World Cup Brazil 2014

Group C is next on the agenda and when I first saw it I didn’t know what to make of it. A few months
on and I still don’t know what to make of it. The four teams bunched together are no means lightweights but if they were casted in other groups you would have to say they would be the second or third options. For the four nations in Group C there is nothing to really fear at this stage. All of them would look around and say we can get something good out of this thing. The participants to me have a great advantage because they can simply fly under the radar, gain confidence while lowering the expectations of more illustrious foes, that they will face in the latter stages of the tournament. It can be a really sweet scenario. Avoiding larger more accomplished teams in the early takes the pressure off and here is hoping that the teams in the group decide to play their natural game. Will some one form this group win the World Cup? Probably not but I am looking for a sleeper to come through and upset a lot of teams on their way.

Group C
Colombia
Côte d’Ivoire
Greece
Japan


Colombia

Making there fifth World Cup appearance the Colombians have to be pleased about the strides they have made over recent years. For a while the men from Bogota were absent from the tourney. As I continually bark, qualifying from CONMEBOL is super difficult and with the likes of Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay knocking about you know you know it was going to be tough for Colombia.  I say that and they end up finishing second in qualifying behind Argentina this time around. I’ve always said what has been missing for Colombia for along time was star power. Back in the day players like Carlos Valderamma and René Higuita made the South American side charismatic and fresh. They were watchable and they could play. I think the emergence of James Rodríguez, Fredy Guarín, Juan Cuadrado and more importantly Radamel Falcao has brought back that spark to national side. As I said before Group C is a wide open but I do favor José Pékerman’s side to advance out of the of this early round. Pékerman is an experience coach and will come with his tactics. Then you have the players at his disposal. The names I mentioned before alongside defenders like Pablo Armero, Cristián Zapata and Juan Zúñiga make Colombia look like a real solid outfit. The X-factor for this side is the fact they will be heavily supported while in Brazil. There is no doubt that their fans will be there in droves to cheer them on.

Key Man- It is well documented that star forward Radamel Falcao suffered horrible leg injury in France while playing for his Ligue 1 side Monaco a few months back. Ever since then the player and his nation has been doing everything they could to get him ready for Brazil. Reports has his chances of making the World Cup up in the air. If he does make it he won’t be 100% for sure, due to the serious nature of the injury. If he doesn’t make that will be a heavy blow for Colombia. So I have earmarked James Rodríguez to be the man to propel the South Americans forward. A hybrid winger/attacking midfielder, James has had a good season alongside Falcao at Monaco so he is in good form.

Côte d’Ivoire

I was pretty hard on the Ivorians last time around. It was premature. I didn't really know what the Africans could do and I was basing it on performances of some the players prior to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. I was a tad bit ignorant and I undervalued them. This time I won’t make that mistake. This will be the Ivory Coast third World Cup and I'm more optimistic about their chances in this one. The last two trips to the finals the Africans failed to get out of the group stage. Drawn with Brazil and Portugal four years ago didn’t serve them well but this group they find themselves in is too easy not to advance. The African side came out of Group C in CAF qualifying, topping Morocco, Gambia and Tanzania in round two, earning a two legged playoff with Senegal. The Ivorians took initiative by dispatching the Senegalese 3-1 in the first encounter. While the second leg produced a 1-1 draw allowing Côte d’Ivoire to advance 4-2 on aggregate. Ivory Coast has a luxury of stars to call on. Yaya Touré, Kolo Touré, Didier Drogba, Gervinho, Seydou Doumbia, Salomon Kalou, Cheick Tioté, Wilfried Bony and Max Gradel all make up the Ivorian squad. This side will do very at this tournament and will be a headache for the other Group C combatants as well as opponents as they move deeper in the tournament.

Key Man- Yaya Touré is the alpha dog for the Ivory Coast. He has won things for Barcelona and Manchester City. He is a multiple African Footballer of The Year recipient and is generally seen as one of the most dominating players on the planet. I fully expect him to put the opposition to the sword.

Greece

I have to applaud the Greeks. Every time the Euros or the World Cup comes around they always seem to be there. Look at the Europeans countries who haven’t book passage to Brazil. The Czech Republic, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Republic of Ireland Serbia, Montenegro, Norway, Ukraine, Poland and Turkey will not be joining us. There is some big countries on that list and Greece did what they couldn’t do. The Greeks got to this World Cup via UEFA’s Group G. The Mediterranean nation actually finished joint top of the group along with Bosnia-Herzagovina but finished second due to goal difference. Not qualifying automatically meant they had to enter a two legged playoff against Romania. The Greeks bested the Romanians 3-1 in Athens and in the return leg in Bucharest managed a 1-1 draw to advance 4-2 on aggregate. Greece is trying to live a life after long time coach Otto Rehhagel who has got her so much success in the past. The new man in charge is the Portuguese coach Fernando Santos and he will look to make Greece’s third trip to the World Cup a good one. Santos will depend on the experience of Giorgios Samaras and Giorgios Karagounis to them through but the real power punch for Greece will come from Konstantinos Mitroglou. Greece will have to play well as I do see them as the weakest in this interesting group. If they play their game they have a shot.

Key Man- Last World Cup I poked fun at the Greeks for putting the phalanx out and just defending with little regard for attack. The Greeks in fairness to them are very good defenders and should play to their strength and this World Cup they should look to do so but this time around I think they have more of an attacking edge. Konstantinos Mitroglou will give the Europeans a greater threat than in recent times. Bless with a high football IQ, Mitroglou will be a danger.

Japan

The first team to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, Japan is easily the best team in AFC. For years Japan has shown steady growth in the sport. Seeing off the advances from the likes of Saudi Arabia, South Korea, North Korea and now Australia for dominance in the region. The country fully deserves any plaudits given. Japan booked her trip to Brazil by coming out of Group B in the latter stages of AFC qualifying. Where they topped the group finishing ahead of Australia, Oman, Iraq and Jordan. This will be the Japanese fifth World Cup and the “Blue Samurai,” will look to go beyond the Round of 16 their best ever finish. The man leading the Japan into Brazil is Italian Alberto Zaccheroni. The Italian led AC Milan to a Serie A title back in 1998 and also boast fantastic records with Lazio, Juventus and Inter Milan. The Japanese squad traveling to tournament is packed with European based players.  Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda, Atsuto Uchida, Eiji Kawashima, Makoto Hasebe, Yuto Nagamoto and Shinji Okazaki all ply their trade in Europe but Japan just won’t rely on them. The Japanese J-League has been churning out some wonderful players over the years and believe some them will be making the trip and will have prominent roles to play. This World Cup the climate is a talking point.  Out of the four in this group the Japan come from the mildest climate but I don’t expect that to hinder their chances. Traditionally the Japanese have always had players blessed with great levels of energy and I fully expect Zacheroni to tap into that.

Key Man- Keisuke Honda was my pick for Japan four years ago and this time it’s no different. He sparkled while he was in Russia and now he has moved the to AC Milan looks even more polished. A dead ball specialist and virtuoso with the ball, Japan has a special talent in her ranks.

Predictions- Let’s get to it! Côte d’Ivoire 1st, Colombia 2nd, Japan 3rd, Greece 4th. If Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal couldn't stop Yaya Touré  this year, I don’t expect the teams in Group C to. Making Colombia 2nd was a tough choice. The Falcao issue is a concern but I think they have too much reserve to fail. Plus it’s in South America, Colombia is right next door to Brazil their fans will push them over the edge. Japan I’m a big fan of but can they out fox the two teams I just mentioned? I doubt it. As for Greece I don’t know if their midfield can actually create enough chances for the front men. They might become rather painful to watch if they don’t get it right.

Japan