Don't forget what you learned from the club season

Players on the 32 World Cup rosters are undergoing more scrutiny than at any point of the year, but people should not discard what they've done over 10 months with their clubs. Those of us who watch the players of their favorite clubs over 30-something matches that have a certain affinity for their players.

Evaluating such players with honesty, rather than homerism, will help you better judge their place and their country's chances. I'll start this exercise with Chelsea, my favorite club. The Blues are one of the biggest clubs in the world and have a bevy of players who are headed to South Africa.

France, besides drawing ire from much of the sporting world for that infamous hand ball against Ireland, was not showing well for much of the World Cup buildup until their lame-duck coach, Raymond Domenech, surprisingly switched formations. His 4-3-3 that puts forward Nicolas Anelka and left-sided midfielder Florent Malouda into positions where they thrived for Chelsea. I still don't fancy France getting past the second round, but they're lucky they're in a weak Group A that they will likely win.

Given that Portugal is supposedly relying on Deco to orchestrate in the center of the park and Ricardo Carvalho to be a bedrock in the center of defense, this does not bode well for Cristiano Ronaldo's side. Both players have been out of form with Chelsea, with Carvalho at least able to cite injury. Some solace can be found with Paulo Ferreira, who was solid but not spectacular at right back over the last month. Their FIFA ranking is high, but I see the Portuguese being the odd man out in the Group of Death. Which leads us to ...

Ivory Coast, who is powered by Didier Drogba, one of the top strikers in the world. Fellow forward Salomon Kalou had some productive games for Chelsea over the last two months, but at times showed his propensity for blowing easy chances. I see the Ivorians finishing second in Group G.

In Group D, Serbia is one of my darkhorse teams in this year's tournament, and Branislav Ivanovic is part of the reason. The right back can deputize as a central defender and offers a threat in the penalty area on set pieces. But it's the Serbs' commitment to attacking that has me stoked for their chances in Group D. I see them advancing out of the group. Speaking of Group D, two other sides have suffered devastating injuries to talismanic players.

Germany has lost captain Michael Ballack to an ankle injury; his box-to-box play is irreplaceable. The Germans are famous for their tournament acumen, but Ballack's absence could deprive them of enough quality to make the semifinals. Ghana lost its captain, Michael Essien, due to a knee injury; it's a wonder Chelsea achieved so much this year without their holding midfielder. It's important to remember that Ghana made it to the African Nations Cup final without Essien, so they have proven they can achieve things without his influence. Still it'll be difficult to choose Ghana to advance over Germany.

Another CFC midfielder, John Obi Mikel, is injured and might not be able to play for his country, though Nigeria has included him in its final roster. Even if Mikel was healthy, Chelsea fans have to shudder to learn that the Super Eagles are likely to use him in an attacking midfield role. His sometimes shoddy passing as a holding midfielder is something we've put up with; I can't imagine a team relying on Mikel to unlock defenses and create. I am not tipping Nigeria to advance out of Group B.

Slovakia has a Chelsea player whom many people forget is registered with the club: Miroslav Stoch. The left-sided attacking player did well on loan with FC Twente in Holland and was important to the Slovaks' qualifying campaign. Slovakia stands a good chance of advancing out of Group F; the team has an easier opener than Paraguay before they meet in the second group game.

Last, but not least is England. Deposed captain John Terry has not looked like the rock he once was before his infidelity scandal. Frank Lampard missed a penalty against Japan, and Chelsea fans won't forget his PK misses against Manchester City and Portsmouth, the latter nearly costing the team the FA Cup final. The midfielder occupies a different role with the national team and has not been able to replicate his same goal-scoring form.

Ashley Cole is clearly the country's best left back, but it remains whether he is fully recovered from the ankle injury that sidelined him for much of this calendar year. Cole also is not given as much license to venture as deep into the attacking third as he does with Chelsea. Joe Cole's role under coach Fabio Capello is still unclear, but it seems the midfielder will likely win a spot on the bench given his performance as a reserve against Japan. I see England topping Group C, with a run into semifinals being realistic.

I've included Joe Cole in this discussion, but will not delve into players who stand no chance of going to South Africa like Hilario (Portugal), Alex (Brazil), etc.

Now what about your favorite players and club teams? How do their national teams stand?