FIFA World Cup 2014: Group A review

Brazil will definitely be favourites to go through to knockout stage with the home crowd advantage & a stellar squad.

KARACHI:

Brazil

The most decorated team in World Cup history, with five titles to its name, Brazil are definitely one of the strongest sides in this year’s competition. Appearing in three consecutive finals from 1994 to 2002 and winning the first and the last one, Brazil cemented their dominance for a decade, but quarter-final losses in the previous two World Cups have certainly dented their assurance. The Selecao squad features young and promising players but no longer boasts legends like Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Perhaps this lineup of fewer ‘stars’ can shine brighter than their mentors.

What makes Brazil the favourites is their advantage of playing at home. Qualifying automatically, their form is relatively less known than the other teams taking part.

An impressive performance in the 2013 Confederations Cup, where they thumped powerhouse Spain 3-0 in the final, has put a lot of pressure on this young team and the nation expects nothing less than a sixth trophy. With an impressive 27 goals for his country and still being only 22, Neymar will be the man to watch as he hopes to emulate his heroes, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.

Croatia

After gaining admission into Fifa and Uefa in 1993, Croatia made their first World Cup appearance in 1998, where they claimed a surprise third-place finish as Davor Suker won the  Golden Boot. However, the team has not reached the knockout stage in the competition since then. Failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup was the lowest point for Croatia but the Vatreni are back with a very talented squad.

The Blazers will be looking to forget an overall disappointing performance in the qualifiers, but a balanced team with some extremely talented players will give hope to Croatian fans.

The likes of Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mateo Kovacic will definitely be an uphill task for opponents to counter. The sound technical abilities of these three midfield maestros and the presence of star striker Mario Mandzukic, who is a proven goalscorer, will be enough to make the best of defences uneasy.

Mexico

Confirming their berth for the World Cup with a 9-3 aggregate win against New Zealand in the playoffs, Mexico will vie for the top spot in the group stage; an endeavour they are more than familiar with. Except the final match against New Zealand, the El Tri have struggled to score goals consistently, despite having an array of attacking talent.



All eyes will be on Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez, who will be looking to silence his critics as his poor form has restricted his playing time in club football. What we can say for sure about Chicharito is his goalscoring ability and killer instincts. Being technically sound and possessing the quick-fire agility to strafe past defenders effortlessly has made Hernandez a guaranteed starter for his country.

Mexico have had a habit of qualifying through the group stages no matter who the opponents are but in recent history the side has been on the receiving end of first-round knockouts. Perhaps this World Cup will be different but from what it looks like, the other three teams might just have the edge over the tri-coloured warriors.

Cameroon

After defeating Tunisia in the playoffs and losing just one match to Libya throughout the qualification, Cameroon head to the World Cup having topped their group. From the days of Roger Milla (42), who became the oldest player in history of the tournament to score a goal, to the captaincy of talisman Samuel Eto’o, Cameroon have only achieved a quarter-final finish in 1990.

Considered one of the greatest African nations in the playing field, their recent history has not been up to the standards of the Milla era, as they failed to progress from their group in 1998, 2002 and 2010. But Volker Finke’s men are determined to make amends as the physically intimidating team will be looking to ruthlessly attack their way into the knockout stages.

The climate of Brazil will also make this team of underachievers a bigger threat than their European rivals, but recent poor form has damaged the credibility of Cameroon as a top contender. Alex Song, Jeanll Makoun and Eto’o are the big names that will be looking to put their experience to work.

Summary

Brazil will definitely be favourites to go through to the knockout stage with the home crowd advantage and a stellar squad. The lack of performances and depth in the squad of Cameroon and Mexico can prove to be vital as Eto’o and Hernandez will face a mammoth task against their well-equipped opponents. Croatia will be disappointed if they do not finish second as they have some star names in the field to guide them through. But we can definitely expect some fireworks and upsets as all four teams are experienced enough to qualify.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2014.

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