World Cup Preview - Group E

Group E

Brazil (2)
Switzerland (6)
Costa Rica (25)
Serbia (35)


Brazil - The favourites for the World Cup with the bookmakers, Brazil come in on the back of an excellent qualifying campaign in which they lost only one game, away at Chile. The five time champions last won the tournament in 2002, when Ronaldo inspired them to a win over Germany in the final. Four years ago it was Germany who embarrassed Brazil in the semi final, with that 7-1 defeat being the worst in their history. Redemption is on the mind of the nation, and they have a squad capable of achieving that.
The goalkeeping position had long been an issue for Brazil, since Taffarel retired they have struggled to replace him, but now there are two keepers more than capable of starting. Ederson has been outstanding for Man City this season, he is likely to be on the bench behind Roma stopper Alisson. Alisson is a great shot stopper, and a huge presence in goals. He doesn't sweep or use his feet as well as Ederson, but he is as good at saving shots as anyone.
Defensively, the PSG duo of Marquinhos and Thiago Silva are both solid defenders with pace, and that gives license for Marcelo and Danilo to push on from fullback to help the attack. Fred, Fernandinho and Casemiro are all options in the sitting midfield role, while they have a huge amount of talent and pace in the forward five positions.
Roberto Firmino has been outstanding for Liverpool as the central striker, and he will be battling Gabriel Jesus for a starting place. Meanwhile Douglas Costa, Coutinho, Willian, Paulinho and the second Shakhtar player in the squad, Taison can all provide pace, goals, quality on the ball and directness to the attack.
This squad is far stronger than the one that made it to the semi finals four years ago. They conceded only 11 goals in 18 qualifying games, scoring 41, with 13 different players getting on the scoresheet. Goals can come from anywhere on the pitch, and no doubt this year they are favourites and are out to prove they are the best in the world.

Star Man - It is a massive relief I'm sure for manager Tite to see Neymar back training after his dreaded metatarsal injury. He is the star for Brazil in a team of world class players. His dribbling skills are as good as anyone, but also he is a leader for the country. His back injury four years ago was crucial in their demise when he had to sit out the Germany game. He has 53 goals in 83 caps, well on his way to beating the 77 goal record Pele has for Brazil. Lets hope he is fit for Russia, because he could light up the World Cup and take Brazil to title number six.


Switzerland - They might be the 6th ranked team in the world, but Switzerland would still be deemed a dark horse as they prepare for Russia. They were unlucky not to qualify automatically, given they lost their only points of the group stage with a defeat on the final day in Portugal. They had to play Northern Ireland in the playoffs, and a dubious penalty in the first leg in Belfast proved crucial, as it was the only goal scored over two legs.
Since the World Cup expanded from 16 teams in 1982 the Swiss have never made it past the last 16, but recently the team has found a decent formula under coach Vladimir Petkovic. With two sitting midfielders protecting the defense, they only conceded seven goals in 12 qualifying games, thanks also to in form goalkeeper Yann Sommer. The Monchengladbach stopper is reportedly being tracked by Manchester City as back up for Ederson after a fine season.
Captain Stephan Lichsteiner is two caps away from 100, and the full back was still an important part of the Juventus title winning squad this season. On the opposite side, Ricardo Rodriguez has been seen as a top class left back for years now, and still only 25 years old. Defensively sound he also has a great left foot for crossing and set pieces.
Although Granit Xhaka has been seen as a poor signing for Arsenal, he plays an important role linking defense and attack alongside a 21 year old future star, Denis Zakaria. The tall holding midfielder has been a regular in the Bundesliga this season at Monchengladbach, and he looks like a real talented central midfielder.
Upfront is an area that Switzerland don't lack numbers, but do lack a real goalscorer. In qualifying, 14 different players scored goals, with Haris Seferovic the top marksman with four. He has 11 goals for his country but wasn't a regular starter for Benfica this term, managing just four league goals. When looking at the other four strikers who are potential starters, Derdiyok, Mehmedi, Drmic and Embolo, none have been regulars for their teams this season. It is perhaps why Swiss Super league top scorer, Albia Ajeti, has been called up to the preliminary squad. He could be in line for his first cap after 17 goals this season.
Brazil are obviously group favourites, but Switzerland are well organised, and could be tough to beat in the first group game.

Star Man - Of all the Stoke players this season perhaps only Xherdan Shaqiri can hold his head up at the end of it. He always looked their most dangerous player and most likely scorer and is the one Swiss player with real quality in the final third. He has 20 goals for his country from 68 caps, and he is capable of being a game winner all by himself. Sometimes he can be guilty of holding on to the ball too long, but it can be forgiven when he puts it in the top corner from 25 yards, as he seems to do more often than other players when he cuts in on that left foot.





Costa Rica - Four years ago Costa Rica surprised everyone by topping a group containing England, Italy and Uruguay. They then beat Greece on penalties in a forgettable encounter, before losing on penalties to The Netherlands. It was the first ever quarter final appearance at the World Cup and one that is unlikely to be emulated in Russia. With three automatic places up for grabs in the CONCACAF region, Costa Rica finished second behind Mexico to book their place for the 4th time out of the last five tournaments.
Goalkeeper Keylor Navas signed for Real Madrid after the last World Cup, and despite regular criticism he has been their number one ever since. An athletic goalkeeper, he is likely to be busy in the tournament and will be crucial to any success that Costa Rica will have.
Cristian Gamboa hasn't managed to break in to the Celtic team regularly, but himself and Bryan Oviedo provide good attacking options from wing back. They are both regulars for their country and will be expected to get forward and provide crosses. The squad is almost identical to the one that did so well in Brazil with the midfielders Bolanos, Borges and Tejeda, who formed a three in midfield still involved. Bolanos is 34 now so it is possible that Rodney Wallace or David Guzman, both based in Major League Soccer, could take his place in the starting lineup at least for one of the games. Former Fulham man, now with Sporting Lisbon, the 32 year old captain Bryan Ruiz is the link between midfield and attack. He is an extremely talented footballer and although he sometimes plays at a slower tempo than you would like, he has the ability to pick out a pass on his left foot, and also produce a bit of magic. He has 23 goals for his country, the top scorer in the current squad. He hasn't been a regular in Portugal this season so he will need to up his game to try and take Costa Rica beyond the groups again.

Star Man - The season before the last World Cup Joel Campbell burst on to the scene with some impressive performances for Olympiakos in the Champions League. He hasn't really kicked on since then, with Arsenal loaning him out every season it must be hard to find form. This year at Real Betis he hasn't played much but he seems to rise to the occasion of playing for his country and big tournaments. He is quick, has a good left foot and is very direct. If he can perform the way he did four years ago again, then his country has a chance of coming through the groups.


Serbia - Group D in qualification contained Ireland, Wales and Austria, but it was Serbia who came through it on top thanks mainly to some attacking football that saw them score 20 goals over the ten games. Top scorer in the group was on loan Fulham man Aleksander Mitrovic with six. Falling out of favour at Newcastle he has gone to Fulham and taken them to the brink of promotion, with the playoff final. Strong and aggressive, he has also shown an eye for goal with 12 since joining in February. He is a real threat from cross balls which can be useful for his country as one of the best crossers of a ball in world football, Aleksander Kolarov plays left back. They are likely to link up at some point in this tournament.
Still playing at 34 is Branislav Ivanovic. He has always been a strong defender and is a leader for his country as he was for many years at Chelsea. Now playing at Zenit he has played 38 games this season which shows his fitness is still great.
The big strength for Serbia is midfield however. They have a group of players all under 30 who have experience, but also quality. Nemanja Matic is a world class central midfielder, and alongside him, Luka Milivojevic has had an outstanding season at Crystal Palace. They form a strong base to allow more attacking players like Dusan Tadic, Filip Kostic, Adem Llajic to create opportunities for Mitrovic.
The future looks very exciting for Serbia as their squad contains many young players playing across the major leagues of Europe. Winners of the under 20 World Cup in 2015, they now look like they could be starting to show signs of being ready to advance in a World Cup for the first time since the break up of Yugoslavia.

Star Man - The star of that under 20 team that won the World Cup, and a player many are touting for a huge money move this summer, is Sergei Milinkovic-Savic. He has been a regular in the Lazio team for the last three seasons, and this year was the star man alongside Ciro Immobile. He is a classic all-round midfielder with the strength and height to hold off any opponent, but also the quick feet and passing ability to unlock defenses. He has been compared to Zidane and it is easy to see why. He is a goal threat with feet and head, and this tournament can be a chance for him to showcase his talents.

Predictions - Pre tournament favourites Brazil have been given a relatively tough group, but I expect them to progress without too many problems. It will depend on Neymar being fully fit whether they go all the way. Before reading up on the teams I would have thought Switzerland were slightly stronger, but having seen what Serbia have in their squad I think they will be too strong for the Swiss and could be a dark horse this year. Costa Rica performed miracles in Brazil, but I can't see them doing it again in Russia.

What to Bet on - Serbia are 11/8 to qualify, I like those odds.

World Klutz - Everybody remembers Rene Higuita for his scorpion kick against England but he was regularly messing about while playing goalkeeper. He was an entertainer that loved coming out from his box with the ball. Rewind to the 1990 World Cup in Italy, and against Cameroon and a 38 year old (maybe 42) Roger Milla...

The goal made it 2-0 in extra time, effectively knocking Colombia out of the World Cup.

This wasn't his finest moment, but do take a few minutes to look at some of his other videos. A true character of the game and the likes of which we will never see again.

The Tactical Genius that Mourinho Is Not

It is quite noticeable that my blog has evolved and become primarily football in the last few weeks, which I guess is understandable what with me being a footballer and all that. Sorry to the people that don't like football, but I think the majority of readers do, so for the mean time I'll stick with it.(unless my cousin wins in the golf)

With the football season finishing for some at the weekend it was extended for us as we managed to make the playoffs after a 4-1 win at home to Clyde. We went into last nights game on the back of 5 wins and a draw, and I felt our confidence really showed. The first half performance was as good as we have played this season, so we take a 2 goal lead into the 2nd leg on Saturday. I managed to get another 2 goals which makes it 7 in 7 games, and hopefully I can keep scoring to help the team. We know it won't be easy on Saturday, but if we go down and play with the same intensity as last night we will be hard to beat. We have some good playoff experience in our squad, especially from the lower division. I managed to get up through the playoffs in 2007 with Queen's Park in a team that included Mark Ferry and David Crawford, also at Stirling. It would be nice to add another promotion to the CV, even though it is League 2, it is still a good achievement and very nice to be part of a winning team.

Jose Mourinho: The not so Special One

The man divides opinion like no other manager, with his touchline antics, strange interviews and defensive(sorry, counter attack) tactics. There is absolutely no doubting the fact that his CV is excellent in terms of trophies, but I personally don't really like him as a character, or with the way he sets up his teams.
Mourinho is an extremely bad loser, which is normal for somebody in football, but even worse than that is that he is a bad winner. His lack of humility in winning is something that really annoys me, constantly running on to the pitch celebrating, sliding on his knees, poking fun at other managers and taking full credit when they win. He seems to have the respect of his dressing room, which is something that all his teams have been built on and no doubt it is an extremely important part of his success, but whenever something goes wrong he is always first to shift the blame on to someone else. This season it has been Torres, Eto'o, Ba, Hazard, Mata, and anyone else that he has decided will take the blame for his latest loss. Also Sam Allardyce has been on the receiving end for his 19th century tactics. In the past it has been referees, who he seems to forget give his teams decisions too.
At Real Madrid he was seen poking then Barcelona boss, sadly now dead, Tito Villanova in the eye after a tackle on the pitch led to a touchline argument, showing his lack of class. He might dress well and look like a class act from a distance but, when you see his actions, it is all a front.
On top of all this, and to get back to him having a go at Allardyce for his tactics(admittedly they are boring), his tactics in big games are exactly the same. Defend deep in numbers and hope to steal a goal at the other end by playing long balls to a big striker. He has employed these tactics for years, and I am sick of watching them ruin big games. I know people will say they get results, but it is boring and not the football that people want to watch. It speaks volumes when Brendan Rodgers came out after the game 2 weeks ago, a man who worked under Mourinho, and was scathing in his attack of the defensive tactics set up. Against Atletico Madrid away from home was the exact same, they played 3 holding midfielders in front of a narrow 4 in defense, with Willian and Ramires playing as wing backs. The problem is that the media praised their performance so he will keep doing it, but in reality it is easy to defend with so many bodies in the area. Thankfully they lost the 2nd leg(Hazards fault, not Mourinhos, obviously) and therefore we will actually get a decent final to watch.
To see a genius on the ball like Hazard being made to track all the way back to his goal line, just because Mourinho wants his full backs tucked in so much, is hard to watch. No wonder Cahill and Terry get so much praise, they are so well protected by quality full backs whose only job is to defend the box and leave wide players to their 'wingers'. It will be interesting to see how Cahill gets on when he has to defend for England at the World Cup.

formation v Liverpool

For the people who say his style is counter attacking, have a look at Real Madrid against Bayern Munich in both legs. That is proper counter attacking football that can be so deadly against an open team. The transition between defense to attack has to be so quick, and Madrid did it perfectly quickly getting the ball into their attackers feet and breaking in numbers, sometimes 5 or 6 at once. Punting the ball to Demba Ba and hoping he holds it up and brings one of 2 others into play is not tactical genius.
I for one am sick of the British media falling over their feet to praise him, and hopefully they are just starting to turn. He has failed this season bringing no trophies to a Chelsea team that is very strong on paper and probably has the 2nd highest wage bill. I'd be surprised if Abramovich is happy to watch this style of play, and also win nothing, so if it happens again next year he will probably get sacked. But as Mourinho does, he will get a job in another country with a club who has a huge amount of money to spend, massive wage bill, and are the favourites for their countries league title. PSG anyone?




The Weatherston World Cup Preview - Group E

Group E(FIFA Rankings)
France(16)
Switzerland(8)
Ecuador(28)
Honduras(32)


Group E looks like a nice group for France and Switzerland judging by the rankings, but with the heat in Brazil, will it be the Central and South Americans who enjoy the conditions more and can take the game to the two favourites?

France - The last 5 World Cups have been a mixed bag for France with their 1998 triumph followed by failure to make it through the groups in 2002 and 2010, and a penalty defeat to Italy in the 2006 final. After the South Africa World Cup controversy with the player boycotting training due to Anelka being dismissed from the squad they have rebuilt under new manager Didier Deschamps and appear to have a team that are much stronger and more likely to compete in Brazil. They have good competition in defense with Sakho(Liverpool), Varane(Real Madrid), Koscielny(Arsenal), Mangala(Porto) and Rami(AC Milan) all vying for central defense spots. With Clichy and Evra, Sagna and Debuchy very capable full backs and Premiership regulars it looks like a strong defense will line up for France with top goalie Hugo Lloris in behind. In midfield, Paul Pogba(Juventus) has improved greatly the last 2 years and will be an important part of the midfield with Matuidi and Cabaye(both PSG). They also have fantastic wide players with places up for grabs for players like Nasri(Man City), Ribery(Bayern Munich) and Menez(PSG). This is a France team with a real chance of going far in the tournament.
Key Man - Karim Benzema is a top striker and has found his goalscoring form at Real Madrid the last 2 years. He will be crucial to the French team up front in providing the finishing touch for their creative players mentioned above. Olivier Giroud and Loic Remy are good back ups as well in case Benzema can't last 90 minutes in the heat and humidity.

Switzerland - Switzerland qualified for the WC by comfortably winning an easy looking group that Iceland were runners up in. They have qualified for the previous 2 competitions, making it to the second round in 2006. They have a better looking squad now than they did back then, but I still think they will struggle to get out the groups. Josip Drmic(Nurnberg) and Admir Mehmedi(Freiburg) are good young strikers and regulars in the Bundesliga, both scoring goals for their clubs. Xherdan Shaqiri at 22 has been getting plenty games at Bayern Munich this season and will be an important creative player from wide left and right. Diego Benaglio(Wolfsburg) is a good goalkeeper but I think the problem will be in front of him. Arsenal rejects, Senderos and Djourou, now at Valencia and Hamburg respectively, will potentially line up at central defense and that will be a weak point. Valon Behrami and Blerim Dzemaili have both been involved with Napoli this season and add some quality to the midfield alongside the key man...
Key Man - Gokhan Inler is a strong central midfielder also from Napoli that can have a big impact on games with his ball winning and strong runs from deep. He will be a crucial player in breaking up play for Switzerland and getting it to the creative players.

Ecuador - The Ecuador team qualified by edging out Uruguay on goal difference in qualifying and will be hopeful the conditions help them in Brazil. Their squad is very much made up of home based players and players in Mexico, with only 4 or 5 players playing in Europe. Felipe Caicedo, formerly of Man City, now at Al-Jazira, will be the main striker. He is very strong and can bring others into play, but he will need to score more goals and add to his 15 for Ecuador. Christian Noboa(Dynamo Moscow) is about as well known as they come in this squad, I can't pretend I know many of them. Noboa is a quick, creative player who can play anywhere across the midfield and will be important part of the team for creating chances.
Key Man - Antonio Valencia is the captain and the top player in Ecuador. He has lightening pace as we all see for Man Utd, but he will have to be at the top of his game to lead this team into the latter stages.

Honduras - Head coach Luis Suarez(not that one) has managed to qualify Honduras for their second successive World Cup and their squad contains quite a lot of familiar, if not top quality, players. Izaguirre(Celtic) and Peralta(Rangers) are the Scottish based contingent in the squad. There are 4 players playing in England, with Hull defender Maynor Figueroa(102 caps) and midfielder Wilson Palacios(Stoke) both regular starters. Roger Espinoza and Juan Carlos Garcia both of Wigan are the other 2 in what doesn't really look like a strong squad. I'd be surprised if they get a win in their 3 games even though they did out qualify Mexico.
Key Man - Carlo Costly, not just for his quality name, but the striker who plays for Real Espana in Honduras has 30 goals in 68 caps for his country, which is a very good record. He will be the main goal threat in a team that doesn't have many.

Teams to Progress : France and Switzerland



World Cuts

World cuts wouldn't be world cuts without Carlos Valderrama making an appearance. Everyone remembers him in the 1994 World Cup for his hair more than anything. He was a very good midfielder for years in Colombia, winning 111 caps. I have no idea how he managed to get his hair like this, maybe the humidity in USA, but he looks fantastic, and he would definitely put you off facing him.