WFNY on the World Cup: Group D Breakdown

Group D is my choice for “The Group of Death”, but I must admit a slight bias as I type this while wearing my Italian National Team jersey. Even the neutral would argue for the strength of this group as the odds on favorite to finish last, Costa Rica, is close in level to the USMNT and the other three could are all semifinal contenders. There really shouldn’t be a dull match to be seen in this group and it will be extremely tough to choose come prediction time. England are fielding one of the best squads I’ve seen them with in an international tournament, Italy are strong and coming off a run to the finals of Euro 2012, and Uruguay possess perhaps the most in form player in the world in Liverpool forward Luis Suárez. Let’s break it down.

WFNY on the World Cup: Group C Breakdown USMNT win over Turkey leaves questions looming WFNY Podcast: Breaking down the roster WFNY on the World Cup: Group B Breakdown Klinsmann opts for potential on final roster Landon Donovan left off World Cup roster WFNY on the World Cup: Group A Breakdown SEARCH ENTIRE WFNY FC ARCHIVE

Uruguay – Los Charrúas

How they got to Brazil

Uruguay grabbed the last qualification spot in CONMEBOL with a disappointing zero goal differential while posting a seven win, four draw, and five loss record. They started off winning only three of their first eleven games though and closed out qualification on a much needed high note as they won four of their last five including wins over Colombia and Argentina. Still this nation will never cease to surprise me. Home to a mere 3.3 million people, Uruguay somehow manages to consistently produce some of the best players in the world. They’ve won the World Cup on two different occasions including the first one ever held in 1930. Despite the poor qualifying form, the fact that the World Cup is in South America should bode well for this talented but flawed squad who has the forwards to compete with the best in the world. The question is whether the rest of the team can keep up.

Manager – Óscar Tabárez

Tabárez is in his second go around as manager of Uruguay and it already has been much more successful than his first as he managed to lead Los Charrúas to victory in the 2011 Copa América. He’s currently elected to rely heavily on his two star forwards, Suárez, and Edison Cavani, to create goals without as much support as other strikers due to the age/speed of his defense. The defense tends to be deployed rather far back in their own half with a rigid midfield in front of it to help deflect opponent’s attacks. This sometimes leaves the forwards isolated up front as the midfield is reluctant to press to high up the pitch regularly in fear of leaving the slow backline exposed. Luckily Tabárez’s strikers were up to the task of carrying the scoring burden in qualifying as Suarez led all of CONMEBOL with eleven goals and Cavani threw in another six which accounted for sixteen of Uruguay’s twenty-five goals. No other Uruguayan contributed more than two goals.

The Star- Luis Suárez

Suárez is probably both the most controversial figure in soccer at the moment as well as the best.   He tied Cristiano Ronaldo for the European Golden Boot this past season despite not being his team’s penalty taker and being suspended to begin the EPL season due to biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanović during a match the previous season. He came to the EPL already under a shroud of infamy due to his game saving intentional hand ball in Uruguay’s 2010 World Cup quarterfinal match against Ghana. Suárez saved a goal in the dying minutes of extra time by handing a Ghanian shot off the line earning himself a red card and a suspension from the following semifinal match, but Ghana would go on to miss the subsequent penalty and then lose in penalties after extra time had run out ultimately making Suárez a hero, though not everyone viewed it that way. Some media outlets labeled him a “cheat” and a “dirty player” for the move. I myself think it was genius and no different than intentionally fouling a bad free throw shooter in basketball or any other intelligent exploitation of the rules. His subsequent move to Liverpool and England saw him further ridiculed by the press for his knack for flopping. Suárez is prone to flop, but so are many players though none as scrutinized for it as the Uruguayan star. Through it all Suárez shined on the pitch with his goalscoring exploits registering 69 goals in 110 appearances with Liverpool and making himself one of the most in demand players in the world after helping lead Liverpool to a Steven Gerrard slip away from an EPL title.

(Luis Suárez rifles home a volley against Cardiff back in December.)

Biggest Strength – Forwards

I saved most of my praise for Suárez’s talent here. Suárez’ came over to the EPL from Ajax where he scored goals at an absurd rate. It isn’t that unusual for players to post crazy numbers in the Eredivisie though as defense doesn’t seem to be the Dutch league’s top priority. Other strikers have thrived in the league only to flop hard in the EPL such as Afonso Alves who registered a whopping 45 goals in 39 appearances for Heerenveen before only scoring 10 in 42 appearances for then EPL club Middlesbrough. It seemed to take him two years to settle in with Liverpool, but ever since the 2012-2013 season the man has been on absolute fire. He scores all types of goals like most great strikers and has excellent dribbling technique which consistently allows him to work himself into shooting angles. As the talent around him at Liverpool has increased he’s also found himself playing a role as a creator for the team as he has notched an impressive 12 assists to go along with his 31 goals this past season.

Joining Suárez’ up front is a forward who isn’t quite as renown, but almost as lethal in Edison Cavani. Cavani’s most unique aspect as a forward is his ability to run for days. In a world where strikers are often considered lazy, Cavani puts in the work of a midfielder. The hustle is by no means a way to make up for a lack of skill though as Cavani is capable on both feet and at times seems to bypass defenders with ease. Though his PSG teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović gets much of the press for some of the unique goals he scores, Cavani is equally capable of leaving a crowd in awe.

(Edison Cavani scoring for PSG what was one of my favorite goals of the past season.)

Measurement of Success

It will be tough for Uruguay to match their semifinal run of the 2010 World Cup, but considering the tournament is so close to home that surely will be the goal.

*****

Costa Rica – Ticos

How they got to Brazil

Costa Rica was fairly impressive during qualifying in the CONCACAF hexagonal suffering only two defeats one of which was the much talked about “snow game” in Denver against the US where they suffered a 1-0 defeat, but the weather was such a huge factor it was hard to glean any real information about either side from that game. There other loss was a 1-0 defeat in Honduras. They are a fairly defensive side and it showed as they conceded the least goals in CONCACAF which as I mentioned during the Greek preview is an excellent way to for lesser teams to earn upsets.

The Manager – Jorge Luis Pinto

Pinto has had two rather unsuccessful stints in the international stage previous to his current stay at Costa Rica. He coached his home country of Colombia during the 2010 World Cup qualifying and despite promising start ended up 7^th overall in the final round and missed out on CONEMBOL qualifying. Pinto favors five at the back for Costa Rica with three center-backs and two fullbacks. From watching Costa Rica play I wouldn’t classify the fullbacks as “wingbacks”. Though they do get forward to support attack, it doesn’t seem to be an emphasis for the position in this squad. With a less talented squad than the rest of the group, Pinto will pick those players who he feels can stay disciplined and stick to the game plan in hopes of grinding out results and frustrating the opposition.

The Star – Bryan Ruiz

There are players on this squad who I suspect are primed to take the star status away from Ruiz as there is plenty of upcoming talent for Costa Rica, but for now their captain holds this spot. Ruiz moved to Fulham from Twente of the Eredivisie where he ripped off 35 goals in 65 matches. Ruiz however mainly flopped at Fulham contributing only 8 goals in 68 appearances while never really leaving his mark on the squad. Though by no means an awful player, it is hard to imagine he won’t join the list of Eredivisie players who feasted on the poor defenses of the league, but couldn’t get the same results when moving to the next level. He returned to the Eredivisie on loan with PSV during this past season and tallied 5 goals in 14 matches showing that perhaps he’s just below a top tier player. Ruiz summed himself up pretty well when explaining his departure from Fulham stating “I’m simply a player who should have a lot of time on the ball and I like to play stylish football” and “I should be making use of my talents, not scrapping for every inch of territory”. Ruiz is indeed stylish and capable of aweing a crowd, but at the top level the “time on the ball” he desires often is not available as the game is faster. Still he represents one of Costa Ricas’ better opportunities to grab or create a goal on the counter. He better be ready to scrap for every inch of territory though in the World Cup as Costa Rica can’t have any spectators on the field if they hope to somehow come out of this group.

(Bryan Ruiz scoring one of the luckiest penalties I’ve ever seen off the goalkeeper’s butt.)

Biggest Strength – Compact Defense

Despite Costa Rica being outmatched talent wise by the other teams in Group D the fact that they line up defensively could be to their advantage considering the opposition. England look dangerous on the counter, but are notoriously poor when it comes down to breaking down any opposition who chooses to park the bus against them. Uruguay do not set up to break teams down either as they do not like to have their defense play too high up the pitch due to its speed and would rather the opposing team come at them as Suárez’ and Cavani are players who excel at exploiting defenses who press. Italy definitely possess the talent to break teams down, but showed in Euro 2012 that they often play better when the other team takes the initiative as their midfield can move the ball quickly to Balotelli in the gaps if teams lose their shape against them. That’s not to say keeping these teams from scoring will be easy, but it’s definitely possible that Costa Rica, if not advancing themselves, is the deciding factor in whether or not one of these three giants of International football advances to the Knockout Round.

Measurement of Success

If Costa Rica grabs a win during this group stage I’m sure Ticos everywhere will deem the trip to Brazil a success.

*****

England – The Three Lions

How they got to Brazil

England had a very impressive UEFA qualifying campaign as they won six, drew four, and loss no matches while conceding only four goals and scoring thirty-one. There group was one of the more well-rounded qualifying groups in Europe as well as there seemed to be four teams worthy of the World Cup in it whereas most UEFA groups only had three.

The Manager – Roy Hogdson

Hogdson has had a long managerial career all over Europe and though he’s never won any coveted pieces of silverware has had some impressive campaigns on his resume including leading Fulham to the UEFA Europa League Cup finals back in 2010. He took over the reins of England back in 2012 at a difficult time to manager of The Three Lions. The English media is famously brutal and overly critical of the national team which has put Hogdson in their crosshairs. He’s seemingly done an admirable job thus far though as he’s slowly phased out most of England’s aging “Golden Generation” and injected some much needed youth into the squad. The squad he’s selected for Brazil is the most impressive England I’ve seen in my time watching soccer as it seems the most based on merit and team cohesiveness rather than just picking the “star players”. He’s also just recently employed Wayne Rooney on the left in a friendly against Ecuador, a position I think Rooney fits best in for this team, when England’s star man has consistently complained and being shifted out wide for both club and country, preferring to play through the middle as a “number 10”. Though appearing and sounding quite dour and his original appointment seemed to disappoint English fans as he isn’t necessarily a huge name, it seems English FA might have finally got it right with this hire.

The Star – Wayne Rooney

Rooney is England’s most talented player, but he has failed to display that talent for the Three Lions in major tournaments and is often a difficult personality to deal with. One of Rooney’s greatest assets as a player is his versatility, an asset that his former manager at Manchester United United, Sir Alex Ferguson, utilized with great effect during their time together. As Rooney’s gotten older though it seems his ego’s gotten bigger as he’s made a fuss about where he’s played. Rooney when deployed up front is a great goalscorer and that seems to be where he wants to be, but he also can act as a creative foil for the team when played deeper or out wide. His propensity to track back also makes him useful in these areas. England have been lacking in strikers in previous years and so this has never been as much of a problem for England, but with the emergence of Daniel Sturridge for Liverpool it would seem England is best suited to employ Sturridge at the top of their formation while having Rooney play elsewhere as Sturridge is much less effective out wide; Rooney is not. In other years it has felt like England will go as far as Rooney can take them, but that perception has faded somewhat as the talent around him is promising. Still a great tournament from Rooney could be the difference between a semi-final round and just scraping themselves out of this difficult group.

(Wayne Rooney scoring a 60 yard goal against West Ham back in March.)

Biggest Strength – Backline

England’s defense is one of the more impressive ones in the tournament. Gary Cahill is a mainstay of the Chelsea defense that conceded the least goals in the EPL and he will be partnered by Phil Jagielka who anchored an Everton’s defense that was good for third best in the Premier League. They will be joined out wide on the left by another Evertonian in Leighton Baines who provides not only a consistent presence in the defense, but is great at getting forward, a solid penalty taker, and a left footed set pieces taker. The right side of the defense is up in the air as Hogdson has hinted he might employ the Manchester City’s versatile James Milner there which seems like it would be a great fit as Milner is an intelligent player who can run for days and can provide quality in both the defense and attack. A lot of the defenses in this tournament seem over the hill in terms of age and relying on experience, but this one is pure quality.

(Leighton Baines providing some unique skills for a left back.)

Measurement of Success

Expectations are low in England due to their consistent underachieving and the difficulty of this group and so most fans might hope to just reach the Knockout Stages, but I honestly believe it would be disappointing were they not to advance to the quarterfinals.

*****

Italy – Gli Azzurri (The Blues)

How they got to Brazil

Italy went undefeated in their UEFA qualifying group posting a six win, four draw, and zero loss record though their goal differential was not quite as impressive as England’s as they scored nineteen goals and let in nine. Their group was considered the weakest as the second place team, Denmark, did not qualifying for a playoff due to accumulating the least points of any second place team in the UEFA region. That could be viewed in another light though as the group did offer a degree of depth with international tournament staple, the Czech Republic, coming in third, and even the fifth place team, Armenia, managed to grab four wins.

The Manager – Cesar Prandelli

Prandelli’s club managing career is somewhat undistinguished, but he gained a ton of respect on the international scene for Italy’s surprise run to the finals of the 2012 European Championships that included a defeat of Germany and a draw against Spain, both who are considered among the favorites in Brazil. He has championed the team concept for Italy and selects players based on tactics and opposition versus having a set starting XI. He’s known to heavily experiment with formations and player combinations and he doesn’t have one set formation that he relies on in competitive matches. This makes Italy somewhat hard to prepare for as one never knows what to expect. He will have to get his decisions right as Uruguay and England are favored by the odds-makers to advance out of this group.

Star Player – Andrea Pirlo

Mario Balotelli will deservedly grab many the headlines for both his on and off the field antics, but his time as Italy’s leading man is not quite here yet. At the age of 35, Andrea Pirlo has one World Cup title to his name. He assisted Fabio Grosso’s game winning goals in extra time against Germany in the 2006 World Cup semifinals. He is perhaps even more important to the team now then he was then. He was thought to be on the decline at AC Milan and was let to leave, a decision Milan surely regrets, as he has become a vital cog in the current Scudetto winning Juventus side. He’s seemingly perfected his free kick taking technique as well, scoring six free kicks this season alone in all competitions. He is one of the best passers of the ball in this tournament and prefers to play in a “holding” role in front of the defense where he can collect the ball and quickly push it forward into attack. The Italian midfield is quite talented, but they don’t have a replacement for what Pirlo can bring to the team thus making his presence essential. He is also important against teams who will set out to park the bus against Italy as he always makes himself available for the ball and is capable of the precision required to break down compact defenses. It will be interesting to see how opposing teams deal with him as the 2012 European Championship showed that he makes this Italian team tick and he might find himself shadowed heavily by defensive midfielders throughout his time in Brazil in hopes of frustrating him.

(Pirlo scoring one of his signature free kicks for Juventus.)

Biggest Strength – Center-backs

Italy’s defense has come under criticism as of late due to the fact that its lack of pace and quickness has been exposed at times with Italy seeking to be more adventurous offensively and press higher up the pitch. I expect that not to be as much of a problem in Brazil as the three likely center-backs, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, and Giorgio Chiellini, all play together for Juventus and are coming off a very strong season where they allowed a league low 23 goals. They are more comfortable in Juventus’ 3-5-2 formation which Prandelli does use at times, but it is not his preferred formation. That formation though will be vital against the stronger teams in the Knockout Round if Italy is lucky enough to get there.  In which case if Italy hope to win their fifth ever World Cup these three will be the key in doing so as their attack is not as potent as the other top teams.

(Pirlo connecting with center-back Leonardo Bonucci for a goal with Juventus.)

Measurement of Success

As a diehard fan of the Azzurri myself, Italy will hope to win it all, but considering the tournament is in South America and the quality of some of the other teams in the field a semifinal run would be considered a success in my book.

(Just because I love this man.)