škrtel, a strong force at center-back, broke his metatarsal last February while on duty with Liverpool, and hasn’t played since. Forwards Filip Hološko, who broke his leg last year, and Róbert Vittek, still recovering from a knee injury, are also in doubt. While injured players on the 23-man roster can of course be replaced, supporters of Slovakia should cross their fingers that Škrtel, at least, will be healthy. The striking abilities of the midfield might be able to make up for a lack of depth in forward position, but they’re not going to hang back and defend.

Up until now, it’s been ice hockey that brought glory to Slovakia. The squad heading to South Africa is hoping that they can boost the popularity of soccer in their country by putting on a display impressive enough to get them out of the group stages. The rest of us should be glad that we get to watch this entertaining team take the field.

Slovakia demonstrated determination to qualify for their first World Cup, finishing first in their group. They found seven wins, one draw and two losses in the qualification campaign, scoring 22 goals in the process. The repre sealed a spot in South Africa with a win over Poland amidst a ferocious snowstorm, but they were most buoyed by their away win over their former compatriots, the Czech Republic.

This is the first time an independent Slovakia have qualified for the World Cup, having missed out on 1998, 2002 and 2006. When part of Czechoslovakia, the nation can claim a spotty record within the modern tournament, qualifying roughly half the time, and finishing anywhere from position 19 to their high point of runners up, which they were in 1962. Czechoslovakia last went to the World Cup in 1990, where they left in the quarter-finals.

Marek Hamšík — I wrote a full profile on Hamšík a few weeks ago, but I just can’t get enough of Slovakia’s captain. The attacking midfielder manages to stay cool while under tremendous pressure (perhaps excess body heat exits his body through his hair?) and the rest of the squad will take their cue from their leader. He’ll be busy unlocking defenses to allow himself the opportunity to play the ball through or perhaps make the precision shot himself.

Stanislav Šesták — The attacking force in Slovakia’s squad, Šesták scored six goals in qualification play. He was the hero of Slovakia in their first match against Poland, when he scored two goals in two minutes to seal the win for the repre—and his ability to score in each match against the Czech republic didn’t hurt the fans’ affection, either. Stani is excellent at creating space for himself. Combine that with his precise finishing ability, and opponents should be wary of allowing Šesták any room.

Group F is an interesting one, with Cup defenders Italy almost certain to go through, leaving Paraguay and New Zealand battling Slovakia for the second-place finish. No one is putting their hard-earned dollars on the Kiwis going through (sorry, New Zealand) and so the repre must focus on Paraguay, who are a potent attacking force. The Slovaks have a masterful midfield that could unlock La Albirroja, and they seem confident that they’ll move on to the second round.

Kirsten Schlewitz has every reason to be confident that she’ll move on, be it as a contributor to SB Nation Soccer or as the managing editor of 7500 to Holte, SB Nation’s Aston Villa blog.