World Cup Preview (Group H)
- URUGUAY
Despite being a small country in land mass and population, Uruguay is one of the best football nations in the world and has a remarkable legacy in the game. They were the first country to win the World Cup in 1930, winning a second World Cup against Brazil in 1950 at the Maracana, known as the Maracanazo. Since 1950, Uruguay's best finish in the World Cup was a fourth-place finish in 1970 and 2010. They have not won silverware since 2011, winning Copa America and being knocked out in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Copa America, but have a new crop of Uruguayan players to Qatar. They finished third in CONMEBOL qualifying, winning their final four games to see off Colombia, Peru and Chile. Diego Alonso came in during the qualifiers after Oscar Tabarez was dismissed, creating a turnaround after a wobble, putting their hopes in jeopardy. This is his first stint in international management, with success in Mexico with Monterrey and Pachuca. Stalwarts like Diego Godin, Fernando Muslera, Martin Caceres, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani are still in the squad, but all are not at the peak of their powers. Darwin Nunez is the man to lead the forward line for La Celeste, with either Suarez or Cavani supporting him in the attack. Federico Valverde has been a sensation for Real Madrid this season and will be alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Torreira in midfield. Jose Gimenez and Ronald Araujo will partner with Godin in defence, while Muslera is still the number one. Uruguay will not go down easy and are battle-hardened. That, plus their quality, bodes them to qualify for the knockouts.
Can They Go Through: YES
- GHANA
Ghana is the lowest-ranked team in this upcoming World Cup, ranked 61st in the world, below Qatar, Ecuador and Saudi Arabia. They gained worldwide attention when they qualified for the 2006 World Cup, qualifying for the last 16 for the first time. They did one better in 2010, becoming the third African nation to reach the last eight, where their journey heartbreakingly ended against Uruguay. They were eliminated early in the 2014 World Cup and failed to qualify for the 2018 edition in Russia. They have fared well on the continent, unable to win the African Cup of Nations since 1982, having reached the semifinals in six of the last eight editions. The 2021 edition was a low point, getting eliminated in the group stage for the first time since 2006, which included a humiliating defeat to Comoros. During the qualification campaign, Ghana beat South Africa to qualify for the final round, albeit under controversial circumstances. They faced West African rivals Nigeria in the final qualifier, and Ghana qualified via the away rule, with Thomas Partey scoring the crucial goal. Much of the campaign was under Milovan Rajevac. However, Rajevac was dismissed, with current coach Otto Addo coming in to see off the final phase of qualifiers. They have tried to convince players of Ghanaian descent to play for the Black Stars, with Inaki Williams, Tariq Lamptey and Alexander Dijku switching their allegiance to Ghana. Andre Ayew is the last surviving member of the 2010 squad and is the captain. His brother Jordan Ayew is around as one of the forwards. Mohammed Salisu and Mohammed Kudus are the ones to watch for the Black Stars, with Salisu highly rated at Southampton and Kudus already a key player for Ajax. Ghana is the weakest team in the group and has to do a lot to get to the knockouts. Playing against South Korea, with the threat of Son Heung-Min, Portugal, with or without Cristiano, and an emotional tie against Uruguay opens a painful memory from 2010. This is a new Ghana side. Can they shut the doubters?
Can They Go Through: NO
- SOUTH KOREA
South Korea is one of the strongest football nations in East Asia. They have won the Asian Cup twice, reaching the final six times. In the World Cup, they have made the finals eleven times, ten times consecutively, showing their consistency in qualifying for the World Cup Finals. Co-hosting the World Cup in 2002, South Korea became the first Asian team to reach the semifinals, beating Italy and Spain in the knockouts to achieve a famous run. They have not reached those heights since, only making the knockouts in 2010. South Korea was professional during their qualification campaign and breezed through the second round of qualifiers, scoring twenty-two goals. In the final round of qualifiers, they faced Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq for two automatic slots for the finals in Qatar. South Korea finished in the final automatic slot, losing just one of their ten qualifying matches. Paul Bento is Korea's head coach and has World Cup experience, taking Portugal to the finals in 2014. He failed to get Portugal out of the group in 2014, but the pressure to make the knockouts wouldn't be there for the Taegeuk Warriors, so the expectations are not that high. Son Heung-Min is a superstar in Korea and is their best player. The quality around Son does not match Son, with 14 players in the squad plying their trade at home. One expectation is central defender Kim Min-Jae, who has exceeded expectations at Napoli this season. The favourites to top the group are Uruguay and Portugal, but Korea can spoil their party. As they did in 2018, knocking Germany out of the World Cup with a 2-0 win. Can Son and Korea make the knockouts?
Can They Go Through: NO
- PORTUGAL
Having produced the likes of Eusebio, Luis Figo, Ricardo Carvalho, Rui Costa and Pauleta, Portugal has become a perennial dark house in international football. Portugal, before 2002, rarely made the World Cup, making just two appearances in 1966 and 1986. Since qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, Portugal has qualified for every World Cup, making the semifinals in 2006. They have lived in the shadow of their Iberian rivals Spain, seeing them conquer the world. They would taste international glory themselves in 2016, winning the European Championship. Their first international title. Now, they have a new crop of players similar to the golden generation of the 2000s, giving Portugal a high possibility of international glory. They finished second in their qualifying group behind Serbia, taking them to the playoffs. They eventually qualified, beating Turkey and North Macedonia to book their place in Qatar. Fernando Santos was the mastermind behind Portugal's Euro 2016 triumph. However, questions persist about Santos, whether for his pragmatic style or inability to harness the improved pool of players. Cristiano Ronaldo is a towering figure in Portuguese football, becoming his country's all-time leading scorer and appearance-maker. It has not fared well for Ronaldo this season, given his lack of playing time for Manchester United. Aside from Ronaldo, Os Navegadores have Rafael Leao, who has come alive for AC Milan. Bernando Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Joao Felix provide creative threats centrally or out wide while William Carvalho and Ruben Neves anchor the midfield. Ruben Dias of Manchester City will lead the defence, Joao Cancelo and Nuno Mendes marauding down the flanks and Rui Patricio in goal. Portugal is another dark horse, but they have failed to deliver in the recent World Cup, exiting in the last 16 in 2018. Uruguay, South Korea and Ghana are all potential banana skins, and Santos will have to decide on Ronaldo, with other options in his squad performing better. Portugal is the favourite to top the group but has to play their best or suffer another early exit.
Can They Go Through: YES
Comments
Post a Comment