World Cup Group Preview - Groups C & D

Group C

The Team – Colombia

The Squad - Goalkeepers: David Ospina (Nice), Faryd Mondragon (Deportivo Cali), Camilo Vargas (Independiente Santa Fe). Defenders: Mario Yepes (AC Milan), Cristian Zapata (AC Milan), Pablo Armero (West Ham, on loan from Napoli), Camilo Zuniga (Napoli), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven), Eder Alvarez Balanta (River Plate), Carlos Valdes (San Lorenzo). Midfielders: Fredy Guarin (Inter Milan), Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina), James Rodriguez (Monaco), Abel Aguilar (Toulouse), Juan Fernando Quintero (Porto), Carlos Sanchez (Elche), Carlos Carbonero (River Plate), Alexander Mejia (Atletico Nacional). Forwards: Victor Ibarbo (Cagliari), Jackson Martinez (Porto), Carlos Bacca (Sevilla), Adrian Ramos (Hertha Berlin), Teofilo Gutierrez (River Plate).

The Manager – Jose Pekerman – Argentine Pekermen is best known for his spell in charge of Argentina in which he took them to the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup. In terms of individual honours Pekermen has twice been named South American Coach of the Year.

The Preparation – Colombia’s build up to the World Cup has been disrupted by Falcao’s race to be fit for Brazil, which he ultimately failed. They have faced Senegal and Jordan in warm up matches, drawing 2-2 with the Senegalese and defeating Jordan 2-0. River Plate’s Carlos Carbonero has been called up to replace the injured Aldo Ramirez, while Edwin Valencia and Luis Perea have also been ruled out due to injury.

Falcao will be missed 

The Definitive Opinion – Despite the injuries that have ravaged Colombia’s squad, they still possess players that can make a huge impact at the World Cup. A back four of Zuniga, Zapata, Yepes and Armero still remain good enough for them to compete with the rest of Group C. The brilliance of the Colombian midfield was vital in seeing them qualify for their first World Cup since France 1998, players such as Inter’s Freddy Guarin, Fiorentina’s Juan Cuadrado and Monaco’s James Rodriguez are top draw and they’ll have many clubs watching their progress in Brazil. As much as Los Cafeteros will miss Falcao, they do have the quality to replace him, particularly in the form of Sevilla’s Carlos Bacca who scored 14 goals last season and was named by Spanish paper ‘Marca’ as the best signing of the 2013/2014 La Liga season. Colombia should certainly make it out of the group, whether the loss of Falcao will hinder any further progress, only time will tell.

The Team – Ivory Coast

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren), Sylvain Gbohouo (Sewe Sport), Sayouba Sande (Stabaek). Defenders: Kolo Toure (Liverpool), Sol Bamba (Trabzonspor), Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor), Serge Aurier (Toulouse), Arthur Boka (Stuttgart), Ousmane Viera Diarrassouba (Caykur Rizespor), Constant Djakpa (Frankfurt), Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro (Toulouse). Midfielders: Yaya Toure (Manchester City), Cheick Tiote (Newcastle), Serey Die (Basel), Max Gradel (Saint Etienne), Diomande Ismael (Saint Etienne), Didier Ya Konan (Hannover), Mathis Bolly (Dusseldorf). Forwards: Gervinho (Roma), Didier Drogba (Galatasaray), Salomon Kalou (Lille), Wilfried Bony (Swansea), Giovanni Sio (Basel).

The Manager – Sabri Lamouchi – The appointment of the former France international Lamouchi was something of a surprise, as he had no previous managerial experience. He immediately came to blows with Didier Drogba dropping him from the squad, only to reinstate him a few months later. With only days before the tournament Lamouchi has warned the Galatasaray forward that he may not be in the starting line-up.

The Preparation – An Edin Dzeko double downed the Elephants in a 2-1 defeat to Bosnia in their first warm up game, this was followed by a 2-1 win over minnows El Salvador. Despite Lamouchi telling Drogba he may not be in the starting line-up, the former Chelsea star is in form having scored in both warm up games.

Drogba on target against El Salvador

The Definitive Opinion – The core basis of the Ivorian squad is made up of players that underachieved at both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. They are easily Africa’s most talented squad and yet never seem to perform on the main stage.  If the likes of Kolo Toure, Yaya Toure, Tiote, Gervinho and Drogba can emulate what they do for their club sides on the international stage, then they will have a chance of going far in Brazil. It will be interesting to see if Swansea’s Wilfreid Bony starts in Brazil, if he does I would mark him down as a dark horse for the golden boot.

The Team – Greece

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Orestis Karnezis (Granada), Panagiotis Glykos (PAOK), Stefanos Kapino (Panathinaikos). Defenders: Kostas Manolas, Giannis Maniatis, Jose Holebas (all Olympiakos), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund), Giorgios Tzavellas (PAOK), Loukas Vyntra (Levante), Vasilis Torosidis (Roma), Vangelis Moras (Verona). Midfielders: Alexandros Tziolis (Kayserispor), Andreas Samaris (Olympiakos), Kostas Katsouranis (PAOK), Giorgos Karagounis (Fulham), Panagiotis Tachtsidis (Torino), Ioannis Fetfatzidis (Genoa), Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Bologna), Panagiotis Kone (Bologna). Forwards: Dimitris Salpingidis (PAOK), Giorgios Samaras (Celtic), Konstantinos Mitroglou (Fulham), Theofanis Gekas (Konyaspor).

The Manager – Fernando Santos – Prior to taking charge of Greece, Santos had managed some of the best club sides in both Portugal and Greece including FC Porto and AEK Athens. The Greeks hold him in some esteem, naming him as the best coach of the decade in 2010. At Euro 2012 he took Greece to the quarter-finals, where they were beaten 4-1 by an impressive Germany.

The Preparation – In standard Greek fashion they held both Portugal and Nigeria to 0-0 draws in their opening warm up games. Sensing blood against a weaker opponent in Bolivia, they managed to get out of their own half and defeated the South Americans 2-1, thanks to goals from Kone and Katsouranis.

Mitroglu kost Fulham a lot of money 

The Definitive Opinion – The feeling I sense with Greece is that they don’t believe they can ever match or even come close to their showing at Euro 2004. Winning the Euros with a squad of players that had no right to do so, should have worked as a catalyst for future Greek teams, however ten years on, Greece are in no stronger a position. Young starlets Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Sotiris Ninis are both noticeable absentees from the squad, with Santos again relying on the likes of Karagounis, Gekas, Salpingidis and Katsouranis to fire the team to glory. There is some hope in the form of Genoa playmaker Ioannis Fetfatzidis, however this all seems far too similar a squad in comparison to previous tournaments, and with this in mind I can’t envisage Greece progressing out of their group.

The Team – Japan

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege), Shusaku Nishikawa (Urawa Reds), Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo). Defenders: Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo), Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Masahiko Inoha (Jubilo Iwata), Atsuto Uchida (Schalke 04), Hiroki Sakai (Hannover 96), Gotoku Sakai (VfB Stuttgart). Midfielders: Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Keisuke Honda (AC Milan), Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United), Makoto Hasebe (FC Nuremberg), Hiroshi Kiyotake (FC Nuremberg), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Toshihiro Aoyama (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Manabu Saito (Yokohama F Marinos). Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Mainz), Yoichiro Kakitani (Cerezo Osaka), Yuya Osako (TSV Munich 1860), Yoshito Okubo (Kawasaki Frontale).

The Manager – Alberto Zaccheroni – The veteran Italian has spent the majority of his career managing some of the best Italian club sides, including Udinese, A.C. Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio and Torino. With a win percentage of nearly 60% and having won the 2011 Asian Cup, Zaccheroni has so far been a success.

The Preparation – The Japanese have impressed in their warm up games, with wins over Cyprus, Costa Rica and Zambia. Star men Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda have been amongst the goals, and their form will be pivotal to Japan’s success in Brazil.

Shinji Kagawa

The Definitive Opinion – Every time I’ve watched Japan, I have been surprised at their level of technical ability and their passing. The aforementioned Kagawa and Honda are a big part of this, with Kagawa looking a different player in comparison to his performances in a Manchester United shirt. For Japan he is allowed the freedom he once had at Dortmund and he flourishes in this free role. They have also tightened up defensively, with Schalke’s Uchida and Inter’s Nagatomo offering both defensive stability and attacking potency. Japan will undoubtedly be competing with Ivory Coast for second place in the group.

Group D

The Team – Uruguay

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Martin Silva (Vasco da Gama), Rodrigo Munoz (Libertad). Defenders: Maximiliano Pereira (Benfica), Diego Lugano (West Bromwich Albion), Diego Godin, Jose Maria Gimenez (both Atletico Madrid), Sebastian Coates (Liverpool), Martin Caceres (Juventus), Jorge Fucile (Porto). Midfielders: Alvaro Gonzalez (Lazio), Alvaro Pereira (Sao Paulo), Walter Gargano (Parma), Egidio Arevalo Rios (Morelia), Diego Perez (Bologna), Cristian Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid), Gaston Ramirez (Southampton), Nicolas Lodeiro (Botafogo). Forwards: Luis Suarez (Liverpool), Edinson Cavani (Paris St-Germain), Abel Hernandez (Palermo), Diego Forlan (Cerezo Osaka), Christian Stuani (Espanyol).

The Manager – Oscar Tabarez – Tabarez has been the most successful Uruguayan manager since the World Cup winning managers of 1930 and 1950. He led La Celeste to the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup where they were defeated by the Netherlands, and then the following year they defeated Paraguay to win the 2011 Copa America.   

The Preparation – The fitness of Luis Suarez has been a major concern for Uruguay throughout their preparation for Brazil, but thankfully for them (and not for England) he looks likely to be fit. Two clean sheets and two wins make for a perfect pair of warm up games for Uruguay. They initially beat Northern Ireland 1-0 thanks to a Cristhian Stuani strike, and then defeated Slovenia following goals from Stuani and Cavani.

Luis Suarez

The Definitive Opinion – Four years on from their superb showing in South Africa and the likes of Suarez, Cavani and Godin have matured into world class players. However the same can’t be said for Captain Diego Lugano, whose performances last season for West Brom did not inspire confidence. The focal point of Uruguay’s squad is undoubtedly Luis Suarez, but they will need creative midfielders Gaston Ramirez and Cristian Rodriguez to be at their best to supply the Liverpool forward. What Uruguay should be worried about is the spine of their team, forgetting the forwards momentarily, the keeper Muslera does have a mistake in him and is not a fan of coming for crosses. I’ve already mentioned Lugano’s limitations in defence and the same restrictions can be found in the centre of midfield, where they lack a player on the same level as Steven Gerrard or Andrea Pirlo. With all that said, I believe this is the tightest group in the tournament and Uruguay have a decent chance of getting out of the group.

The Team – Costa Rica

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas (Levante), Patrick Pemberton (Alajuelense) Daniel Cambronero (Herediano). Defenders: Johnny Acosta (Alajuelense), Giancarlo Gonzalez (Columbus Crew), Michael Umana (Saprissa), Oscar Duarte (Bruges), Waylon Francis (Columbus Crew), Heiner Mora (Saprissa), Junior Diaz (Mainz 05), Christian Gamboa (Rosenborg), Roy Miller (New York Red Bulls). Midfielders: Celso Borges (AIK), Christian Bolanos (Copenhagen), Esteban Granados (Herediano), Michael Barrantes (Aalesund), Yeltsin Tejeda (Saprissa), Diego Calvo (Valerenga), Jose Miguel Cubero (Herediano). Forwards: Bryan Ruiz (PSV Eindhoven, on loan from Fulham), Joel Campbell (Olympiakos, on loan from Arsenal), Randall Brenes (Cartagines), Marco Urena (FC Kuban Krasnodar).

The Manager – Jorge Luis Pinto – Having won League titles in Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Costa Rica it is fair to say Pinto has some pedigree in South American football. As a native of Colombia and having managed them between 2007 and 2008, he must have his sights set of a meeting with them in the second round.

The Preparation – The Costa Ricans lost their first warm up game 3-1 to Japan, succumbing to a late Shinji Kagawa goal when it looked like they had earned a draw. This was followed by a morale boosting 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland, having played the second half with ten men.

Bryan Ruiz in action against Ireland 

The Definitive Opinion – Bestowed upon the Costa Ricans is an unenviably task that they’ve already been written off from completing. What works in their favour is that all the pressure will be on Uruguay, Italy and England, so they should be able to relax and play their football. They do possess a couple of potential match winners in the form of Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell, who along with Cristian Bolanos have Champions League experience. Nothing is expected of the Costa Ricans, but I can see at least one potential shock on the cards, hopefully not against England.

The Team – Italy

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris St-Germain), Mattia Perin (Genoa). Defenders: Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorigo Chiellini (all Juventus), Gabriel Paletta (Parma), Ignazio Abate, Mattia De Sciglio (both AC Milan), Matteo Darmian (Torino). Midfielders: Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio (both Juventus), Thiago Motta, Marco Verratti (both Paris St-Germain), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Antonio Candreva (Lazio), Marco Parolo (Parma), Alberto Aquilani (Fiorentina). Forwards: Mario Balotelli (AC Milan), Antonio Cassano (Parma), Alessio Cerci (Torino), Ciro Immobile (Torino), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli).

The Manager – Cesare Prandelli – The former Fiorentina boss worked miracles at Euro 2012, taking an unfancied Italy side to the final. He’ll have a similar job on his hands in Brazil, with Italy struggling for form in recent games. He was given a boost in March of this year, when he signed a two year contract extension.

The Preparation – The Italians have suffered an uncharacteristic drop in confidence following a winless streak that stretches back to October 2013, and encompasses seven games. The most embarrassing of those results was the 1-1 draw to lowly Luxembourg, who had been beaten 5-1 by Belgium the week before. They did pick up a win in a hybrid friendly against Brazilian outfit Fluminense, with Ciro Immobile scoring a hat-trick.

Super Mario

The Definitive Opinion – The Italians do love coming into a tournament in disarray, only to turn it on and have an amazing run to the final. They did it in 2006 and 2012, but the feeling around the Azzurri at the moment, is comparable to their group stage exit in South Africa four years ago. Whether Italy decide to turn up or not, there are some brilliant footballers in their squad such as Pirlo, Balotelli, Buffon, Marchisio and Chiellini. A player that has come out of nowhere to challenge Balotelli for a starting spot is Torino’s Ciro Immobile, the former Juventus youngster scored 22 goals in 33 games for Torino last season and will sign for German giants Borussia Dortmund after the World Cup. It is fair to say that the Italians are not what the once were, however they still possess world class individuals, who they hope will inspire those around them to perform at the World Cup. For me Italy will make it out of the group.

The Team – England

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Celtic), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Hart (Manchester City). Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Southampton), Chris Smalling (Manchester United). Midfielders: Ross Barkley (Everton), Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson (both Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Southampton), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal). Forwards: Rickie Lambert (Southampton), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United).

The Manager – Roy Hodgson – This is the moment Hodgson’s career has been building to, taking his country to a World Cup. You’d be hard-pressed to find a prouder Englishman right now, and yet it could have been so different, had he not been given the chance by West Brom to redeem himself following his unsuccessful spell in charge of Liverpool. Hodgson earned many plaudits for taking a mismatch England squad to within a penalty shoot-out of the semi-finals of Euro 2012, and he’ll feel he can do better with his own squad in Brazil.

The Preparation – A knee injury to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain but a dampener on England’s preparations, however he should be back in time for the group game with Uruguay. England defeated Peru 3-0 at Wembley and then drew with both Ecuador and Honduras in Miami.

#DareToWazza

The Definitive Opinion – For once no-one is expecting that much from England in Brazil, obviously that could all change after the first game against Italy, but as it stands the England players should be able to go and play their football without risk of being ridiculed (My Thoughts here are subject to change into loud expletives if we don’t make it out of the group). We do possess one truly world class footballer that everyone loves to hate, Wayne Rooney. If Rooney can perform to the level that he regularly does for Manchester United, we might just have a chance of progressing further in the tournament than is expected. My main worry is the back four, no-one is disputing Glen Johnson’s attacking prowess however his defensive positioning leaves a lot to be desired. I’m still yet to be convinced with the partnership of Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka, they both lack a yard of pace and can be awfully slow at distributing the ball. Despite these frailties, there is cause for optimism in the form of youngsters Luke Shaw, Ross Barkley and Raheem Sterling. We should have enough to get out of the group.