2018 FIFA Men's World Cup (Group H)

Group H

Poland (10)

Senegal (28)

Colombia (16)

Japan (60)

              Group H, the last group of the 2018 World Cup. To clarify, the letters have no correlation with the strength of the teams that make up a group. Teams are picked on random based on which pot they were assigned to. Yet, this group is fitting to be drawn into Group H. This isn’t to say there isn’t world class quality players, but the group has no traditional powerhouse team. Poland, Senegal, Colombia, and Japan are the four national teams that make up group H. Japan has been the most consistent, this will be their six consecutive world cup appearance. Poland will be the historically more experienced team as this will be their 8^th world cup appearance. To use those fun facts as a perspective, Japan is the team that will most likely finish last in the group while Poland is the highest ranked team according to FIFA rankings. Yet, the best performance of any of the four teams belongs to Senegal and Colombia. Senegal in their first world cup appearance reached the quarterfinal stage in 2002. 2018 in Russia will be Senegal’s second world cup appearance. Colombia were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the host in 2014.

              The amazing aspect of this is that this group will have two teams that will reach the round of 16. I am aware that each group will have two teams reaching the latter stage, that’s how it works, but my excitement is two national teams that are not house hold names will make the round of 16! That being said my predictions for this group have shifted from day to day. Colombia will finish 1^st while second will be Senegal. Poland has a great striker in Robert Lewandowski and can finish in second, but I am going with the unpredictability of Senegal over the predictable Poland. The top 3 teams can all interchange which is why I keep switching on which teams will advance. Japan is the only team I can clearly see not making it out of the group. This is a Japanese national team that isn’t as strong as their predecessors and from the players that I have been able to keep up with have not played well, often, or are sidelined with an injury. But, I could be wrong and I actually enjoy those moments.

              I will stick to these two national teams. Colombia and Senegal.  

2018 FIFA Men's World Cup (Group G)

Group G

Belgium (3)

Panama (55)

Tunisia (14)

England (13)

              I have been discussing teams based on the order in which the national team was drawn. Hence the order is not alphabetical or based on FIFA world rankings, but in the order in which the teams were plucked from the designated pots into the groups. I will break away from my short tradition on this group. Why? England, that’s why. For those who read or more likely discuss sports with me in person understand that I see England a bit different then most of my anglophone speaking people. To some, especially supporters of The Three Lions, will see me as having ill will or some sort of hostility towards the English. I can assure them and to one and all that I have no such feelings. I study history of sports and my emphasis and main focus is football (soccer). From what I gathered I don’t see England as elite or a world class footballing national team. Are they good? Yes. Excellent and memorable players? Definitely. But, to place them in the same historical category as Brazil, Italy, Germany, France, and Argentina is a stretch too far for even the most bias supporter. I see them closer to Uruguay. For those who are upset or disagree with that statement by all means lets discuss it. Chances are I already know who and why, but that will be for another time and I prefer in person discussions.

              The reason for the clarification on my English stance will come to fruition in my closing statements. Moving on. Belgium is national team that at the moment has players to win a World Cup. Whether they can or can’t will be based on how they perform in Russia this summer. A “golden generation” is what Belgium has and if they fall short of a semi-final it will be seen as a failure.

              This will be Panama’s first World Cup appearance. Well-earned and deserved. Unfortunately, I don’t see Los Canaieros playing a fourth game. Tunisia won their two most recent friendlies with a score of 1-0 for both games. They were against Iran and Costa Rica, both world cup qualified teams. As impressive as that may seem I don’t see the Tunisians beating the English or Belgium for the first and second spot to advance to the knockout stage.

              Now who will win group G? England! I predict England finishes first and the lack of experience from the Belgium national side will cause them to slip up and finish behind their former EU partner. I am a fan of Gareth Southgate, the English national team’s coach, and think he is did an excellent job managing England during the world cup qualification stage. I mean this sincerely, I am rooting for England to win the World Cup as my underdog team.   

2018 FIFA Men's World Cup (Group F)

Group F

Germany (1)

Mexico (15)

Sweden (23)

South Korea (61)

                Unlike the past groups, group F is one that I have a personal investment in. Mexico is the birthplace of my parents and where I get my food, traditions, and language. Most of the time I have temporary bias when I support a team or player. At times I enjoy watching Spain then get tired of them and watch Brazil and the same goes with club teams. I enjoy watching football in general. But, Mexico is different. It is a personal bias. Fans will understand when I speak of my team it is with passion and emotion. However, as I went through academia and studied sports I learned how to separate myself momentarily to critique the teams I support in a more honest manner.

                Germany are not only clear favorites to win the group, but they are perceived to be favorites to lift the world cup again. The German national side has quality all around and what makes their dominance frightening or admirable is that plenty of their younger players are already playing significant amount of minutes in big clubs around Europe. The issue German coach, Joachim Low, will have is who will have to leave out of his 23-man roster for the 2018 World Cup. That being said, Germany is beatable. Die Mannschaft lost to Brazil in a friendly 1-0. One could state that a friendly isn’t always the best method to judge a team which can be the case. Germany did lose when it mattered. They lost to France by a score of 2-0 in the semi-finals at the Euros. This isn’t to diminish the German national team in anyway. They are favorites to win the World Cup and justifiably so. I would just shed light to those that are not aware that the mighty can fall.

                Mexico is a team that if you want to make a safe bet on getting out of the group stage you will definitely earn that money back. The issue with Mexico is that after the group stage one could double their gambling earnings by betting against Mexico winning their round of 16 match. Since the 1994 World Cup Mexico has been eliminated in the round of 16. That is six, SIX times! In Mexico there are talks of superstition and a curse of the fifth game. However, even though I love the stories I do not who heartedly believe in them. Mexico is a talented national team where players have the speed and technical ability to match anyone of the favorites, yet they do lack tactical discipline to beat the favorites. Mexico will finish second in the group which means they will face the winners of group E in the round of 16. Chances are that BRAZIL will win group E. So, is it really a curse or just bad luck? Why not just finish first?

                Sweden in certain newspapers are perceived as finishing 2^nd in the group. Which is not unrealistic, the games still have to be played, but I don’t see Sweden making much of a run this summer in Russia. They did beat Italy in a play-off to earn a spot at the World Cup. But, that was an Italian side that was tactically handicap due to their coach and a national team that has not been playing up to its name for the past decade. Sweden has a chance to finish second, but to me that chance is very minimal. The Swedes play compact, pragmatic, and disciplined football. I don’t think they have the talent upfront to beat even the likes of Mexico.

                South Korea is a team I wish was a lot better than they currently are. I want to cheer for them simply because of Son Heung-min. He is the winger/forward who plays for Tottenham Hotspurs in the English Premier league. I enjoy watching Son play, but his supporting cast doesn’t have the quality to make a serious run to finish second in the group.   

  

                For group F Germany are the clear favorites to finish first with Mexico in second.  

2018 FIFA Men's World Cup (Group E)

Group E

Brazil (2)

Switzerland (6)

Costa Rica (25)

Serbia (35)

                Brazil headlines Group E in this summer’s World Cup. Brazil comfortably finished first in the CONMEBOL qualification with a 10-point lead over their closes rivals, Uruguay, who finished second. The 2014 World Cup was hosted in Brazil that ended in a manner that most Brazilians wish didn’t happen. There were protest on the streets by the Brazilian people who preferred improvement in social services than FIFA’s white elephant gift. Adding to the devastation Brazil went on to infamously lose 7-1 to Germany in the semi-finals. I am pretty sure as the tournament looms closer none of the Brazilians need a reminder of their painful exit from the previous world cup. Brazil are favorites to come out as the winners of group E given that they are an improved team and that their competition isn’t up to par with the selecao. Not only are they favorites to come out first in their group Brazil is also -as in most, if not every world cup-  favorites to win the tournament.

                Brazil’s most difficult hurdle to get through will be Switzerland. I don’t necessarily believe Switzerland is the currently the 6^th best team in the world, but they provide a different challenge to the Brazilian national team. Switzerland has players such as Xherdan Shaqiri, Stepham Lichtsteiner, and Ricardo Rodriguez that play in big clubs or in Shaqiri’s case a league with a high-quality level. Switzerland isn’t the most exciting national team to watch, but they have been consistent qualifying for their fourth consecutive world cup. Which is impressive given that the UEFA qualifications can come down to a bit of luck for smaller nations based on which of the more traditional powerhouse teams are in the group. In Switzerland’s case it was Portugal. Both teams finished with 27 points, but Portugal finished first due to tiebreaker rules. Switzerland can maneuver their way into finishing second and reaching the round of 16.

                Costa Rica were a breath of fresh air last world cup. Los Ticos finished 1^st in a group that was made up of 3 previous world cup winners; England, Uruguay, and Italy were the three teams that made up the “Group of death.”  Costa Rica reached the quarter-finals in Brazil only to be eliminated by the Netherlands in a penalty shootout. Could Costa Rica perform a repeat of their miracle run? Of course, but it is less likely. If Costa Rica manages to get second place they will play the winner of group F, which will most likely be Germany. The Costa Rican side has more experience coming in as most players will return from the 2014 squad, yet from what I seen there are plenty of players that haven’t had a good campaign this season to reinforce them as legitimate giant slayers.

                Serbia finished first in their world cup qualification group. I wouldn’t put to much emphasis on the first place due to the strength of the group. As I mentioned before the UEFA qualifications could be brutal or giving to smaller footballing nations. In Serbia’s case it was a gift. Their group consisted of Republic of Ireland -who finished 2^nd- Wales, Austria, Georgia, and Moldova. Georgia and Moldova had a combination of zero wins. This shouldn’t be a knock on the Serbian national team. They were drawn in a group and they did what they planned out to do which was qualify for the World Cup in Russia. In the analyzing aspect it is difficult to say Serbia will come out as first or second without saying it simply to be as giving as Serbia’s UEFA qualification group.

                Brazil will finish first and second will be Costa Rica. Yes, Costa Rica!  

2018 FIFA Men's World Cup (Group D)

Group D

Argentina (4)

Iceland (22)

Croatia (18)

Nigeria (47)

Argentina will have plenty of spectating eyes on them and it won’t be due to how well La Albiceleste play their football. Lionel Messi will be the main reason why most of the world will be watching the Argentinean national team. Argentina had a difficult time during the world cup qualifications. Messi scored a hat-trick to secure Argentina’s spot in Russia 2018. The national team hasn’t played well at all, with the quality of players this Argentinean side has there should be no difficulty against most national teams even without Messi. Yet, that is far from the case. At times players that perform excellent for their respective clubs are somehow weakened by the kryptonite that is woven in their national team’s jersey. Argentina lost to Spain in an embarrassing fashion. 6-1. A goal shy on matching Brazil’s 7-1 to Germany in 2014. Messi did not dress up for the match. He spotted in the stands overseeing what he will most likely have to work with in the summer and no psychic or fortune teller is needed to read what was going on in Messi’s head. Argentina are an awful side. I wish I could say there is a positive to this side, but the only thing I can think of is that Messi is on the team.

Argentina are a traditional safe pick to win the group, but if they perform the way they have during the qualifications and friendlies they will not make it out of this group. Nigeria, for some reason will face Argentina for the 3^rd consecutive time at the world cup, will have a better chance on advancing to the knockout stages than Messi’s national team. How? I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on friendlies, but that is what I will go off on. Nigeria beat Argentina 4-2 overcoming a 2-goal deficit. To be fair, Argentina has beaten Nigeria in their last two meetings at the World Cup. Nigeria is a national side that has great players that can come together and play well can definitely make it out of this group. A side with a mix of experience and youth can finish second whether it be behind or ahead the Argentinean Messi led side.

Croatia and Iceland both finished first in their qualifying groups to earn an automatic bid for the World Cup. Unfortunately, that is the only similarities I see between the two sides. Iceland will be making their first appearance at the World Cup and is worth celebrating. However, I don’t see them repeating a run at the world cup similar to their Euro run in France. Croatia is a national team that has a talented midfield led by Luka Modric. I think Croatia has the capability to finish first in group D.

Of all the groups so far, I can see Group D as the most intriguing one to keep an eye on. As mentioned earlier Argentina on paper should be the winner of this group, but the way they have been playing I can see the serious possibility of Croatia and Nigeria advancing to the knockout stage.

2018 FIFA Men's World Cup (Group C)

Group C

France (7)

Australia (40)

Peru (11)

Denmark (12)

                France is a team that is loaded with talented players, from the starting eleven to those sitting on the bench. Not only is the French national team gifted with depth, but the age of most of the players is 26 and younger. This can be analyzed as a team that is built for the future. However, the world cup is played in 2018 and no national team can loan itself success by borrowing from the future. France leads Group C heading into Russia this summer as favorites to win the group and even make a deep run in the tournament. Les bleus were runners-up in the Euros and would enjoy reaching the final in the summer for another opportunity to win an international trophy.

                Australia is the lowest ranked on FIFA’s ranking system of the teams in group C. The Socceroos have qualified for their fourth consecutive World Cup which is an achievement in itself since before qualifying for Germany in 2006 the Australian national team had a 30-year absence. I don’t see the socceroos causing too much trouble for any of the other teams and will most likely be eliminated once the group stage is over.

                Peru and Denmark are close and not just in the FIFA rankings. The two national teams will participate in their fifth world cup in their respective history. I think the two national teams are ranked slightly higher than they merit based on their quality of play. However, they are close in quality which is somewhat indicated by the rankings. How Peru and Denmark perform against Australia will be a key factor in which team will advance to the knockout phase of the tournament. Any slip up against the Australian team will open up a huge opportunity for the other. 

France is an easy pick to finish first, but who will finish in second is a bit more difficult to state with historically assured confidence. I will side with Peru to advance simply because I was memorized by the fans in the stadium who passionately cheered on their national team during the qualification and after it was set that La Blanquirroja would be in Russia in this summer. Denmark has not lost in their last 11 matches winning 6 of them and drawing with the likes of Germany and Chile. They have quality players and can finish 2^nd. My tiebreaker was my emotional attachment to Peru after watching the two national teams play their playoff matches to qualify for the World Cup. I admit that’s not the usual manner in which I attempt to analyze football, but as the world cup nears the emotions are starting to quickly ascend.  

2018 FIFA Men's World Cup (Group B)

Group B

Portugal (4) FIFA Rankings

Spain (8)

Morocco (42)

Iran (36)

The 2018 FIFA men’s world cup is approaching and the world will soon have their sights on Russia this summer. This year FIFA decided to take a different route in determining how the teams would be placed in the allocated four pots in which the teams are randomly picked to form the eight groups for the initial phase of the tournament. The premise behind FIFA’s decision was to make it more balanced, where a group couldn’t have three teams that were all in the top 10 FIFA rankings. Spain was not rank as high and as a result were drawn in a group with the European Champions.

Portugal may be the higher ranked team in Group B, but I see it as Spain’s to lose. La Furia Roja have not lost a match since March 2017 and their two most recent friendlies they tied Germany and beat Argentina 6-1. Spain is going through a bit of a transition under their head coach, Julen Lopetegui. Lopetegui has introduced younger players into an aging squad in a manner that has not disrupted the team’s success that some teams face during a similar process. Alvaro Morata isn’t playing well at Chelsea and Diego Costa only has 3 goals since he became available to play for Athletico Madrid in January. Yet, that won’t bother the coach or fans as Rodrigo from Valencia and Iago Aspas have been in excellent form this year for their clubs and played in the last two friendlies.

Portugal are the European champions, but I am still a skeptic on the quality of the team. Cristiano Ronaldo is on fire at the moment scoring goal after goal, but that is not what I mean when I discuss the quality of the Portuguese national team. They are European champions and that can’t be disputed, but the manner in which they won it can be. I don’t see a team replicating what Portugal did at the Euro’s and winning the world cup. The lack of quality as a team is due to the age of the defensive back line. Bruno Alves is (36) years old, Rolando (32), Jose Fonte (34), Luis Neto (29) and if Pepe gets called he is 35. Those are Portugal’s current centerbacks. In their last two friendlies Portugal narrowly defeated Egypt with two 90 minute goals from Ronaldo and lost to a Netherland’s team that failed to qualify for the world cup.

Morocco has qualified for the 2018 world cup after a twenty-year absence. Morocco hasn’t lost since June 10 2017 and has a variety of players playing all across Europe. Their captain, Medhi Benatia, most recently known for bringing down Lucas Vasquez in the 90^th minute to award a penalty to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals, anchors the Moroccan defense. When Portugal and Morocco face each other in their group stage match I can only see Ronaldo getting the best of Benatia.

Iran is a team that is well organized and has been steadily getting better. They are a team that plays well and can match their opponent’s tempo. In their last world cup appearance in 2014 the Iranians finished last in their group. However, it did take Lionel Messi to produce a bit of magic and score a magnificent goal to give Argentina a 1-0 win.

On paper it is easy to dismiss Iran and Morocco, but I would say that Portugal and Spain should not over look these two national teams. All four teams in group B finished as winners in their respective qualifying groups to make it to Russia. I will still take Spain to win the group, but Portugal might have problems if they don’t take 3 points from Iran and Morocco as I don’t see them defeating Spain.  

2018 FIFA Men's world Cup (Group A)

Group A

Russia (66) FIFA Rankings

Saudi Arabia (70)

Egypt (46)

Uruguay (17)

Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Uruguay make up the four teams that make up group A in the 2018 men’s FIFA World Cup. For most viewers, this group as a whole seems dull and other than a few singular story lines can be deemed as a group that won’t be fondly remembered. The host, Russia, aren’t necessarily exciting to watch and don’t have the same structure as they did under Guus Hiddink. South Africa beat Russia to it, but Russia has a high probability in joining them as the one of two teams to host the tournament and not make it out of the group stage.

The two main reasons why I see Russia having a disappointing summer is because of Egypt and Uruguay. Egypt has not made a world cup appearance since 1990 and to add to the unimpressive record the Egyptian national team has never made it past the group stage. The past doesn’t determine the outcome of present or future performances. At the moment, Egypt have a player that is having an incredible season. Mohammed Salah, who plays his club trade in Liverpool, is a winger that is on his way to win the golden boot in the English Premier League.  As a whole Egypt isn’t a team that can disturb any of the traditional powerhouse teams, but the Pharaohs should have enough to beat Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Uruguay is a safe pick to finish first. The Celeste finished second in the CONMEBOL world cup qualifying region which is regarded as one of, if not the most rigorous region to qualify from. Uruguay has won the tournament twice, but their latest triumph has been well over sixty years. In 2010, led by Diego Forlan, Uruguay finished fourth in South Africa. As mentioned before, the past does nothing to win in the present or future, only create shackles of failure or success. Uruguay has strikers that can score and cause problems to any back line. Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, and Christhian Stuani are strikers who are scoring goals for their respective clubs and if they can replicate their form for their national team Uruguay could be a dark horse in this summer’s tournament and challenge the favorites to win it.

Saudi Arabia isn’t much of a threat to any one in the group and the only news from the national team was when a handful of national team players went to Spain in January to play football in the first and second division.

Group A is the group of the host, but unfortunately for them fixing results won’t be enough for them to get through. Uruguay is a team that can reach the further rounds and Egypt have a scoring machine in Salah to get them by.