Through the perilous fight; The United States get the Group of Death while Brazil and Argentina celebrate gifts – the 2014 World Cup group stage draw
Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
It has been one of the most anticipated days in this year’s footballing calendar. All eyes were glued to televisions, smart phones and tablets. The group stage draw for the 2014 World Cup in the Samba nation of Brazil was finally upon us. One thing is for certain – there are an astronomical amount of talking points after the last ball was drawn from pot 4 and the conspiracy theorists will be in high voice in the coming months. Here is a break down for you of each group and what you may expect to unfold next summer – but then again, there are never guarantees in a World Cup.
First, here are the groups A though H in full (in parenthesis is their current FIFA ranking):
Group A: Brazil (10), Croatia (16), Mexico (20), Cameroon (51)
Group B: Spain (1), Netherlands (9), Chile (15), Australia (59)
Group C: Colombia (4), Greece (12), Ivory Coast (17), Japan (48)
Group D: Uruguay (6), Costa Rica (31), England (13), Italy (7)
Group E: Switzerland (8), Ecuador (23), France (19), Honduras (41)
Group F: Argentina (3), Bosnia-Herzegovina (21), Iran (45), Nigeria (36)
Group G: Germany (2), Portugal (5), Ghana (24), United States (14)
Group H: Belgium (11), Algeria (26), Russia (22), South Korea (54)
Everyone across Twitter, Facebook, Bleacher Report and every other social media outlet imaginable is unanimously agreeing about which groups can be labeled “the Groups of Death” as well as which groups possess the easiest paths for their top seeded nations. Let’s take a closer look at each group one by one and break them down shall we?
Group A
People have already been talking about how straight forward this group is for the host nation and tournament favorite. Brazil are in the midst of having a very talented crop of players to call upon, which justifiably puts them up with the favorites, not to mention they are hosts (we saw how well they did in the Confederations Cup). Neymar, Hulk and co. will be chomping at the bit to impress once more on home soil. Croatia does have a good amount of talented players such as Mario Mandzukic, Ivan Rakitic and Ivan Perisic who ply their trade in Europe’s top leagues but are notoriously inconsistent as a whole. Mexico struggled all throughout qualifying and had to rely on a playoff to book their tickets. They will look towards Giovani Dos Santos, Andres Guardado and Javier Hernandez this summer. Cameroon without a doubt are the odd man out of this group and truthfully do not bring an incredible wealth of talent with them. Look for Brazil to qualify easily from this. For me, Croatia has enough quality about them to edge Mexico for the runner-up spot.
Group B
One of three groups that has three top 15 FIFA ranked teams, this is right up there in the “oh my god, why us” factor. Reigning champions Spain bring their current golden generation of technically gifted players and their famed “tiki taka” brand of football led by Andres Iniesta, Pedro and many others – they will need to be flawless. Chile are one of the underrated but talented South America sides that most people do not take seriously – make no mistake, they can kill you off on their day and have the midfield that includes Arturo Vidal, to boss any one around. The Netherlands are one of the strongest attacking sides in the world (Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie to name just two) but questions must be asked about their back-four and goalkeeping situations. They will put the ball in the net, but can they stop it from going in theirs will be the question. Everyone can feel bad for Australia, as they truthfully have no chance to make it out of this group alive. This is one of those groups that are hard to project, though most pundits pip Spain to top it, while the runner-up spot will come down to goal difference between Chile and the Netherlands – I will go with Spain to top it while the Netherlands will narrowly beat Chile to second in the group.
Group C
Colombia will be breathing a little easier with this draw, at least initially. They currently possess one of the world’s top strikers in Radamel Falcao (they also have the highly touted Jackson Martinez…incase you forgot about him) and are capable of high-octane displays through the midfield as well as on the break. However the remaining three teams in this group are tricky to breakdown. Greece is a well drill defensive side that can slow any match down to take their opponents out of it strategically (how Greek of them – phalanx much?). Through Kostas Mitroglou, they have a talented striker who is being courted by some of the bigger clubs in Europe, especially in the BPL. The Ivory Coast maintains a very strong midfield anchor in Yaya Toure with a very flexible and physical attacking approach through Wilfried Bony, Lacina Traore and Didier Drogba. Finally, Japan proved in 2010 that they will never go quietly and did very well to make it to the knockout stage – they will call upon Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda to pull the strings. Colombia should top this group, however the remaining three should all be battling it out for the runner-up position as the point totals should end up closer than other groups if I had to choose, Ivory Coast.
Group D
The second of three groups to include three of the top 15, this is quietly a very difficult group. Most are presently picking Uruguay to top it and who can blame them – they will bring an attacking trio of Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan, a triumvirate of incredible creative ability and finishing prowess. Uruguay is also on the back of a semi-final appearance in the last World Cup and will be looking to prove that it was not by luck. Italy will always be Italy – defensively fantastic and very creative through their midfield, which is led by none other than Andrea Pirlo, who will have access to Mario Balotelli (love him or hate him, he is gifted) and other talented attacking players. England on paper is always strong, however they can never translate domestic form to the national team well enough to be a force to be reckoned with in recent World Cups. Players such as Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Leighton Baines and Joe Hart will have to be at their very best if they are to progress. Costa Rica are the odd team out here, but even they can spring a surprise or two as the United States found out in CONCACAF qualifying. Uruguay is my choice to top the group with Italy setting the record straight from four years ago, as they will finish group runner-up
Group E
This was the group that everyone wanted to be thrown into, as Switzerland are easily the worst of all the top seeded nations (and arguably are not worthy of their current FIFA ranking of 8th). While they did do well in qualifying, the Swiss do not bring many threats to the table and face elimination in the group stage. Ecuador will look to have a thing or two to prove and they certainly could get out of this one. Antonio Valencia and Felipe Caicedo lead an attack that should not be underestimated. France struggled all throughout qualifying and had to rely on a second leg master class performance against Ukraine before they could start looking at which hotels to book. But do not be fooled, France are a very strong team throughout their entire XI, one that includes Frank Ribery, Karim Benzema and rising star Paul Pogba. If in form, France can win this group and make waves in the knockout stages. Unfortunately for Honduras, they will be the whipping boys of the group and I cannot see them picking up any points realistically. They do have a few players who can put in a shift for them but they will have to put on a performance of the ages to make the knock out stages. For me France tops this group, while Ecuador is the runner-up.
Group F
Let the controversy continue to fill the air with this one. Argentina is already in the top four or five when you consider potential winners this summer, but they have now been booked easy passage into the next round. There is obviously Lionel Messi but then you take into account players such as Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero (all of whom can and probably will start at the same time eventually in this upcoming tournament), this group is currently trembling at the thought of being torn to pieces. Bosnia-Herzegovina will be appearing in their very first World Cup after doing exceptionally well in qualifying. They are led by hit man Eden Dzeko and have a larger pool of talented players than people realize – they will not be an easy side to play. Nigeria is one of the foremost African sides throughout footballing history, but the Super Eagles may struggle to reach the next stage. Well drilled and always very pacey as a side, they struggle mentally as a unit and lack proper leadership on the pitch. Iran will enjoy being apart of the spectacle but realistically really should not going anywhere but home after the group stage. Argentina should win this group without lifting a finger, while Bosnia should pip Nigeria for runner-up.
Group G
Simply put, this is the hardest group of the entire tournament and one that the United States did not want to be apart of. The third of three groups with three top 15 teams, this has to be considered to be the one everyone will watch the closest – it also contains the treasure trove of media stories to harp on. Germany and the USA have quite a bit of history when it comes to World Cups, the USA is led by German national team legend Jurgen Klinsmann and Ghana has beaten the USA both times they met in the last two World Cups. Germany are ranked second in the world for good reason – they are simply that good…the perfect blend of technical ability, attacking prowess and physical play. Mesut Ozil will be pulling the strings and he will have an obscene amount of attacking options to choose from going forward, while Bastian Schweinsteiger will be the anchor. Portugal are led by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo who, depending on who you ask, is the best player in the world. Some say Portugal is a one-man outfit, but he has a very strong supporting cast led by Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles and Miguel Veloso. We all saw what Ronaldo did against Sweden – his talent level alone could be enough to see Portugal through. The United States always prefer to be the underdog and to not have any expectations, and they certainly have gotten their wish. Not many are giving them any chance to progress but Klinsmann has his team very well drilled in their ways and tactically efficient. Their work ethic is one of the best you will find and have excelled at beating teams by counter-attack. They big question is if their back-for can hold up against a group that has such talented attacking players and goal keeper Tim Howard will have his hands full. Ghana, led by charismatic but talented Kevin-Prince Boateng can surprise as well. They have put in good performances in the last two tournaments and while they always bring quite a few unknown players, they play as a unit incredibly well and work as hard as any side you will find. It won’t be easy, but Germany should top this group while Portugal will come through as runner-up.
Group H
Belgium has taken Europe by storm with their brilliant attacking football, comprised of young talented players. But can they cope with the expectations? Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Christian Benteke, Kevin Mirallas and many many other players will chomp at the bit to get their hands into this group, which is more or less a straightforward affair. Algeria are a defensive side who are not afraid to bring the physical aspect of their game to the fore, but they lack threats going forward – they will have to put in a titanic performance to get passed the other two teams in this group. Russia has always been discounted in football, despite their history in the game. They currently have quite a few dangerous players in their side, including Alexander Kerzhakov, Roman Shirokov and Alan Dzagoev, while they are always hard nosed at the back. South Korea is the other dominant Asian side (other than Japan) but has been in decline and have not lived up to their amazing run to the semi-finals in 2002. Not much threat will come from them this tournament, but they should at least not finish last in this group. Belgium will top the group, while Russia will obtain passage via runner-up.
To sum things up here are my preliminary group predictions:
Group A: Brazil, Croatia
Group B: Spain, Netherlands
Group C: Colombia, Ivory Coast
Group D: Uruguay, Italy
Group E: France, Ecuador
Group F: Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Group G: Germany, Portugal
Group H: Belgium, Russia
Preliminary dark-horse teams to watch:
Belgium and Colombia
Whether it’s the storyboard from media heaven in Group G, to the possibility of a Brazil v Argentina final or the possibility of Spain somehow not making it out of their group, this will be one of the more exciting and surprise filled World Cups in recent memory. I personally will hold off on predictions for the knock-out stages and moving forward, I will write a more in depth break down of each group one by one as the World Cup inches up on us. Thanks for reading and you will be hearing more from us on this in the future.
If you want to look into the ESPN Soccer Power Index about the group stage draw: SPI group stage projection graph