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The 20th FIFA World Cup tournament begins in Brazil with a lot of prospects for some of the teams of participating countries. But how far can Nigeria, an underdog, go in the championship, which analysts have tipped Spain, the current champion and Brazil, the host nation, as the frontrunners to win the cup?
| By Olu Ojewale | Jun. 16, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT
FOR the first time in history, Spain is appearing at this year’s World Cup football tournament in Brazil as the reigning European and World champion. For a nation that was, for several years, derided as an underperformer, Spain occupies the number one position in FIFA ranking. Spain’s golden generation has won back-to-back European titles in 2008 and 2012, plus the World Cup in 2010. It still has one of the best teams in the tournament. The country is home to the current European Champions’ League holder and its runner-up, which shows that the country abounds with vibrant clubs with the pedigree of marvellous performances in European and continental tournaments. The two highest paid footballers in the world ply their trade in the Spanish’s league.
Needless to say, the Spanish team is one of the favourite teams expected to lift the cup. The team has in its rank, top-rated and world class players, the bulk of those who won the previous World Cup in South Africa in 2010, to perform the feat. If it wins, the nation would be the second country in the history of the World Cup to win the tournament back-to-back to follow in the footsteps of Brazil which won it in 1958 and 1962.
The highly-rated Spanish team has what it takes to achieve the dream. In terms of talent, Spain’s squad is still brimming with quality and mercurial players like Xavi Hernandes, Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, Sergie Ramos, Iker Casilla, Santi Carzola and Cesc Fabregas among others. Besides, Spain has Diego Costa, a Brazilian-born striker, who recently changed his nationality in order to play for the World champion. “I hope and desire that Spain win the World Cup,” Carlos Marchena, former Spanish defender, who was part of the squad in 2010, said. “They have the players, they have everything to be able to do it.” And he added: “Brazil playing at home, with things as they are, they will have so much pressure and that could count against them.”
But some analysts see Brazil in a different way. Besides, Brazil has said it many times that it is hosting the World Cup on its soil is to win it. The most decorated team in World Cup history, Brazil has won it in a record of five times and it is one of the strongest sides in this year’s competition. It has appeared in three consecutive finals from 1994 to 2002 and winning the first and the last one, Brazil cemented its dominance for a decade, but quarter-final losses in the past two tournaments have not given much confidence that it would be the team to beat. However, the Selecao squad, as the Brazilian team is called, remains a force and with an array of young and promising players, it is difficult to really write off the host country in this competition.
One of the things that make Brazil the favourites is its advantage of playing at home. Qualifying automatically, it has just recently started building up its strength. An impressive performance in the 2013 Confederations Cup, where it 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. The star of the Brazilian team is Neyman, 22, who has an impressive 28 goals for his country in all competitions, is definitely going to be the man to watch as he wants to emulate Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, his heroes in the game. Luiz Felipe Scolari, coach of the Brazilian team, said he was happy with how the team had been improving ahead of the World Cup. Speaking after his team’s 4-0 win over Panama in its second-to-last warm-up match, Scolari said adjustments still needed to be made, but he felt his team was on track to being ready for the opener against Croatia on June 12, when the tournament begins. Brazil’s final warm-up was billed for Friday, June 6, against Serbia in Sao Paulo. “We have to continue improving at this pace until the game against Serbia and then again until the game against Croatia,” he said.
Brazil had struggled early against Panama on Tuesday, June 3, prompting jeers from fans at Serra Dourada Stadium. But the team improved after Neymar opened the scoring from a free kick in the 26th minute and then cruised to victory. Scolari said one of the reasons he picked Panama as its first opponent before the World Cup was because he knew his team wouldn’t be fully ready to face a better squad at this point. “It’s all going according to plan if you take into consideration that we haven’t played together in more than three months, and only had seven days to prepare. The players know they are not ready,” he said. “We weren’t ready to face a stronger opponent right now.”
The full Brazilian squad would face Serbia on Friday, June 6. Then, Thiago Silva, team captain, who stayed at the training camp outside Rio de Janeiro to improve his fitness, would be back with Paulinho and Fernandinho, midfielders, who also didn’t play the June 3, match. Brazil has won 14 of its last 15 matches, but Scolari said that won’t mean a thing if the team failed to win the World Cup. “That streak is nice, but we need to win eight more matches, the friendly on Friday and then seven more,” he said, adding: “It’s the only way we can make history.”
Indeed, Brazil has been tipped by analysts as the likely winner for a record six times. Some of the factors being considered include form of available players, past performance, long-term footballing tradition and national interest. As the tournament braces to kick off in Sao Paulo, on Thursday, June 12, Pricewaterhouse-Coopers, an accounting firm, in its study, used econometrics to pick a likely winner.
Its findings actually reinforce popular perception that the strongest football nations are Latin America giants Brazil and Argentina, and in Europe, the powerhouses are tipped as Germany and Spain.
According to the PwC index, Brazil is the most likely team to win this year, followed by Germany, Argentina, Spain, Colombia, Uruguay and Italy. The study put emphasis on home advantage as being very significant, with the home team usually leaping two rounds further than they would otherwise achieve, thanks to home support and familiarity with the conditions. “Let’s not forget that sport is unpredictable though, and every once in a while, the planets align and a bit of magic happens,” Chris Money, PwC director and economist, said.
The study also recognised where the tournament is played as very important for winners. A European team has never won a World Cup in Latin America, while Brazil has been the only Latin American team that has ever won once in Europe- in 1958, in Sweden.
As always, Brazil has a large collection of prominent and good players it counts on. But for now, the most visible among them is Neymar, a young and explosive forward, who has just played his first season with Barcelona. Hosting the tournament is, indeed, likely to give Brazil an impetus to want become the first host country to take home the title since France won in 1998. Brazil was the runner-up that year, but went on to win four years later, setting a record with five championships.
But Argentina, a two-time winner, is no doubt a big threat to Brazil’s ambition. In fact, Argentina is one country that has been tipped by many analysts as a potential winner this year. Lionel Messi, the world’s highest paid player and four-time world player of year, is leading the front three that also include Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain. The trio is currently regarded as the most lethal forward in international football. It is believed that Messi would want to cement his greatness in the round leather game by helping his country to win the cup, the only omission in his array of medal awards. The team has plenty of depth with the likes of Rodrigo Palacio, Ezequie Lavezzi, Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano and Pablo Zabaleta in the squad. The team looks balanced and solid. With the tournament taking place in neighbouring Brazil, the atmosphere is favourable to Argentina and the competition would help to rekindle its long-standing rivalry with Brazil. In fact, both Argentina and Brazil are seen as the two traditional South American powerhouses in football.
However, Argentina hasn’t had great success in the World Cup in more than two decades having failed to reach the finals since 1990. But with the tournament being held in South America, Argentina is said to have an edge over the elite European teams. Added to that, Argentina and Brazil have a long-standing rivalry as the two traditional South American powerhouses.
Germany is also considered among the top contenders in the tournament. The Germans have placed no worse than third in the past three World Cups, and it is expected to do very well in this tournament as well. The country is appearing at the World Cup tournament for the 18th time. It has the best World qualifying record, losing only twice in 82 games all the way back to 1934. It has featured in semi-finals in a record 12 times since its first appearance in 1934 and won the cup three times, 1954, 1974 and 1990. To help prosecute the current edition, Germany is relying of experienced players such as Philipp Lahm, captain, Bastian Scheweinsteiger, Manuel Neuer, Miroslav Klose, Mesut Ozil, Marco Rues, Thomas Muller and Sami Khedira, among others. Joachim Low, coach of the team, has since 2010, enhanced the team’s 4-2-3-1 attacking formation and without any obvious striker. The three-time winner is expected to rely on versatile Lahm, who recorded a passing accuracy of 92 percent in the Bundesliga, to supply balls to Reus, his forward teammate.
A lot of pundits may not have seen Italy as a potential winner, but who those regard Azzurri team as potential winner only need to point at the record and determination of Cesare Prandelli, coach of the team to make their points. The four-time champion still has many of its players that won the 2006 edition in Germany, in the team. With the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Barzagli, and Alberto Gilardino still in the squad, and with youngsters such as Mario Balotelli and Mattia De Sciglio, the Azzurri squad does not look like a pushover. In fact, Prandelli has sent a warning to opponents about his team’s ambition. He said defiantly: “We want to get to the final because this squad has been designed with getting to the final in mind. Everyone here is brimming with enthusiasm, and that’s pleasing. We all have to remember we’re preparing for the World Cup.” As part of the plan to reach the seventh appearance in the final, the coach told the team that it must beat England in the opening match on June 14. “It will be important to take three points from our first game and in the process beat a strong team,” Prandelli said.
After having reached the UEFA EURO 2012 final under Prandelli and against all expectations, hopes seem to be on high that Italy can help erase the memories of their 2010 debacle when the team went out in the round of 16. Italy is playing England, Costa Rica and Uruguay in Group D in Brazil and could, if they advance past the second round, face a quarter-final clash against either Spain or Brazil, the tournament’s favourites.
After gaining admission into FIFA and UEFA in 1993, Croatia made its first World Cup appearance in 1998, where it 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 team has in its squad prominent and talented players such as Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mateo Kovacic, who can give opponents a run for their money. The sound technical abilities of these three midfield maestros and the presence of Mario Mandzukic, the star striker, can be an opponent’s nightmare.
The Netherlands, runner-up in the last edition of the tournament, is not featuring as one of the favourites although it has a crop of good players. It is expected to share the round of 16 with the likes of Portugal, Uruguay or England, Mexico, among others. It would be a great disaster for England not to advance even though it has Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica to contend with. The Three lions, as the English team is fondly called, last won a World Cup in 1966, and the major teams that are likely to stop it are Uruguay and Italy. Prominent among the English players are Steven Gerrard, captain, Daniel Sturridge, Wayne Rooney and Raheem Sterling, among others.
Like all the African countries participating in the tournament, the United States is equally regarded as an underdog. Besides, the Yankees will have to overpower the likes of Germany, Portugal and possibly Ghana, to ever think of advancing from its group. The US roster is not short of promising talents, but Jurgen Klinsmann’s side is still not yet a world beater despite the presence of Clint Dempsey, a veteran attacking midfielder, Michael Bradley, a skilful playmaker, and many other burgeoning players who have made it to the team.
For no obvious reasons, Nigerians appear to believe that the current Super Eagles team can lift the World Cup. A good number of Nigerians who have been interviewed have expressed such unrealistic optimism. But for the country to get out of the group stage, it has Argentina, Iran and Bosnia Herzegovina to contend with.
Although Iran does not have notable big players, the team is by no means a pushover. The team defeated South Korea away from home to qualify for the World Cup. The team achieved the feat by share determination, work ethics and ability to absorb pressure.
Another opponent of the Super Eagles is Bosnia-Herzegovina. The team is believed to be rich in deep technical experience in football as a part of the old football tradition of former Yugoslavia. The team has great ability to create and score goals, as shown in its qualifying matches for the World Cup tournament.
Nevertheless, Nigeria is favoured to defeat Iran because it has a better team. It is also expected to overcome the Bosnians because the weather is expected to favour Nigeria which is used to harsh humid conditions of Brazil in summer. Besides, the Super Eagles has the strength and pace that the Bosnians may find too much to handle. The likes of Vincent Enyeama, who emerged as the best goalkeeper in French league this past season, John Mikel Obi, midfield strongman, Osaze Odemwingie, Stoke City FC striker, Emmanuel Emenike, striker of Fenerbahce SK in Turkey and Victor Moses, a Chelsea midfielder on loan at Liverpool FC, are all expected to do well for Nigeria. But how the Super Eagles will fare against Argentina is a big suspect. It is the last group match. The result may depend on the position of the teams by the time they schedule to meet. Argentina has beaten Nigeria in all their three previous meetings at the World Cup level. This may spur either a serious challenge for Nigeria or become a psychological burden. Either way, it is believed Nigeria will go to the second round. Arsene Wenger, manager of Arsenal Football Club in English Premier League, felt that the Super Eagles’ ‘team spirit’ and a lack of big egos which has ensured for a united squad and differentiated them from many African sides of the past. He said he expected Argentina to win the group and Nigeria placed second for the second round. “I think that Nigeria might qualify for the second stage,” Wenger wrote in his Eurosport World Cup preview. “They really made a good impression on me during the African Cup of Nations. They seem to have a really good team spirit, which is not always easy for African teams. They have less star players. They have a real team, and it’s been a while since that happened for them,” Wenger said.
Another African team expected at the second round is Cote D’Ivoire. The Ivorien team is considered the best African team at the moment. The team has a crop of good players with the kind of credentials that every team would like to have. Cote D’Ivoire’s team has in its fold the likes of Yaya Toure, current African footballer of the year, whose presence and performance should influence how far the Elephants will go in the tournament. The Ivoirians, even with age catching up with some of their experienced players, have the quality to come out of its relatively weak group, which has Colombia, Greece and Japan.
After defeating Tunisia in the playoffs and losing just one match to Libya throughout the qualification, Cameroon topped its group to proceed to the World Cup. From the days of Roger Milla, 42, who became the oldest player in the history of the tournament to score a goal, to date, Cameroon has only achieved a quarter-final finish in 1990.
Considered one of the greatest African nations in footballing, its recent form has not been up to the standards of the Milla era. The Lions failed to progress from the group stage 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 stage. 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 Samuel Eto’o are the big names that will be looking to put their experience to work. Other contenders in the group are Croatia, Mexico and Brazil.
Ghana also has tough opponents in Germany, Portugal and the US. Ghana’s first advantage will be psychological – Brazil 2014 is not expected to be a European World Cup even with experienced campaigners like Germany, Spain, Italy and Holland in the mix. Even then, pundits are saying it would be nothing short of a miracle for the Ghanaian team to go to the second round how much more winning the cup. But that is not to say that the Ghanaian team has no skill or hunger to advance but the ambition may be short-lived.
Pundits would want everyone to know that if there is one group where anything is possible, including the possibility of Algeria emerging as the group leader, it is group H. Although Algeria is regarded as a real ‘dark horse’ in the group, that could also turn out to be in its favour. Very little is known about the team and, so, little is also expected of it. Russia looks like the European version of Algeria – little known, little public expectation.
South Korea is not very different. It has a few players playing in secondary European leagues and teams, but no outstanding ones of note. Besides, the Korean performances in qualifying matches were inconsistent. The team struggled to qualify. Nevertheless, the team has consecutively appeared at the last eight World Cup championships.
The only exception in the group is Belgium which is expected to be a major challenger at the tournament. The team was unbeaten throughout its run to Brazil. The squad has young gifted players playing regularly in several top European clubs. It looks like the only one that its advancement to the next stage looks assured.
Jose Mourinho, a Portuguese and coach of Chelsea football club in England, has, in a recent assessment of the teams to the mundial, tipped Italy to win the cup. According to him, the 2006 victors should at least make the final in Rio de Janeiro. The former Inter Milan coach, in an interview, said the Squadra Azzurra, “will either win it or reach the final.” He said: “Italy can go all the way. They have a very, very difficult group, but Italy is Italy. Prandelli’s got some talented players and they have the experience and the savoir faire to deal with such important moments. If they get through the group, from the last-16 on, their preparation can make the difference. They’ve got tradition, faith and a good squad. Yes, I think Italy can do really well,” Mourinho said.
Gary Lineker, former English captain and now radio commentator, is tipping Argentina for the cup. Lineker, who played in two world cup tournaments in 1986 and 1990 and emerged as the highest goal scorer at the 1986 tournament, expects England to reach the quarter-final stage. “Argentina is my personal tip, because i just think they’ve got a lot of great talents including the unbelievable gifted (Lionel) Messi. He is destined to break every record at the moment. People always say he needs to prove himself in the World cup. I am not quite sure that’s necessarily the case, but if he is going to be considered the best ever, then he would probably have to perform brilliantly in a World Cup. He is now reaching his prime and fully confident that he will be brilliant,” Lineker said.
Segun Odegbami, former Nigerian football captain and a columnist, said in a recent interview that winning the World Cup could be a Herculean task for the Super Eagles. But many Nigerians feel differently. “If you go to the streets of Nigeria today and you ask the average Nigerian what he thinks or how far he thinks the Super eagles should go, most of them will tell you that the Super Eagles will win. Where do they get this type of confidence from? I think it is a little bit of arrogance. I think we should be modest in our expectations. Winning the World Cup is not a piece of cake. It is about a large number of high quality players playing together as a team just like we had in 1994. And with a little of luck we can go far. And if you look at the history of the World Cup, only few teams have ever won it. So, it is not easy to just expect that we will win because we are Nigerians. I think it is a little bit… well, that is the distraction when you raise expectation too high. But if we are modest and we give our Super Eagles a modest target, like you can say we know you are good, give us a semi-final ticket. Even if we don’t get there, but give us your very best so that no matter where we get to after the World Cup Nigerians may start to call for the head of the coach. That is what is likely to happen, except Keshi wins the World Cup. I foresee a situation where they will call for his sack, whereas that shouldn’t be; so, our expectations should be modest in line with the quality of players that we have now compared to the rest of the world. Nigerians should be patient, allow Keshi to do his job. We want to see the best of Nigeria and that represents the best team that Keshi could have given us. And I believe he is on course to doing that. I know at least 16 of the players that would be in that team. The core of the players is still in that team. It is the other seven that will come later. What else do we say apart from hoping that they will do well. They should allow Keshi to do his job. They should not raise expectations too high because that is what they appear to be doing.”
Amos Adamu, former FIFA and CAF executive committee member, has tipped Nigeria to get to the quarter finals. Speaking on the crop of players in the team, he said they are good. He also noted that Keshi has proven to be the best indigenous coach around. “Keshi’s brilliance would be showcased at Brazil 2014 and this together with the players’ determination would propel the Eagles to the quarter-finals even when the Eagles are trailing in a game, Keshi sticks to his plans until he gets the desired results and this a good attribute of a great coach,” Adamu said.
Whatever the verdict of football pundits, Nigeria looks good to advance to the next stage. But whether it has the muscles and hunger to win the tournament, is a different ballgame.
