Now things get interesting

The first rest days of the World Cup are a watershed moment, no longer are we dreaming of North Korea heroically winning the Group of Death, or of England not being rubbish anymore. There are 8 teams left in the tournament, each within 3 wins of football's greatest prize. As Jamie Redknapp might say, it's literally do or die.

Since England have been dumped out, it's time for us to jump aboard a bandwagon. Let's have a run down of the contenders:

Argentina

Manager:
Diego Maradona
Route to the last 8:
Nigeria 1-0, South Korea 4-1, Greece 2-0, Mexico 3-1
Top Scorer:
Gonzalo Higuain (4 goals)
Star Man:
Lionel Messi
Chances:
Very good
Why we want them to win:
Maradona. His press conferences are fantastic, and he picked Ariel Garce in the squad solely because he dreamt they won the World Cup and his was the only face Diego could remember. They also have the best attacking players in the tournament, Sergio Aguero and Diego Milito don't even get in the team.

Brazil

Manager:
Dunga
Route to the last 8:
North Korea 2-1, Ivory Coast 3-1, Portugal 0-0, Chile 3-0
Top Scorer:
Luis Fabiano (3 goals)
Star Man:
Kaka
Chances:
Excellent, probably favourites
Why we want them to win:
Who doesn't love Brazil? Even if they don't play the constant free flowing attacking 'traditional' Brazillian way, they still know how to attack. Robinho's pass for Elano 'not good enough for Man City' to score against North Korea, and their two counter attack goals against Chile are evidence of that.

Germany

Manager:
Joachim Lowe
Route to the last 8:
Australia 4-0, Serbia 0-1, Ghana 1-0, England 4-1
Top Scorer:
Thomas Mueller (3 goals)
Star Man:
Mesut Ozil
Chances:
Decent, very tough quarter final to get through first though.
Why we want them to win:
No longer 'those typical efficient Germans' but are an exciting young side. Led by the brilliant Mesut Ozil they are dangerous on the counter attack, and their match with Argentina has the potential to be the game of the tournament. It also makes England's loss less of a humiliation if they go all the way

Ghana

Manager:
Milovan Rajevac
Route to the last 8:
Serbia 1-0, Australia 1-1, Germany 0-1, USA 2-1 (aet)
Top Scorer:
Asamoah Gyan (3 goals)
Star Man:
Anthony Annan
Chances:
Slim to none, would be lucky to get past Uruguay. Winning the whole thing would be a miracle.
Why we want them to win:
The last African team standing. Very likeable team (Kevin Prince 'German until last week' Boateng' aside), John Pantsil's lap of honour after every win became almost iconic during Fulham's run to the Europa League final, imagine what it would be like if they somehow make it to Soccer City in 10 days time.

The Netherlands

Manager:
Bert Van Marwijk
Route to the last 8:
Denmark 2-0, Japan 1-0, Cameroon 2-1, Slovakia 2-1
Top Scorer:
Wesley Sneijder (2 goals)
Star Man:
Arjen Robben
Chances:
Similar to Germany, only decent because of their quarter final.
Why we want them to win:
Everyone loves the Dutch. Whilst they have got this far without playing anywhere near their best, still have the capability to really turn it on, especially with Arjen Robben back, the Bayern man is probably the most in form player in the world behind Leo Messi. Also beginning to show signs of the traditional Dutch implosion.

Paraguay

Manager:
Gerardo Martino
Route to the last 8:
Italy 1-1, Slovakia 2-0, New Zealand 0-0, Japan 0-0 (5-3 on pens)
Top Scorer:
Alcaraz, Vera, Riveros (1 goal)
Star Man:
Lucas Barrios
Chances:
Slim to none, have never got this far before, so will leave with their heads held high regardless of the result against Spain
Why we want them to win:
Along with Ghana they are massive underdogs to get into the semi-finals, never mind win it. Would also be quite amusing to watch the BBC/ITV pundits panic as they are forced to actually analyse their team. The only player they seem to know is the incredibly overrated Roque Santa Cruz up front, and seem to think he is their best player. He is most definitely not.

Spain

Manager:
Vincent Del Bosque
Route to the last 8:
Switzerland 0-1, Honduras 2-0, Chile 2-1, Portugal 1-0
Top Scorer:
David Villa (4 goals)
Star Man:
David Villa
Chances:
Excellent, have come through a difficult group and tough last 16 match without playing their best. Now is the time to shine.
Why we want them to win:
On paper, the best side left in it. Definitely should be Arsenal fans' choice due to their style of football. The similarity extends to their ability to create a lot of chances without taking them, and the normally excellent Iker Casillas seems to have turned into Manuel Almunia. Must avoid Arsenal-esque failure when the pressure's on to win it. The Euro 2008 success should stand them in good stead for that.

Uruguay

Manager:
Oscar Tabarez
Route to the last 8:
France 0-0, South Africa 3-0, Mexico 1-0, South Korea 2-1
Top Scorer:
Luis Suarez (3 goals)
Star Man:
Diego Forlan
Chances:
Surprisingly good, definitely dark horses.
Why we want them to win:
We all love these 'don't you remember, Diego Forlan was rubbish at Man Utd' montages don't we? Oh that's right, we don't. Would definitely be sticking it to the people who blindly believe anyone who fails in England is a terrible player. Also would get Luis Suarez a big money move, where he would have the chance to turn into another Afonso Alves.

I am well and truly behind Diego's Argentina. Potentially they could face Germany, Spain and then Brazil. Excited, anyone?