Charles Itandje
Retaining his place in the side, despite the heroic
efforts of Igor Akinfeev to displace him, is
Cameroon goalkeeper Charles Itandje. After his
horror show against Croatia, you thought the
worst was past the ex-Liverpool man. Not quite.
Against Brazil, the 31-year-old continued his poor
form, as Cameroon bowed out of the group stage
with a 4-1 defeat. Although the brilliance of
Neymar almost single-handedly proved the
difference between the two sides, many onlookers
were forced to utter the phrase 'but what on
Earth is the 'keeper doing?' while watching.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto
Joining his fellow countryman is Benoit Assou-
Ekotto, who had a poor overall tournament that
was brought straight into the spotlight after he
headbutted team-mate Benjamin Moukandjo.
Frustration got the better of the Tottenham full-
back and frustration is all he is likely to feel
looking back on a truly awful tournament for
Cameroon.
Hong Jeong-Ho
At centre-back, there is only one man for the job:
South Korea's Hong Jeong-Ho, who was
absolutely run ragged during his side's 4-2 defeat
to Algeria. In a manner befitting of this all-out-
attack World Cup in Brazil, South Korea's loss
was pulsating and a joy to watch for the neutral.
But if it was good defending you were after,
Jeong-Ho will not have made an impression, after
giving the ball away, falling over and running
completely the wrong way, pretty much whenever
he was called upon.
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Any England Defender
Fact: no worst World Cup XI could exist without
an England player. The problem is, however, they
were all so bad, who do you choose?
To play it safe, then, (sorry) we'll let you pick
your choice of any Three Lions defender, as they
were all rather horrific. Leighton Baines proved he
doesn't know the first lesson of being a full-back:
don't let your man cut inside. Glen Johnson
proved he is still a wannabe right-winger who
only occasionally remembers his job is to defend.
Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill, meanwhile, were
both at fault for crucial goals conceded.
Any England Midfielder
In probably the biggest English achievement at
the World Cup, Roy Hodgson's men have won
two places in our XI! Once again, take your pick...
Steven Gerrard, although arguably misused and
unfortunate for his part in Luis Suarez's winner
against the Three Lions, had a tournament to
forget, while the same applies for Liverpool team-
mate Jordan Henderson.
The England midfield made a better go of things
against Costa Rica, but against a side with little
to play for and already through to the knockout
stages, Hodgson's men still couldn't produce a
convincing attacking display.
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Wilson Palacios
Keeping his place in the side just like Itandje,
Stoke midfielder Wilson Palacios will be looking to
dust himself down and pretend this World Cup
never even took place. After his sending off
against France, the 29-year-old had to miss
Honduras' narrow 2-1 defeat to Ecuador.
Once he returned, though, Palacios made a
minimal impact as his side managed to lose 3-0
again, this time to Switzerland.
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Alex Song
Former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song has also had
a tournament to forget. Then again, so has the
whole Cameroon team. We still can't figure out
quite what move the midfielder was trying out
when he elbowed Mario Mandzukic in the back
but, at this point, it's a moot point.
Since his sending off, Song hasn't really done
enough to redeem himself and, after a World Cup
plagued by disagreement over bonuses, the
Barcelona man will be hoping for a brighter future
at international level.
Antonio Valencia
The Manchester United man has disappointed so
much, especially with his sending off against
France, that this here space has been deemed too
small to describe Antonio Valencia's group
stages.
Instead, here's a whole article on it: Is Man
United winger the worst player at this year's
World Cup?
Hulk
Fortunately, Brazil forward Hulk missed his side's
second game against Mexico due to injury. If he
hadn't, people might have paid more attention to
just how ineffective he has been so far this
summer. Instead, the 27-year-old started both
Brazil's big wins against Croatia and Cameroon,
painting the picture that Hulk had something to
do with them.
In truth, he had nothing to do with them - and
Chelsea's Willian should replace him in Luiz Felipe
Scolari's line-up.
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Diego Costa
For someone who Spain took such a gamble with,
Diego Costa has left Brazil with absolutely
nothing to be proud of. The Chelsea-bound striker
simply couldn't adapt to the Spanish style and
proved cumbersome as the defending World
Champions' title defence fell at the first hurdle.
David Villa's impressive performance against
Australia showed just how Spain should have
played against the Netherlands and Chile, Vicente
Del Bosque is likely to rue starting Costa ahead
of the Spanish veteran.
Romelu Lukaku
Even more worrying for Chelsea fans is the fact
that it is another of their strikers that completes
this XI. Indeed, Belgium's Romelu Lukaku has
made no impact whatsoever on the World Cup,
with Divock Origi outshining him in every way
possible.
Lukaku has looked slow, tired and short of ideas,
also reacting petulantly to being substituted
against Russia. The 21-year-old still has time to
prove himself in Brazil, but little he has done so
far will have convinced Jose Mourinho that he
should be part of his Chelsea plans.
Who would make your 'worst World Cup' XI?


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