Either this is Lionel Messis year or it will never be Lionel Messis year. Gerard Julien/AFP/Getty Images As FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke unravelled the name inside the ball, he couldn’t help but smirk. Not only was his home country, France, avoiding treacherous Group D, the team that did land in the group with Italy and Uruguay was England. Group D, which also features lowly Costa Rica, is one of two “Groups of Death” in the 2014 World Cup. The other is Group G, which is toplined by Germany, but also includes Portugal, Ghana and the United States. Valcke’s France, meanwhile, wound up in Group E, widely derided as the worst in the competition, with overrated Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras, which was whipped 5-0 by Brazil last month in Miami. Here is a full breakdown of the eight groups announced Friday: GROUP A Who moves on Brazil, Mexico Who goes home early Croatia, Cameroon The hosts are the clear favourites in the first group. Mexico beat La Selecao in the 2012 Olympic final, but that might as well be ancient history given where Brazil’s young stars are now playing: on Europe’s most elite teams. The Mexicans almost failed to qualify for the tournament, but so, too, did Croatia, which barely slipped past tiny Iceland in a playoff. GROUP B Who moves on Spain, Netherlands Who goes home early Chile, Australia Spain, the reigning world and European champion, has lost a step this year, but Vicente Del Bosque can get younger and better in a hurry if he wants to. And his forward options, Diego Costa and Alvaro Negredo among them, are far superior to the ones he had at Euro 2012. La Roja‘s only test in the group will be the Dutch, their opponents in the 2010 final. GROUP C Who moves on Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire Who goes home early Greece, Japan Colombia, led by AS Monaco striker Radamel Falcao, is close to a sure thing to advance given geography. Côte d’Ivoire is a tougher call since the team’s best forward option remains Didier Drogba, who remains productive at age 35, but he’s playing in Turkey — not exactly one of Europe’s toughest leagues. Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images GROUP D Who moves on Italy, Uruguay Who goes home early England, Costa Rica If you think the English soul-searching over the national sport is bad now, wait until they get knocked out before the Round of 16. Italy is simply better, while Uruguay has Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. England, meanwhile, looks to Wayne Rooney again and again and again. GROUP E Who moves on France, Switzerland Who goes home early Ecuador, Honduras France, the last team to be drawn in the group, is the best of this sorry lot by some distance. Franck Ribéry and Juventus monolith Paul Pogba are having outstanding years. Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri are rejuvenated. The Swiss, somehow the world’s No. 7 team, will probably score one goal in three games and advance. GROUP F Who moves on Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina Who goes home early Nigeria, Iran Either this is Lionel Messi’s year or it will never be Lionel Messi’s year. The best player in the world will be flanked by three other goal-scorers at the peak of their respective careers — Sergio Agüero, Gonzalo Higuaín and Ángel di María. Bosnia-Herzegovina has one of the best keepers in the tourney in ex-Canadian Asmir Begović. GROUP G Who moves on Germany, Portugal Who goes home early Ghana, USA It’s honestly tough to see how the U.S. wins a game in this group. Ghana is probably the best nation in Africa at the moment; Portugal has the world’s second-best player in Cristiano Ronaldo; and then there’s Germany. The Germans have no world-class strikers, but who needs them when the attacking midfield includes Mesut Özil, Toni Kroos, Mario Götze, Marco Reus and Thomas Müller?
Posted on: Mon, 09 Dec 2013 14:45:48 +0000
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