World Cup 2018 Preview - Group B

Group B

Portugal (4)
Spain (8)
Morocco (42)
Iran (36)

Portugal - Two years ago Portugal surprised everyone by claiming the European Championships despite winning only one of their games inside of 90 minutes, a semi final win over Wales. They drew every group game, beat Croatia in extra time, Poland on penalties and won the final in extra time over France. It was Eder who scored the winner, his first ever competitive goal for Portugal. It would be an even bigger surprise if Portugal managed to win the World Cup despite a very impressive qualification in which they dropped only 3 points in an away defeat to Switzerland. Four years ago they were knocked out in the group stage by USA and Germany, a very disappointing campaign, so they will be out to improve on that but it will be a surprise for me if they manage to match their best ever performance of fourth place back in 2006.
There is absolutely no doubt that Portugal's quality is mostly in attacking areas. Bernardo Silva was outstanding for Monaco last season, and this season has played his part in a Manchester City team that has strolled the Premier League. He has the ability to unlock any defense with his skill, usually from the right hand side. William Carvalho was widely tipped to become a superstar, and although he hasn't quite fulfilled his potential yet, he is a crucial part of the central midfield area. He provides a more defensive platform for more noted attacking players like Andre Gomes, Joao Moutinho and Joao Mario to join the main man in attack.
The big problem for Portugal is their ageing central defenders. Bruno Alves has hardly looked convincing since his move to Rangers, the 36 year old is likely to be involved in the squad, and decisions will have to be made regarding 35 year old Pepe, 34 year old Jose Fonte and 32 year old Rolando. It will likely be the last tournament for whoever is selected, but so many games in a short period will be tough for players of that age.

Star Man - Although aged 33 Cristiano Ronaldo is still an incredible athlete is still scoring goals at about an average of a goal a game. His next cap for Portugal will be his 150th, and so far he is on 81 goals. In my opinion he is the best ever goalscorer to grace a football pitch, and his drive to be the best he can be is as strong as anyone to have played the game. He has regularly produced the goods in big games, and there is no doubt he could drag Portugal to the final stages of the competition. He has lost a bit of his pace, and is a completely different player now to the one we were watching 5 years ago. But now that he is playing as a central striker he could be in with a great chance of the Golden Boot.


Spain - Four years ago Spain were defending their title and failed miserably, being hammered by Netherlands in the first game, and following it up by a defeat to Chile. By the time they beat Australia it was too late. It was the end on an era as legends like Xavi, David Villa, Xabi Alonso and Iker Casillas decided it would be their last World Cup. This time around they come with a younger squad after a comfortable qualifying campaign, beating Italy in their group and only dropping two points in total with a 1-1 draw in Turin. The type of football that Spain play is always easy on the eye, and they are well set up in midfield to play possession football, but also have players with the ability to create chances in tight areas. Thiago, Isco and Koke are all small in stature and are very comfortable on the ball, and along with Andres Iniesta can all play anywhere across the midfield. Spain usually play quite narrow in midfield and these players all have the ability to take the ball in tight areas, create space between the lines and are always rotating and available for passes. Marco Asensio offers something a little different with more direct running and pace. He has been excellent for Real Madrid this season, often coming off the bench and changing games.
The striking options including Morata, Diego Costa and Iago Aspas are all reliable goalscorers for their clubs, even if Morata is struggling a little the second half of the season. It will be up to the manager who he selects, but for me Diego Costa would be the perfect option with the quality of midfielders that can play in behind him.
Dani Carvajal and Jordi Alba are both world class full backs offensively, or they have Cesar Azpilicueta as a more defensive option, and they can rely on the experienced defensive partnership of Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos. This is a squad that are serious contenders yet again to replicate the success of 2010 and they have every chance of going all the way.

Star Man - David De Gea has been the best goalkeeper in the Premier League for the last six years and is probably the best shot stopper in the world. He makes this Spain team even better and gives confidence to everyone in front of him. He has had to wait on his chance, with Iker Casillas(167caps) and Pepe Reina(36) being regular first and second choice since 2000 and 2005 respectively. Now that De Gea is number 1, he could well win his first senior international trophy after successful European campaigns with the under 21's in 2011 and 2013. At 27 he is the perfect age to be goalkeeper for at least the next 6 years and to get many more caps than his current 27.


Morocco - Managed by Herve Renard, twice winner of the African Nations(Zambia 2012, Ivory Coast 2015), the Atlas Lions come to the WC on the back of a convincing unbeaten qualifying, in a group with Ivory Coast, Gabon and Mali. The squad has somewhat of an overhaul the last 4 years which has resulted in their first world cup appearance since 1998. Only two players in the likely squad have over 50 caps, but recent friendly wins over South Korea and Serbia show that they are on the right track as they head to Russia. In a tough group with Portugal and Spain, it will be so important to beat Iran in game 1 to give themselves a platform for advancing out of the groups for only the second time in their history, the only time being in 1986. The Morocco squad is seriously lacking in star quality and will be relying heavily on the guile of their manager and team spirit to get themselves out of the group. Amine Harit at 20 years old is one of the young group of players hoping to make an impression this summer. He has had a solid season for Schalke after moving there from Nantes where he broke through in to the first team in 2016. He is a midfielder with some promise, and having broken into the national setup, could be set for a big role in Russia. Scoring goals could be the big issue for Morocco, Khalid Boutaib was top scorer in qualifying with 4, and he has 12 in the Turkish Super Lig for Yeni Malatyaspor this season. He will likely be the main striker, but it will be far more important for Morocco to be tight at the back, and will be crucial that Juventus central defender Mehdi Benatia is controlling the defense and leading by example as captain. It didn't quite work at Bayern Munich for him, but since returning to Italy, and especially this season, he has looked far more like the strong and athletic defender he was when playing with Roma.

One to Watch - At 25 years old Hakim Ziyech has become an important player for Ajax since his move after a successful spell at Twente. Playing as an attacking midfielder, he is the likely creative spark for Morocco, and also a goal threat. He has 8 goals in 14 appearances for his country, and is a real threat from free kicks. A former Dutch youth international at all levels, he decided to play for Morocco senior team in 2015, and now can look forward to his first World Cup.



Iran - Although Iran regularly appear at World Cups, this is the first time that they will be competing in successive competitions in their history. They have yet to progress through the group stages, but as the highest ranked team from Asia perhaps they have underachieved in previous tournaments. They topped their qualifying group, beating South Korea in the process and conceding only 2 goals in 10 games. Former Real Madrid manager Carlos Queiroz has been in charge since 2011 and he has built the team on a solid foundation, who rely on clean sheets and counter attack goals. They should in theory be built for tournament play as underdogs, and will be hoping, like Morocco, that a win in game 1 can give them real hope of beating Spain or Portugal to second place in the group. They only scored 10 goals in qualifying, and top scorer Sardar Azmoun, who plays his football at Rubin Kazan in Russia, got 4 of them. He is the main threat up front having scored 23 goals in his 31 appearances so far for Iran, and despite only 4 goals in Russia this season he will be a starter for his country. He is only 23 years old, so has a big future for his country, but has a long way to go to catch the target of 109 goals scored by the legendry, Ali Daei.

One to Watch - Nicknamed the Persian Pogba, 21 year old Saeid Ezatolahi was once regarded as a huge talent. After a year in the youth team at Atletico Madrid he decided to move to FC Rostov in Russia instead of playing B team football in Madrid. He is currently on loan at fellow Russian Premier League side, Amkar Perm where he is enjoying a more regular game. At 6ft3inches, he is a central midfielder of some promise for Iran, and will be hoping to have an impact at the tournament this summer.


Predictions - Obviously Spain and Portugal are firm favourites to qualify from Group B, but with them playing each other first it puts a lot of pressure on whoever loses that game to get results in the other two games. Spain are looking for a far better display after 4 years ago in Brazil, and I expect them to have a good tournament. I think they will be too good for Portugal, and go on to top the group with three wins. Portugal will be under pressure, but the lack of scoring power for Morocco and Iran should mean Ronaldo can drag Portugal through to the last 16 and join Spain.

What to Bet on - Portugal to finish second in the group at 11/10

World Klutz - This time it's back to 2010 in South Africa, to the fixture between Nigeria and South Korea. With a win taking either team through to the last 16 and South Korea leading 2-1, Yakubu was given a guilt edged chance to pull Nigeria back in to the game which they needed to win...

One of the worst misses in World Cup history no doubt. Yakubu went on to score a penalty later in the game, but it was too little too late for Nigeria who were dumped out.

The Addiction of Panini Stickers

The season finally ended last weekend, and it was on a bitter sweet note that it did. It was mainly a huge high as we scored 2 goals in the last 15 minutes at East Fife to beat them 2-0 on the day and 3-2 on aggregate. It was a fantastic day for the team and well deserved after a great run in the last 10 games. It was my second ever promotion, both times in the playoff and, unusually, both times at Bayview. Unfortunately for me the day was tarnished very slightly by having to go off injured. It felt like somebody toe poked me in the calf, but nobody was there. After seeing the physio yesterday it looks like a slight tear in the right calf and should only keep me out of action for 4 weeks. Hopefully it doesn't affect me getting a new contract, wherever that may be.
On Sunday night we spent time together as a team, celebrated with the fans and each other. It is a great bunch of boys who all enjoyed playing together, particularly towards the end of the season when we were winning all the time. No doubt it will be difficult to keep a winning team together with some players looking to move on to better things, but it will be interesting to see how Stirling do in League 1, which looks wide open for the playoffs again next year.
The feeling of winning promotion was a very satisfying one after a long season and it is always nice to make the full season worthwhile. Sometimes throughout the year the supporters were on our back and the management teams, but we turned it round and by the time the playoffs started they were right behind us, and the number of fans that turned up to cheer us on to promotion was fantastic.


Got, Got, Got, NEED!

Every boyhood football fan remembers their days in the playground holding hundreds of football stickers, swapping 1 shiny for 3 players, somehow ending up with 5 Darren Dods and wondering if the rising star will make it big, which most of them didn't. I am almost certain I never finished an album, in fact I don't even know if any of my mates did. I would imagine the most popular kid, who could swap a player for a shiny and 3 players in return, might have done best of everyone.
For someone who doesn't like football it must be difficult to understand what is so good about collecting stickers, but that feeling of finding a shiny in a pack is a memorable one as a kid. Years later you would recognise a players name purely by seeing him in your Panini album, and even to this day I still have some old stickers lying around at my parents.
As I cleared up the loft ready to move out 2 years ago I found a small pile that brought back so many memories. The aforementioned Darren Dods was there, obviously, so was former manager of mine Owen Coyle and Falkirk coach Stevie Crawford. Nowadays sadly stickers cost so much that it seems completely out of reach to start a book, never mind finish it, but luckily for me I found a solution.
For the upcoming World Cup, Panini have linked up with FIFA and created an online version of the sticker book, and it is absolutely free! Ok, so it isn't quite the same feeling, but it is still useful to look through squads and see the faces of the players that will be on your screens this Summer.
I understand that some may think that is a bit sad, but it takes you back to the days in the playground, and who doesn't want that. Looking through the virtual pages is not as thrilling, but as an adult, and as a free alternative to collecting hundreds of stickers and spending hundreds of pounds, I am quite happy to do it, and if I finish it, I know I'll be looking through it with a sense of accomplishment. A small morale victory over Panini who defeated me for years as a young boy.
If, like me, you are extremely sad, check it out here: Panini World Cup 2014


The Weatherston World Cup Preview - Group G

Group G (FIFA Rankings)
Germany (2)
Portugal (3)
Ghana (38)
USA (14)
 
Group G looks like another fantastic group and a real tough one to predict. To win this group would be a real benefit with a likely second round game against a weaker opposition the bonus. With games in Manaus, Natal, Recife and Fortaleza, it will be really energy sapping with the temperatures in the North, so it will be important to rotate the squad in the groups to save energy for the knockout stages.

Germany - A lot of people are predicting a big tournament for the Germans and it is understandable why when you see their performances of the last 4 years. They qualified comfortably winning 9 and drawing 1 game in a group containing Austria, Sweden and Ireland so will be one of the big favourites despite this tough group. They have the best goalie in the world(Manuel Neuer) and a strong defense with Phillip Lahm, Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng and Marcel Schmelzer all likely to feature after strong seasons in the Bundesliga. It is midfield though that they have a huge number of players to choose from, which is ideal for slight rotation in the groups. Toni Kroos, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mario Götze, Mesut Özil, Julian Draxler, Lars Bender and Sami Khedira are all very good options in central midfield positions and then Marco Reus, Lukas Podolski and André Schürrle are all more attacking options and can provide width. It leaves manager Joachim Löw with plenty choices to make. If they have a weakness it might be a central striker with Miroslav Klose turning 36 before the tournament starts and the one time capped Kevin Volland (Hoffenheim) also included, but they are both good goalscorers, with Klose proven at major tournaments with 14 goals in World Cup history, hoping to break Ronaldo's record (15).
Key Man - Thomas Müller might not be the most glamorous name in the squad, but he has a knack of scoring very important goals, his movement is very good and he works extremely hard. He was the winner of Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup with 5 goals, so he will be hoping for another big tournament.

Portugal - Portugal qualified this year by beating Sweden in the playoffs after they had lost out to Russia in the groups. Apart from two semi final appearances (1966 and 2006) they never seem to get far in the World Cup despite the quality they have possessed in their squad. This year is no different, but will they again fall short? Defensively they have the most horrible defender in football, Pepe, at the heart of their defense. He is annoying to watch but when he defends properly he is very effective. João Pereira (Valencia) is a very good attacking right back and Fábio Coentrão the same at left back. In midfield there is competition between Miguel Veloso (Dynamo Kiev), João Moutinho (Monaco) and Sporting Lisbon rising star, William Carvalho. Nani will likely be one of the wide players, and if he can find some form that has been missing from his last couple of seasons at Manchester United then he can be a threat.
Obviously they will be relying on Christiano Ronaldo to score goals but they also have the experience of Hugo Almeida (Beşiktaş) and Helder Postiga (Lazio) to try and aid the main man.
Key Man - Christiano Ronaldo is the obvious choice for Portugal's star player after the season he has had. 50 goals in 46 games this season so far from the Ballon D'or winner is frightening form that he will be hoping to take into the World Cup. Injury problems have crept in towards the end of the season so it will be interesting to see how fresh he is. If he plays well, Portugal have a chance.

Ghana - Despite a fantastic World Cup last time out, Ghana were left gutted with a quarter final defeat at the hands (quite literally) of Uruguay. This time they beat Egypt to qualify but go into the tournament on the back of a defeat to Libya in the African Nations Final. Defensively they don't have any recognisable names but in midfield they have some players capable of being game changers. Michael Essien isn't as fit as he used to be but is still a strong central midfielder alongside Sulley Muntari, his AC Milan teammate. Left sided player Kwadwo Asamoah is a regular for Italian champions Juventus, but sometimes plays more central for Ghana. Andre Ayew (Marseille) and his brother Jordan (Sochaux) add some pace in attack while former Sunderland man Asamoah Gyan is the goal threat. With the weakness at the back and in goals it will be hard to see Ghana getting passed Portugal and Germany, but in the warm conditions of Brazil the African team might just fancy their chances.
Key Man - Kevin-Prince Boateng is playing at Schalke these days and he can be a real match winner. His skill is his main asset, and although sometimes he can be a bit greedy, there is no doubting his quality and his ability to score fantastic goals. Ghana need him in form and firing on all cylinders.

USA - USA always seem to have a higher ranking than they deserve, and again it looks like the case. Ranked 14th, but severely lacking a squad that is able to compete at this level, it will be a big surprise if they get through the groups. Tim Howard and Brad Guzan will battle it out for the goalkeeping position which is historically their strongest position, and possibly still is. In defense there are a number of home based players, including Omar Gonzalez (L.A.Galaxy), Michael Parkhurst (Columbus Crew) and Clarence Goodson (San Jose) who will all be facing a huge step up in quality in Brazil. Geoff Cameron (Stoke) is a strong defender and former Germany under 21 international left back, Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim) will be out to impress against his country of birth. In midfield, former Rangers men, Maurice Edu and Alejandro Bedoya are both important members of the squad, although it is Michael Bradley (Toronto) who is required to be the driving force from central midfield. Upfront, former Fulham man Clint Dempsey is a clever footballer who makes good late runs into the box and has an eye for goal, something that Jozy Altidore (Sunderland) has been severely lacking this season. His 2 goals this season a dismal return in 38 games.
Key Man - Landon Donovan is 32 now but the L.A. Galaxy man has real quality on the ball. He has a fantastic delivery from set pieces and from open play, and his record for USA (57 goals, 156 caps) shows how much of a legend he is in the country. He will be relied on to make and score chances, but it is a big ask for him to drag USA through this tough group.

Teams to progress - Germany and Portugal

World Cuts 

In this weeks edition of World Cuts, we again look back to USA 94, but this time to the man that set the tournament alight, but ultimately ended it in failure. Roberto Baggio, otherwise know as 'The Divine Ponytail', always sported hair short on the sides and top but long down the bag. However, for the the '94 World Cup he decided the best thing to do was to braid the ponytail, and the result is one of the most recognisable haircuts in World Cup history. Unfortunately for Baggio it was his missed penalty in the shootout that lost Italy the final against Brazil, presumably nothing to do with the ponytail.