How they got there
Host nations qualify by right, which is just as well, otherwise things might get a bit awkward. So while the rest of the world have been struggling against one another for the right to come and visit, Brazil have been gallivanting around the globe playing a series of prestige friendlies. Most have gone well for the Sele??o, with a surprise 1-0 loss against Switzerland perhaps the only real blemish, but the nature of international friendlies, where the intensity diminishes as the substitutions increase, make it difficult to draw many conclusions of note.In amongst all the exhibition stuff, however, came a brief flurry of competitive soccer. Brazil won five games from five at the 2013 Confederations Cup, an eight-team mini-tournament held the year before each World Cup. After beating Italy, Japan and Mexico in the group stages, Brazil overcame Uruguay in the semi-final to set up a final against the current World Cup holders Spain. Neymar was brilliant, Brazil won 3-0, and the shape and identity of Scolari's side came together.
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Further Reading
No African nation has been to more World Cup finals than C this adventure to Brazil will be their seventh. However, this is also arguably the weakest Cameroon side ever to attend, and anybody hoping for a nostalgic re-flowering of that blithe 1990s spirit will likely be disappointed.Indeed, it seems fair to characterize current Cameroonian soccer as something of a mess, both on and off the pitch. Recently elected FA president Iya Mohammed is currently in prison for misappropriating state funds, while veteran star Samuel Eto'o complained in January that he was victim of "a plot not to pass to me." Coach Volker Finke, for his part, has been criticized for ignoring Cameroon-based players: he recently held a three-day training camp for domestic players, then promptly chose not a single one in his next squad. Only two will be traveling to Brazil.
Federation CAF
Fifa Ranking 56
Projected Starting 11 (4-3-3) Charles I Henri Bedimo, Nicolas N'Koulou, Jo?l Matip, Allan N Alex Song, Stéphane Mbia, Eyong E Benjamin Moukandjo, Samuel Eto'o, Maxim Choupo-Moting.
Key Player
Charles Itandje. Drummed out of Liverpool in disgrace after cameras caught him chuckling his way through a Hillsborough memorial service, the career of the once highly-rated (and potential future France) goalkeeper has taken on a peripatetic and underwhelming aspect, and he is currently plying his trade in the mid-table of the Turkish Süper Lig.Internationally, though, he's taken advantage of Carlos Idriss Kameni's relegation to the bench at Málaga to establish himself as his country's No. 1. Cameroon has a long and proud goalkeeping history, back through Kameni to Joseph-Antoine Bell and the legendary Thomas Nkono, and Itandje sealed his position with an outstanding performance in the first leg of the qualifying playoff against Tunisia. If Cameroon are going to keep the clean sheets they need, he'll have to produce more of the same.
How they play
Having labored with a miserable 4-4-2 diamond in qualifying, Finke switched to a three-man midfield for the second leg of the qualifying playoff and was rewarded with a 4-1 victory. Despite that glut of goals, the emphasis is on defensive solidity: Itandje in goal, the imposing pairing of Nicolas N'Koulou and either Aurelien Chedjou or Jo?l Matip in front of him, and Alex Song and Stéphane Mbia in front of them.Things are far less clear in attack. Samuel Eto'o will likely lead the line yet again, but while his instincts are still sharp and his spirit is still spiky, his legs are going the way of all flesh. Quick and tricky Benjamin Moukandjo may start on the left. But none of their midfield options really offer much in the way of playmaking ability, and despite Finke's preference for attractive, attacking soccer, Cameroon may well end up tacking toward the utilitarian end of things, keeping it tight and looking to break. And while they were fielding a slightly experimental side, a recent 5-1 defeat against Portugal suggests that their defence may not hold up to a stiff examination.
How they got there
Cameroon's presence at the World Cup owes plenty to good fortune and the failings of other teams. Neck and neck with Libya in a tight group, Cameroon lost 2-0 away in Togo, only for it to emerge that the Togolese had selected an ineligible player. That 2-0 defeat became a 3-0 default victory and Cameroon, despite having never entirely convinced, were in pole position going into the final game against the Libyans.Then, on July 4, 2013, they were suspended indefinitely from international soccer as FIFA took exception to what it perceived to be government interference in soccer matters, relating to the election of Iya Mohammed. With the final qualification game against Libya looming, expulsion from qualification was only averted when they agreed to FIFA’s appointment of a normalization committee. Victory over Libya set up a two-legged playoff against Tunisia, and after drawing the away leg 0-0 & Itandje was outstanding in goal & they surprised everybody, including perhaps themselves, by winning 4-1 at home.
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In the 1998 World Cup, Croatia finished third, having been this close & *holds up two fingers no more than a few millimeters apart* & to beating eventual champions France in the World Cup semi-final. Indeed, given the state of Brazil in the eventual final, perhaps that wonderful side of Zvonimir Boban, Robert Prosine?ki and Davor ?uker came this close & *holds up two fingers a couple of inches apart* & to winning the whole thing. Which is not really what a tiny Balkan nation of 4 million people is supposed to be doing, but was hugely fun for any neutrals watching.Since then, however, not much. Talent is never a problem, but confidence and coherence have at times been entirely lacking. Eliminated in the group stage in 2002 and 2006, they failed to qualify for South Africa in 2010 and nearly missed out on this edition. Which would have been a crying shame, for Croatia at a major finals guarantees three things: excellent traveling support, a minimum one or two of the most eye-pleasing players in the world and magnificent shirts. Those checks. Oh, those checks.
Federation UEFA
Fifa Ranking 18
Projected Starting 11 (4-2-3-1) Stipe P Darijo Srna, Vedran ?orluka, Dejan Lovren, Danijel Pranji?; Luka Modri?, Ivan Rakiti?; Ivan Peri?i?, Mateo Kova?i?, Ivica Oli?; Mario Mand?uki?.
Key Player
Ivan Rakiti? and Luka Modri?. Slightly cheating here by choosing two, perhaps, but it's the combination between Croatia's two stand-out talents in the middle of the park that will determine whether their side gets out of the group. Both have had excellent domestic seasons topped off with European triumphs: Rakiti? was outstanding in Sevilla's Europa League final victory over Benfica, while Modri?'s box-to-box performances were crucial in Real Madrid's progress to the Champions League trophy. Sadly, Modri? cut his hair off after the final, the silly fool, so we're denied what would have been one of the all-time great midfield hair duos.Internationally, they’re likely to sit in front of the defense behind Mateo Kova?i?, though defensive midfielder Ognjen Vukojevi? could get introduced in favor of one of Croatia’s attacking midfielders against Brazil. If Rakiti? and Modri? can control distribution from deep, then they will be able to ensure that Kova?i?, striker Mario Mand?uki? and the overlapping right-back Darijo Srna see plenty of the ball. If they can be shut down, however, then the Croats are in trouble, and a lot depends on whether they can curb their naturally attacking instincts to screen what is a vulnerable and slightly slow defense.
How they play
With first-choice central defender Josip ?imuni? suspended for 10 games following a chanting incident that might at best be described as "unwise" (and at worst as "pro-Nazi"), the likely pairing of Dejan Lovren and Vedran ?orluka isn't the most secure. This, combined with the lack of a true holding midfielder (if Vukojevi? doesn’t play), means that Niko Kova? may instruct his side to sit deep and retain a disciplined defensive shape, while looking to attack at pace on the counter.While Croatia's squad isn't the deepest, the one place they have options is up front. Noted pest Ivica Oli? is likely to start on the left and Mario Mand?uki? & suspended for the first game & is the first choice central striker, but should Kova? feel the need to change he can turn to Nikica Jelavi?, revitalized at Hull, or Shakhtar Donetsk's Eduardo. Those options, allied to the proficiency of Rakiti?, Modri? and Srna from set pieces and with crosses, mean there is always the option for something more direct if a game needs chasing.
How they got there
At Euro 2012, following Croatia's 1-1 draw against Italy, then-manager Slaven Bili? mocked a television analyst for failing to notice that he'd switched formations at halftime. Worryingly for everybody, that analyst was former international Igor ?timac, who was taking over the team at the end of the tournament.It looks as though Bili? was onto something. Croatia's results were initially good, but having won five of their first six games they took just one point from the next four, including home losses to Belgium and Scotland. A 2-0 victory over Serbia aside, this was a pretty limp, near-disastrous campaign, marked by constant formation switching and a general collapse in morale. Though they scraped into second place in Group A behind the Belgians, they qualified for the playoffs only thanks to Denmark managing to put together an even less impressive campaign. ?timac was summarily axed, to widespread relief, and Niko Kova? was promoted from the U21s.A relatively kind playoff draw pitted Croatia against Iceland rather than France or Sweden, and Kova?'s men won 2-0 over the two legs. However, Mand?uki? managed to pick up an entirely unnecessary red card, meaning he will miss the opening fixture against Brazil.
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Models of consistency, Mexico have attended each of the last five World Cups, have progressed though the group stage to the last 16 in each of those, and have then been knocked out, occasionally in a welter of bad temper. Last time, Carlos Tevez's flagrantly offside goal led to howls of protest, while in 2002 a youngish Rafael Márquez was dismissed, to general amusement, after kicking the USA's Cobi Jones soundly up the arse. So while coach Miguel Herrera has been thinking big, booking Mexico's travel home for the day after the final and pronouncing "I aspire to be champion of the world," it will in truth be an achievement to make it out of the group.Still, they're almost always good value while they're in the tournament. Technically capable and generally attack-minded, they've usually enough about them to trouble anybody while being vulnerable enough to encourage everybody. Their Olympic gold medal in 2012 promised great things to come, but a miserable qualifying campaign and a succession of coaching changes means that they arrive in Brazil as something of an unknown quantity. Except for their kit, which is unequivocally terrible. Lightning bolts stopped being cool at the age of 12, lads.
Federation CONCACAF
Fifa Ranking 20
Projected Starting 11 (5-3-2) Guillermo O Andrés Guardado, Héctor Moreno, Rafael Márquez, ‘Maza’ Francisco Rodríguez, Paul A Héctor Herrera, Carlos Pe?a, Marco Fabián; Giovani dos Santos, Oribe Peralta.
Key Player
In keeping with the domestic flavor of Miguel Herrera's squad, Mexico's most important forward will not be Manchester United's Javier Hernández, who has endured an unhappy season in the Premier League, but Liga MX's Oribe Peralta. The 30-year-old striker, who World Soccer magazine claim "might be the best No. 9 to play outside the big European leagues", scored 22 goals for Santos Laguna last season, but it's on the international stage that he's really impressed. Ten goals in qualifying, including five in the playoff against New Zealand, leave him as one of the few players to emerge from Mexico's journey to Brazil with any credit.One of those useful strikers that can score from nearly anywhere, be it a 25-yard drive from distance or a back-post header after a well-timed run, Peralta also has experience of inconveniencing Mexico's Group A opponents Brazil. Five of the hosts' likely starting XI were on the field at Wembley in 2012, when Peralta scored twice to win the Olympic gold for Mexico. Another early goal could unearth all manner of trauma.
How they play
One of the consequences of having four coaches in six months is a certain stylistic unpredictability, and the Mexico side that kicks off against Cameroon will look markedly different from that which labored through qualifying. The man currently in charge, Miguel Herrera, is a big fan of his own attacking variation on 5-3-2, and prefers to pick players who have either played for him or in similar systems at the club level.The wing backs, likely two from Paul Aguilar, Andrés Guardado and Miguel Layún, will spend much of their game charging forward to generate width, while one of the two strikers will drop deeper while the other takes point. Of the three midfielders, meanwhile, only one is deployed a the other two will look to support the attack where possible. What this means, basically, is that Mexico can have up to seven players committed to any attack. Expect goals ...… at both ends. Hilariously exposed at the back will be the veteran captain Rafael Márquez & appearing at his fourth World Cup & alongside Héctor Moreno and the promising young defender Diego Reyes, if Herrera’s being sensible, and ‘Maza’ Rodriguez if not. Expect Márquez to take charge of distributing the ball while the other two get on with the tackling and running and all the rest of the mucky business.
How they got there
Of all the teams that will be turning up in Brazil, Mexico had by some distance the messiest qualification process. After advancing through their first stage of qualifying with six wins out of six, they stuttered, stalled and nearly fell apart completely in 'the Hex', CONCACAF’s six-team final stage. A 2-1 loss in Costa Rica meant they had to rely on two late goals from the USA & oh, the indignity! & against Panama, which sent El Tri through to the intercontinental playoff at the expense of their hat-wearing, canal-minding brethren.In keeping with their struggles, Mexico chewed their way through four managers in the course of 2013. José Manuel de la Torre, in the post since 2011, was dismissed in September and replaced by his assistant, Luis Fernando Tena. He was removed his replacement, Víctor Manuel Vucetich, lasted two fixtures before also being dismissed. Mexico then appointed Club Americá’s Miguel Herrera on temporary basis for the playoffs. He took the understandable but not-entirely-uncontroversial decision to ditch the underperforming stars from the European leagues in favor of players based in Liga MX, and was rewarded with a 9-3 aggregate win in a playoff against New Zealand, a place in Brazil and a huge cross-national sigh of relief.
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Further Reading
Introduction
At first glance, Group B appears to be fairly easy to work out. Spain? Defending World and European champions. The Netherlands? Last tournament’s runners-up. Surely we’re looking at a two-team race. Well, not so fast. Chile’s presence means there are three teams with a legitimate shot of advancing to the knockout stages, and therefore a guarantee that a very good side will be going home earlier than they would like.We’ve got Spain’s dominance, the attacking prowess of the Netherlands and Chile, as well as a potentially amusing wild card in Australia. On paper, Group B looks to be both entertaining and extremely dramatic & now we just have to hope that translates to the pitch itself.
Predictions
3 - Netherlands
4 - Australia
Spain: Sure, there are some questions about Spain’s ability to repeat their 2010 triumph, but they’re still the strongest team in the group and should be able to claim the top spot. Their squad is as experienced as it is talented, and their suffocating possession-based system is great for knockout tournaments where the only thing that matters is avoiding losses over a short period of time. It’s entirely possible, however, that their potential lack of scoring punch could derail their push for a fourth straight major tournament win. If Diego Costa isn’t healthy, they’ll need David Villa or Fernando Torres to step up.Chile: It might be a bit of a stretch to predict that Chile finish second in Group B, but there are good reasons to believe it will happen. Chile play an attractive, attacking brand of soccer that will seriously challenge both the Spanish and Dutch defenses, and they also boast a ferocious, talented midfield headlined by Juventus’ Arturo Vidal. In addition, there’s always an advantage for South American teams when the World Cup is played on their home continent. With the Netherlands in a bit of a lull, Chile have every chance of advancing here.Netherlands: Trying to predict where the Dutch will finish in an international tournament is like trying to predict which way a plastic bag will blow in the wind. There’s no question they’re a good enough team to win the entire thing, but there’s also no question they could fail to make it out of the group stage, especially with a defense that’s most kindly described as ‘questionable.’ Injuries to Kevin Strootman and Rafael Van der Vaart are major blows for the Dutch, and Louis van Gaal’s side seems ripe for the picking.Australia: The Aussies aren’t getting out of Group B, and there’s a real chance they won’t get a point either. That said, they won’t be a pushover for the rest of their opponents in the group. The very fact that they’re such underdogs & they’re the lowest ranked team in the tournament, and indulging in a youth movement besides & could actually make them dangerous. They’re a team expected to accomplish nothing, and so they have absolutely nothing to lose. They won’t escape the group, but they could easily end someone else’s dreams along the way. And that’s the next-best thing, right?
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Spain vs. Netherlands
Chile vs. Australia
Australia vs. Netherlands
Spain vs. Chile
Australia vs. Spain
Netherlands vs. Chile
Must-Watch Game
Spain vs. Netherlands
The opening match between Spain and the Netherlands is the easy pick here. While the Spain vs. Chile match will probably be more important in terms of who advances, it doesn’t have the sex appeal of a rematch of the 2010 World Cup final.If ‘rematch of the 2010 World Cup’ brings to mind images of Nigel de Jong attempting to rearrange Xabi Alonso’s ribs with a flying boot and of Spain passing sideways in an effort to circumvent the Dutch defense, don’t worry & this time should be more fun on account of the Dutch not having much of a defense to speak of, though they’re apparently trying to rectify that by playing a fifth defender.With most of the Netherlands’ star power concentrated in the attack, Louis Van Gaal will hopefully turn away from the negative tactics we saw in the last final. If he does that, the opener will be far more fun than the last time these two sides met in anger.
The Socceroos have the misfortune of being the weakest team in one of the toughest groups at this year’s World Cup. Australia weren’t particularly impressive in qualifying, and made a coaching change last October after two particularly poor performances in friendlies. Holger Osieck was sent packing, and former Australian international Ange Postecoglou & the most successful coach in Australian club soccer history & was brought in with the expressed instruction to start a youth movement, overhauling the squad with an eye to the future.The newfound reliance on younger players means there are a great deal of unknowns surrounding this Australian side. Many of the familiar faces we’re used to seeing play for the Socceroos are gone, with newer, more youthful and far less predictable ones taking their place. Veterans Mark Schwarzer, Lucas Neill, Brett Holman and Archie Thompson have all been left home.The team will be led by newly appointed captain Mile Jedinak, who does much of the heavy lifting in the Crystal Palace midfield and will be expected to do the same for Australia. No, that probably won’t work against any of the Socceroos’ opponents in Group B, but this squad is in Brazil to get some vital experience for the next cycle, not because they have any real hope of making it to the knockout rounds.
Federation AFC
Fifa Ranking 62
Projected Starting 11 (4-3-3) Matthew R Jason Davidson, Ryan McGowan, Matthew ?piranovi?, Ivan Franji?; Mile Jedinak, Mark Milligan, Mark B Tommy Oar, Tim Cahill, Mathew Leckie.
Key Player
Mile Jedinak is Australia’s new captain, and will play a pivotal role in any hopes Australia might have of pulling off a major upset in Group B. In the Premier League, his performance as a box-to-box midfielder was instrumental in Crystal Palace’s strong 2013/14 season, and the Socceroos will be hopeful that his strong form continues into summer.Ideally, Jedinak will provide both defensive coverage in front of the back line and serve as an anchor point for the attack, moving the ball up the pitch and sliding passes out to the wingers.Since Australia will need to get physical to have a chance, Jedinak’s most important contribution will surely be his willingness to get stuck in. He’s not afraid to mix it up and muscle people off the ball, and if he can get the opposition playing scared in the middle of the pitch, it’ll be at least a start for the Socceroos.
How they play
Predicting just how Australia will play is difficult, due in large part to the fact that new head coach Ange Postecoglou hasn’t had much time to implement a new system. The manager’s been in charge of just two matches so far, and has to date stuck with the same 4-2-3-1 shape utilized by Holger Osieck before he was fired in October.The Socceroos’ formation & 4-3-3 seems most likely for now & probably won’t matter very much. They’re heavy underdogs in Group B, and the pessimist might describe their style of play as something like ‘defend as well as humanly possible against Chile, Spain and the Netherlands and hope to grab at least one draw.’ With expectations low, and Postecoglou tasked with a long-term reclamation project, he’ll likely rely on the grit and physicality for which the Aussies are known. Postecoglou typically prefers to use a more attacking-minded system, but attacking the rest of the teams in this group is a good way to get blown out.Australia should be strong defensively, but the lack of a true creative player means they’ll struggle to create any real chances. Any offense they have will come through a direct style of play, centered around the aerial ability of Tim Cahill. That’s probably not a great sign for the Socceroos, but nobody will fault them if they can’t get things done in this group.
How they got there
Australia qualified through the Asian Football Confederation & they left Oceania in order to face tougher competition and avoid the inevitable playoff that the OFC winner must navigate & earning an automatic spot by finishing in second place in their AFC group behind Japan. It wasn’t an easy route for the Socceroos, however: they needed a goal in the 83rd minute in their final qualification match against Iraq to avoid falling into set of a playoff matches, against first Uzbekistan, then Uruguay if they got through that.Qualification began poorly and stayed poor for some time, and only two very timely wins & 4-0 against Jordan and the final day 1-0 against Iraq & ensured that they ended up in second place. What does a 3-4-1 record in a group consisting of Japan, Jordan, Oman and Iraq tell you about their chances against the likes of Spain? Not even the most optimistic Socceroos fan would give their team much of a chance this time around.
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Netherlands
With two true world-class talents and a solid supporting cast, Chile aren’t just dark horses to trump the Netherlands to second place in Group B & they’re serious threats to beat Spain to the top spot. Alexis Sánchez and Arturo Vidal will be the stars of the Chilean show, with both able to single-handedly win points for La Roja. In fact, if Vidal is fit, he’s more than capable of winning the midfield battle by himself.Vidal’s fitness, however, is a significant question. He underwent knee surgery in May to repair a torn meniscus, and if Chile don’t have Vidal at his best and are forced to rely on their depth, they won’t be nearly as dangerous. Coach Jorge Sampaoli has molded a dynamic, solid side around his two superstars, but if they lose one of them (or their sometimes-wobbly defense lets them down), you can forget about Chile making a deep run.With Vidal and Sánchez in top form, La Roja can perhaps dream of matching their best ever World Cup finish & they finished third in 1962 as hosts & but even getting to the 2014 tournament represents a significant achievement for the country of 18 million: this is only the second time they’ll have played in back-to-back World Cups. They’ve actually missed more World Cups (11) & two absences due to being banned because goalkeeper Roberto Rojas faked an injury to try to get Brazil disqualified & than they’ve played in (nine) . They’re definitely not just here to make up the numbers, though, and their high-pressure style should make for some fun watching, especially when they come up against Spain for a rematch of their 2010 second-round loss.
Federation CONMEBOL
Fifa Ranking 14
Projected Starting 11 (3-5-2) Claudio B Gonzalo Jara, Francisco Silva, Gary M Eugenio Mena, Marcelo Díaz,
Charles Aránguiz, Arturo Vidal, Mauricio I Eduardo Vargas,Alexis Sánchez.
Key Player
You could almost flip a coin to choose between Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sánchez. Both are world-class stars, both can win Chile games. But while Vidal’s contribution on the scoresheet is indirect, Sánchez is likely to make a rather more spectacular impression in Brazil. The 25-year-old attacker had an up-and-down year with Barcelona, but looked very good & and that’s by Barcelona’s standards & when he was finally able to get some regular playing time.At his best, Sánchez is unstoppable. He’s able to beat defenders at will, using his freakish balance and ball control to make everyone trying to stop him look stupid, links up brilliantly with other forwards and can score from virtually anywhere. The world already has a pretty good idea of what he can do (he did fetch EUR26 million when he moved from Udinese to the Camp Nou, after all), but with talk of Barcelona putting him on the market this summer, Sánchez has a chance to turn even more heads with a strong performance in Brazil.
How they play
Chile underwent a major overhaul at the end of 2012, when manager Jorge Sampoali took over the team. Under Sampoali, La Roja returned to their roots, switching back to an aggressive, energetic, high-pressure system & the kind of soccer they played so effectively under Marcelo Bielsa. When Chile’s game plan comes off, they play an extremely effective attacking game that continually keeps the opposition off-balance. When it doesn’t, they can sometimes be left open at the back.The most noteworthy feature of Chile’s setup is their ability to adapt to any given situation. They’re one of the few teams in the tournament capable of switching from a three-man defense to a back four without any real drop in performance, and on top of that they’re more than happy to tinker within their two main shapes (3-5-2 and 4-3-3) to exploit weaknesses in their opposition or shore up against potential strengths. As a result, barring the twin facts that they’ll always try to hound their opponents into coughing up the ball as high up the pitch as possible and that they’ll attack with pace from wide through Alexis Sánchez and Eduardo Vargas, it’s difficult to know what to expect from La Roja.
How they got there
10 qualifying matches in and Chile didn’t look to be on their way to a second consecutive World Cup finals. They lost five of those games, including three in a row against Colombia, Ecuador and Argentina, and a few of those losses were absolute blowouts. The team wasn’t playing well, confidence was low, and it was clear that a change was needed.Head coach Claudio Borghi was dismissed, and Chile almost immediately got their groove back. Jorge Sampaoli took over the team in early December, returned to the high-pressure tactics that had served La Roja so well between 2007 and 2011, and although his first match in charge was a disappointing 1-0 loss against Peru, the team quickly adapted to win five of their last six matches and finish third in CONMEBOL qualifying, securing an automatic berth to the finals. Their only blemish was a thrilling 3-3 draw against Colombia, in which Chile collapsed from 3-0 up after 30 minutes. But is allowing Falcao to score twice really a major blot on their copybook?
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Netherlands
2013 was a good year for the Dutch. They were undefeated and spent much of it scoring goals with the reckless abandon of an 18-year-old college student who’s just found out that when you’re a grownup nobody stops you from eating pizza whenever you want to.Conversely, 2012 was a very bad year for the Dutch, who suffered a shock defeat to Denmark in the opening match of the European Championships and ended up going home with zero points. It wouldn’t be total football without a wild emotional ride, right?The Netherlands are perhaps the most storied nation never to have won a World Cup. They’re certainly the most historically stylish & the modern pass and move game has its origins in the great Oranje side of the 1970s & and something of that flair lives on in the current generation. But flair alone rarely gets teams anywhere, and this Dutch outfit don’t have the sort of consistency & or defensive solidarity & of most of their top competitors.This tournament will likely be the final chance for several of the Netherlands’ aging stars to claim a major international trophy. The likes of Robin Van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder came agonizingly close in 2010, falling to Spain in the World Cup final, and they have the firepower to make a run this time around as well. But they’ll need the rest of the team to live up to their side of the bargain to do it.
Federation UEFA
Fifa Ranking 15
Projected Starting 11 (3-5-2) Jasper C Bruno Martins Indi, Ron Vlaar, Stefan de V Daley Blind, Jordy Clasie, Nigel de Jong, Daryl J Wesley S Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben.
Key Player
Robin van Persie is the Netherlands’ best player, and his form will be pivotal for their hopes of advancing out of Group B. The Manchester United striker spent much of the 2013/14 season dealing with injuries, which largely prevented him from hitting the highs of the previous campaign.There are two ways of looking at this, so far as the Dutch are concerned: the optimist will tell you that he’s fully fit and the injuries just mean he’s well-rested compared to his peers, while the pessimist will not unreasonably point out that the injuries are further evidence that van Persie’s various ligaments are about as structurally sound as Holland’s Ron Vlaar-led defence.A healthy van Persie is decidedly unhealthy for the opposition & he might be the best natural finisher in the tournament and he is fully capable of turning the faintest of chances into goals. But even at his best, van Persie can’t do everything on his own, and he’ll need plenty of support from his midfield if the Netherlands are going to advance.
How they play
‘Total football’ is mostly out in the Netherlands camp. The Dutch are the authors of the most fluid system of soccer the world has ever seen, and they’re never going to entirely escape from the playing style that’s seared into their bones, but this current squad isn’t built for it. They’ll get part of the way there & the front line will interchange to devastating effect & but their defense isn’t as strong enough to be as adventurous as the team would like, and that sad fact will probably prevent the Netherlands from being as entertaining as in generations past.Expect Louis van Gaal to line his side up in a 3-5-2, with an eye towards the attack, although it’s equally possible that the manager will spring a surprise just to annoy everyone. The Netherlands typically use two deep midfielders, tasked with playing in a calm and cool manner that frees up the advanced midfielder and strikers to do what they do best. When it works & and by works we mean the complex egos involved are all on the same page & it can produce both beautiful and effective soccer. When it doesn’t, the attack breaks down, possession is lost and the team is forced to defend. Which is bad news for them.
How they got there
Qualifying was a breeze for the Netherlands, who went undefeated through their 10 group stage matches. That’s hardly a harbinger of a dominating performance in Brazil, however: no other team in UEFA’s Group D was ranked above 30 in the FIFA World Rankings. Beating up on Hungary and Romania is nice, but hardly indicative that the Dutch are going to cruise past the likes of Chile and Spain.Still, the qualification campaign was impressive, despite the straightforward group. They amassed 28 points from a possible 30 and had a tidy +29 goal differential. Their only blemish was a strange draw against Estonia in the seventh round, by which point they’d already more or less booked their flight to Brazil. Whether or not their lack of a real test in qualifying will hurt them in Group B is an open question, but we’ll find out the answer soon enough.
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Once upon a time, Spain were perennial losers. That seems ridiculous now & La Furia Roja haven’t been knocked out of a major tournament since being dispatched by France in the Round of 16 in the 2006 World Cup & and an entire generation is growing up seeing Spain as the defining side in world soccer. Certainly, you wouldn’t rule out a repeat of the heroics of South Africa, with Spain becoming the first country to boast two World Champions in a row since Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962. While this team doesn’t seem quite as formidable as Spain’s side from four years ago, they’re still amongst the favorites to lift the most coveted trophy in international soccer.There’s no doubt the talent and experience is there for Spain to walk away from Brazil 2014 with their fourth consecutive major international championship, but it’s difficult to know whether the collective mind and body are willing. Vicente del Bosque’s key stars are all four years older than last time out, most of them having just completed long and grueling club seasons, and thanks to their success the last time out they no longer have a first winner’s medal to motivate them. Will the prospect of a repeat be enough to get Spain going? We won’t really be able to tell until the matches begin.
Federation UEFA
Fifa Ranking 1
Projected Starting 11 (4-3-3) Iker C Jordi Alba, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Piqué, César A Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets, X David Silva, Diego Costa, Andrés Iniesta.
Key Player
It’s tough to pick out one player on a squad as deep as Spain’s. For most teams, any of Spain’s starters would be the focal point, the guy who you build a team around. But with this much star power, del Bosque doesn’t need to rely on any of his attackers. However, Spain might live and die in the defense, and that’s where Sergio Ramos will come in.The 28-year-old central defender is, at his best, one of the top center backs on the planet. He can shut down attacks and provide a threat of his own on set pieces (big goals are a thing for Ramos & see this year’s Champions League final), but on the flip side he’s also more than capable of having utterly epic trainwreck moments. Which version of him shows up game-to-game will be a significant barometer of whether or not Spain will be able to repeat.Spain will need Ramos on his game, and they’ll need him to keep his cool as well. He’s always been a player with a short fuse, and he has a knack for picking up red cards, having set the La Liga record for career dismissals earlier in the year. To win it all, La Furia Roja will need less fury and more focus from Ramos.
How they play
Tiki. Taka. Spain have long been regarded as a sort of Barcelona-lite, lacking the ruthless guile that comes with Lionel Messi but able to do the rest fairly happily. Control the ball. Keep the ball. Score on occasion. Win. It’s pretty basic stuff, predicated around the simple idea that having the ball means your opponent doesn’t, and therefore cannot beat you.It can also be rather… dare we say it? … boring. But the slow pace of the Spanish game has been exaggerated. Yes, sometimes they’re content to go 1-0 up and draw the sting out of a game, but when they want to turn on the style they’re more than capable of blowing their opponents off the pitch. One only has to turn to the 4-0 thrashing of Italy in the Euro 2012 final for evidence of just how dangerous this Spain side can be going forward.Del Bosque will generally line up with his side in a 4-3-3, leaning heavily on his wealth of midfield and attacking talent. They won’t just be looking for the forwards to score goals & the Spanish style needs proactive defensive work across the park, and you can expect to see red shirts swarming around the opposition on the rare occasions that Spain aren’t in possession. La Furia Roja indeed.
How they got there
In the good old days (i.e. before Spain were successful), the holders of the World Cup didn’t have to go through the rigmarole of qualifying for the next tournament. But with that rule abandoned following the 2002 tournament, they had to do things the hard way. Arguably, that’s a good thing & despite being placed in a group alongside France, who actually ran them pretty close for most of the campaign & Spain were hardly going to fail to get to Brazil, and this way they got to play real games rather than faffing around with pointless friendlies for two years.Spain came out of their five-team qualifying group with 20 points from a possible 24 (three ahead of France) and never went behind in any of their eight matches. Sure, they struggled to beat Georgia and somehow ended up drawing against Finland at home, but it’s better to get those blips out of the way during qualifying rather than wait to fall down on the big stage. Right?
Team Schedule
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Netherlands
Introduction
Welcome to the Group of Pretty Good. Nobody here will embarrass themselves, but it seems rather unlikely that anyone in Group C will make a major impact on the tournament either. They’ll just play some pretty even, interesting soccer and, after six matches in this tranquil little garden, two will be let into the wilds of the knockout rounds, whereupon they will be messily devoured.Colombia are the seeded team in the group, but Radamel Falcao will miss the tournament with a serious knee injury. Ivory Coast are a good team, but their stars are aging and they have never managed to make it out of the group stages. Japan have the top end talent and recent history, but there are questions at the back and they lost all three matches in the Confederations Cup last year. Greece are … somewhat effective, but in a very limited way and no one who isn’t actually Greek wants to see a team who plays ultra-defensive soccer do well.By the time July 13 rolls around and we’re gearing up for the final, Group C will probably be an afterthought, but that’s no reason to ignore them. With at least some quality in every team and all four capable of finishing anywhere from first to fourth, this group could make for the most entertaining watching of the first fortnight.With the possible exception of Greece’s games, of course.
Predictions
1 - Colombia
3 - Ivory Coast
4 - Greece
Colombia: When Radamel Falcao tore his ACL in January, Colombia’s dreams of winning the World Cup & ambitious, but not completely unrealistic & were destroyed, but that doesn’t mean they’re completely devoid of quality. There may be questions at the back, but they have options throughout the midfield and James Rodríguez and Teófilo Gutiérrez are plenty good enough to earn Colombia top spot in the group.Japan: Last year’s Confederations Cup disaster will scare people away from picking Japan. Sure, they can blow through AFC qualifying, but there are maybe three good teams in that region. What’s that supposed to prove? Not much, but Keisuke Honda is great, he has the help of Shinji Kagawa and while there are questions at the back, at least it’s because they have too many options, not too few. Japan get the nod for second spot because of the balance in their squad. And it’s not like there are good (or bad) picks in this group anyway.Ivory Coast: The Ivory Coast won’t have the “we were in too tough a group” excuse this year. In previous World Cups, les Elephants had been confronted with some horrendous pairings & Brazil-Portugal and Argentina-Netherlands are nobody’s idea of a picnic. With respect to the rest of Group C, this edition looks easier to handle. That said, Didier Drogba isn’t in his prime anymore, Salomon Kalou hasn’t developed as les Elephants had hoped and Didier Zokora & an aging defensive midfielder & is still starting in the center. If Ivory Coast could bring their 2010 squad to Brazil, they would probably be favored to win the group, but time doesn’t work that way, so, barring some heroics from Yaya Toure, we’re going for a third-place finish here. What’s a World Cup without a failed Golden Generation?Greece: Defend-and-pray-the-other-team-gives-you-a-chance has worked out pretty well for Greece. Be it in the World Cup, the Euros or qualifying, Greece has been able to get results & admittedly while producing performances that had the neutrals wanting to gouge their eyes out. But even the unwatchable-but-effective version of Greece had a starting striker with a good knee, sadly unavailable to the current edition. They also normally don’t break up their defense between qualifying and the real deal, but they’ve done so this time around because ... why the hell not?
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Colombia vs. Greece
Ivory Coast vs. Japan
Colombia vs. Ivory Coast
Japan vs. Greece
Japan vs. Colombia
Greece vs. Ivory Coast
Must-Watch Game
Japan vs. Ivory Coast
The group’s opener features a Japan side trying to prove that going to Brazil doesn’t zap them of their ability to play soccer like it did in the Confederations Cup against an Ivory Coast team trying to make good on their promise as the best African team ever. With these two sides figuring to battle for second place in the group, this might also be the most important match of the group in terms of working out who advances to the knockout rounds and who goes home early.Didier Drogba will do his utmost to pummel a back line in flux, while Ivory Coast decides whether they think their holders can possibly contain the slippery duo of Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa, or if they need to pull Yaya Toure back to do it. Toure can do pretty much everything and les Elephants may task him with doing just that here. Don’t tell us that you’re willing to miss out on The Yaya Toure Show.
The last time Colombia entered a World Cup as a dark horse contender was back in 1994 … and they didn’t make it out of the group stage, losing to both Romania and the United States. Since then, they’ve been mostly irrelevant, picking up just one point in 1998, then failing to reach another finals until now.Two decades after the humiliation of ‘94, Colombia seemed back to their best. They finished second in South American qualifying, had risen to fifth in FIFA’s world rankings and the phrase “dark horse” was bandied about once more. And then Radamel Falcao tore his ACL.José Pékerman had built his team around the ace center forward, but he’s going to have to do without in Brazil. Colombia still have James Rodríguez and Teófilo Gutiérrez, which is nice and all, but they are not Falcao. Falcao at his best is one of the most dangerous players in soccer, and replacing that production is essentially impossible.Maybe Colombia should just never get good ever again.
Federation CONMEBOL
Fifa Ranking 8
Projected Starting 11 (4-4-2) David O Pablo Armero, Cristián Zapata, Mario Yepes, Juan Camilo Zú? James Rodríguez, Abel Aguilar, Carlos Sánchez, Juan C Teófilo Gutiérrez, Carlos Bacca.
Key Player
The bright lights and blazing sun in Brazil were meant to provide an opportunity for Radamel Falcao to shine. He was the hottest striker on the planet, playing for an exciting international side and the tournament was being played on his home continent. But a torn ACL ruined that dream, leaving Colombia with a huge vacancy in terms of both production and star power. Teófilo Gutiérrez could be the man to fill it.Gutiérrez is one of the most eccentric personalities in the sport. Allegations of selfishness and immaturity have followed him around as he’s bounced from team to team. His leaving Trabzonspor, without the club’s permission, just because he wanted to go home, didn’t help much. Nor did telling CA Lanús he couldn’t play due to national duty, despite Colombia not calling him up. Then there was the time he threatened his teammates with a paintball gun …There might not be a bigger character at the World Cup than Gutiérrez, but coaches squash their sense of reason and judgment, giving him yet another chance, for a simple reason: He’s good. Very good. This is a player who has led the both Colombian and Argentinean leagues in scoring, and a year ago was a Copa MX champion with Cruz Azul. He scored six goals in World Cup qualifying and has every tool necessary to set Brazil alight & as long as he leaves that paintball gun behind.
How they play
Colombia’s mantra is pretty simple: don’t screw up too badly at the back, get the ball to the attacking players and then get the hell out of the way.With a backline that ranges somewhere between aging and shaky, Colombia avoid asking for much. Instead, they give them plenty of help from the midfield, which always contains two defensively capable players and sometimes has three. It works. Los Cafeteros defend in numbers and when they win possession, they have a pretty good idea of what to do with the ball & find James Rodríguez, and find him fast.Once James has the ball, the Colombia attack takes off. He’s the creative force that drives them forward and with any of Los Cafeteros’ six outstanding forwards to feed, his job is pretty easy. Few teams in Brazil will be as dangerous on the counterattack or as lethal in front of goal as Colombia, but they do struggle at times when teams pack defenders. Normally, Los Cafeteros just give the ball to Falcao and let him bail them out, but obviously that’s not going to be an option in Brazil, so they’re going to have to find a new way to score when the match slows down.
How they got there
Brazil got a World Cup spot as the host, so South American qualifying was a little easier this time around, but that doesn’t make Colombia’s run through the long, two-year, 16-match campaign any less impressive.Colombia finished second in qualifying behind Argentina, boasting a remarkable four-match stretch from September 2012 to March 2013 in which they beat Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay and Bolivia by a combined score of 14-1. That put Los Cafeteros well on their way to qualification, but they managed a 0-0 draw in Buenos Aires anyway, just to demonstrate that they could hang with the World Cup’s heavy hitters.Just how good were Colombia’s 30 points? It was more than they have tallied in any qualification rounds before, and they did it in just 16 matches, two fewer than the previous two cycles. If their performance over the last two years is any indication, this is the best Colombia team ever. Not bad.
Team Schedule
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Ivory Coast
In 2004, Greece shocked the world by winning the European Championships. They defended at all costs throughout the tournament, and it worked. It was a lovely Cinderella story and people jumped on the underdog bandwagon, but the excitement left them blind to what was to follow & a decade of horribly boring soccer.For the last 10 years, Greece have continued to play like they did in 2004, putting men behind the ball and defending their way into, and through, international tournaments. Every once in a while they put out some lip service about evolving and wanting to become a more well-rounded team, but since that never actually happens, those claims are getting less and less believable.It’s possible to applaud their effectiveness & there is no doubt that it has worked, even if just once & but in truth it can be difficult to watch them play. Greece aren’t villains, by any means, but that’s mostly because villains are rarely this dull. When Giorgos Samaras is considered a creative force, it’s not surprising that the neutrals tend to shun this team.
Federation UEFA
Fifa Ranking 12
Projected Starting 11 (4-3-3) Orestis K José Holebas, Kostas Manolas, Sokratis Papasthathopoulos, Vasilis T Giannis Maniatis, Alexandros Tziolis, Kostas K Giorgos Samaras, Konstantinos Mitroglou, Dimitris Salpingidis.
Key Player
On a team that often defends with nine men behind the ball, the lone man up front takes on a huge burden to not just score goals, but to initiate the attack. The center forward has to be the heart of every foray forward simply because he’s the only player who starts anywhere near the opposition goal. They must score, and they must also create. That’s Kostas Mitroglou’s job for Greece.Even if the Greeks were able to give Mitroglou some help in the form of Dimitris Salpingidis’ four goals in qualifying, it was still Mitroglou who led the team when they needed it. He scored three of Greece’s four goals in the two-legged playoff & Salpingidis scored the other & to put them in the World Cup.The 26-year-old was supposed to make a major jump on the club level when he joined Fulham in January, giving him a Premier League stage on which to shine, but a knee injury limited him to just three matches after joining the club. In summation, Greece’s most important player is someone who hasn’t scored at any level for any team since November 19, 2013 and may or may not have a functioning knee. Good luck!
How they play
You would be hard-pressed to find a more defensive team in the world than Greece. They will change their formation from time to time, from a 4-1-4-1 to a 4-3-3 or even a 4-2-3-1, but there’s really only one variable in how they play & whether they are putting nine or 10 men behind the ball.Greece’s success is based on their ability to defend. They allowed just four goals in the group stage, making the two they allowed in the playoff seem like a breakdown. They are big and strong throughout, from defense to forwards, relying on their ability not just to stay organized, but to out-muscle opponents.Greece rely on their wingers to make their tactics work. It’s easy to pack men behind the ball, but teams also need to be able to relieve pressure and score the occasional goal. Enter Dimitris Salpingidis and Giorgos Samaras. The duo’s tireless work out wide allows Greece to not just defend with nine, but to break through the wings to give Kostas Mitroglou options on the rare occasions Greece do go forward.
How they got there
Greece played exactly to form in World Cup qualifying, limiting Group G opponents to just four goals and mustering only 12 of their own in reply. They got the results they needed, winning eight and drawing one in ten matches, but their points tally was matched by the far more free-scoring Bosnia and Herzegovina. With first place in the group determined by goal difference, Greece were done for.Relegated to second place, Greece were paired with Romania in the resulting two-legged playoff. Once there, Konstantinos Mitroglou made sure they would be making their way to Brazil. He scored a brace in the first leg and Dimitris Salpingidis added one of his own as Greece rolled to a 3-1 win. Mitroglou scored again in the second leg, a 1-1 draw, and with that, Greece had qualified for back-to-back World Cups for the first time in their history.
Team Schedule
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Ivory Coast
The Ivory Coast’s Golden Generation looks about to embark upon their final major tournament. Anchored by Didier Drogba, Yaya Touré and Kolo Touré, les ?léphants have, for more than a decade, been pegged as the African team that could go deep into a World Cup, proving that teams from the continent can compete with the world’s best.The results so far: two World Cups, two group stage exits.Despite the hope that Ivory Coast could blaze new trails, they’ve yet to make an impact at the World Cup. The Elephants have been thrown into tough groups and despite winning a match in each of the last two tournaments, they went home early. This generation hasn’t done much better in continental play either, failing to win an African Cup of Nations and losing the final on penalties twice since 2006.The terms “overrated” and “choke artists” have been thrown Ivory Coast’s way. They might be harsh, but with Drogba and both Tourés on the wrong side of 30, les ?léphants are one more group stage knockout from having those labels inked into the history books forever.
Federation CAF
Fifa Ranking 23
Projected Starting 11 (4-2-3-1) Boubacar B Arthur Boka, Sol Bamba, Kolo Touré, Serge A Didier Zokora, Cheick Tioté; Salomon Kalou, Yaya Touré, G Didier Drogba.
Key Player
Former Chelsea star Didier Drogba has long been in the spotlight for Ivory Coast, but in truth it’s been years since he has been their best player. That title belongs to Yaya Touré, winner of three straight African Footballer of the Year awards.When Touré was at Barcelona, he was a defensive midfielder, but he played his final match for the Blaugrana at central defense. Since his move to Manchester City, however, he has been pushed further and further up the pitch, and his transformation into a key attacking player culminated in a 24-goal campaign this season.Basically, Touré can do anything.Want Touré to tackle? He will. Want him to score? He’ll do that too. Anything in between? No problem. Ivory Coast ask Yaya Touré to do more than should be humanly possible. And he does it, mostly without breaking a sweat. If this team does manage to get to the knockout rounds, they’ll almost certainly have Yaya to thank.
How they play
As is often the case with teams that play a 4-2-3-1, les ?léphants’ play revolves around their central attacking midfielder. Luckily for Ivory Coast, they have a pretty good one in Yaya Touré.Didier Drogba will do the grunt work up front, while out wide the Elephants are still dependent on Gervinho and Salomon Kalou to remember how to soccer (it’s a coin flip) with Didier Zokora still lugging his old legs around alongside Cheick Tioté in the midfield. It makes for a wonderful spectacle of steel, tired legs, inconsistency and mass confusion, but Touré’s at the center and that alone makes it work more often than not.Then again, that all goes for naught if their defense can’t hold up, and it may not. Ivory Coast struggled to keep the opposition out at times during qualifying, but when the defense melts down, at least it’s fairly entertaining to watch. Unless you’re an Ivory Coast fan, that is.This section could probably be replaced with ‘hope Yaya Touré wins games by himself.’
How they got there
Ivory Coast almost broke a sweat in qualifying. Almost.They went undefeated in the second round to win Group C with ease & Morocco, Tanzania and Gambia were their opponents & but because CAF has a nonsensical qualifying format, they still had to win a two-legged playoff to make it to the World Cup. Senegal were duly seen off by an aggregate score of 4-2, and les ?léphants had their place in Brazil.Overall, Ivory Coast played eight qualifiers and didn’t lose a single game, scoring 19 goals and surrendering seven. Only Ghana came even close to looking as good. Not coincidentally, les ?léphants and the Black Stars are far and away the two best teams on the continent. Amazing how that works.
Team Schedule
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There are a lot of countries in the world that have never been to the World Cup. And there are a lot of countries that haven’t ever reached the knockout stages, let alone got their twice. And most of those poor countries have taken soccer seriously for more than 21 years.Japan laughs at all of them.Japan didn’t even have a proper professional league until 1993, when the J-League was formed. They didn’t qualify for a World Cup until 1998 and didn’t make a knockout stage until 2002. And yet despite being a footballing nation so young they would get carded for a drink*, they have hosted a World Cup, been to the knockout stages twice and have players at the likes of Manchester United and AC Milan.*Admittedly probably not in Brazil.Now the Japanese find themselves in a thoroughly manageable group. They won’t just be hoping to squeak into second and advance to the knockouts & the Samurai will be aiming to top Group C and advance to the second round as a seeded team. If they do so, it will leave even more countries around the world wondering how the hell Japan have done in 21 years what they haven’t been able to do in a century.
Federation AFC
Fifa Ranking 46
Projected Starting 11 (4-2-3-1) Shusaku K Yuto Nagatomo, Maya Yoshida, Yasuyuki Konno, Atsuto U Yasuhito Endō, Makoto H Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda, Shinji O Yoichiro Kakitani.
Key Player
Keisuke Honda is Japan’s creative attacking midfielder. He’s also the man at the center of their their transition play. And he’s their false nine. He takes their free kicks, too.Basically, Keisuke Honda is Japan’s everything, at least on the attack.Shinji Kagawa and the rest of the Samurai are lovely and all, but Honda is the player who makes Japan go. He won MVP at the 2011 Asian Cup and led the final round of AFC World Cup qualifying in goals despite missing two games. That he now plays for Milan & who handed him the No. 10 shirt upon his arrival & is fairly impressive as well, at least for a minor soccer power.And in case you doubt Honda, think back to four years ago and the 2010 World Cup. What comes to mind first: the sublime 30-yard free kick against Denmark, his strike against Cameroon or the gorgeous Cruyff turn to pick up the assist that sent Japan to the knockout stages?The correct answer is “yes” and “more please.”
How they play
If you’re a new soccer fan & or are trying to explain formations to a new soccer fan & Japan is your holy grail. No formation is more en vogue than the 4-2-3-1 and Japan plays the most straightforward and basic one around.Four defenders with fullbacks that look to get forward? Check.Two holding midfielders, neither of which is a true destroyer and both of whom are tasked with moving the ball to the forward players as soon as it’s been won? Check.Wingers that like to cut in? Check.A brilliant No. 10 & okay, so Keisuke Honda wears No. 4, but he’s good enough to get away with it & behind a versatile striker? Check.Call Japan basic if you’d like. You can even call them boring. But if you want to see what the formation of the 21st century looks like in its purest form, look at Japan. And by the way, there’s a reason why Japan plays the way so many other teams do in 2014 & it works. They execute the simple things, and they do so very well.
How they got there
Japan was the first team in the world to qualify for the World Cup (OK, technically it was Brazil, but you are being a tad pedantic, aren’t you?). They don’t get an award for that & maybe they got a second helping of orange slices & but they did get a trip to Brazil after topping AFC’s Group B, and that’s pretty good going.The Samurai cruised through the third round of qualifying with 10 points from their first four matches. With that they had booked their spot in the next round, so they promptly punted their last two games and moved on with their lives.In case teams thought those last two losses meant Japan were vulnerable, they won their first two matches of the final round by a combined score of 9-0. That’s pretty much how qualifying went for Japan & Keisuke Honda led the final round in goals, with Ryoichi Maeda and Shinji Okazaki tying for second.When they officially clinched a spot in Brazil, it was June 4,
days before the tournament’s starting date. World Cup qualifying might be a battle for some teams, but for Japan it was a lovely stroll through a park made of bubblegum and chocolate. The real deal should prove somewhat more challenging.
Team Schedule
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Ivory Coast
Introduction
One of the more interesting groups at the tournament, Group D contains three good teams who will all be disappointed not to qualify plus a spoiler side in Costa Rica, who are unlikely to advance but still fully capable of having a say in how things turn out.England, Italy and Uruguay will almost certainly be competing for the two qualification spots, and there are subplots aplenty to spice things up even further. Luis Suárez should be fit to face England, so there are lots of potential shenanigans there, and we also get a replay of the Euro 2012 quarterfinal between Roy Hodgson’s men and an Andrea Pirlo-led Italy.In all, it’s a very dangerous group, likely to be tight to the point that goal difference could play a part. One moment could change everything for any of these sides. That means we should have the sort drama and tension normally reserved for the knockout stages nice and early, which will make for excellent viewing.
Predictions
2 - England
3 - Uruguay
4 - Costa Rica
Italy: Italy simply have the best, most complete and most experienced squad in the group. They’ve also been performing at the highest level and have an excellent coach. They should finish top, but they will need to pick up a win against Uruguay or England to do it. It’s not really the Italian style to rattle a shedload of goals past Costa Rica, and in the potential scenario where the three games between the big three teams in the group all end up in draws, it could come down to who can beat the Central Americans by the highest scoreline. That could see Italy in trouble, but otherwise, their quality should send them through.England: Uruguay are arguably a better side than England, but Hodgson has his men playing as a coherent unit and they do seem to possess the bizarre ability to unsettle opposing teams even with their overly-predictable method of attacking. For that reason, it seems likely they’ll just about squeeze out Suárez and Co. for second place. Their two-banks-of-four rigidity will always give them the option of playing negatively, and if they decide to, they’ll be difficult to beat.Uruguay: Expect this to be very close, but Uruguay have several blind spots in their side. Their defense and midfield are slightly creaky, and while Suárez-Edinson Cavani should be the best strike partnership at the tournament, the latter has been in relatively poor form since joining Paris Saint-Germain. They certainly could qualify, but the odds are probably just about against them.Costa Rica: Unfortunately, it’s probably not Costa Rica’s year. They’re not so bad that they’ll be guaranteed a defeat in every game, so they could well have a big say in how the group ends up, but it’s very unlikely they’ll be going through themselves, or indeed by finishing anywhere but bottom. Los Ticos simply don’t have the quality to compete with the rest of the teams in the group, even if they shouldn’t be written off in individual games. Losing leading scorer ?lvaro Saborío to a broken foot just two weeks ahead of the tournament only serves to make matters worse.
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Uruguay vs. Costa Rica
England vs. Italy
Uruguay vs. England
Italy vs. Costa Rica
Italy vs. Uruguay
Costa Rica vs. England
Must-Watch Game
England vs. Uruguay
All three of the games between the big three teams will be required viewing, but this one is likely to be the most tense. It will be a match between two deeply flawed sides with contrasting styles & one unpredictable outfit containing a handful of world-class players sandwiched between cloggers, and one consisting mostly of average players in a well-drilled unit & and on top of that it features the rather interesting subplot of Luis Suárez, to English fans easily the most obvious villain of the tournament, taking on the Three Lions. It will probably have the feel of a knockout game, contain plenty of nastiness and will certainly be decisive.
2014 represents an incredibly unlucky tournament for the Central American side even before a ball has been kicked & while they’ve assembled one of their most talented squads of all time, they’ve ended up in very a tricky group, mostly thanks to FIFA seeding procedures. Confronted by Italy, England and Uruguay, Costa Rica are overwhelming favorites to finish last as, on paper, the weakest of the four teams by