World Cup 2014: Who will get beyond the group stages?

Following last week’s draw for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Will Cafferky looks at each of the eight groups that were announced and offers his predictions as to which teams will progress.

Will Bayern Munich’s Mario Mandzukic make an impression on the world stage? Photo: sloanecroatia.com

Group A 

It’s hard to see anyone other than the hosts triumphing in this one, with Croatia probably presenting the toughest challenge. Mexico will be hoping their current transition phase is before the tournament starts, whilst Cameroon need to ensure that they correct the divisions starting to form within the squad if either hope to challenge for the second spot up for grabs.

Prediction: Brazil and Croatia to progress

Key Players: Neymar, Thiago Silva, Kaka, David Luiz, Oscar (Brazil), Mario Mandzukic, Luka Modric (Croatia), Javier Hernandez (Mexico), Samuel Eto’o, Alexander Song (Cameroon)

Group B

This proves much less straight forward than Group A; without wishing to use the label “group of death”, there’s no doubting this is a strong group. 2010’s finalists Spain and the Netherlands speak for themselves. However, as I recently discussed for Exeposé, Chile go into the tournament looking very strong and could upset the Dutch. Meanwhile, spare a thought for Australia.

Prediction: Spain and Chile to progress

Key Players: Jordi Alba, Xavi, Iniesta, David Silva, Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Gary Medel, Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sanchez (Chile), Wesley Snjeider, Robin Van Persie (Netherlands), Miles Jedinak, Tim Cahill (Australia)

Group C

One of the weaker groups of the cup, Group C is without any of the main big hitters. Columbia undoubtedly boast the strongest squad and will look to capitalise on a favourable draw. Ivory Coast will be thankful to finally get a bit of luck with a World Cup group, and this arguably presents their best opportunity to progress to the next round with Japan and Greece likely to prove little more than cannon fodder.

Prediction: Colombia and Ivory Coast to progress

Key Players: Rademel Falcao, Jackson Martinez, James Rodriguez, Fredy Guarin (Colombia) Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Wilfried Bony, Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Kesuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa (Japan), Sokratis, Kostas Mitroglou (Greece)

Could Southampton star Adam Lallana ruffle a few feathers against Italy and Uruguay? Photo: telegraph.co.uk

Group D

There were few draws that could have been harsher to England – whilst they did avoid Spain and Germany, they did manage to get the next best thing. Italy are a team in the ascendency under manager Cesare Prandelli, whilst few teams in world football can claim to have two better strikers than Uruguay. It’s hard to see England escaping alive, with the only respite coming in the quivering shape of Costa Rica.

Prediction: Italy and Uruguay to progress

Key Players: Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Pirlo, Mario Balotelli (Italy) Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Diego Forlan (Uruguay), Steven Gerrard, Jack Wilshere, Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart (England), Bryan Ruiz (Costa Rica)

Group E

The unseeded France will be rather happy with the result of the draw, as they look favourites to redeem their disastrous 2010 campaign. Honduras will likely prove to be the proverbial doormat, whilst Ecuador and Switzerland will battle for second place, with the latter coming out on top.

Prediction: France and Switzerland to progress

Key Players: Hugo Lloris, Mamadou Sakho, Frank Ribery, Paul Pogba, Samir Nasri (France), Stephan Liechtensteiner, Valon Behrami, Xerdan Shaqiri (Switzerland), Antonio Valencia, Felipe Caicedo (Ecuador), Wilson Palacios (Honduras)

It’s time Leo Messi made an international tournament his own. Photo: empireofsoccer.com

Group F

This group seems fairly straightforward; Argentina’s overwhelming attacking talent will probably send shivers down the spines of Iranian defenders. Meanwhile, Bosnia-Herzegovina will likely be satisfied with the draw, especially following Nigeria’s fairly woeful display at the Confederations Cup earlier this year.

Prediction: Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina to progress

Key Players: Javier Mascherano, Pablo Zabaleta, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Lavezzi (Argentina), Asmir Begovic, Miralem Pjanic, Zvjezdan Misimovic, Edin Dzeko (Bosnia-Herzegovina), John Obi-Mikel, Victor Moses, Obafemi Martins (Nigeria), Reza Ghoochannejhad (Iran)

Group G

Germany are the favourites of many a pundit for Brazil 2014. Whilst Portugal, Ghana and USA present tough opposition, it’s hard to imagine anything other than an efficient group stage from the Germans. Portugal endured a hairy play-off tie with Sweden to earn their place, and whilst USA and Ghana enjoyed more relaxed campaigns, it’s hard to picture either coping with the superhuman ability of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Prediction: Germany and Portugal to progress

Key Players: Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Mats Hummels, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Mario Gotze (Germany), Pepe, Joao Moutinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani (Portugal), Sulli Muntari, Kwandwo Assamoah, Asamoah Gyan, Kevin-Prince Boateng (Ghana), Tim Howard, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan (United States)

Group H

Belgium couldn’t have wished for a better group as they look to capitalise upon their impressive qualifying campaign. Labelled a “golden generation,” the team is littered with Premier League superstars. Meanwhile, Fabio Capello’s Russia will face stiff competition from a promising Algeria side for the second spot in the round of 16, with South Korea also destined for an early exit.

Prediction: Belgium and Russia to progress

Key Players: Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Kompany, Alex Witsel, Moussa Dembele, Marouane Fellaini, Eden Hazard, Christian Benteke, Romelu Lukaku (Belgium), Igor Akinfeev, Aleksandr Kerzhakov, Yuri Zhirkov, Alan Dzagoev (Russia), Ryad Boudebouz, Sofiane Ferghouli (Algeria), Ki Sueng-Yueng, Kim Bo-Kyung, Lee Chung-Yong, Ji Dong-Wong, Park Chu-Young (South Korea)

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Where is it all going wrong for England?

Photo: sport5.co.il

Sports Team writer Scott Johnson and Online Sport Editor Matt Bugler dissect the failings of England after a double defeat.

Scott:

When Roy Hodgson looked at November on his calendar, he would have had a few things on his check list. These will have included sorting out England’s best playing system, giving fans reasons to be positive about next year’s World Cup, and proving that plucky England can still stand up to the heavyweights of the international football scene.

However, after an uninspiring 1-0 defeat to Germany at Wembley last night, following a soporific 2-0 loss in the match against Chile on Friday evening, Hodgson will be looking at this checklist with nothing at all ticked off.

Let’s look at the first point on Hodgson’s checklist. England’s current playing style is extremely confused – they play four attacking players (one striker, two wide attacking midfielders and one player behind the striker), yet the defensive style of the team completely negates the effectiveness of all of the attack.

The defenders are constantly being forced to play deeper than their effective position because of the system employed, leaving the front men completely isolated and ineffective against any defence worth its salt. It’s as if Hodgson wants to be attacking, but can’t bring himself to live with the consequences if it goes wrong. However, this approach is just leading the team to stagnation, not to glory.

If you sat through either, or both of the matches, you’ll know that point two on Hodgson’s checklist most certainly hasn’t been ticked off. We were poor against a side that most fans would be expecting to beat should they be in our World Cup group, and we rarely troubled the opposition in a match that any English team should be desperate to win.

So, all in all, we’re not optimistic at all, which is a shame after the final group performances during the qualifying phase which showed more attacking intent. The reversal of mentality when in front of a home crowd will not give any fan confidence about tough matches played in a neutral setting.

Item number three, equally, is most definitely not checked off. Although it was only a 1-0 defeat to Germany, it was in no way their strongest team and we were at Wembley. England rarely threatened and didn’t manage a single shot on target, Andros Townsend coming closest with a long range effort that rattled the post with Weidenfeller beaten.

England also contrived to beat themselves. Take a look at Mertesacker’s winning goal – there were seven England players around the six yard box to defend that final cross, yet Mertesacker beat them all to it, a criminal mistake at international level.

Admittedly, the header was very impressive one and Joe Hart had no chance once it was on its way. Hart almost wrote the headlines again with another mad rush for the ball outside the box resulting in a huge collision with Smalling; thankfully the ball not dropping to any attacking players.

England fans looking at Brazil 2014 are not going to be feeling terribly buoyant, especially knowing that England will be drawn alongside one of the top sides in the World as they are not one of the eight seeds. However optimistic you are as an England fan, two defeats at home can only mean the World Cup draw on December 6th is not going to make for happy viewing for the England camp.

Matt: 

Watching England on Tuesday night was almost pointless. Germany’s second string strolled around in the middle of the park, gently caressing the ball back and forth while Roman Weidenfeller earned money for standing still on some grass.

Roy Hodgson didn’t do himself any favours when told England had no shots on target: “What about Townsend’s shot that hit the post? Is that not on target? I rest my case.” No Roy, if it hits the post then it’s not going in. You’re better than that.

Townsend did do one thing though, which other players seem to be unable to do: run with the ball. When he gets the ball he aims to charge forward and gain ground, reinforcing the notion that football is a form of exercise. Many other players seem content to labour around, lob balls over the top and generally create nothing. Seriously, if you can’t find one shot on target in 90 minutes, what’s the point of showing up?

Quite how Daniel Sturridge managed to stay on the pitch for 90 minutes is beyond me, after a more than anonymous performance where he showed zero understanding with Wayne Rooney. The whole formation was a bit of a mess, was it 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1? I’m not convinced that Sturridge can lead the line on his own, but in theory the attacking quadrant should be much more fluid and looking to run in behind defenders.

Photo: Leon Benjamin (Flikr)

Some players simply aren’t good enough to be playing international football; the Hendersons, Smallings and Cleverleys of this world should be nowhere near the plane to Brazil. If you’re not playing regularly for your club, you shouldn’t be starting for England.

Adam Lallana had a quiet night compared to his impressive debut against Chile, but he was made to hug the touchline and rarely stray away from the left flank. At Southampton he plays everywhere, giving defenders nightmares with his omnipresence, but for England he’s not going to routinely beat full-backs for pace like Townsend.

Some people criticised the inclusion of Lallana and Jay Rodriguez, which doesn’t make sense considering the Saints are third in the league, with a plethora of English talent. They play continental-style football involving high pressing and interchanging positions, with fitness being the main thing to increase since Mauricio Pochettino’s appointment. Are England’s players really fit enough if they can’t run with the ball or press?

England have to change their mentality now. Increase fitness, play with freedom and try to create chances. Defensive mentality gets you a trip home in the first knockout stage if you’re lucky. Take some risks, try to entertain the fans, play quicker with the ball and do some running. Otherwise nothing has changed since Hodgson’s appointment, and no-one wants a bore-fest like the dross we served up against Italy in Euro 2012.

Who are the favourites for the 2014 World Cup?

Neymar reels away after scoring against Spain in the 2013 Confederations Cup. Photo: sambafoot.com

With 10 places still to be decided and almost nine months still to go before the 2014 World Cup kicks off in Rio, it may seem too early to start thinking of potential winners, as the beautiful game heads to arguably its rightful home.

Certainly, you would be hard pushed to find one amongst the 73,500 fanatic and passionate Brazil fans inside the Maracana who would tell you otherwise. Never mind the debates about the rights and wrongs of hosting the World Cup – make no mistake, in Brazil, already, the fever pitch is paramount.

What better reason then to talk about the chances of Brazil’s team to add to their world record World Cup haul? On paper, they look a decent side, with a defence marshalled by Tiago Silva and flanked by Dani Alves and Marcelo, two of the best wingbacks in world football.

Throw in the attacking flair of Neymar, and it would be a dangerous bet to write them off, especially when you consider their emphatic 3-0 victory over hot-favourites Spain in the final of the Confederations Cup.

However, this victory has merely served to paper over the many deficiencies in their team that were masked by a fanatic home support against travel-weary and seemingly demotivated opponents. They still seem unsure of a central striker, with Fred a good goal-scorer but contributing nothing in general play, whilst Hulk on the right flatters to deceive, cutting inside time after time before blazing wastefully over the bar.

As a defensive unit too they appear yet to live up to their potential – they may possess two of the best centre-backs in the world in Dante and Tiago Silva, but they often left isolated by the marauding runs of Dani Alves and Marcelo and inadequate protection in front by Hulk and Neymar. As such, many cracks remain in the host’s armour, arguably too much for them to be seen as the front runners for their home event.

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Read also:

The Dark Horses of the 2014 World Cup

The underachievers of World Cup qualifying

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Elsewhere, Spain as always look the team to beat. They possess a strength in depth unparalleled by their rivals, while their first eleven is so strong that only two or three of the players from the other leading contenders would get into their team.

It is very hard to find any weaknesses in their eleven, but a chink can be found in the shape of right back Alvaro Arbeloa, surely one of the worst players to consistently play for Real Madrid and Spain simultaneously. Furthermore, the central striker position is another minor area of weakness, though they still possess players the envy of most, with Fernando Torres, David Villa, Roberto Soldado, Alvaro Negredo and Michu all in contention for an attacking birth.

One country who doesn’t have to worry about the central striker position is Argentina, who possess an embarrassment of riches in the shape of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria. Throw in Javier Pastore and Eric Lamela playing in behind and you have a potent attacking mix.

The worry, as one might expect, is in defence. Whilst in theory defenders like Pablo Zabaleta and Fabricio Colloccini, with Javier Mascherano to protect them, should be more than capable of holding their own, the problem is that all their front players are constantly racing forward.

Marco Reus, part of the young German generation of attacking flair. Photo: 1000goals.com

This is a fact that makes Coach Alejandro Sabella’s decision not to select Tevez for recent matches somewhat mystifying, given that he offers not only a world class strike-threat, but also immense defensive work rate.  However, Argentina possess more than enough attacking riches to mask their defensive deficiencies, with quality in the final third ultimately what counts in international football.

Managers have a fraction of the time to drill their teams into watertight defensive operations as they do in club football, meaning Argentina arguably have enough to be established as second favourites.

The rest of the contenders almost all come from Europe, with Germany and Belgium the frontrunners. Germany possess no small amount of flair with the likes of Mario Gotze and Mesut Ozil, though their typical efficiency may be hampered by their centre backs, who seem to lack pace.

Furthermore, in the central-striker position they do not seem to have a contender, with Mario Gomez criminally overrated thanks to his ability to score five yard tap-ins whilst, like Fred for Brazil, contributing nothing in open play. He may well be his team’s principal Achilles’ heel, especially given that he seems to need a large number of chances to score one goal.

Germany do, however, have the option of playing a ‘false nine’ up front, in the form of Marco Reus or Thomas Muller. With Spain winning Euro 2012 with Cesc Fabregas in this position, a more fluid approach could bring success against the South American giants. England may go in with more hope than expectation, but the thrill, as ever, will be in seeing them try and this fan intends to watch every minute of it.

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Tom Cambridge

The underachievers of World Cup qualifying

In my last article, I highlighted four of the notable success stories from the World Cup qualifiers so far – now it is the turn of the underachievers to take centre stage.

Uruguay – 5^th in ‘CONMEBOL’ (must win play-off against Jordan to qualify)

Top Scorer: Luis Suarez – 11 goals. Key Players: Defence – Diego Lugano; Midfield – Walter Gargano; Attack – Luis Suarez

Of all the teams who looked to benefit from Brazil’s absence from CONMEBOL qualification, Uruguay looked the best placed. Whilst in the past few years, Argentina and Brazil have been experiencing stability crisis the Uruguayan team had never looked stronger. Back in 2012, it reached number 2 in the FIFA rankings, this coming only a year after their dominant Copa America triumph.

Uruguay’s Luis Suarez. Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons

Nonetheless, Uruguay’s road to Brazil can only be described as uninspiring. Whilst qualification is all but a formality, with a two legged tie against Jordan being the only obstacle, Uruguay have done little to strike fear into the hearts of their potential rivals in Brazil.

Not even the sporadic genius of the antagonistic Luis Suarez could paper over the cracks in Uruguay’s defence who finished the group with zero goal difference. In Forlan, Suarez and Cavani, Uruguay arguably possess the most talented strike force of any team in the world, but disastrous defensive displays such as the 4-0 and 4-1 defeats at the hands of Colombia and Bolivia respectively rose more than a few eyebrows over their defensive qualities.

The 3-2 victory over Argentina in their final group game will have provided a glimmer of hope, but for Uruguay, significant progress is required if they’re to match expectations in Brazil.

Mexico – 4^th in ‘CONCACAF’ (must win play-off against New Zealand to qualify)

Top Scorer: Oribe Peralta – 3 goals Key Players: Defence – Diego Reyes; Midfield – Andres Guardado; Attack – Javier Hernandez

The narrative to Mexico’s qualifying campaign follows a similar path to that of Uruguay; A team with an enviable attacking line-up, featuring Giovani Dos Santos, Javier Hernandez and Andres Guardado, sincerely neglecting their defensive duties.

Much like Uruguay, Mexico must win their two-legged play-off against New Zealand to rescue their campaign. However, even were Mexico to succeed in qualifying, question marks will remain over their credentials. Even in their recent confederations cup outings, Mexico bore all the hallmarks of a team lacking confidence at the back.

The emergence of Porto star Diego Reyes may provide some consolation however, as he seems exactly the kind of assured defensive character to support Mexico’s host of attacking talent. Unfortunately for Mexico, however, is that, even with the goal scoring talent available to them, they have shown a real inconsistency in their attacking play.

A mere seven goals in 10 games during qualifying hinted at growing frustration in the Mexico camp. In light of their disappointment, Mexico installed Primera Division guru Víctor Manuel Vucetich as new manager, who may herald a rather significant shake-up for the team. But plenty of work will be needed by the new manager to improve on Mexico’s poor qualifying campaign.

Portugal – 2^nd in European Group F (must win play-off against Sweden to qualify)

Top Scorer: Helder Postiga – 5 goals  Key Players: Defence – Pepe; Midfield – Joao Moutinho; Attack – Cristiano Ronaldo

At first glance, it may seem unfair to include Portugal amongst the ‘underachievers’ of World Cup Qualifying. They came second in a group to a very impressive Russia side, and only lost one game in 10 qualifiers. It is not for their results however, but their performances that I believe Portugal warrant particular scrutiny.

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons

In their opening group game, Portugal travelled to Luxembourg, a team currently ranked 126^th in the world. Whilst Portugal managed to eventually win the game 2-1, they only did so having originally gone behind to an early Luxembourg goal. It was a theme that continued for much of the campaign, as they had to fight to draws against both Northern Ireland and Israel, the latter of which requiring a 92^nd minute Ronaldo equalizer to claw back to 3-3.

It was sloppy defensive performances that essentially handed the leadership of the group to Russia, and consigned Portugal to a two-legged play-off against Sweden. The show-down will likely be billed as a show down between Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic, two of the most potent attackers of their generation, but it could be at the back that Portgual’s fate is decided.

Pepe’s temperament will be key, as the notoriously tenacious centre-half cannot afford to leave his side a man down at the back. With the wealth of talent available to Portugal, anything other than qualification must be labeled a disappointment.

Turkey – 4^th  in European Group D (cannot qualify)

Top Scorer(s): Burak Yilmaz/Umut Bulut – 5 goals Key Players:

Defence – Omer Toprak; Midfield – Arda Turan; Attack – Burak Yilmaz

Of the four teams critiqued in this article, only Turkey have no remaining hope of qualification. Back in 2008, they found themselves on the brink of the European Championship final, with only a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Germany preventing a heroic fairytale.

The World Cup Qualifying campaign served as a stark reminder of how long ago those days were as Turkey failed to finish ahead of Hungary or runners-up Romania, neither of which can claim to possess squads half as talented.

Boasting some of the big names of European football such as Sahin, Turan and Yilmaz, Turkey were ultimately undone by their severe lack of consistency. One of the few positives was the seeming resurgence under newly recruited Fatih Terim, who oversaw three consecutive wins and one loss (to the Netherlands) in what is his second stint as Turkey coach. It now falls to him to pick up the pieces from an undoubtedly disappointing qualification failure.

Will Cafferky, Sports Team

The dark horses of the 2014 World Cup

Last Tuesday signaled the close of the European qualifying group stage, and provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon the movers and shakers of World Cup qualifying.

England’s campaign saw them eventually match expectations to qualify as leaders of their group; nonetheless there have been numerous examples across the competition of high-flying underdogs. Whilst the likes of Brazil, Germany, Spain and Argentina represent obvious favourites at next year’s tournament, the qualifying rounds have presented us with a few potential dark horses.

Vincent Kompany, captain of the Belgian national side. Photo credits: Erik Drost (via Flickr)

Belgium – Winners of European Group A (Won 8, Drew 2, Lost 0)

Top Scorer: Keyin De Bruyne – 4 goals. Key Players: Defence – Vincent Kompany; Midfield – Kevin De Bruyne; Attack – Romelu Lukaku

It is perhaps unfair to label Belgium as a dark horse for Brazil. They currently sit in fifth in the FIFA world rankings, which sees them seeded for the finals ahead of the likes of France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and of course, England.

Their rise to stardom has been astronomic – in 2006 the country found itself ranked lower than ever before in 71^st. Back then, the squad featured only a sole Premier League player – Emile Mpenza, and even he was very much on the fringes of the Manchester City team.

12 Premier League players now grace the squad, including two of the division’s most potent strikers: Christian Benteke and Lukaku. An undefeated qualifying campaign in which they conceded a mere four goals, keeping six clean sheets seems to indicate that they won’t be defensive pushovers either.

The weight of expectation for Belgium’s golden generation is certainly increasing, and the World Cup in Brazil provides the first opportunity for them to showcase their obvious talent.

Colombia – 2^nd place in ‘CONMEBOL’ (Won 9, Drew 3, Lost 4)

Top Scorer: Radamel Falcao – 9 goals. Key Players: Defence – Mario Yepes; Midfield – Fredy Guarin; Attack – Radamel Falcao

The trajectory of the Colombian national team is arguably similar to that of Belgium. 2014 represents their first qualification since 1998, whilst their current world ranking of fourth is representative of a team playing at its peak.

Looking at the squad on paper, many would see Colombia’s strike force as the driving force behind the team. Falcao’s summer switch to newly promoted French side AS Monaco raised a few eyebrows across Europe; nonetheless there are few more complete strikers in world football, whilst the lesser known Teófilo Gutiérrez, who plays for Argentinian giants River Plate, has proved almost equally efficient for his national side.

Creativity often flows from Monaco winger James Rodriguez, whose link up play with Falcao could prove vital. However, much like Belgium, it’s perhaps Colombia’s defensive record that proved most impressive, as their tally of 13 goals conceded was the most effective in South American qualifying.

The climate for a Brazilian World Cup may give Colombia an edge over their European rivals, as will their seeding. All of this presents Colombian fans with the very real possibility that their team could escape the group stage of the finals for only the second time in their history, the last being in 1990.

Chile – 3^rd place in ‘CONMEBOL’ (Won 9, Drew 1, Lost 6)

Top Scorers: Arturo Vidal and Eduardo Vargas – 5 goals. Key Players: Defence – Gary Medel; Midfield – Arturo Vidal; Attack – Alexis Sanchez

The battle for qualification in South America was tinged with a sense of opportunity – due to Brazil’s automatic qualification, there was in essence an extra spot up for grabs amongst the nations.

Few grasped that opportunity in such a manner as Chile, who played some beautifully adventurous attacking football throughout their campaign. Their style came at a cost however as Chile conceded 25 goals in qualifying, significantly more than any of the other South American automatic qualifiers.

They attack with fluidity almost comparable to the total football of old, and it’s a system that manages to extract the quality from their talented forward line. Barcelona’s Alexis Sanchez has arguably been a victim of his own promise, as his talent has at times failed to shine through – most notably at club level.

Nonetheless, it seems that under coach Jorge Sampaoli, he is starting to exhibit the qualities that will make him a vital figure come 2014. In Arturo Vidal, Chile possess one of the best all round box-to-box midfielders in the world, and if he, along with the ever-tenacious Gary Medel, can organize the defensive side of the team, Chile just might upset the odds at the World Cup.

Edin Dzeko celebrates a goal for Manchester City. Photo credits: Ulicar Streets (via Flickr)

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Winners of European Group G (Won 8, Drew 1, Lost 1)

Top Scorer: Edin Dzeko – 10 goals. Key Players: Defence – Asmir Begovic; Midfield – Miralem Pjanic; Attack – Edin Dzeko

Whilst Bosnia may have been neck and neck with Greece for superiority in their group, they showed glimpses throughout qualifying of their vast superiority over their opponents.

They topped Group G with a goal difference of 24, 16 more than rivals Greece, whilst in strikers Edin Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic, they boast two of the four highest goal scorers in European qualifying. Midfielder pair Miralem Pjanic and Zvjezdan Misimovic also chipped in with a combined eight goals whilst also dictating most of Bosnia’s creative play.

Whilst there has been some evidence of weakness across the back four, in Asmir Begovic Bosnia can claim they have one of the best keepers in the Premier League, and arguably Europe too. The draw was arguably favourable to Bosnia, with only Greece and Slovakia providing real challenges, nonetheless they qualified with relative comfort, exhibiting some ruthless displays in the process such as the 1-8 demolition of Liechtenstein.

The fitness and form of talisman Dzeko will undoubtedly be key to any success they find in Brazil, but the whole group is undoubtedly ready to fight for success.

Will Cafferky, Sports Team

Xpression Sport: TNS International Special

Use the player below to listen back to the Xpression Sport Team’s coverage of Tuesday evening’s crucial England vs. Poland World Cup qualifier, as well as crucial games for Scotland, Wales and France.

Tuesday Night Sport [International Special]: #14 15/10/13 by Xpression Sport on Mixcloud

Should Qatar still host the 2022 World Cup?

Celebrations in Qatar as their World Cup bid is a success. Photo credits: Sean Knoflick

It’s 2 December 2010. All of the FIFA officials have voted and the press are awaiting the announcement of the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments. The first announcement comes that Russia have won the 2018 World Cup – not a massive surprise. Then the room hushes as the next announcement comes.

The 2022 World Cup will be held in… Qatar? The announcement is met with a muted applause; did he read it right?

Yes indeed, Qatar is the selected host of the 2022 World Cup, fending off opposition from Australia, Japan, South Korea and the USA. They also did so completely legally, after claims of bribery and corruption were retracted in 2011. But, since then, the bid has been through a series of hitches, including concerns over scorching temperatures and potential discrimination.

If things such as these were issues, why was Qatar selected? The answer lies in the fact that the Middle East region as whole was seen by FIFA as a largely unexplored market for football in which there is plenty of disposable income to spend on things such as football.

The bid for the World Cup also had wonderful plans for air conditioned stadia that would cool the pitch to a more reasonable 20-30 degrees centigrade instead of the temperatures of 40 degrees plus that often prevail in Qatar during the summer. These are plans that have somehow evaporated in just a couple of years; instead, FIFA now want a winter World Cup to solve the heat problem.

There are three main problems with Qatar hosting the World Cup. The first is that the bid was made for a summer tournament – if this wasn’t feasible for Qatar, they should have campaigned for a change in the bidding process. A winter World Cup will mean players will not be available for their clubs for around two months, which will disrupt every major European league, even those with a winter break already.

Secondly, the huge problems with discrimination in Qatar are at odds with FIFA’s promotion of inclusion. In Qatar, women must wear completely covering clothing even in scorching heat, whilst any intimacy is banned and can lead to an arrest. Homosexual behaviour is also banned, thus potentially putting off homosexual fans and players that may have wished to watch or participate in the World Cup.

Thirdly, nothing that was included in the bid has actually been built yet. This includes nine of the stadia, a high-tech public transit system, ‘fan zones’ for purchase and consumption of alcohol, which is illegal in public, 55,000 extra hotel rooms for fans to stay in, a causeway linking Qatar and Bahrain, which is said to cost $3bn, and $42.9bn of investment in culture and exhibits.

The Qatar bid is fatally flawed; the fact they have already gone back on promises that the heat wouldn’t be a problem must naturally arouse suspicion as to whether their other claims are viable. One of the most persuasive elements of their bid was that they were intending to donate the cooling technology to other countries where heat is a similar issue when completed, but even this will seemingly no longer happen.

FIFA has three options – it can simply try to hold Qatar to its promises, accepting that the World Cup will be in summer and hope that their grand schemes do come to fruition. Alternatively, they could hold the bidding process again, but with Qatar bidding for a winter-based World Cup, or remove Qatar as hosts and hold the bidding process for a summer World Cup without Qatar involved.

Though I believe that the 2022 World Cup should not be held in Qatar, I am unfortunately just a mere journalist. FIFA have spoken, and everything seems to be pointing towards a winter 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Scott Johnson, Sports Team

Goal-line technology confirmed for 2014 World Cup

Sepp Blatter, the current president of FIFA. Photo credits to Wikimedia Commons

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has said that goal-line technology will be used in the next World Cup, which will take place next summer in Brazil.  This news comes after years of debate surrounding vid-tech and whether or not it should be used in what is widely considered to be the world’s most popular sport.

Blatter’s reign as head of FIFA has been blighted by a series of controversies.  Even his appointment in 1998 was met with scrutiny, with a senior official in the African Football Confederation alleging that he had been offered $100,000 to vote for Blatter in the elections.

During his tenure, the 76-year-old has been accused of serious financial mismanagement, making misogynistic remarks about female footballers (whom he said should ‘wear tighter shorts and low cut shirts … to create a more female aesthetic’), skipped World Cup closing ceremonies for fear of being whistled by the crowd, and stated that on-field racism could be sorted out with a simple handshake.

In the light of all this, along with the controversial decisions to hold World Cups in Russia and Qatar in 2018 and 2022 respectively, FIFA’s persistent refusal to consider using goal-line technology has seemed fairly insignificant in comparison, but it has nonetheless irked football fans across the globe – until now.

Many people see the 2010 World Cup as the turning point in the vid-tech saga.  England were trailing Germany 2-1 in the last-16 when a Frank Lampard shot hit the bar and fell down over the line before bouncing back out of the goal.  Despite the ball crossing the line by several feet, neither the referee nor any of his assistants registered it as a goal, and England went on to lose 4-1.

Following the match, Blatter apologised to the English Footballing Association, saying ‘it is obvious after the experiences so far at this World Cup it would be a nonsense not to reopen the file on goal-line technology’.  FIFA then took their time coming to any form of decision about video technology, but the debate was reignited when England played Ukraine in the group stages of Euro 2012.

England won 1-0 but their opponents scored a goal which was not given, as the referee could not tell if the ball had crossed the line or not – replays showed that it was indeed a goal, and Ukraine later failed to qualify for the knockout stages.   After the game, Blatter tweeted: ‘I am confident they [the International Football Association Board] will realise that the time has come’.

Now it would appear that there really is no going back for FIFA, who had opposed video technology – and in doing so, riled so many football fans – for such a lengthy period of time.  The 2012 Club World Cup tournament, won by Corinthians in December of last year, saw two forms of goal-line technology trialled, both of which were given FIFA’s approval.

The first of these is Goalref, a magnet-based system created by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits. The other, Hawkeye, uses a series of high-speed video cameras, and has already been used to help officiate tennis matches since 2006 and cricket matches since 2008.

Indeed, the use of cameras in other sports has been a major argument put forward by people in favour of technology, with rugby also using cameras to determine whether or not a try should be awarded.  Critics will always argue that football should be kept ‘pure’, and that controversy is what gives games an edge – as well as giving fans something to talk about after the final whistle.

However, most football fans would agree that it is the sport itself that is exciting enough, and that unfair or incorrect decisions simply ruin games rather than spicing them up.  It is also true that referees face difficult situations during matches and that human error is unavoidable, so it is possible that technological assistance could help ease the pressure.

Howard Webb, referee of several high-profile matches including the 2010 World Cup final, stated that he would be in favour of the implementation of technology in football, saying, ‘I’m open-minded about anything that makes us more credible as match officials’, before going on to add ‘I certainly don’t feel in any way at all that additional assistance will undermine my position’.

Next year’s World Cup will be the first to be held in South America since Argentina hosted it back in 1978.  However, it is inevitable that much of the talk leading up to the tournament will be about goal-line technology and whether or not it will have a positive impact on one of the most important sports competitions on the planet.

Of course, those in favour of vid-tech will also ask how long it will be before such technology makes its way into domestic leagues – these fans may be disappointed to discover that such systems will only be implemented once every four years in football’s elite international competition, and not every week at their local stadium.

Tim Hellyer

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