Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
It’s the last group of the World Cup field this summer and yet somehow it is the group which contains the most intrigue – not because it is such a wide open group (even though this is certainly a group that can spring surprises), but because the entire footballing world has their eyes trained on Belgium. Many if not most have the Belgians as their dark horse team this summer, even so far as to say they would not be shocked by a semi-final appearance for the Red Devils. They will however be tasked with dealing with a Russian side under Fabio Capello that is looking to be taken seriously again, a resurgent South Korea under legendary international Hong Myung-Bo and an Algerian side that never make things easy for much of anyone (just look back to the 2010 World Cup). While Belgium look to run the riot act over this group, you never know what could happen in the end and the pressure piling on them could well make things difficult for them. How would Young and Drew coach them? Let’s find out in this last installment.
Group H: Belgium, Russia, South Korea, Algeria
Drew will have a crack at it first;
Belgium – There is no team that I am more anxious to watch this summer than Belgium – not Brazil, the Netherlands, Germany, England or Argentina, the buck stops at the boys from Brussels. Marc Wilmots has done a fantastic job with this team, especially with how young they are, and the way they attack and such a coordinated and cohesive unit is incredible to watch given that all of their players ply their trade at different clubs with the exception of a few. They have a fantastic keeper in Thibaut Courtois, a top notch center-back pairing, very hard working and efficient central-midfielders and they are captained by Vincent Kompany who is a suburb leader. Their one and only weakness is that with the exception of Anthony Vanden Borre and Laurent Ciman, they do not have any traditional fullbacks and given that Vanden Borre and Ciman are not good enough to start, that means Thomas Vermaelen and Toby Alderweireld will be forced to play in those roles. Both are defensively responsible, but it means the Belgians will not be afforded the option of using them in the attack as neither excel in that regard. Still, Belgium are a very strong and balanced side throughout, and as coach I would deploy in a 4-3-3 to give the right amount of space for Belgium’s attacking players to influence the match, especially Eden Hazard;
GK: Thibaut Courtois
DF: Thomas Vermaelen (LB), Jan Vertonghen (CB), Vincent Kompany (CB), Toby Alderweireld (RB)
MF: Axel Witsel (CM), Marouane Fellaini (CM); Kevin De Bruyne (CAM)
FW: Eden Hazard (LW), Romelu Lukaku (CF), Kevin Mirallas (RW)
Russia – They have a lot of work to do to put themselves properly on the world footballing map, they have already done so in Europe. Ever since Russia came into existence in FIFA after the collapse of the Soviet Union, they have never made it out of the group stage in a World cup and have failed to qualify for the last two tournaments, while their only jaunt past the group stage during the European Championship was their semi-final appearance at Euro 2008. With the hiring of former England manager Fabio Capello, Russia have only lost twice in his 17 matches in charge, won their qualifying group that also contained Portugal and only allowed 5 goals in their 10 match campaign to reach Brazil – Russia are coming into Brazil with the goal of making a real statement that they should be taken seriously, and while Belgium will have something to say on the matter, Russia have the talent to win the group. Their core cadre of defenders and midfielders remain, but Capello has done an excellent job bringing younger players into the fore and he has continued that trend for this summer. I will certainly agree with Young however (as you will see shortly), that with a squad that is entirely based in Russia apart from Denis Cheryshev, their biggest obstacle to overcome is the climate in Brazil. Capello must make it paramount that his players adapt to this as best they can if they are to avoid puttering out due to fitness concerns. Still, this team does have talent and if they can get past that hump, they should do well enough to make the next round, and as coach, a 4-2-3-1 for me would be preferable;
GK: Igor Akinfeev
DF: Dmitri Kombarov (LB), Sergei Ignashevich (CB), Vasili Berutzski (CB), Aleksei Kozlov (RB)
MF: Denis Glushakov (CM), Roman Shirokov (CM); Viktor Fayzulin (LAM), Alan Dzagoev (CAM), Aleksandr Samedov (RAM)
FW: Aleksandr Kokorin (CF)
South Korea – Everyone will always remember South Korea for that magical run to the semi-finals in the 2002 World Cup when they were co-hosts with Japan. There are few moments in the history of the sport that could better incapsulate what the World Cup dream is all about than that team. The captain of that famous 2002 side, Hong Myung-Bo is now the coach of the national team and under his stewardship, South Korea are looking to rebound from lackluster displays in their recent history. The good news for them is that they find themselves in this group, where a string of solid performances could see them finish second and progress, though most would have Russia claiming pre-tournament ownership of that. However, it will be hard for these players to look past Bo if they need nothing more than inspiration to push on in this tournament as his and his teammates did 12 years ago. Most of them have experience playing under him already and while it still takes time to adjust to a coaching change, this will be the perfect test for Korea to see just how far they have come since his appointment. Korea must continue to play aggressively and as that is the only way they could play their way into the knockout stage, if I were coach, a 4-3-3 would be best and I would sincerely hope and pray that the ostracized Park Chu-Young found some sliver of form;
GK: Jung Sung-Ryung
DF: Kim Jin-Su (LB), Hong Jeong-Ho (CB), Kim Young-Gwon (CB), Lee Yong (RB)
MF: Ki Seung-Yong (CM), Koo Ja-Cheol (CM), Kim Bo-Kyung (CM)
FW: Son Heung-Min (LW), Park Chu-Young (CF), Lee Chung-Yong (RW)
Algeria – They were incredibly frustrating to play against in the 2010 tournament – just ask both England and the United States. They physical, strong, they work as hard as just about anyone and they love to pull a Mourinho, park the bus and then play quick long balls to try to capitalize on the space left behind the opposition rear. This is a strategy that works for them, has gotten them into World Cups, has seen them put on good team displays at those World Cups and there is no reason for them to deviate from that now. Making other teams do all the hard work in the Brazilian climate will also play to their advantage, especially in the latter stages of the match with 15-20minutes left where they could try to either smash and grab a 1-0 win or draw level. If you are going to park the bus, you may as well do it right and proper, so as coach I would deploy in a 5-4-1 with two midfielders and two wide players;
GK: Rais M’Bolhi
DF: Faouzi Ghoulam (LB), Carl Medjani (CB), Madjid Bougherra (CB), Liassine Cadamuro-Bentaiba (CB), Aissa Mandi (RB)
MF: Foued Kadir (LW), Saphir Taider (CM), Yacine Brahimi (CM), Sofiane Feghouli (RW)
FW: Islam Slimani (ST)
And to close out the series, here’s Young;
Belgium – The Red Devils have been receiving more hype than they’re accustomed to thanks to their golden generation of stars. The rise of Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, and Kevin De Bruyne gave the Belgians a centerpiece for their attack for the next eight years or so. Their chemistry on the pitch has been their greatest strength as well as their direct style of football. Even though the players are scattered across Europe, playing for different clubs, they somehow play like an elite club on the national team. Unfortunately, they will have to rely on their possession game to hide their fullbacks. The best defensive options the Belgians have at the fullbacks are elite center-backs hiding in the flanks. Still, the Belgians have the ability to work with what they have to put on a great show in this World Cup. Their teamwork allows them to play a compact 4-5-1 perfectly.
GK: Thibeaut Courtois
DF: Jan Vertonghen (LB), Vincent Kompany (CB), Thomas Vermaelen (CB), Toby Alderweireld (RB)
MF: Axel Witsel (CM), Maroune Fellaini (CM), Kevin De Bruyne (CAM), Dries Mertens (LAM), Eden Hazard (RAM)
FW: Romelu Lukaku (ST)
Russia – Although they look like the team that can make out of the group with a second place finish, it’s hard to believe that this team has what it takes to put up a good fight against Algeria and South Korea. Although they boast a strong and physical defense, they lack the speed and creativity to pose an offensive threat. Moreover, the climate in Brazil severely contrasts with their homeland. They still have the ability to break their opponent’s focus with their ability to force the game at a slow tempo and capitalize on mistakes. With a clinical striker like Aleksandr Kokorin up top, Russia can pose as enough threat to make it out of the group. The knockout rounds is another story. A 4-2-3-1 formation to clog up midfield space should do the trick for Russia.
GK: Igor Akinfeev
DF: Dmitri Kombarov (LB), Sergei Ignashevich (CB), Vasili Berutzski (CB), Aleksei Kozlov (RB)
MF: Denis Glushakov (CDM), Roman Shirokov (CM), Alan Dzagoev (CAM), Victor Fayzulin (LAM), Aleksandr Samedov (RAM)
FW: Aleksandr Kokorin (CF)
South Korea – After a craptastic qualifying campaign that almost saw this side not qualify for the World Cup if Uzbekistan scored two more goals against Qatar in their qualifying match, South Korea has finally looked like they’re back on the right track. Recently appointed head coach, Hong Myung-Bo is exactly what the doctor prescribed; just not for this World Cup. Although most of the players have played under Hong at the 2012 Summer Olympics, U-17, or U-20 World Cup teams, they are still shaking off the rust from the Choi Kang-Hee regime and readjusting to Hong’s aggressive style of play. The biggest concern for Korea is their strikers. Their best option Park Chu-Young barely played for Arsenal and Watford, Ji Dong-Won only scored one goal all season, and Kim Shin-Wook is too immobile. Still, Korea’s most formidable lineup has to be the 4-2-3-1 with Park up top.
GK: Jung Sung-Ryung
DF: Kim Jin-Su (LB), Hong Jeong-Ho (CB), Kim Young-Gwon (CB), Lee Yong (RB)
MF: Han Kook-Young (CDM), Ki Seung-Yong (CM), Koo Ja-Cheol (CAM), Son Heung-Min (LAM), LeeChung-Yong (RAM)
FW: Park Chu-Young (ST)
Algeria – Athletic, strong, and cautious. Those are the three words that best describe the Algerian side. As seen from the 2010 World Cup, this is a team that likes to play it safe and save their best performance in the closing minutes to take advantage. They literally are the soccer version of boxing’s rope-a-dope strategy. However, there has been one major change in this team’s makeup. The infusion of young players like Saphir Taider and Nabil Bentalib give this team a more up-tempo style of play. Although they’re labeled as the weakest team in their group, their game cannot be underestimated. The Algerians should opt for a 4-5-1 and transition to a 4-3-3 in the closing minutes.
GK : Mohamed Zemmamouche
DF: Faouzi Ghoulam (LB), Madjid Bougherra (CB), Carl Medjani (CB), Aissa Mandi (RB)
MF: Mehdi Lacen (CDM), Nabil Bentalib (CM), Saphir Taider (CAM)
FW: El Arbi Hillel Soudani (LW), Islam Slimani (CF), Yacine Brahimi (RW)