Premier League Focus: Liverpool

Each Tuesday of the season I will take an in-depth look at the progress and prospects of a Premier League club, evaluating their season up to that point and envisaging what lies in store for the rest of their campaign.

Where are all the world class signings then lads?

Having just watched Brendan Rodgers’ side fall to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the champions Manchester City, Reds fans can certainly take some comfort from a game that they bossed for long periods. For the first 30 minutes or so they played their usually passing game at a high tempo, with Gerrard finding his range and Sturridge looking bright.

However at the very top level you must take advantage of the possession you accrue, perhaps a Liverpool team containing a certain Luis Suarez would have, but this side displayed a distinct lack of quality in the final third (a rarity in contrast to last season).

In a continuation of last season, Liverpool also lacked quality at the back, which cost them dearly just before half time as Stevan Jovetic pounced on hesitant defending from new signing Alberto Moreno, firing past Simon Mignolet.

Any attempted comeback looked doubtful as a beautiful piece of individuality from Jovetic allowed Nasri to expose gaps in the Liverpool back line, setting up the Montenegrin for a deserved second. This lead to Rodgers introducing £25 million man Lazar Markovic, however it was Sergio Aguero’s entrance into the fray that sent Liverpool crashing to the canvas, as the forward beat Mignolet from the angle.

Rodgers threw on Can and Lambert, changes that arguably should have happened at 2-0. The former Leverkusen man injected some energy and drive into the midfield whilst Lambert got his sizeable forehead on a stunning yet seemingly effortless Sturridge delivery, which was almost matched by Hart’s superb initial save, only for Zabaleta to unfortunately bundle it over the line.

Liverpool’s new number nine was then presented with a glorious chance to reduce the deficit to one, a chance that the previous bearers of that hallowed shirt would have buried, however Lambert produced a feeble finish that perhaps highlights his own reservations about being a Liverpool player. With that the game was gone and City celebrated their first home win of the season, leaving Rodgers with much to ponder.

When you compare this game to the corresponding fixture from last season, it is fair to say Liverpool fell some way short of matching it. They may even have come away with something from that game, if it wasn’t for Raheem Sterling’s incorrectly disallowed goal. I can’t help but think that this result justifies my pre-season thoughts that Liverpool, rather than strengthening have stood still in terms of their squad.

The arrival of Mario Balotelli is of course a genius bit of business and he could well recreate Suarez’s form from the previous campaign, he has no less talent than the feisty Uruguayan. This signing could certainly see them achieve Champions League football again, but in terms of progression from one season to the next, I just don’t see it.

Lovren looked a tad exposed at times tonight and is no better than the centre halves sitting on Liverpool’s bench, whilst initially showing good energy, Moreno will naturally take time to adjust to Premier League football. Can looks like a dynamic player, but is he any better than Henderson or even the re-emerging Joe Allen, and the combined fee of £50 million for Lallana and Markovic looks horrifically misjudged.

Then there is Rickie Lambert, with their neighbours across Stanley Park tonight confirming the signing of Samuel Eto’o on a two year deal, I have no doubts as to which ageing forward I’d rather be bringing off the bench with 20 minutes to go. I’d also rather have exciting Ghanaian International Christian Atsu in my squad as opposed to Markovic.

In conclusion, the Balotelli deal may have just have revived Liverpool’s season, add in another world class player and we could be talking about potential title contenders. Having said that I can’t see there being much money left for Rodgers to play with and ultimately I feel he has wasted the vast majority of it, very much in the same way Benitez did with players such as Babel, Gonzalez, Riera and Aquilani.  

5-3-2: Is it all that? - My post game thoughts

Following an uneventful performance yesterday against a solid MK Dons side, many of the travelling City fans came away disheartened at what had been a rather limp display. No creativity, an inability to pass and a lack of movement were the cries from the deterred Sky Blue Army (Especially from those on Sky Blues Talk), with some still calling for the return of ‘God’ (that’s Carl Baker to the non-believers) to ‘make things happen’. For me the main reason for the performance yesterday and those previously, stems from the 5-3-2 system Pressley has chosen to deploy, a system that has come into prominence following Louis Van Gaal’s inspired use of it throughout the Netherlands successful World Cup campaign.

5-3-2 is in no way a flawed system however it is only needed in certain situations, in certain games. Van Gaal initially implemented it to counter the tiki-taka style of the Spanish in their opening game, the way they soaked up possession and at specific moments broke out in slick counter attacks, worked so well that Van Gaal saw no reason to change it. His loyalty to the system almost lead to an embarrassing exit to minnows Costa Rica, who were afforded far too much time on the ball which lead to them maintaining sustained periods of possession. The Dutch squad contained the players to romp to an easy victory over the Costa Ricans, in theory, however Robben, Van Persie and Sneijder were left unnecessarily isolated as seven Dutch individuals (The back five and two defensive-midfielders) sat ignorantly behind the ball. I’d seen this Dutch team ease to qualification destroying equally matched teams to Costa Rica, (Romania, Hungary and Estonia) playing the classic Dutch style of 4-3-3 and yet for some reason they had decided to set up in an overly defensive system against a weak opposition (In reality a surprisingly naïve mistake from an experienced manager).

This is where Pressley needs to be a touch shrewder, in my opinion it is perfectly fine playing a 5-3-2 system away from home against opposition that will be fighting with us for a place in the play-offs (I consider the point gained yesterday a very good one indeed). Against lesser teams and especially at home however, we need to go out and attack teams like we did last season, whether this be in a 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 it doesn’t really matter. What is key to our success this season, is setting up in a way that enables our forward players to get into the areas where they can positively affect the game, which is unachievable in a 5-3-2. For the majority of yesterday we had eight men behind the ball, the five at the back are relatively flat and the wing backs attacking threat is rather limited. The midfield three are similarly flat and find themselves passing sideways and inevitably backwards to a centre half, who ends up putting his foot through the ball and thus possession is lost.  

The strikers in our ranks all look more than comfortable on the ball and have scored goals at some point in their careers (barring McQuoid), what they are not is target men, they need support, they need advanced wingers to give them service, they need to be given the opportunity to turn and run at the opposing defence and ultimately they need options. Jordan Clarke doesn’t possess an attacking bone in his body, so we are relying on an 18 year old novice to provide any width in the team, which highlights the attacking limitations of this system. One of John Fleck’s best attributes is his ability to switch the play with consummate ease, however in this system he cannot do this, his options are to pass left to Swanson or right to O’Brien who then concede defeat and play the ball backwards. These players are creative but they can’t get into positions where they can use this creativity, which leaves the strikers with little to play off, barring their own individual brilliance. From a defensive point of view we have improved marginally, however a lot of our defensive errors are down to individual mistakes (As was evident with Webster yesterday). If it wasn’t for Reda Johnson we could have easily lost the game, he exudes everything you want from a captain and with this in mind I’m positive he could marshal a back four just as well.  Listed below are the possible alternatives open to Pressley, each offer us a more balanced style of play in which we can remain defensively stable whilst carrying a consistent attacking threat.

You Shaw about this Luke?

Luke Shaw 

Whatever Luke Shaw dreamt about last night, it wouldn’t have been as remarkable as the dream that is his life presently. Having completed his first full Premier League season for Southampton in which he made the PFA Team of the Season, he then beat Ashley Cole to a place in England’s 23 man squad for the World Cup, making his tournament debut in the final group game against Costa Rica. Surely it couldn’t get any better for the 18 year old? Well, in fact it has, following a £27m (A fee that could rise to £31m) transfer from Southampton to Manchester United, a move that makes him one of the world’s most expensive teenagers. Since making his Saints first team debut at the age of 16, his rate of progression has been phenomenal and this move to Old Trafford marks a new chapter in his career, the question is, will he be allowed to continue his development at United?

In his early days at Saints

I certainly have my doubts, the major one being a question that the likes of John Bostock should have asked themselves prior to big money moves, will I play? Shaw may well have to be content with a place on the bench and there is substantial reasoning for this, the form of regular left back Patrice Evra was one of few positives to come out of last season, form which he has kept up with the French national team at the World Cup. Having captained United on a number of occasions throughout his eight years in Manchester, you get the feeling that Evra could end his career with the Red Devils, and by no means would he want to vacate his spot at left back for United’s newest recruit. It will now be a two horse race for the left back perch as Alex Buttner has departed for Dynamo Moscow having flattered to deceive in his two years at the club.

In my opinion if Luke Shaw is instated as first choice left back by Louis Van Gaal, then the move can only be a success. Shaw possesses all the attributes to one day become the best full back in the world, not to mention the high level of composure he already holds, composure that is rarely recognisable in a player of his age. However if he does find himself warming the United bench with the likes of Powell and Zaha (equally great talents), it will be detrimental to his career, not just at club level but for England as well. 

My thoughts on England vs Uruguay

Rooney scores the winner against Ukraine

At the end of this evening’s game, England could either be leaving Brazil prematurely or be in pole position for a place in the knockout stage. The nature of this game is reminiscent of our previous tournament clashes with Slovenia (2010 World Cup) and Ukraine (2012 European Championships) in the sense that defeat would result in elimination. If we came through both the aforementioned tests in somewhat lacklustre circumstances, then tonight we have the chance to achieve the desired result and send a message to the other nations through our performance. There are certain aspects of this game that could be essential to our success in Sao Paulo tonight. These aspects are as follows:

How we exploit an unfamiliar Uruguayan defence

How we apply ourselves when not in possession

How we extinguish Uruguay’s attacking threat (namely Luis Suarez)

Starting with the Uruguayan back line, they will be missing the dynamic Benfica full back Maxi Pereira and their ageing captain Diego Lugano. There are many options open to manager Oscar Tabarez, with the likes of Jorge Fucile, Sebastian Coates and Alvaro Pereira pushing for starts. Fucile only played two games all season for Porto (one of which was for the reserves) so his chances of starting are slim, with this in mind they should start with:

RB - Martin Caceres (Not an unfamiliar position for Caceres, having played there for Juventus and Sevilla)

CB - Sebastian Coates (Only played six times for Nacional following injury last season)

CB - Diego Godin

LB - Alvaro Pereira (Loaned out to Sao Paulo after being used sparingly at Inter)

Coates

If Roy plays Wayne Rooney centrally (As is being reported) he could have a field day up against Coates who failed to impress in his eleven games for Liverpool. The knee injury which kept him out of the majority of last season could see him be a tad ring rusty, which England must take advantage of. Both fullbacks aren’t lacking in pace, but their over exuberance to get forward could leave space in behind for Sterling and Welbeck to exploit, hopefully it will enable Baines and Johnson to be more willing to overlap than they were against Italy.

Gerrard must be more aggressive tonight

Our performance against Italy was one of the most confident and impressive performances I had witnessed in my time as an England supporter, however what has been noted by many pundits was our incapability to win the ball back when the Italians had possession. We allowed the Italian midfielders to advance far too easily into our half, putting unnecessary pressure on our back four. Gerrard and Henderson must do more to break up the play and stop the flow of service from the Uruguayan midfielders to Suarez and Cavani.  

Suarez vs Cahill

Fully fit or not, Luis Suarez will be Uruguay’s major threat this evening. The Liverpool forward scored twice last season against an Everton defence containing Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines, however he failed to score home and away against a Chelsea side that had Gary Cahill at the heart of its defence. Cahill and the Liverpool players in the squad should be able to give an insight in how to keep the forward quiet, for me if we do keep his time on the ball down to a minimum, we should win the game.  

Finally, COME ON ENGLAND.

Belgium at the 2014 World Cup - A foray into the unknown

With the recent influx of Belgian players into the Premier League, England and the world have become obsessed with the Belgian national team. Tonight marks the biggest challenge for this gifted squad of players to date, their first world cup match since 2002. The only player in the squad who featured at their last World Cup is veteran centre half Daniel Van Buyten, highlighting how much of a new experience this is for a generation of Belgian players and fans. The question is, will this new wave of Belgian stars live up to their billing on the greatest stage of them all? For me, the answer is a resounding yes, across the pitch they don’t just have potential, they have established European players. 

Belgium have a terrific team spirit 

I’ve highlighted three of their players that will be vital to the success of their World Cup campaign, starting with their La Liga winning keeper Thibaut Courtois. The former Genk man has been in imperious form since his arrival at the Vicente Calderon in 2011, he was brought into replace the Manchester United bound David De Gea and if anything has surpassed the Spanish international with his consistent performances for Atleti. He excels at shot stopping, commanding his area, coming for crosses and for such a young keeper he exudes calmness, these qualities have given Chelsea food for thought with Petr Cech coming to the latter stages of his career. For a Belgian team that is expected to dominate games, they’ll need a keeper who can stay alert even if he isn’t overly busy during a game, and for me, Courtois fits the bill. Next on my list is Manchester City centre half Vincent Kompany, it has been a meteoric rise for a player who in the early years of his City career was deployed by Mark Hughes as a defensive midfielder. In recent seasons he has developed into a beast of a defender, one who can dominate in the air and on the deck. He also possesses the ability to inspire those around him, as we have seen on numerous occasions for City, when they are seemingly out of games he drags his team mates through kicking, screaming and onto victory. With all the midfield talent in the squad my final choice may come as a surprise to some, Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku. Despite his differences with Jose Mourhino (which may stem from off the field problems rather than Jose doubting his ability) you cannot argue with his record at Anderlecht, West Brom and Everton, three clubs that all play different styles and yet Lukaku has been prolific at each of them. His unique mix of pace and power, makes me confident that he will explode all over this tournament, and with the service he will receive from Hazard and co, he is a dark horse for top scorer. It’s a simple adage but every team needs a goal scorer, and I believe Lukaku is the man for the job. 

There's Something About Rooney (and Messi)

England celebrate the equaliser on Saturday 

In the aftermath of England’s narrow 2-1 defeat to Italy, there has been much debate and discussion over Wayne Rooney. Throughout his career the Manchester United forward has faced considerable criticism from both the press and fans over his performances at International tournaments, and he faced a similar bout of ridicule following Saturday’s game in Manaus. With Hodgson springing the surprise of deploying Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling in the number ten role, Rooney was forced to play on the left of the attacking three, behind centre forward Daniel Sturridge. He played on the left in the 2-2 friendly draw with Ecuador, and despite scoring the equaliser he was somewhat ineffectual. It’s a role that throughout his Manchester United career Sir Alex has used him in, usually in vital Premier League or Champions League ties when United would revert from their typical 4-4-2 formation to a 4-5-1. However with the emergence of Danny Welbeck over the last few seasons, Rooney has either played as the main striker or in the hole behind the striker, it would be fair to say he very much favours playing as the central striker. His true feelings on his preferred position (For Manchester United) were made clear in an interview with the Mail’s Neil Ashton in October 2013 in which he said, ‘Everyone at the club knew that’s where I wanted to play (up front) and that’s why I was disappointed because I got told to play in midfield and I didn’t want to. In the past I’ve had no problem playing out of position, but I felt I deserved to play in my position, which wasn’t happening’. His all-round performance was deemed below par by the majority of the country, with a specific concern being his lack of cover for Leighton Baines, leaving the full back exposed and preventing the Everton man from showing his attacking qualities. I am of the opinion that this ‘below-par’ performance was down to a positional limitation and not a lack of ability or form on the part of Rooney.

Messi celebrates following his strike against Bosnia

Last night in Argentina’s 2-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, a player had a similar problem with his position, I speak of Lionel Messi. Now before people slam me for comparing Messi and Rooney, hear me out. In the first half Alejandro Sabella set up La Albiceleste in an unfamiliar 5-3-2 system with Messi and Aguero as the front two, despite going into half time with a 1-0 lead the Bosnians were on top and Messi was struggling to affect the game, with many on Twitter (including myself) questioning when the real Messi would turn up. Being proactive Sabella changed to a 4-3-1-2 formation at half time, introducing Fernando Gago and Gonzalo Higuain into a system that saw Messi move into his preferred position behind the front two. Finally Messi was involved in the game, receiving the ball from deep he was floating in-between the Bosnian midfield and defence causing them all sorts of problems. In one mesmeric move, Messi picked up the ball just inside the Bosnian half, played a fabulous one-two with Higuain and glided past two Bosnians to slot the ball past the despairing dive of Begovic. Messi is in my opinion the greatest player to ever play the game, yet his performance was being restricted by the position he was playing in, when his position changed so did the nature of the game. If Roy Hodgson needed any more indication as to why he should play Rooney central, he need not look further than Argentina’s performance last night.

Future strike partners?

Even though we performed admirably against the Italians, especially in terms of possession and ball retention, I would advise Roy to alter his system to suit Rooney. The system Sabella used in the second half last night isn’t too dissimilar to the one used by Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool this year, a system that saw them play some of the most effective and entertaining football seen anywhere last season. The frontmen used in this system (Higuain, Aguero, Suarez and Sturridge) are regularly used as the lone striker, yet when paired with a strike partner their performances are arguably enhanced. The man that plays in the hole (Messi, Sterling) causes no end of problems for the opposition with the freedom they are allowed. For England, I would stick with the same back four and goalkeeper, and then Gerrard sitting in front of the defence, with two of Henderson, Lallana, Milner and Wilshere just advanced either side of Gerrard. In the hole I would obviously select the exciting Raheem Sterling, with Rooney and Sturridge paired up top. For me this allows Rooney to play in his natural position as well as adding a new dimension of a Sturridge-Rooney partnership, their link-up play would be something special. Raheem Sterling would also flourish in the number ten role, having made this his own at Liverpool. Let’s see if Roy can follow up the surprise of selecting Sterling, with an even more advantageous change of system.  

 Argentina's unbelievable second from last night

World Cup Group Preview - Groups G & H - By Guest Writer Joseph Fry

Group G

The Team – Germany

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover) Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Erik Durm (Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Grosskreutz (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal) Shkordan Mustafi (Sampdoria). Midfielders: Julian Draxler (Schalke), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich), Christoph Kramer (Borussia Monchengladbach), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Andre Schurrle (Chelsea), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich). Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal).

The Manager - Joachim Low - Low is one of the longest reigning managers going to the world cup having taken over from Jurgen Klinsmann back in 2006. Since he took over, he has taken Germany to three major tournaments in Euro 2008 and 2012 and the World Cup in 2010. In each one, it has been close but no cigar for Low as he reached the final in 2008 only to lose to Spain and bowing out at the semi-finals in 2010 and 2012.

The Preparation - Germany were absolutely dominant through qualification following the disappointment in the previous Euro’s. They romped through their group picking up nine wins and a draw from the ten games played finishing on an impressive 28 points. They have remained unbeaten through the pre-tournament friendlies including an impressive 6-1 win over Armenia which was sadly overshadowed by an injury to Marco Reus. Reus has been ruled out of the tournament after the ligament tear he suffered and has been replaced by Sampdoria’s Shkordan Mustafi. This is a huge blow to Germany as Reus was one of few sources of goals and with him now out, it leaves Germany looking particularly light up front.

Mighty Mesut 

The Definitive Opinion - Germany go into the tournament looking strong. They possess some real quality in all areas of the pitch and I think this may finally be the year that all the hard work comes to fruition and they finally go all the way. Despite the loss of a key player in Reus, they still have immense talents such as Mario Gotze, Toni Kroos and Mesut Ozil though the latter is in need of recapturing some of the form he had during qualification if he is to make a real impact in Brazil and push Germany to their first trophy since 1996. Once again, Low takes Germany to the World Cup with them being one of the favourites for the trophy and a win would crown what has been an excellent run as manager for the German manager.

The Team – Portugal

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Beto (Sevilla), Eduardo (Braga), Rui Patricio (Sporting). Defenders: Andre Almeida (Benfica), Bruno Alves (Fenerbahce), Fabio Coentreo (Real Madrid), Joao Pereira (Valencia), Neto (Zenit), Pepe (Real Madrid), Ricardo Costa (Valencia). Midfielders: Joao Moutinho (Monaco), Miguel Veloso (Dinamo Kiev), Raul Meireles (Fenerbahce), Ruben Amorim (Benfica), William Carvalho (Sporting). Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Eder (SC Braga), Helder Postiga (Lazio), Hugo Almeida (Besiktas), Nani (Manchester United), Rafa (Braga), Varela (FC Porto), Vieirinha (Wolfsburg).

The Manager - Paulo Bento - Bento took charge of the national team in 2010 after a four year spell in charge of Sporting CP. He led Portugal to Euro 2012 and to the semi-finals where they lost on penalties to Spain. Bento led Portugal to second in their qualifying group and so to a play-off in which they beat Sweden 4-2 on aggregate to take Portugal to Brazil. He will hope to lead Portugal to their first major trophy ever come June 16th.

The Preparation - After being drawn in a group with Russia, Israel, Azerbaijan, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg, Portugal were considered favourites. However, following disappointing draws to Israel and a loss to Russia, they had to settle for a play-off spot. They were drawn against Sweden and won the first leg 1-0 with a goal from world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo. The second leg was a one man show and cemented Ronaldo’s position as the best player in the world that year. He scored a hat-trick and Portugal won 3-2 to give them a 4-2 win on aggregate and got them their place in Brazil. Since qualifying however, they have looked far from impressive with a 0-0 draw against Greece and a last minute winner able to paper over the cracks against Mexico although these were without star man Ronaldo who is carrying a hamstring injury though should be fit for the world cup.

Portugal will be hoping Ronaldo is fit

The Definitive Opinion - Portugal’s recent record at major tournaments has been good reaching the final at Euro 2004 and the semi-finals at Euro 2000, 2012 and the World Cup in 2006. They arrive to the tournament with a relatively similar squad that got them to the semi-finals at Euro 2012. The ever reliable defensive pairing of Bruno Alves and Pepe provide stability to the defence with a sturdy midfield in Raul Meireles, Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso provide a mixture of strength and creativity which will be vital in Brazil with the hot conditions meaning teams tire earlier. Whether they reach the latter stages again all boils down to whether Ronaldo is fully fit come June 16th as without him, they could struggle to get out of the groups let alone repeat previous showings we have seen from them.

The Team – Ghana

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Fatau Dauda (Orlando Pirates), Adam Kwarasey (Stromsgodset), Stephen Adams (Aduana Stars). Defenders: Samuel Inkoom (Platanias), Daniel Opare (Standard Liege), Harrison Afful (Esperance), John Boye (Rennes), Jonathan Mensah (Evian), Rashid Sumalia (Mamelodi Sundowns). Midfielders: Michael Essien (AC Milan), Sulley Muntari (AC Milan), Rabiu Mohammed (Kuban Krasnodar), Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese), Afriyie Acquah (Parma), Christian Atsu (Vitesse), Albert Adomah (Middlesbrough), Andre Ayew (Marseille), Mubarak Wakaso (Rubin Kazan). Forwards: Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain), Kevin-Prince Boateng (Schalke 04), Abdul Majeed Waris (Valenciennes), Jordan Ayew (Sochaux).

The Manager - James Kwesi Appiah - A former Ghana player, Appiah was the surprise appointment in 2012 replacing Goran Stefanovic. Appiah’s only previous managerial experience is with Ghana’s under 23’s which he led to Africa cup of Nations glory in 2011. He became the first black manager to lead a Ghana to a major tournament with qualification for the World Cup in Brazil.

The Preparation - After receiving a bye to the second round of qualifying, Ghana were drawn in a group with Zambia, Lesotho and Sudan with the top team progressing to the third round. Ghana expectedly ran away with the group winning five out of six games only conceding three goals in the process. In the third and final round, Ghana were drawn against Egypt who reached that stage unbeaten after winning all six games conceding no goals. Ghana however had too much quality and in the 1st leg, virtually sealed their spot in Brazil with a huge 6-1 victory. Despite losing the second leg 2-1, the huge deficit Egypt had to make up meant that Ghana had qualified for Brazil. Since then, Ghana have looked impressive slipping to a tight 1-0 defeat against the Netherlands but bouncing back with a 4-0 demolition of South Korea.

Ghana will be hoping Essien is on top form 

The Definitive Opinion - Ghana have been drawn in a very tough group alongside tournament favourites Germany and Portugal. However, I would not put it past them to spring a surprise here and qualify in place of one of the two aforementioned teams. Ghana have a team that is full of attacking quality. Players like the country’s leading scorer and Captain Asamoah Gyan finished joint top scorer in the African qualifying stages with six goals. His strike partners Abdul Majeed Waris and Jordan Ayew, whichever is picked to start alongside, both know where the net is with Ayew scoring a hat-trick in the recent game against South Korea. This attacking threat is improved by the creativity they have in midfield from Kevin-Prince-Boateng and Andre Ayew. These players are allowed to go forward and express themselves as they are given cover from defensive midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah in what gives Ghana are very strong and balanced midfield. Despite these positives, whether Ghana are strong enough to compete with the likes of Portugal and Germany is an aspect that has to be questioned. I feel that unless one of the two top nations under-performs, which is possible as I stated with Portugal, I think that it will be the Black Cats first ever World Cup group stage exit.

The Team – USA

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake). Defenders: DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders). Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City). Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes).

The Manager - Jurgen Klinsmann - A world cup winner as a player with Germany, Klinsmann took over as manager of USA in 2011. He had a shaky start as manager and came under criticism for his tactical decisions early on. However, he was able to turn this around and led the USA to victory in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2013 and secured world cup qualification later that year with a win over Mexico.

The Preparation - In qualifying, the USA received a bye to the third round along with five other nations. In this round, they were drawn in a group alongside Jamaica, Guatemala and Antigua and Barbuda. Despite a disappointing loss away to Jamaica, USA finished top of the group with 13 points which placed them in the fourth round with the other two group winners and three runners-up. They impressed in this round finishing top of the group by four points and so qualifying for Brazil. They have carried this form into their pre-tournament friendlies with three comfortable wins over Azerbaijan, Turkey and Nigeria.

Tim Howard and Michael Bradley 

The Definitive Opinion - Despite USA’s recent good form, I do not hold much hope for them this World Cup. They have been drawn in arguably the toughest group in the tournament alongside Germany, Portugal and Ghana and sadly for USA fans I cannot see them making it out of the group stages. They lack the goal threat that the other three possess and the decision not to include Landon Donavan in the final 23 man squad, may come back to haunt Klinsmann in Brazil. Their main outlet for goals is Sunderland’s Jozy Altidore. The 24 year old scored one goal in thirty appearances for Sunderland I the Premier League this season and though his record for his country is fairly good, if USA are to stand any chance of getting out of the group, they will need a better focal point in their attack than Altidore.

Group H

The Team - Belgium

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid, on loan from Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Sammy Bossut (Zulte Waregem). Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Atletico Madrid), Laurent Ciman (Standard Liege), Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit St Petersburg), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Daniel Van Buyten (Bayern Munich), Anthony Vanden Borre (Anderlecht), Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham). Midfielders: Nacer Chadli, Mousa Dembele (both Tottenham), Steven Defour (Porto), Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg), Marouane Fellaini, Adnan Januzaj (both Manchester United), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Kevin Mirallas (Everton), Divock Origi (Lille), Axel Witsel (Zenit St Petersburg). Forwards: Romelu Lukaku (Everton, on loan from Chelsea), Dries Mertens (Napoli).

The Manager - Marc Wilmots - WIlmots has been with the Belgian setup since 2009 when he was the assistant manager for first Dick Advocaat and then George Leekens. Nicknamed “The Warpig” whilst a player at Schalke for his battle hardy style of play, Wilmots has led Belgium to their first World Cup since 2002, and his talent-filled squad will be expected to turn a few heads in Brazil.

The Preparation - Belgium qualified for the tournament unbeaten in what was a tough qualifying group with the likes of Serbia and Croatia also vying for the top spot. Belgium took it though, and in style with eight wins and two draws leaving them finishing nine points ahead of second placed Croatia. They go into the World Cup still unbeaten after three victories in the pre-tournament friendlies over Luxembourg, Sweden and Tunisia respectively. One issue that has arisen for Wilmots’ men is that they travel to Brazil without striker Christian Benteke who has been ruled out with a ruptured achilles tendon.

Lukaku is a dark horse for top scorer

The Definitive Opinion - It has become somewhat fashionable for even people with little knowledge on the make-up of the Belgian squad to declare Belgium as the dark horses of the tournament. It’s not without question that this Belgian squad has immense talent with players like Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku, both of Chelsea, hoping to have a real impact on the tournament. The defensive partnership of Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen is possibly the best centre back pairing heading to Brazil coupled with other talent like Jan Verthongen and this will make for a Belgian team that is very hard to breakdown. I however believe that it is two years too soon to expect Belgium to go and win the World Cup. Though talented, they have a team that is inexperienced at major international tournaments and I feel that it will be this inexperience that will be the downfall of this side who will reach the quarter finals as a maximum in my opinion.

The Team – Algeria

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Rais Mbolhi (CSKA Sofia), Cedric Si Mohamed (CS Constantine), Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche (USM Alger). Defenders: Essaid Belkalem (Watford, on loan from Granada), Madjid Bougherra (Lekhwya Club), Liassine Cadamuro (Mallorca), Faouzi Ghoualm (Napoli), Rafik Halliche (Academica Coimbra), Aissa Mandi (Stade Reims), Carl Medjani (Valenciennes), Djamel Mesbah (Livorno), Mehdi Mostefa (AC Ajaccio). Midfielders: Nabil Bentaleb (Tottenham), Yasine Brahimi (Granada), Medhi Lacen (Getafe), Saphir Taider (Inter Milan), Hassan Yebda (Udinese). Forwards: Abdelmoumene Djabou (Club Africain), Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia), Nabil Ghilas (Porto), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Islam Slimani (Sporting Lisbon, Portugal), Hilal Soudani (Dinamo Zagreb).

The Manager - Vahid Halilhodzic - The experienced Bosnian became manager of Algeria back in 2011 taking charge of his eleventh team. He brings a wealth of experience to Algeria having managed both at club and international level at teams like the Ivory Coast and PSG. He has taken Algeria to only their fourth World Cup and will hope to beat their current record of going out at the group stage every time so far.

The Preparation - In qualifying, Algeria received a bye to the second round in which they were drawn in a group with Mali, Benin and Rwanda. They dominated the group winning five out of a possible six games putting them into the final qualifying round which was a play-off game against Burkina Faso. They lost the first leg in Burkina Faso 3-2 and were on the verge of failing to qualify but managed to squeeze through after a 1-0 win back in Algeria meant that they qualified on the away goal rule. Since qualifying, Algeria have been unbeaten albeit against weak opposition. In the pre-tournament friendlies, they have beaten Armenia and Romania 3-1 and 2-1 respectively.

Nabil Bentaleb 

The Definitive Opinion - With the group that Algeria have been placed in, this is probably their best chance to make it out of the group stages. They are a team that people will look at and just rule out completely but they have to be taken seriously as England found out back in 2010. Sporting CP striker Islam Slimani finished as Algeria’s top scorer in qualifying with five goalshas impressed for club and country bagging 10 goals in 20 for Algeria. They have a squad riddled with top league talent, with tricky wingers such as Sofiane Feghouli and Riyad Mahrez along with midfielders Saphir Taider of Inter and Nabil Bentaleb who has looked steady when playing for Tottenham. In terms of chances, I can see Algeria making it out of the group though for the only time this tournament, there is a group where all four teams could possibly make it through. Algeria will need their star players performing at top level if they are to be one of the two that make it out of the group.

The Team – Russia

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Yury Lodygin (Zenit St Petersburg), Sergey Ryzhikov (Rubin Kazan). Defenders: Vasili Berezutskiy (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Granat (Dynamo Moscow), Andrey Eshchenko (Anzhi Makhachkala), Sergey Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Alexey Kozlov (Dynamo Moscow), Dmitry Kombarov (Spartak Moscow), Andrey Semenov (Terek Grozny), Georgi Schennikov (CSKA Moscow). Midfielders: Denis Glushakov (Spartak Moscow), Igor Denisov (Dynamo Moscow), Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow), Yury Zhirkov (Dynamo Moscow), Alexey Ionov (Dynamo Moscow), Alexander Samedov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Viktor Fayzulin (Zenit St Petersburg), Oleg Shatov (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Shirokov (Krasnodar). Forwards: Maxim Kanunnikov (Amkar Perm), Alexander Kerzhakov (Zenit St Petersburg), Aleksandr Kokorin (Dynamo Moscow).

The Manager - Fabio Capello - Capello became the manager of Russia in 2012 following the departure of Dick Advocaat. He has a managerial CV that cannot be matched having managed clubs like AC Milan, Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid who he managed twice. The Italian’s only national job previously to Russia was when he managed England after they failed to qualify for Euro 2008. Though England qualified unbeaten, their performance at the 2010 World Cup was nothing short of shambolic. They scraped through their supposedly simple group only to be knocked out in the round of 16 after an embarrassing 4-1 loss at the hands of Germany. Capello was criticised for his strict rules and boundaries that he put in place in South Africa which had a large negative effect on team morale. He will be keen to put that disappointment behind him by taking Russia far in Brazil.

The Preparation - After being drawn in a qualifying group with Portugal, many people expected Russia to have to qualify via a play-off. But after beating Portugal and Portugal slipping to two draws against Israel, Russia qualified in first place by a solitary point and did not have to go through a play-off. Russia head into the World Cup on a ten match unbeaten run having recently beaten Slovakia and Morocco in Russia.

Russian star Alan Dzagoev 

The Definitive Opinion - Russia head into the tournament in great form and since Capello has come in, the dead wood like Arshavin and Pavyluchenko have been gotten rid of allowing for players such as Aleksandr Kokorin who is expected to shine for Russia along with their star of Euro 2012 Alan Dzagoev of CSKA Moscow to come through to the fore front of the Russian team. As usual with Russia, they have a team with a powerful midfield with Igor Denisov and Viktor Fayzulin at the heart of it. In terms of chances for this tournament, they will be favourites along with Belgium to get out of the group and should their key players perform, then they should be able to qualify for the knockout stages. They need to be careful in not underestimating the other two teams in their group however who have a lot to offer in Algeria and South Korea. As stated, should Russia perform, then I expect to see them in the knockout stages and they will not want a repeat of the performance from Euro 2012.

The Team - South Korea

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Jung Sung-ryeong (Suwon Bluewings), Kim Seung-gyu (Ulsan Horang-i), Lee Bum-young (Busan I'Park) Defenders: Yun Suk-young (QPR), Kim Young-kwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), Hwang Seok-ho (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Hong Jeong-ho (Augsburg), Kwak Tae-hwi (Al Hilal), Lee Yong (Ulsan Horang-i), Kim Chang-soo (Kashiwa Reysol), Park Joo-ho (Mainz) Midfielders: Ki Seung-yueng (Sunderland, on loan from Swansea), Ha Dae-sung (Beijing Guoan), Han Kook-young (Kashiwa Reysol), Park Jung-woo (Guangzhou R&F), Son Heung-min (Bayer Leverkusen), Kim Bo-kyung (Cardiff City), Lee Chung-yong (Bolton Wanderers), Ji Dong-won (Augsburg). Forwards: Koo Ja-cheol (Mainz), Lee Keun-ho (Sangju Sangmu), Park Chu-young (Arsenal), Kim Shin-wook (Ulsan Horang-i).

The Manager - Hong Myung-Bo - Hong is a very inexperienced manager with the South Korea job being the first senior management job of his career. He has managed the South Korean under 20’s and under 23’s sides including leading the under 23’s to a bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012. He will hope to build on that previous success with a good showing in Brazil.

The Preparation - South Korea have not been in the best form recently. After they got through the third round in qualifying finishing top of a group that consisted of Lebanon, Kuwait and the UAE as well as themselves, they were placed in group A along with Iran with whom they had a fierce rivalry, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Lebanon. They were expected to finish top of that group but after underperforming in numerous matches including losing to Iran twice and drawing with Lebanon and Uzbekistan, they finished second and just qualified automatically ahead of Uzbekistan by a single goal. This poor form has continued into the pre-tournament friendlies which have resulted in a 1-0 loss to Tunisia and a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Ghana.

Ki Seung-Yeung

The Definitive Opinion - Korea appear to be the weakest of the four nations in group H. Having nearly had to qualify via a play-off narrowly beating Uzbekistan in qualifying, Korea have gone from bad to worse. They are the only team in group H to arrive at the World Cup in poor form and I cannot see this form being turned around in time for the tournament. If the defence plays anything like it did against Ghana, then Korea will have no chance come the 17th of June when they take on Russia. Korea have the ability to make it through this group, with players like Heung-min Son from Bayer 04 and Ki Seung-Yeung from Swansea but if they don’t regain some form before the start of the tournament, then Korea will be heading out in the group stages.