Don't talk, it's easier this way.: May 2014

Monday, May 26, 2014

Group D

Uruguay (FIFA #5) When the World Cup started until the 70s Uruguay was one of the world soccer super powers. They then suffered a very long drought where they rarely played well or even qualified for a World Cup. That all changed four years ago when they finished in fourth place in the tournament. This team is extremely talented and should definitely win this group.

Players to watch: Luis Suarez - This striker is currently one of the best players in the world having just won the Premier League Golden Boot with 31 goals in 33 games and being nominated the PFA Player of the Year. He is a fiesty guy having been caught biting opposing players twice. Dude also dives a lot. I mean a lot. Suarez is coming off of an injury but hopefully will be up to full speed in June. Edinson Cavani - A striker with seemingly unlimited amounts of energy, this guys doesn't ever stop. He also looks a lot better now that he got rid of the braces.

Costa Rica (34) Los Ticos is a decent team with a solid defense but unfortunately I don't see them playing very well away from home. They will be up against too good of competition and I see them finishing 4th in this group.

Player to watch: Bryan Ruiz - This midfielder will be the focal point of the Costa Rican attack. Unfortunately he won't have much to work with.

England (11) Being a member of the Three Lions is tough. Due to the dominance of the English Premier League people expect England to always be one of the best teams. People fail to remember that the EPL doesn't actually have a large percentage of English born players. Just this year the EPL set a record low for English born players at 34.1%. Now, that is still a pretty decent number of English born players in the league (75) but it doesn't mean they should automatically be considered one of the best nations out there. Historically they have shown that they are not quite an elite team. They are good, but not elite and open to collapsing on the big stage. I think they will play hard and finish the group stage in second place. England has a large number of young players who are starting to show off some serious abilities.

Players to watch: Wayne Rooney - I keep forgetting that he is only 28 years old. While he has an older looking face he has also been on the national team since he was 17. That's crazy. He has great speed and a great knack for scoring goals. Rooney is tough. A couple of the young guys...Daniel Sturridge - In the last few years Sturridge has emerged as a very promising striker for England. Jack Wilshere - A 22 year old central midfielder who plays for Arsenal. Can play the whole field.

Italy (9) Historically Gli Azzuri have played some of the most boring soccer ever. Score a goal and then just park the bus for the rest of the game. Sooooo lame. That has recently changed, however, as The Blues have committed to a more attacking style of soccer. This is a team that is in transition and while they always seem to show up for the World Cup I think they will just miss the cut and end in third place.

Players to watch: Mario Balotelli - Maybe the biggest hot head in the tournament, this dude is mean but also extremely talented and scores some great goals. Not many people have an ego like him either. Andrea Pirlo - At age 35 he is definitely a wily veteran. Awesome on the free kicks. Stephan El Shaarawy - Unfortunately The Pharaoh didn't get called to the team but keep an eye on him (His dad is Egyptian, hence the nickname). Lots of talent and only 21 years old. Also, crazy hair. I'm really surprised he didn't get the call up.

Group C

Colombia (FIFA #5) Historically these guys have only made it out of the group stage once (Italy 1990). I see them getting their second visit to the top 16. While not as flashy as some of the other teams on their continent this team gets it done. They have a solid defense and they know how to score goals. I see them winning this group.

Player to watch: Falcao (El Tigre) - This guy scores goals. In his two years at Atletico Madrid he scored 52 goals in 68 appearances. A true striker this guy is often known as a poacher. No defense from El Tigre to be seen. Unfortunately he is coming off a knee injury and hasn't played competitively since the end of January.

Greece (10) The highlight of Greek soccer was when they amazingly won the Euro cup in 2004. I do not see that happening here. They are a solid team that does not concede goals. Their usual score line is a win of 1-0. I think they will end up in third place in their group after losing to Colombia and Ivory Coast.

Players to watch: Giorgos Karagounis - I'm really just picking him because he is 37 years old. Dang old man, do your thing. Dimitris Salpingidis - A small and very quick winger, he will lead their counter attacks.

Ivory Coast (21) These guys have made it to the World Cup two times but have never made it out of the group stage. This will be their first time not being in a group of death so I believe they will get second place. Of all the African teams these guys have the most talent.

Players to watch: Didier Drogba - This guy is a god there. While he is a bit past his prime at the age of 36 he still scores amazing goals. In this prime he was definitely one of the top players in the world. He is big and strong and knows how to get it done. I find him a bit frustrating at times because he will take the occasional dive when you know he could have just fought the defender off. Yaya Toure - At 6'3" this guy is a big sized player who knows how to use his body. Having played for Barcelona and now Manchester City he knows what it's like to be on the big stage.

Japan (47) The Samurai Blue will have a tough time with this group. They have some talent but not enough to do much. I see them losing two games and tying Greece. In South Africa they surprisingly made it out of the group stage over Denmark, but again, I don't see that happening this time.

Player to watch: Keisuke Honda - This attacking midfielder takes some really good free-kicks. He also had blond hair so that makes him stand out a bit for Japan.

Group B

Spain (FIFA #1) The defending champions are stacked. Other teams wish they had the players that Spain left off the team. The Spanish midfield is one of the best ever. Seriously, so much fun to watch. Their first game should be a great one as it will be a repeat of the last World Cup final against the Netherlands. This teams should win this group and go real deep in the tournament.

Players to watch: I could really name anyone on their team. To pick a few though...Xavi and Iniesta. These two make incredible passes all the time. Their style of play is so good that your forget that what they can do is extremely hard. Sergio Ramos - A very good and very aggressive defender who has a knack for scoring header goals on corners and free kicks.

Netherlands (15) It is really too bad that they lost in the finals in the last World Cup. I believe that was their prime year for it. This team is still really good and shouldn't have any trouble beating Chile or Australia but I don't see them making it as far as they did four years ago. Now that is not to say that they are any kind of pushover. They have some world class players who are at the top of their game.

Players to watch: Robin Van Persie (RVP) - He has become one of the top strikers in the world. The dickhead left Arsenal and went to Manchester United where he played extremely well until getting hurt. He will be fine for the tournament and should score a number of goals. Arjen Robben - Although he looks like he is 42 he is only 30. Extremely talented and very creative.

Chile (13) This is the first time that Chile has qualified for two World Cups in a row. In the qualifiers they started off hot, lost a few games, fired their coach, hired a new one, and got hot again. They are a purely attacking team. They score lots of goals but they also get scored on a lot. I don't see that playing out well for them against the two teams mentioned above.

Player to watch: Alexis Sanchez - This forward plays for Barcelona and knows how to score. Since 2011 he has scored 39 goals while appearing in 88 games. That is pretty darn good.

Australia (59) The Socceroos are going to have a rough World Cup. They struggled to qualify against some pretty bad teams and this not much for a reward. Play three games, then fly home.

Player to watch: Tim Cahill - A 34 year old forward who plays in the MLS. Yup, that's all they got.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Group A

After each group was drawn, back in December 2013, I did a quick little write up on how I thought each team would fair. Much more soccer has been played since then with different players getting hurt and some players rising to great form. I figured it was time to look at the groups again and give my predictions.

Group A

Brazil...Croatia...Mexico...Cameroon

Brazil (FIFA #4) There probably hasn't ever been a host team with as much pressure on them to perform as the Brazilians. Since winning the Confederations Cup people seem to think that they are the clear favorite. I am not so sure. This is a Brazilian team that is still growing and developing. I definitely think they will win the group stage though.

Players to watch: Neymar - kid has crazy skill and can do amazing things with the ball. He also is an amazing diver. David Luiz aka Sideshow Bob will probably score a header goal at some point.

Croatia (#20) In qualifying for the World Cup these guys started off cruising...and then the wheels fell off for some reason. After barely qualifying their manager resigned and they are now under new leadership. Can they regroup and get second place in Group A? Unfortunately I don't think they can and will barely miss the cut to Mexico.

Players to watch: Luka Modric - a great playmaker who makes some amazing passes. Mario Mandzukic - a big forward who currently plays for Bayern Munich. Unfortunately, due to a red card he will miss the first game.

Mexico (#19) Their last group game should be a great one against Croatia. I can see both teams playing for the second position in this one. Mexico always makes it out of the group stage and then lose. Seriously, they have done that the last 5 times. I think that will happen again. Mexico has been struggling the last year and only qualified because of some help from the USA. I think they will be able to get it together with their new coach to just squeak by and then lose.

Players to watch: Chicharito - while he struggles to get playing time for Man U he is still really talented. Giovani dos Santos - little man is crazy fast and usually plays on the wing but as of late he has been wanting to play more attacker for Villareal.

Cameroon (#50) These guys struggled a bit to qualify against some lesser African teams. Historically however, they seem to show up and play decently in the World Cup. They could pull out a surprise here but I think in the end they will up in 4th.

Player to watch: Samuel Eto'o - the 33 yr old was off in Russia playing out the end of his career when he took a massive pay cut to play for Chelsea. He then proceeded to score 9 goals in 21 appearances proving that he is still a force. There were rumors he was going to come to MLS but after this last season I don't see that happening.