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.

World Cup Group Preview - Groups E & F - By Guest Writer Joseph Fry

Group E

The Team – Switzerland

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg), Roman Buerki (Grasshopper), Yann Sommer (Basel). Defenders: Johan Djourou (Hamburg), Michael Lang (Grasshopper), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Ricardo Rodriguez (Wolfsburg), Fabian Schaer (Basel), Philippe Senderos (Valencia), Steve von Bergen (Young Boys), Reto Ziegler (Sassuolo). Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta (Eintracht Frankfurt), Valon Behrami (Napoli), Blerim Dzemaili (Napoli), Gelson Fernandes (Freiburg), Gokhan Inler (Napoli), Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich), Valentin Stocker (Basel). Forwards: Josip Drmic (Bayer 04), Mario Gavranovic (Zurich), Admir Mehmedi (Freiburg), Haris Seferovic (Real Sociedad), Granit Xhaka (Borussia Monchengladbach).

The Manager - Ottmar Hitzfeld - The upcoming World Cup in Brazil will be the last for Ottmar Hitzfeld as Switzerland manager after he announced he is retiring following the tournament, with Bosnian Vladimir Petkovic set to take the reins come July 1st. The former Bayern Munich manager has bounced back from the disappointment of failing to qualify for Euro 2012, by taking Switzerland to the World Cup in excellent form and that will be expected to continue when their campaign begins on June 15th against Ecuador.

The Preparation - Switzerland have had the perfect preparation before they head to Brazil with comfortable victories over Jamaica and Peru in their pre-tournament friendlies. These followed an unbeaten qualifying campaign with the Swiss picking up seven victories and three draws leaving them top of their group. The success of the qualifying campaign was built on a solid defence that consisted of players such as Stephan Lichsteiner and Fabian Schaer, who played an important role with the Swiss only conceding six goals throughout the campaign. A problem that they faced during the qualifying was a lack of a talented goal scorer, as their top goal scorer was defender Fabian Schaer.

The Swiss celebrate after another Schaer goal

The Definitive Opinion - Switzerland have a poor record at recent major tournaments, with them never getting out of the group stages at a European championship and not reaching the quarter finals of the world cup since 1954. However, they are benefiting hugely from an influx of talented youth players such as Xherdan Shaqiri, Fabian Schaer and Granit Xhaka who are all products of Basle’s youth system. Combine this with the experience and quality provided by players such as Diego Benaglio and Stephan Lichsteiner, this leaves Switzerland in their best shape ever before heading to a major championship. The blend of youth with experience that the current squad has makes them a good shout for being a surprise package this year, and with a striker like Josip Drmic who recently secured a move to Bayer Leverkusen after an impressive season with Nurnberg (17 goals), being called up to his first major tournament to lead the line, they may have solved their striker problem at the perfect time.

 The Team - Ecuador

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Maximo Banguera (Barcelona SC), Alexander Dominguez (LDU Quito), Adrian Bone (El Nacional). Defenders: Frickson Erazo (Flamengo), Jorge Guagua, Oscar Bagui, Gabriel Achilier (all Emelec), Walter Ayovi (Pachuca), Juan Carlos Paredes (Barcelona SC). Midfielders: Segundo Castillo (Al-Hilal), Carlos Gruezo (Stuttgart), Renato Ibarra (Vitesse Arnhem), Cristian Noboa (Dynamo Moscow), Luis Saritama (Barcelona SC), Antonio Valencia (Manchester United), Edison Mendez (Independiente Santa Fe), Fidel Martinez (Tijuana), Michael Arroyo (Atlante). Forwards: Felipe Caicedo (Al-Jazira), Jefferson Montero (Morelia), Joao Rojas (Cruz Azul), Jaime Ayovi (Tijuana), Enner Valencia (Pachuca).

The Manager - Reinaldo Rueda - Reinaldo Rueda has led Ecuador to only their third World Cup finals ever after they failed to qualify for the 2010 finals in South Africa much like Switzerland. Rueda has experience in international management having also managed Colombia and Honduras taking the latter to the world cup in 2010.

The Preparation - Ecuador had a mixed start to their qualifying campaign recording good wins over Chile and Colombia but lost in emphatic style to Argentina.   However on July 29th 2013, shocking news broke that star striker Christian ‘Chucho’ Benitez had died following a cardiac arrest in Doha, Qatar. Following this, Ecuador lost three of their last four games which saw them squeeze into the automatic qualifying position ahead of Uruguay on goal difference. Former Manchester City striker Felipe Caicedo starred in qualifying with seven goals. Ecuador have definitely had the most turbulent qualification campaign, but will hope to use the tragic death of Benitez for motivation when they begin their campaign in Brazil.

Arroyo scores against England

The Definitive Opinion - Ecuador find themselves in a tough group with France, Switzerland and Honduras which will be difficult to get out of. They will rely heavily on the goals of Caicedo and the experience in midfield of Antonio Valencia and Christian Noboa to help get them through the group. I feel that Ecuador do not have the same level of talent that Switzerland and France have and they will find it difficult to match the performance from 2006 where got to the round of 16.

 The Team - France

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Stephane Ruffier (Marseille), Mickael Landreau (Bastia). Defenders: Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle), Lucas Digne (Paris St-Germain) Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny, Bacary Sagna (both Arsenal), Eliaquim Mangala (Porto), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid). Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye, Blaise Matuidi (both Paris St-Germain), Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton), Rio Mavuba (Lille), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille). Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad), Loic Remy (Newastle, on loan from QPR), Remy Cabella (Montpellier).

The Manager - Didier Deschamps - Deschamps took charge of the French national team following the resignation of Laurent Blanc after Euro 2012. He managed to see France through a tough qualifying group which included current European and world champions Spain. He will hope to have an improved performance from the 2010 World Cup which was shrouded in controversy and left France finishing bottom of their group after picking up only one point from their three group games.

The Preparation - After being drawn in a group containing Spain, Finland, Belarus and Georgia, the race for an automatic qualifying position became a two horsed one between France and Spain. The group was neck and neck for the majority with both sides going unbeaten leading up to a decisive game between the two front runners at the Stade de France in March 2013. A tightly contested game was settled by a goal from Spain winger Pedro which gave Spain a three point lead over France and put them on course for automatic qualification. This was all but confirmed when France drew with Georgia in their following game which meant Les Blues would have to settle for a play-off. They were drawn against Ukraine in the play-offs and although a tough opponent, many expected France to qualify with ease. However, in the first leg in Kiev, they suffered a shock two goal defeat which put France on the brink of failing to qualify. But in the second leg, a brace from Mamadou Sakho and a goal from Karim Benzema gave France a 3-0 win over a ten man Ukraine side and they were on the plane to Brazil. France have looked impressive in pre-tournament friendlies picking up an emphatic 4-0 win over Norway and a steady 1-1 draw against Paraguay.

Didier Deschamps

The Definitive Opinion - France are in better shape than they were four years ago with a younger and more hungry squad that aren't as high maintenance as the Anelka’s and Gallas’ from 2010. Players like Paul Pogba of Juventus and Antoine Greizmann from Real Sociedad will be at their first World Cups and I expect them to be stand-out stars for the French. Whether France could go all the way and pick up their second world cup is another matter. Now that Franck Ribery has been ruled out with injury, the furthest I see France getting is to the quarter finals as I feel they lack the influence and ability of a truly world class player such as Platini, Zidane or Henry which would set them apart from other teams.

The Team – Honduras

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Noel Valladares, Donis Escober (both Olimpia), Luis Lopez (Real Espana). Defenders: Brayan Beckeles (Olimpia), Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic), Juan Carlos Garcia (Wigan), Maynor Figueroa (Hull), Victor Bernardez (San Jose Earthquakes), Osman Chavez (Qingdao Janoon), Juan Pablo Montes (Motagua). Midfielders: Edder Delgado (Real Espana), Luis Garrido (Olimpia), Roger Espinoza (Wigan), Jorge Claros (Motagua), Wilson Palacios (Stoke), Oscar Garcia (Houston Dynamo), Andy Najar (Anderlecht), Mario Martinez (Real Espana), Marvin Chavez (Chivas USA). Forwards: Jerry Bengtson (New England Revolution), Jerry Palacios (Alajuelense), Carlo Costly (Real Espana), Rony Martinez (Real Sociedad).

The Manager - Luis Fernando Suarez - Suarez is a man with a lot of experience in managing in South America much like Rueda of Ecuador. At club level, he won the Colombian championship with Atletico National in 1999 but he is better known for his performance at the 2006 World Cup in Germany as the manager of Ecuador. He led them to their best ever performance at a World Cup reaching the second round before being knocked out by England. He will be keen to repeat this performance in 2014 with Honduras.

Jorge Claros in action against England 

The Preparation - Honduras received a bye to the third round of qualifying in which they were drawn with Panama, Canada and Cuba and easily progressed through as winners particularly impressing in an 8-1 win against Canada. This placed them in the final qualifying round with the USA, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Jamaica. Honduras made it through the final qualifying stage automatically along with the USA and Costa Rica after picking up impressive wins over USA and Mexico adding to the fact that the favourites to qualify Mexico under-performed leaving them in the play-offs. The strike partnership of Carlo Costly and Jerry Bengtson impressed with a combined goal return of 16 goals between them.

The Definitive Opinion - Honduras have a tough group and are widely excepted to go out at the group stages and I can’t see anything to provide a different opinion. The level of quality they possess is below that of the three other sides in their group and can only see a first round exit for them.

Group F

The Team - Argentina

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (Sampdoria), Mariano Andujar (Catania), Agustin Orion (Boca Juniors). Defenders: Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Federico Fernandez (Napoli), Ezequiel Garay (Benfica), Marcos Rojo (Sporting Lisbon), Hugo Campagnaro (Inter Milan), Martin Demichelis (Manchester City), Jose Basanta (Monterrey). Midfielders: Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Fernando Gago (Boca Juniors), Lucas Biglia (Lazio), Ricardo Alvarez (Inter Milan), Augusto Fernandez (Celta Vigo), Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid), Maxi Rodriguez (Newell's Old Boys), Enzo Perez (Benfica). Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Rodrigo Palacio (Inter Milan), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Paris St-Germain).

The Manager - Alejandro Sabella - After Sabella retired from a successful playing career, he first moved into coaching rather than directly to management. He was on the coaching staff at various different clubs and national sides such as Corinthians and Uruguay as well as being a coach at Argentina when the controversial Daniel Passarella was the manager there in the nineties. Sabella moved into management with Estudiantes in 2009 and won the Copa Libertadores with them the same year. He resigned from the club in 2011 despite players and management wanting him to stay on. He was appointed as the new Argentina manager the same year and since has a win percentage of 59% having lost only four games in 32. Though inexperienced, Sabella’s performance since he took over as manager cannot be overlooked and with the strength of the squad he has brought together, he could take Argentina a long way in Brazil.

The Preparation - Argentina’s preparation for this world cup couldn’t have gone any better. They finished top of the CONMEBOL qualifying group only losing twice in the sixteen games played along with having two of the top four goal scorers in qualifying with Lionel Messi (10) and Gonzalo Higuain (9). They are also clear of any injury issues unlike many of the other nations leading up to this and have capped it all off with friendly victories over Trinidad and Tobago and Slovenia.

Messi in action against Trinidad and Tobago

The Definitive Opinion - Argentina’s chances this year are high in my opinion. When you look at the squad, you can see the large arsenal of attacking options that they have at their disposal such as Messi, Higuain and Aguero, it’s no surprise really. Normally however, they are let down by the strength of their defence but this is a position which has got stronger since the last World Cup. The signs are there with them only conceding fifteen goals during qualifying which is down on the total from 2010. With the stronger defence and the continued attacking ability, I see Argentina as serious contenders for the trophy this year.

The Team - Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Asmir Begovic (Stoke City), Asmir Avdukic (Borac Banja Luka), Jasmin Fejzic (VFR Aalen). Defenders: Emir Spahic (Bayer Leverkusen), Toni Sunjic (Zorya Lugansk), Sead Kolasinac (Schalke), Ognjen Vranjes (Elazigspor), Ermin Bicakcic (Eintracht Braunschweig), Muhamed Besic (Ferencvaros), Mensur Mujdza (Freiburg). Midfielders: Miralem Pjanic (Roma), Izet Hajrovic (Galatasaray), Haris Medunjanin (Gaziantepspor), Senad Lulic (Lazio), Anel Hadzic (Sturm), Tino Susic (Hajduk), Sejad Salihovic (Hoffenheim), Zvjezdan Misimovic (Guizhour Renhe), Senijad Ibricic (Erciyesspor), Avdija Vrsaljevic (Hajduk). Strikers: Vedad Ibisevic (VfB Stuttgart), Edin Dzeko (Manchester City), Edin Visca (Istanbul BB).

The Manager - Safet Susic - Susic began coaching a few years after retirement at club level with Cannes. Following numerous spells at various different clubs, Susic was appointed to his first national job as the manager of Bosnia. Susic took over the Bosnian national team in 2009 after they had failed to qualify for Euro 2012 having lost in a play-off against Portugal.  He led them to another second place finish in the qualifiers for Euro 2012 but they were to succumb to the same fate that they had two years previous as they were beaten by Portugal once again in a play-off. Susic stayed on as manager for the World cup qualifiers and following an impressive campaign where they only lost once, they finished top of their group meaning Susic had led Bosnia to their first major tournament ever since the country separated from Yugoslavia.

The Preparation - Much like Argentina, Bosnia have had a smooth preparation for the World Cup with no play-off to go through this time, and no noticeable absentees from the squad. They have had an impressive qualifying campaign in which they finished top only losing once and winning eight times. They have continued that form into pre-tournament friendlies picking up wins over the Ivory Coast and Mexico. Edin Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic could prove to be a fruitful partnership having bagged 18 goals between them in qualifying.

Miralem Pjanic 

The Definitive Opinion - On the chances of Bosnia and realistically how far they could go, I would say that it is a difficult one to predict. I feel Argentina will win the group fairly comfortably and so with that in mind, it’s a battle for second between Bosnia and Nigeria because I don’t see Iran causing many issues for the other three teams. I am siding slightly with Bosnia on this one as  I feel the fire power they possess in Dzeko and Ibisevic along with the creativity from Misimovic and Pjanic will be too much for the Nigerian defence which has also recently lost Elderson Echiejile through injury. However I feel the quarter finals will be the limit for them as their defence, although able to cope with the attacking threat they face in qualifying from teams like Greece and Slovakia, will not be able to cope with the increased quality that they could face in the quarters should they make it that far.

The Team – Iran

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Daniel Davari (Eintracht Braunschweig), Alireza Haghighi (Sporting Covilha, on loan from Rubin Kazan), Rahman Ahmadi (Sepahan). Defenders: Hossein Mahini (Persepolis), Steven Beitashour (Vancouver Whitecaps), Pejman Montazeri (Umm Salal), Jalal Hosseini (Persepolis), Amir-Hossein Sadeghi (Esteghlal), Ahmad Alenemeh (Naft), Hashem Beikzadeh (Esteghlal), Mehrdad Pouladi (Persepolis). Midfielders: Javad Nekounam (Kuwait SC), Andranik Teymourian (Esteghlal), Reza Haghighi (Persepolis), Ghasem Haddadifar (Zob Ahan), Bakhtiar Rahmani (Foolad), Ehsan Hajsafi (Sepahan). Forwards: Ashkan Dejagah (Fulham), Masoud Shojaei (Las Palmas), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (NEC Nijmegen), Reza Ghoochannejhad (Charlton), Karim Ansarifard (Tractor Saz, on loan from Persepolis), Khosro Heydari (Esteghlal).

The Manager - Carlos Queiroz - In Carlos Queiroz, Iran have one of the most experienced managers in the tournament. He’s managed at clubs such as Sporting Lisbon and Real Madrid along with being Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United for numerous years. He also has a number of international managerial jobs under his belt such as the UAE, South Africa and his own nation Portugal which he has managed twice. With such a long list of established clubs and nations that Queiroz has worked at, it would be fair to wonder why he is the manager of Iran. The answer to that is really that he has not been successful at any of the clubs or nations he has managed. In his one season with Madrid, he won the Super Cup and nothing else along with steering a team with the likes of Zidane, Ronaldo and Figo to fourth place in La Liga. At Portugal the second time around, he only just managed to get them into the play-off position after a poor start to the qualifying campaign. They made it to the second round of the tournament until they were knocked out by Spain and Queiroz was sacked in the following September. He joined Iran in 2011 and though his recent record had been poor, he led the team to the top of qualifying ahead of South Korea and so to the tournament in Brazil.

Ashkan Dejagah

Preparation - Iran had a fairly simple route through to their final qualifying stage having received a bye to the second round, they beat the Maldives 5-0 over two legs which lead to them being place in a group along with Qatar, Bahrain and Indonesia. Over the six games, Iran won three and drew three finishing top of the group taking them to the fourth round. This placed them in a group with South Korea, Uzbekistan, Lebanon and once again Qatar. There was an element of controversy in this round though as a fierce rivalry between Iran and Korea broke out after the Korean coach complained about the facilities provided to his team by Iran when they played them in qualifying. The coach said that Korea would beat Iran to prevent them from qualifying for the tournament. Queiroz criticised Choi Kang Hee for those comments and after Iran defeated South Korea, Queiroz celebrated in front of Choi sparking a minor touchline bust up in which Iranian goalkeeper Sosha Makani was suspended for the first game of the world cup. Iran finished top of that group leading to a fairly comfortable road to the world cup. Iran’s top scorer in qualifying was midfielder and Captain Javad Nekounam who they will look to as one of their key players this year along with Fulham’s Ashkan Dejagah.

The Definitive Opinion - In my opinion, Iran have been drawn in a tough group and I do not expect them to better their previous three performances in the competition and see a group stage exit likely due to the gulf in quality between Iran and the other three teams.

The Team – Nigeria

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Lille), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Be'er Sheva), Chigozie Agbim (Gombe United). Defenders:  Efe Ambrose (Celtic), Godfrey Oboabona (Rizespor), Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves), Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough), Juwon Oshaniwa (Ashdod), Joseph Yobo (Norwich, on loan from Fenerbahce), Kunle Odunlami (Sunshine Stars). Midfielders: John Mikel Obi (Chelsea), Ramon Azeez (Almeria), Ogenyi Onazi (Lazio), Reuben Gabriel (Waasland-Beveren), Michael Babatunde (Volyn Lutsk), Ejike Uzoenyi (Enugu Rangers, on loan from Mamelodi Sundowns). Forwards: Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow), Shola Ameobi (Newcastle), Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahce), Michael Uchebo (Cercle Brugge), Peter Odemwingie (Stoke), Victor Moses (Liverpool, on loan from Chelsea), Uche Nwofor (Heerenveen).

The Manager - Stephen Keshi - A former Nigeria player, Keshi became the manager of the national team in 2011 following previous jobs at fellow African nations Togo and Mali. After taking the job, Keshi led Nigeria to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which they went on to win for the third time in their history. Following that victory, Keshi handed in his resignation to the NFF but retracted it the day after and stayed on as manager to manage the team through the confederations cup, in which they went out at the group stage, and through their world cup qualifying campaign. Keshi will hope to repeat and even better the heroics of the Ghana team in 2010 which went the furthest any African team had gone before and add to the victory at the AFCON from one year ago.

Big Shola will be hoping for some game time in Brazil

The Preparation - Nigeria go into this world cup unbeaten in competitive games having received a bye to the second round of qualifying, Nigeria won their group comfortably overcoming Kenya, Malawi and Namibia. This put them in a two-legged play-off against Ethiopia for a place at the finals in which Nigeria won 4-1 on aggregate to secure their spot at the tournament in Brazil. They have not looked in great form though in their pre-tournament friendlies with two draws against Greece and Scotland and a 2-1 defeat to the USA and will hope to put this form behind them before they head out to Brazil.

The Definitive Opinion - As I stated in my preview of Bosnia, I see Nigeria as just falling short at the group stages to Argentina and Bosnia. Despite their recent success at the AFCON,I don’t think they have the defensive strength to deal with the attacks of the two previously mentioned teams so I see a valiant fight, but ultimately ending with Nigeria bowing out at the group stage.