Spain, Netherlands, Chile and Australia are included in the Group B.
Spain
Defending Champions Spain will enter the 2014 World Cup as favourites to retain the title. In their qualification for the World Cup, they finished at the of their group ahead of France, despite a 1-1 draw against Didier Deschamps’ side at the Vincente Calderon.
Questions have been asked about Spain’s era of world dominance after they received a 3-0 thrashing from record five-time World Cup winners Brazil in the final of the Confederations Cup. Although there are still doubts but the squad is being rated better than the Euro 2012 side.
Spain’s monopoly of possession will prove to be a tough task for the opponents. They can restrict scoring by holding possession, and can upset the other team with a calculated move to find the net by exploiting spaces in defence. Their opponents were able to find the net only six times in the last three major tournaments, while they have not conceded a single goal in the knockout stages. Iker Casillas will be wearing the team’s red band while constantly guarding the net. He remains one of the main forces in Spain’s defence to restrict teams from scoring against them.
In the midfield, stars like Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantra will be caucusing to form the nucleus of Spain’s attack; however La Furia Roja face uncertainty in their offensive options. Juan Mata stays a strong contender while Diego Costa is also at the top his game. Meanwhile, David Villa and Fernando Torres’ influence has waned over the last two seasons and they have been selected to add experience in Spain’s successful defence of the World Cup title.
Netherlands
The 2010 World Cup runners-up Netherlands went through a very easy qualification phase, but there is little hope among the supporters that the Oranjes can make a significant impact in the tournament.
They have been placed in what is being considered as a tough group, and even if they earn a second spot behind the most probable top spot contenders Spain, they will have a likely face-off against a refreshed Brazil team in the second round.
Also, their coach Louis van Gaal has placed his confidence on his three ‘untouchables’; striker and captain Robin van Persie, winger Arjen Robben and defender Kevin Strootman were the initial picks for his World Cup squad. But Strootman, who was going to bring strength, energy and dynamism into the side, was ruled out of the World Cup due to an injury in a Serie A game against Napoli.
Van Gaal’s trio is now reduced to a double, with Van Persie coming into the tournament to defend his inclusion after out-of-sorts performances in the 2010 tournament and the Euro 2012. Meanwhile, Robben has lived a dream with an uncharacteristic injury-less season and some of the best performance of his career under Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich. He will surely be the man Netherlands will be relying on.
Chile
Chile, known for their tactical innovation, have been mostly overshadowed by their South American counterparts. They were appreciated for their high pressing game in the 2010 World Cup under Marcelo Bielsa, where they used a 3-3-1-3 formation to formulate an up-beat tempo in their match.
However, their qualification for this year’s tournament rues an inconsistent rhetoric. They won nine games, lost six and drew one. But after Jorge Sampaoli took over as coach, Chile found a talisman of luck. Since his joining, they have lost only one game in a friendly match against Brazil.
La Roja will be coming into the tournament with a tactically flexible strategy, with the defence being supported by three or four personnel depending on the opposition. They lack the depth in their technique but with midfielder Arturo Vidal and winger Alexis Sanchez, two of the leading players in their positions, they can claim to be run by star power.
Chile, being led by goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, will be hoping to go into the second round but the task requires them to slay either Spain or the Netherlands, something they are definitely capable of.
Australia
Australia, one of the proudest sporting nations in the world, will have little expectations while coming into the 2014 World Cup. They went through a difficult phase on their way to qualification. An 83rd-minute Josh Kennedy header in the final game of their qualification against minnows Iraq ensured their place in the tournament.
German coach Holger Osieck, who was upright to the task of leading the Socceroos into the World Cup, was fired in October 2013 by Football Federation Australia after 6-0 defeats against Brazil and France in friendlies caused embarrassment to the nation. Ange Postecoglou was then presented with a five-year contract so that he could engineer some positive changes in the team.
He needs to rejuvenate his ageing squad which still relies on Tim Cahill and Mark Schwarzer, while Robbie Kruse is the only player who plays regularly for Bayer Leverkusen and seems to be in-form.
Summary
Everyone will place their bets on defending champions Spain and the Netherlands to qualify for the second round of the World Cup. Chile and Australia need to be at the top of their game to cause an upset against one of these teams, otherwise, the group of death only promises a fight for the top spot between Spain and the Netherlands. The team placed second will probably face the charismatic Brazilian squad in the second round and no one will be willing to take this chance as the hosts have beaten both the nations on separate occassions.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2014.
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Mark Schwarzer has been, in fact, cut adrift by Ang Postecoglou's timely rejuvenation. Kruse is injured. Only Cahill and Bresciano, of the "ageing squad", remain. Australia is young, fresh and ready to give the other teams in this Group of Death the fright of their lives!