World Cup 2018 Preview - Group A

With less than 50 days to go till the World Cup in Russia begins, I felt like it is time to start preparing myself for it by learning about the teams and what players will be gracing our screens this summer.
Which country will surprise us all this summer, will Germany retain the title they won so dramatically in 2014, or will Messi get the World Cup to stop his doubters using it as an excuse for not being the greatest?
The tournament begins on 15th June in Russia, with 12 stadiums hosting 63 games over 4 weeks culminating at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, a huge 88'000 seater stadium in the Moscow Olympic Park that will host the final.
Looking back to 4 years ago, my prediction of an Argentina/Brazil final were dashed by the Germans hitting 7 past Brazil in the semis. James Rodriguez exploded on to the world stage in Brazil, who will it be this time? He finished top scorer, although it was Messi who took home to Golden Ball for dragging Argentina to the final with some outstanding performances. There will be no problems with humidity in Russia, so unlike 4 years ago there will be no drinks breaks and hopefully the football is a little faster.
Starting with group A, lets take a look at the players to look out for, teams to expect to progress, and anything interesting regarding each group.

Group A 
Russia (66 in Fifa Rankings)
Uruguay (17)
Egypt (46)
Saudi Arabia (70)

Russia - As World Cup groups go, group A is about as weak as they come on paper. Russia as host nation are in their worst ever Fifa ranking spot, and have won just 3 times in their last 13 games, against South Korea, New Zealand and Hungary. In last years confederations cup they were beaten by Mexico and Portugal on home soil, and it will be difficult for them to progress here again.
Only once has a home nation failed to qualify through the group stages of a World Cup(South Africa 2010), and despite Russia being as poor as they have ever been, they have been given a draw that gives them the best chance possible to keep it that way.
The first game against Saudi Arabia will be absolutely crucial, if they can give themselves a platform with 3 points, they could potentially play for a draw against Uruguay and Egypt to try and progress. The Russian squad certainly lacks real quality, with only 2 players likely to be included that play outside of Russia. Gone are the days of players like Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko playing regularly in the Premier League, now they rely on talent playing in the Russian Premier League. For years the back line included Sergei Ignashevich and the Berezutski brothers, but now they have a big problem with many defenders in their late 20's that have hardly any caps due to the longevity and, perhaps, over reliance on ageing defenders.
This year, there is a new set of twins to look out for, and perhaps Russia can look to them to make a difference now, and in the future. At 22 years old, the Miranchuk brothers, Anton and Aleksei have been playing a crucial part at Lokomotiv Moscow as they push for their first Russian title since 2004. Aleksei is a slightly more advanced midfielder than Anton and will hopefully provide a goal threat while Anton can assist from deeper. Along with Alan Dzagoev, who is now 27 years old and should be hitting his prime, they will be aiming to take Russia past the group stages, and at least give something for Putin to smile about.

Star Man - Every country needs a goalscorer, and Russia will be expecting Fyodor Smolov to be the top man for them. He has been a consistent goalscorer for Kuban Krasnodar over the last 3 seasons, with 50 goals in 66 appearances. At 28 years old he only has 30 caps for Russia, with 12 goals. But his emergence with Krasnodar the last 3 seasons means he will be going to the World Cup in his best ever form, and he has some talented creative players behind him to create chances for him.





Uruguay -  The Sky Blues finished runners up to Brazil in the notoriously difficult South American qualification section despite winning only 2 games on the road(Paraguay and Bolivia). Their home form is excellent, but they recently beat Czech Republic and Wales in the China Cup to show that they can win while travelling as well. Although they will face tougher challenges in Russia, they are definitely strong favourites to progress from Group A with so many quality players at their disposal. They were well beaten in the Round of 16 four years ago by a James Rodriguez inspired Colombia, but they were missing Luis Suarez after he took a bite out of Chiellini's shoulder in the final group game. This time around they have the opportunity to go further, with the defense being organised by Diego Godin, probably playing his last tournament at 32 and the forward line of Cavani and Suarez with 92 goals between them both 31 years old, its now or never for the current generation. Cavani has 25 league goals for PSG this season, and Suarez has 23 for Barcelona. No doubt these two are the stars, but can they link up, and produce the performances that should make them the most feared partnership at the World Cup.

One to Watch - Away from the obvious stars at Uruguay, there are a group of young players coming through, and the tournament will be a great place for them to make their name and stamp earn a big move. Of those under age 25, it is Nahitan Nandez of Boca Juniors that is likely to shine. He moved from Uruguayan club Peñarol last season, and in his first season at Boca has been a creative influence from midfield, and is a likely starter on the right hand side. The former under 20 captain has stepped up to the senior team, and at 22 years old, it is a huge opportunity for him to become a regular for his country, and take over the mantle from retiring older stars.


Egypt -  The Pharaohs qualified comfortably for the World Cup, winning a group with Uganda, Congo and Ghana easily. The famous face in the dugout is former Inter and Valencia manager, Hector Cuper. His squad doesn't have a huge amount of talent to choose from, and will include several faces plying their trade in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and some more familiar faces playing in England. Ahmed Hegazi and Ali Gabr are both defenders at West Brom now, with the former being a regular this season for the Premier Leagues worst club. It's hardly a great base for the defense, and with Mohamed El Neny in front of them, they will be hoping that they can improve on a mediocre season in the league. At 21 years old, Ramadan Sobhi is one for the future at Stoke, but he has shown glimpses of quality, and is an important part of the Egypt midfield. Of the 6 games in the second phase of qualifying, only 3 players scored goals for them, which is a huge problem. They are relying heavily on Mo Salah to hit the net, he was the top scorer with 5 in qualifying, the next best was 2 for 32 year old Abdallah Said, currently playing in Finland for Kups. Last year they lost the final of the African Nations against Cameroon, so they are capable of winning matches in knockout tournaments, but this will be a step up, and they will be heavily reliant on one man.

Star Man - Mo Salah has lit up the Premier League this year, and the Champions League. He is on course to have the best goalscoring season ever in the Premier League, and potentially ever for a Liverpool footballer. He is without doubt the best player in Africa, and on current form is running Messi and Ronaldo close to be the best in the World. The system at Liverpool suits him perfectly, but in the Egypt team he is expected to be the main man. He has to create chances for himself and doesn't have the same players to link up with. He has the potential to win a game on his own, but if anything happens to him, injury or suspensions, Egypt look like an average team bereft of quality.


Saudi Arabia - The lowest ranked team in the tournament, The Green Falcons qualified through the Asian section by, along with Japan, getting through a group including Australia, Iraq, UAE and Thailand. It is  not difficult to see why they are the lowest ranked team, with the majority of the squad currently playing at home in the Saudi Professsional League. This will be their first appearance at the finals since Germany 2006, where they were beaten by Ukraine and Spain, earning their only point with a draw against Tunisia. Only once(Last 16, 1994) have they made it through the group stages, and with no real stars it will be difficult to emulate that. There are a few players on the books of Spanish clubs, Al-Sheri(Leganes), Al-Muwallad(Levante) and Al-Dawsari(Villareal), and despite none of them playing for the first teams, they will likely be a major part of the Saudi squad.

One to Watch - Winger, Fahad Al-Muwallad at 23 years old is the most likely name to emerge from an average squad. He already has 41 international caps, and recently joined Levante on loan from Al-Ittihad, although with the Saudi Sports Ministry paying the full value of his contract, and having no appearances, it is clearly not due to his ability. He has 10 goals for his country, including the winner in a crucial victory over Japan in the last game of qualifying to take them to Russia. At only 5ft6, he is a diminutive figure, but if Saudi have any chance of qualifying, they will need him to play better than ever before.




Predictions - Uruguay are firm favourites for this group and I think they will top it easily. They have much more quality in the full squad than the other teams. Joining them in the last 16, will be Russia. Egypt have Salah and a good team spirit, but Russia have the home crowd, and I think Salah having played so many games this season, and everything expected of him will struggle to produce the form needed. It will be tight, as all teams should beat Saudi Arabia, but Russia will just sneak through.

What to Bet on - Uruguay are 4/5 to win group A, that's printing money for me.

World Klutz - World Cuts was a popular feature of my preview 4 years ago(?), I reckon. But this time, lets have a look at an individual that has cost their team, or someone that deserves a place among World Cup history for all the wrong reasons.
For our first ever World Klutz, it's a memory from the first WC that I remember as a child. The final of 1994 World Cup in USA is one of, if not the earliest game I remember watching. But there is no doubt, that the person who left a mark on their tournament for their failure to hit the net at a crucial time, is Diana Ross. Not only the fact that she missed, but that the goals still collapsed just makes it perfect.

Racism still exists in Football, not surprisingly

Wednesday has become blogging day for me, although it would be nice if more people read it, so please get retweeting, sharing and commenting!

Last weekend saw us beating Peterhead 4-0 away from home, which was a fantastic performance. They had already won the league, so it wasn't the same fighting performance they usually give, but it was a good win nonetheless. Fair play to them this year, they have had a great season and been so consistent at home in particular(this was their first defeat). They have the best player in the league in Rory McAllister(pictured) who just won the PFA player of the year award after his 30 league goals.

He has been the difference between Peterhead and the rest of the teams, and they have won the league comfortably because of that. Peterhead is a great example to other part time clubs in the way they are set up. They have a fantastic playing surface, good big changing rooms, great food after the game and a nice hospitality lounge. If all clubs had set ups like that it would make travelling to away games much more enjoyable.
We have given ourselves a great chance of playoffs now and need to get at least a point at home to Clyde on Saturday. It's 5 goals in 5 games for me now which has coincided with the team picking up 13 points in those games. Berwick keep on winning behind us, so it is up to us to make sure we don't slip up and miss out on the playoffs. We are in good form at the moment just at the right time in the season, so we are confident going into the last week.

Unfortunately racism has reared its ugly head again in football this week, but the response from the public and other footballers has perhaps shown that views are beginning to change in Spain. When Dani Alves got a banana thrown at him on Sunday night his action to pick it up and eat it became an instant hit on social media. However the big story for me this week has been over in the NBA, where LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling was banned for life, fined $2.5m and will be forced to sell his franchise after he was recorded making racist remarks. This stance from the NBA commissioner is noticeably stronger than anything FIFA or UEFA has ever done, and must surely be used as an example to Sepp Blatter or Michele Platini. Maybe a life ban is a little bit strong, but it certainly leaves everyone else in no doubt, racism is completely not tolerated in the NBA.
The difference in football could not be more noticeable when you look at punishments handed out for racist behaviour. One that stands out is when former Spanish manager Luis Aragones was found guilty of racist remarks relating to Thierry Henry. He was fined 87,000 US$(1 week wage) and warned about future misconduct. This article from the telegraph shows the extent of fines handed out for racist behaviour, and none of them will even put a dent in the finances of the countries or clubs. It shows you how racism is viewed by UEFA, when the biggest fines are for Nicklas Bendtner wearing Paddy Power boxer shorts, and Chelsea not controlling their players properly in the Champions League Semi final versus Barcelona.
Hopefully this latest incident with Alves will help to improve what is still a problem in football and maybe the example from the NBA will make FIFA and UEFA think twice about the sanctions they are handing out.


The Weatherston World Cup Preview - Group D

Group D(FIFA Rankings)
Italy(9)
England(11)
Uruguay(5) 
Costa Rica(34) 

This group looks like a real tough one for England to qualify from with 3 teams vying for the top 2 places. Costa Rica are not the worst team in the tournament, but it would be a surprise if they managed to get any points from the group.

Italy - The 4 time winners are always contenders at the World Cup, and this year should be no different. However, one big problem they have is venues of games and kick off times. They have the opening game in the amazon jungle at Manaus, then two 13:00 kick offs in Recife and Natal, both boasting tropical temperatures and unbearable heat at that time of day. If Italy make it through the group they could be physically drained by the latter stages. One advantage is they do have a strong squad, with all their players playing in Serie A, the exceptions being 3 at PSG(Sirigu, Verratti, Motta), Giaccherini at Sunderland and maybe Criscito at Zenit. They are always well organised and strong in defense, with Chiellini, Barzagli and Bonucci all playing together at Juventus as well as Italy. Balotelli is the main man upfront, although he might be frustrating he can produce in the big games, and did so at the Euro 2012's. He can score in big games, and with Guiseppe Rossi getting back to fitness they could both be important players upfront. Danielle De Rossi has always been a strong midfielder for them and will be again, and with the skill of Marchisio and Montolivo the Italians will be a big threat.
Key Man - Andrea Pirlo might be 34 now but he is still an unbelievable footballer. He hardly ever gives the ball away, is cool under pressure and a great set piece taker. His passing range will be a great asset, and in this heat when he might not be closed down as quickly he can be so dangerous. 

 England - England will go into this World Cup apparently with little chance and with expectations seemingly at an all time low. However, their squad is not any worse than other tournaments, and I'm sure if they get a result in their first game against Italy the media will go crazy. No doubt they have good players, but it will be interesting to see how they perform on the big stage. Steven Gerrard has been excellent for Liverpool all season(forget about his slip on Sunday), but will he have the energy to play all games for England after a tough season? Sturridge has scored plenty goals, but his form has dipped recently with Raheem Sterling looking like England's best player at the moment. Adam Lallana has been a star for Southampton, same goes for his teammate Ricky Lambert. Walcotts pace and energy will be a big miss, so they need to get that from elsewhere, maybe from Chamberlain. Cahill and Jagielka will be important players at the back, but maybe they lack a bit of pace at the highest level. Joe Hart will need to be on form and not make mistakes that have crept into his game at club level. 
Key Man - Wayne Rooney has failed to perform at a major tournament so far in his career but surely this year, if he goes in fit, that won't happen again. There is no doubting Rooney has quality, but he needs to show he is world class on this stage. His goals record for England(38 in 89) and United is excellent, so they need him to be at his best.

Here is the squad that if I was Roy Hodgson, I would pick.
GK - Hart, Forster, Foster
Def - Johnson, Jagielka, Cahill, Baines, Shaw, Flanagan, Jones, Smalling,
Mid - Gerrard, Wilshere, Henderson, Sterling, Chamberlain, Milner, Lallana, Barkley,  
Att - Rooney, Sturridge, Welbeck, Lambert 

There is a good mix of youth and experience in there, plenty energy and hopefully for their sake, some goals. It will also help with future tournaments that players like Shaw, Barkley and Sterling get World Cup experience.

Uruguay - The Uruguay team looks fantastic going forward and have some good defenders, so they should be a threat this Summer. Being South American they have the advantage of the conditions(No team from Europe has won a WC in South America). They qualified virtue of a comfortable playoff win against Jordan, after they had finished 5th in the South American qualifying table. Player of World Cup 2010, Diego Forlan, is 34 now but can still be a goal threat and will be required this year in the heat. Edinson Cavani(PSG) is a top player and adds pace and strength to the attacking line. Walter Gargano(Parma) will be an important holding midfielder in front of the defense, with Diego Lugano(West Brom) still playing at 33 and the excellent Diego Godin(Athletico Madrid). They have good strong fullbacks as well in Caceres(Juventus) and Pereira(Benfica) both good defensively.
Key Man - Luis Suarez might not be the most liked footballer in the world, but he has certainly turned his game up a notch this season. His quick turns, good finishing and great link up play means he is one of the best players in the world. He is so sharp and nutmegs defenders more than anyone I have ever seen play football, so if he plays well, Uruguay will be a huge threat.

Costa Rica - The Costa Ricans qualified by finishing second behind USA in the North American qualifiers. This is their 5th World Cup, but with this group they won't be expecting much. The squad doesn't boast many recognisable names, but one is Bryan Oviedo, who unfortunately broke his leg in January this year, and could well miss out on his place in the squad. Cristian Gamboa the right full back is someone I have seen live playing for Rosenborg, and he is a very attacking full back and someone who I was very impressed with, hopefully he can have a good tournament. Striker Joel Campbell became a household name after his goal against Man United for Olympiakos, and the on loan Arsenal Striker looks quick and could cause opposition troubles, but at 21 it is a big ask for him to take his team in the knockout stages.
Key Man - Bryan Ruiz is the main man for this team, and although he only showed glimpses of his talents at Fulham there is no doubt that he is someone with great ability. He isn't a regular goalscorer, but he does score spectacular goals, and he can produce a bit of magic to create chances for his teammates.

Teams to Progress - Italy and Uruguay 


World Cuts

 This weeks edition of World Cuts takes us back to the 1998 World Cup in France and to one of Championship Managers finest players, Taribo West. He was well known for sporting some form of dreadlocks, or other noticeable hair styles, but in the World cup of 98, he produced a spectacular green effort that is difficult to describe and is best shown in picture.