World Cup Preview - Group D

Group D

Argentina (5)
Iceland (22)
Croatia (18)
Nigeria (47)

Argentina - The qualifying campaign for Argentina was a real struggle. After matchday 14 out of 18, manager Edgardo Bauza was replaced by Jorge Sampaoli with the team sitting 5th in the table. They had just been beaten 2-0 in Bolivia and needed to improve if they were to qualify. Three consecutive draws were not ideal, but they were saved by a final game hat-trick in Ecuador by Leo Messi and go to Russia as fifth favourites despite their troubles.
Despite having a number of attacking stars, only Messi scored more than 2 goals in the whole of qualifying. There is a real issue with fitting players in to the system that will also work as a defensive unit. It has become obvious that Sampaoli doesn't like to have Dybala, Messi, Higuain and Aguero all playing in the same team, it is impossible to keep everyone happy and playing where they want to. Mauro Icardi who has scored 28 goals in Serie A this year for Inter might make the squad at the expense of Dybala. It's even possible both won't be going, as Angel Di Maria can play a more advanced role.
Defensively the form of Nicolas Otamendi is a real boost who alongside Javier Mascherano have nearly 200 caps between them. They should form an experienced back four with Marcos Rojo and Gabriel Mercado.
They always go to the tournament as a contender, but this year they look vulnerable. Sampaoli has tried to strengthen them defensively and play more solid, hoping that their attacking flair can give them wins. It will be interesting to see how they lineup when they meet a well organised Iceland in game one in Moscow.

Star Man - The reliance on Lionel Messi is more evident than ever this year. Four years ago he nearly took them to World Cup glory, but just fell short in the final. The greatest player of all time now has probably his last chance to win a World Cup. He has had another season of over 40 goals, his ninth consecutive season doing so, and it will be up to him to score the goals, create the chances and be the leader for his country as they try and go one step further than they managed in Brazil.


Iceland - After qualifying for their first ever European Championships, then dispatching England in the last 16, Iceland promptly went on to qualify for their first ever World Cup. This proved that they are a country on the up and have a team worthy of competing on the biggest stage. In a competitive group containing Finland, Turkey, Ukraine, and also World Cup opponents Croatia, they came out on top thanks mainly to winning all five home games. The squad has no star names but they have proven with hard work and togetherness that they are capable of beating anybody.
Familiar names playing in England include Gylfi Sigurdsson, and Aron Gunnarsson, who are part of the midfield also including Johann Berg Gudmundsson, who has been a regular for Burnley this year and a real creative presence. The defensive unit has been playing together for the best part of 8 years for Iceland and is crucial towards their success. The likely team will include four defenders and a goalkeeper all over 30, so this might be their last tournament before the younger group comes through. A hard working team who are aggressive and dangerous from set pieces, they also have enough quality in midfield to keep the ball when required. In an open group they will be in with a chance of qualifying for the last 16, and their style of play will not be nice to play against for any opponents.

Star Man - Although Gylfi was top scorer in qualifying he has had a poor season for Everton, and it is likely that the main man upfront will be Alfred Finnbogason. He has had his best season in Augsburg so far, scoring 12 goals in just 19 games in the Bundesliga. He will be the striker in a team with 3 creative players behind him and he has to take any chances that come his way.








Croatia - After finishing second to Iceland in qualification, Croatia hammered Greece in the playoffs to book their place in Russia. Only once have they made it through the group stages, when they finished third in France 98. It would be a major surprise if they were to replicate that, despite having one of the strongest midfield pairings of Rakitic and Modric. The squad is filled with players that play in the big four leagues in Europe, but on paper it is not as strong a squad as they have had previously. Goalkeeper is a problem area as they try to choose between Subasic, who has lost his place at Monaco this season, and Gent keeper Lovre Kalinic. Kalinic has impressed since becoming the record signing for Gent, and he could well be the number one for Croatia. Defensively Dejan Lovren has now returned to the international scene, after he had fallen out with the previous manager. Corluka and Lovren will form a partnership, while Atletico Madrid right back, Sime Vrsaljko provides a good defensive option.
Along with Modric and Rakitic, Mateo Kovacic provides quality in midfield, and the transformation of Mario Mandzukic in to a defensive winger means they have goalscoring threats from wide areas. Ivan Perisic has had another good season for Inter Milan, with his pace he is a constant threat on the left wing.
Upfront the two options are players who have bounced back after tough spells in England. Nikola Kalinic was a laughing stock for Blackburn, but managed to resurrect his career at Dnipro, and after a successful spell at Fiorentina now plays at AC Milan. He is not prolific, but is likely to start up front, with Andre Kramaric, now playing at Hoffenheim after a spell at Leicester, an able back up. He has scored 13 league goals this season, and will be a threat from the bench.
One other player going to the tournament full of confidence after his game winning display in the German Cup final, is Ante Rebic. He scored two goals in a 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich and the winger will be hoping to have an impact in Russia.

Star Man - For many, Luka Modric is the best central midfielder in the world. The way he receives the ball, always moving it the right way with his first touch and never giving it away, he is a joy to watch. He is crucial to the possession football that Croatia try and play, and along with Rakitic and Kovacic, he is part of a midfield that can dominate any opponents. They might struggle for goals from their strikers, but they do not lack creativity, and Modric is the perfect link between defense and attack.


Nigeria - The Super Eagles were historically the most likely African team to go far in a World Cup, but they have only ever managed to reach the Last 16 twice, including in Brazil. It would be a surprise given the current squad if they were to advance this time beyond the groups. Long time goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, although not great, was reliable enough and his retirement from international football means that Nigerian based keeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa is the likely replacement. This could be a major problem behind a defense that will have Kenneth Omeruo playing, who has been on Chelsea's books since 2012, and never played a game. Bursaspor teammates William Troost-Ekong and Shehu Abdullahi could well be used as well, with the latter being the more regular at his club. The Dutch born defender spent his youth career in London with Fulham and Tottenham, and standing at 6ft3in is a real presence.
Topping the qualifying group with Cameroon, Algeria and Zambia in it showed that this Nigeria team does have some quality in attacking areas. Despite playing for England youth teams, Alex Iwobi decided to play for the country of his birth and is part of a new young group of players that will be important for Nigeria. Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi are teammates at Leicester, and both are 21 years old with exciting futures. Ndidi is a combative midfielder, while Iheanacho has proven himself as a goalscorer. He has found it hard to get game time this season due to the form of Jamie Vardy, but he is a calm finisher on his left foot.
Ahmed Musa is another Leicester player, although he spent last season on loan at CSKA Moscow where he only managed 16 appearances. He is inconsistent and quite poor technically. But he has a lot of speed and can cause problems on his day. Captain John Obi Mikel now plays in China, and although he isn't a creative player at all, he is an important part of the midfield as he sits deep and allows others to join the attack.

Star Man - Victor Moses has been a regular at Chelsea since the start of last season after finding himself a slot at right wing back in the Conte system. Another player that played youth for England, he decided to play for Nigeria in 2011 and has made 29 caps since, scoring 11 goals. His pace and strength from a wide area, as well as his quick feet, make him the main threat for Nigeria. He will be hugely important if they are to beat any of the other teams in the group.



Predictions - Argentina are strong favourites for the group despite not qualifying well. With their attacking players they should be able to score enough goals to win the group. It is possible they could be out fought by the others, who will likely play counter attacking football against them. For me they will just top the group, but not convincingly. Second place is up for grabs as Iceland have shown they can beat Croatia in qualifying, and Nigeria have young players who have energy for games close together. I think given the quality of midfielders, Croatia should manage to get through. It will most likely go down to the last game against Iceland on 26th June as a decider.

What to Bet on - Messi is 4/5 to score anytime in the first game against Iceland. A chance for him to get off to a good start in a game they will spend mostly attacking.

World Klutz - Time to go back to back to 2006 in Germany, a match between Croatia and Australia. Graham Poll had reached the peak of his refereeing powers with his inclusion in the World Cup refereeing team, and he was one of the potential referees for the final itself. Until...

Poll received universal ridicule that resulted in him being sent home in disgrace. He never refereed at international level again, promptly retiring after the end of the following season.

Messi

I've made it no secret in the last few years that in my mind Messi is better than Ronaldo, and that for the rest of his career we just need to enjoy watching him and feel privileged that we are alive when this man is playing football. There is absolutely no doubting the goal scoring prowess of Ronaldo, but Messi is so much more than that. If you take away his goal records for Barcelona you would still be watching an artist on the pitch, capable of picking a pass out from 5 to 80 yards no problem. Capable of dribbling at defenders and going past them with ease, time after time. He isn't as quick as he used to be, but he still has the burst of pace, that first 3 yards is as quick as anyone. His awareness of where opponents and teammates are at all times is just incredible, it is like he is watching the game from the stands. He is often compared to a computer game, his close control and dribbling almost as if the ball is stuck to his foot, and when you add in that he is the best finisher in the history of the game, you have someone who I think we will never see the likes of in our lifetime.

Now that he will be 30 this year, it is time to just forget about records and comparing his goals to Ronaldo, or whether you think he could do it in the Premier League and just enjoy watching him and be happy that footage of him will exist to show your children and grand children. He is a once in a generation player that we will be lucky to see anything like again.

Ronaldo is probably the greatest goalscorer of all time, but I am convinced we will see someone like him again not too far away. An athlete with an incredible attitude and willingness to improve and try to be the best in the world. A goalscorer with a mentality that he is only happy after a game if he has scored, no matter how the team plays. Someone so driven to win and achieve greatness they will do anything to get it. Yes of course he is blessed with natural talent, but you can see and admire how hard he has worked to get where he has.

One thing that is not said enough with Messi, because he is so good at dribbling is just how calm and composed he is in front of goal. Anywhere inside 20 yards he passes it in to the corner. It should be easy, if you were passing to a teammate 20 yards away with a side foot you wouldn't even think about it, but the mental aspect of it being the goal makes it tough for your average player. Messi makes it look easy time and time again, no matter how much pressure he is under, when in the game it is, what the score is, he slots the ball in the corners, top and bottom, both sides. He also does it from free kicks more regularly than most, which makes it strange that he has missed so many penalties. I always wondered why he doesn't just run up and place it top corner, I'm sure he could if he wanted to 99 out of 100 times. It is the only part of his game that is in line with the average footballer.

I have never seen Messi live, but I have to do it before he retires. It might be a good 6 or 7 years away yet, but his decline will start soon because his genius can't last forever unfortunately. It is an absolute joy to watch him on the television, and we will never forget him as long as we live, I know I will be telling any grandchildren about him, the greatest footballer that has ever lived.

5 x Ballon D'or winner, should probably be more

Who will Win the World Cup?

This week I have gone off to Norway for 2 weeks to visit Karen Anna's family and it is really warm, so that is a bonus. I brought my computer though so I could blog at some point and the point is now. It was a good week for me last week with my move to Alloa being completed. Although I enjoyed my time at Stirling with promotion in the end, the chance to go in play in The Championship next season was impossible to turn down. Getting to play in front of bigger crowds and at better stadiums will be good to get back to after a year away from it. Added to that there is no doubt that playing Rangers, Hibs and Hearts will attract bigger crowds and add some extra interest to the league. Personally it is great for me as I haven't played at Tynecastle or Easter Road before, so I am looking forward to that. Hopefully I am allowed to walk down to Tynecastle on game day as it is about a two minute walk. It should be a very competitive league, and it is great for fans as well without any long journeys up north, the longest being down to my old club Queen of the South.
Although my injury in the last game of the season isn't ideal I am hoping it is sorted and I am ready to train on the first day of pre season. I have been out on my bike and will hope to start running next week. I haven't had a full pre season for the last 2 years, so I really want to do everything and although it is hard work, it is strangely enjoyable getting fit and getting closer to your teammates who are suffering with you. 

The Weatherston World Cup Preview

So I have gone through all the groups, now it is time to preview what I think are the likely winners, losers, surprise packages and best players.

 Who will win?
According to the bookies there are only 4 teams with a good chance of winning the tournament, with Brazil as the favourites. The other 3 not surprisingly are Argentina, Germany and Spain, in that order.There is no doubt that these 4 teams are the best on paper, but there is some real value in every other team if you want to have a bet(I'm not allowed).
I personally think that Argentina and Brazil will be in the final, which would be rather interesting, but if I was betting outside the top 4 my pick is France. They have a great squad all the way from back to front, they seem to have left behind their problems from 2010, and they have goals in the team. They have a nice group to qualify from with Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras, so they should win that and could face Bosnia, Iran or Nigeria in round 2. There first real challenge would potentially be Germany in the Quarter Final, but you never know when you get to that stage, and I fancy them to be really strong. At 25/1 it has to be worth some money in my opinion.

Colombia is the other team that could spring a surprise having qualified very well just behind Argentina they have showed that they have the quality. Although Falcao is missing out they still have some good goalscorers in Ramos and Martinez, so that shouldn't be a problem. It would be a major surprise if they were the best of the South Americans, but in their own continent and not with the same levels of pressure as the 2 favourites, you never know.

Biggest disappointment?
There are a number of big nations that could struggle to get out their groups, but my surprise of the tournament will be The Netherlands going out in the group stages. I think Spain will be too good for them in the first game which will put pressure on them to beat Chile in the final game, and I don't think they will be good enough to do it. They are 13/10 not to reach the second round, and I like that as a bet.

Surprise Package?

For a team to be a proper surprise package they have to make it to the quarter finals at least, and every tournament seems to have one. It was Ghana in 2010, Ukraine in 2006 and South Korea at home in 2002. So who could it be this year? There are a few lesser teams that will fancy there chances of getting through the groups, like Bosnia, Ivory Coast and Switzerland, but it is the second round where they are likely to find themselves against one of the favourites. It will be very difficult for either of those 3 to come through a second round tie, but don't be too surprised if a strong Bosnia defense manages to sneak through in round 2.

Golden Boot?
Between 1978 and 1998, 6 goals was enough to earn the title of Golden Boot. Since then Ronaldo scored 8 in 2002, but it was 5 for Klose and Muller in 2006 and 2010 respectively that earned them that title. So with Germany winning it the last two World Cups, who are the favourites this time around? Not surprisingly it is Lionel Messi who is favourite, but surely the best bet has to be for Cristiano Ronaldo who can be found as high as 20/1. For the best player in the world this year that is surely worth a pound. Since I fancy France to do well, and because they should score a few goals in the groups, I like the odds of 33/1 for Karim Benzema. He has found his form this year and should get plenty of chances created for him.
If you are looking for a couple of outside each way bets, it is hard to look beyond Alexis Sanchez (66/1). If Chile can get through their tough group then he will be the main man scoring goals for them. He plays through the middle unlike his wider position at Barcelona, so he will get plenty of chances.
Also Mesut Özil (100/1) could be worth another pound. He was top scorer with 8 in Germany's qualifying campaign and he seems to play a more advanced role for them. If he finds his top form and Germany go far, he could be in the goals.

Best Player?
The stage is set in Brazil for Neymar to lead his team to glory in the home World Cup, but at just 22 this might be a lot of weight to carry on his shoulders. There is no doubt the way he plays is great to watch and the Brazil fans love him for this, so in a hard working team that is strong defensively, can the flair of Neymar shine through. Lionel Messi however will be the main man, he hasn't played too many games this season and he is desperate to show himself on the biggest stage. He should be fresh and raring to go, and in his own continent I think he will take control of games and win the World Cup for his country.


Best Young Player?
The Best Young Player award was brought in in 2006 and has been won by 2 Germans. Lukas Podolski won it in 2006 and Thomas Müller followed him by winning it last time out in South Africa. The award is given to the best player in the tournament who is at most 21 years old.
There are a few candidates who should be regular starter for their country, and in my opinion the man with the best chance of winning it is Romelu Lukaku. He will be the main goal threat for Belgium and should play every game. Belgium should comfortably get through the groups and if he can score goals it will give him a great chance to win the Young Player of the Tournament.

World Cuts

What would World Cuts be without one of, if not the most famous World Cup hair cut of all time. A classic hair cut that was only done specifically for the World Cup in 2002. It was successful as well as this man became the top scorer with 8 goals as he took his country on to the title. My all time favourite player and the best striker I have ever seen, Ronaldo. when he produced the triangle at the front of his hair it might not have been met with a lot of love, but kids copied it all over the world, and it became iconic so it had to make an appearance in World Cuts.