e-Football World Cup Preview - Groups E & F

Article by e-Sports Correspondent Jonathan Vine

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Group E

Ecuador Qualified – 4th in South American Qualifying Group.

It was a bit of a mixed bag for Ecuador during qualification. Visiting teams always struggle to cope with the altitude when playing Ecuador at home, which resulted in them winning seven out of their eight home matches, the only blemish being a 1-1 draw with Argentina. Their away form on the other hand, was completely different, managing only three draws and five defeats. This was still enough to ensure they finished above Uruguay, securing the final automatic qualification spot to Brazil.

Their pre-tournament form hasn’t been the best either, with their only win in their last five games being a 4-3 thriller over Australia. But draws against Argentina, Holland and England show that the Ecuadorians cannot be underestimated. Having the World Cup on South American soil and the fact that they could have been drawn into a much harder group, means there will be real hope in Ecuador that their team could get out of the group, but only if their top players turn up when they need them most.

Captain Antonio Valencia had a consistent but unspectacular time at Manchester United last season. Whether employed as a winger or a more central attacker for his country, his sheer physical presence will make him a key player for Ecuador, as will his technical skill, passion and leadership qualities. He will be hoping to provide a few chances for their powerhouse of a forward, Felipe Caicedo. The tragic death of star striker Cristian “Chucho” Benitez rocked the team to its core, not just because he was much loved by the fans and his fellow players, but he was their top scorer during qualifying. Former Manchester City striker Caicedo, who has had a pretty unsuccessful club career in Europe, was then entrusted to lead the Ecuadorian front line and he went on to score three goals in their final six group games, with his strength and finishing ability causing problems for some of South America’s top defenders.

Winger Jefferson Montero played a big role in Ecuador’s route to Brazil. He made 13 appearances scoring three goals, with his direct running style and dribbling ability continuously tied the opposing fullbacks in knots. If they can stay solid in defence, this front three could cause any defence some real headaches, maybe even pushing France and Switzerland all the way, in the race to get out of Group E.

Top Bet – To finish the group with 3 points, 4/1 w. Ladbrokes.

France Qualified – 2nd in Group F behind Spain. (3-2 agg. Play-off win over Ukraine)

The build up to any major tournament just wouldn’t be the same without some kind of French controversy. This time round is no different, with two of their star players involved in underage sex scandals, before both Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy, who were regularly involved in Manchester City’s title winning campaign last season, were completely left out of Didier Deschamps squad.

Their route through qualification was a bit more difficult than they would have liked. Being drawn into the same group as Spain didn’t help, but they easily secured second place to book their spot in the play-off. After losing the first leg 2-0 in the Ukraine, Deschamps must have felt the weight of the guillotine hovering above his head, but they turned on the style when they needed it most, winning the home leg 3-0 to secure their plane in Brazil.

Confidence in the French camp would have been very high after they saw the relatively kind group they were drawn into. Their form in the build up friendlies has been very good too, winning two out of their three games, but the news that Franck Ribery has been ruled out of the tournament, after failing to shake off the back injury that hampered the last month of his domestic season, will have hit the squad pretty hard. They are not just a one man team though, and have a number of young players who will be looking to use this tournament to build on their already growing reputations.

Loic Remy had a successful spell at Newcastle last season. Whether it was playing as a lone striker or coming in off the left, his pace and trickery made him a nightmare to defend against, and when he gets in front of goal you wouldn’t bet against him finding the back of the net. It was very noticeable how much worse Newcastle were when he was unable to play, and after declaring his desire to move to Arsenal in this transfer window, I expect him to be on top form in Brazil.

Raphael Varane has long been touted as the best young centre back in the world, but he been mostly consigned to the bench since Carlo Ancelotti took over at Real Madrid. He may still be young, but his composure and intelligence is already superb, his pace is frightening and his timing in the tackle is usually spot on. Jose Mourinho thought very highly of him, so much so that he is trying to bring him to Stamford Bridge this summer, if he can, he will be a magnificent addition to the Premier League.

However, whenever the French play in this tournament, everyone’s eyes will be drawn to Paul Pogba. He may have a weird and wonderful array of hairstyles, but since leaving Manchester United to join Juventus, the young Frenchman as really flourished. His energy and physical presence in midfield was integral to Juve’s title bid, his passing a dribbling is top class and some of the goals he has scored are truly outrageous. If this young French team can play together like we know they can, then I don’t see why they can’t enjoy a good run in this year’s competition.

Top Bet – Minimum Progress, Quarter Finals, 21/20 w. Ladbrokes.

Honduras Qualified – 3rd in North, Central and Caribbean Group behind USA and Costa Rica.

This will be the second World Cup in succession for Honduras, after winning their initial group pretty comfortably, they secured the final automatic place in the North, Central and Caribbean section, finishing ahead of Mexico in the process.

Four years ago in South Africa, they were knocked out of the group stage without winning a game or scoring a goal. This time around they are in a slightly easier group, which again features Switzerland, the team Honduras took a point off in South Africa.

Even though they will feel this group will be a much more manageable task than last time, I don’t have much confidence that this Honduran team will be pulling up many trees.

I could be wrong in saying this, their home games during qualifying were played in sweltering conditions, which will stand them in good stead for Brazil, especially having won three and drawing two of their five matches on home turf. They also have a few talented players many of you will recognise from British football.

Maynor Figueroa has been a main stay of Premier League football for the past four years. The strength and defensive solidity he displayed during Wigan’s spell in the top flight encouraged former boss, Steve Bruce to sign him up to his newly promoted Hull side. Although he was usually a first team regular, Figueroa was left out of their FA Cup final team. This would definitely have hurt him and he will be eager to show how important he can be for his country.

Celtic left back Emilio Izaguirre is also an important player for the Hondurans. Their narrow, defensive 4-4-2 formation allows the fullback to push forward and support attack. Izaguirre has shown his love of attacking for Celtic, but he is also very consistent defensively and never shy’s away from a good tackle.

Jerry Bengtson was a prolific goal scorer in his early twenties whilst still playing in his home country. MLS side New England Revolution took a gamble when they made him one of their designated players in 2012, but four goals in 34 appearances show the gamble hasn’t really paid off. However, for his national side he has a much better goal scoring ratio and was their top scorer during qualifying with nine goals.

This team are strong, aggressive in the tackle and very hard to break down. But I can’t see them having much success against the other teams in their group.

Top Bet – No Honduras Goalscorer, 11/2 w. SkyBet

Switzerland Qualified – 1st in Group D.

It may surprise some of you to know that Switzerland come into this World Cup ranked as the fourth best team in Europe and sixth best in the entire world. This rise up the world rankings has been meteoric and has largely happened well under the radar.

Despite the fact they were gifted the easiest qualifying group, they ended the campaign unbeaten. In fact, they have only lost one game, a friendly against South Korea in November of last year, since starting the qualifying process for Brazil, 18 games ago.

Ottmar Hitzfeld has created a superb international outfit. They may not be the best defensively, but their central midfield is solid, they are very strong on the flanks and have a range of strikers who are more than capable of finding the back of the net.

Xherdan Shaqiri has had a frustrating first few season’s at Bayern Munich. He’s found it very difficult to break into their team, managing just 43 appearances since his arrival in 2012, which has led to rumours of a transfer to the Premier League. This does mean he will be feeling relatively fresh coming into this tournament. He may only be 5ft 6, but he is a little bomb of energy, speed and trickery, capable of going off at any moment. His dribbling and crossing is really top class and he has a knack of scoring spectacular goals.

Another Swiss star being linked with a Premier League move was Josip Drmic. He was reportedly a target for Arsenal during the back end of last season, but completed a move to Bayer Leverkusen at the beginning of May. The young striker has only broke into the national team since they qualified, but superb performance’s in friendlies and 17 goals in the Bundesliga with Nurnberg has helped him force his way into the Swiss World Cup squad. He may not start in this tournament, but watch out for him coming off the bench and causing havoc.

Juventus right wing back Stephan Lichtsteiner and Wolfsburg left back Ricardo Rodriguez will provide the Swiss team with two superb outlets. Both were in good form for their clubs at domestic level last season and have established themselves as their nations’ best two full backs. Whilst they are both very solid defensively, they also have a real flair for getting forward, Lichtsteiner scored two goals during qualification, whilst Rodriguez provided Wolfsburg with five goals and nine assists from his left back position last season.

Whilst Hitzfeld plays around with both two and three man midfields, these two fullback will be integral to any success the team having going further into the competition. I fully expect them to get out of the group, but if they finish behind France, then they will surely be playing Argentina in the last 16. It will be a very good clash to watch, but I wouldn’t expect them to come out of that match as winners.

Top Bet – Stage of Elimination, 2nd Round, 9/5 w. SkyBet

Group F

Argentina Qualified – 1st in South American Qualifying Group.

Without fellow South American giants, Brazil to cope with in qualifying, Argentina were expected to make pretty easy work of it. Although they only lost twice in 16 games, their place at the top of the group was never guaranteed. Colombia and Chile pushed them all the way, but in the end it was Alejandro Sabella’s team came out on top.

Since qualifying, Argentina’s form has improved, winning five of the seven friendlies they have played in the last year, conceding only one goal in the process, which came in a 2-1 victory over Italy in Rome. During this time they have experimented with a range of different formations, seeing which give their back line the most protection, whilst getting the most out of the incredible array of attacking options Sabella has at his disposal. This attacking depth is so great, Carlos Tevez couldn’t get into the squad, even after guiding Juventus to the Serie A title, scoring 19 goals in the process.

This strength in depth will come in handy as the World Cup goes on, especially with Argentina being drawn into such an easy group, and the tournament being held on familiar South American soil, they will probably be able to rest key players along the way, keeping them fresh for bigger, more important games.

We all know the likes of Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero will be instrumental in their bid to lift the trophy on July 13th, but star players don’t win you tournaments on their own, you need a strong team ethic as well as good players in key positions, and the Argentinean’s have both of those in abundance.

Javier Mascherano will come into this tournament off the back of a disappointing season with Barcelona. However, he will probably win his 100th cap during the tournament, and having just signed a new contract to stay at the Nou Camp until 2018, he will be in a more determined frame of mind than ever.

Whether he is deployed at the base of a midfield diamond, or in the centre of a back three, Mascherano’s experience, energy and tenacity will be crucial to however the Argentine’s operate. Napoli centre back Federico Fernandez has pushed his way into the Argentine starting line-up during the qualifying campaign. His partnership with Ezequiel Garay was so strong, veteran centre back Martin Demichelis will be lucky if he see’s any game time at all this tournament. Both are tall, strong centre backs. Garay is more physical in his approach, whereas Fernandez is more technique based and very comfortable with the ball at his feet, combine the two and you have a pretty formidable partnership.

Argentina’s star for this tournament could turn out to be Angel Di Maria. The Real Madrid midfielder was used as a more central, creative midfielder by Carlo Ancelott, and performed constantly well, keeping Isco out of the side for the majority of the season. In the Champions League final, he put in a Man of The Match display in a more familiar role as a left winger. His pace and dribbling ability cut Juan Fran to shreds and his final ball created many chances for the Real Madrid forwards, he was nothing short of superb. I have no doubt that he, and his teammates can carry this form into Brazil. If the likes of Messi and Aguero can stay fit, they will be very difficult to beat. For me, they are the favourites to lift the famous trophy for a third time.

Top Bet – Argentina To Win The World Cup, 9/2 w. William Hill.

Bosnia & Herzegovina Qualified – 1st in Group G.

After dropping just four points during qualification, scoring 30 goals in that time too, Bosnia secured top spot in their group, finishing above Greece on goal difference, meaning they qualified for their first ever World Cup tournament.

Sefat Susic’s side won plaudits from experts around Europe for their positive tactics and attacking flair, playing with two up front whenever possible and allowing his attacking midfield free reign to roam around the pitch and create chances.

Since losing their first two build up friendlies, they have gone on to record wins over Mexico and the Ivory Coast, plus the fact the beside’s their opening game against Argentina, the other two teams in their group are extremely beatable, the Bosnian’s will be going into Brazil feeling very positive of having a good run in the competition and they have the players who will cause any team, even Argentina, a few problems.

Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic will need to have a big tournament if Bosnia are to have a good tournament. He has shown for years that he is one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier Leaguec and has been continuously linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs. If he can produce the same consistency he has shown week in, week out at club level, then maybe one of the European giants will finally put an offer in for this top class goalkeeper.

Miralem Pjanic was an integral figure for AS Roma, as they finished 2nd in Serie A and secured Champions League football for next season. Since joining for Lyon in 2011, his play making abilities have made him one of the most sought after young midfielders in Europe. Whether playing out wide or through the middle, his flair and creative ability light up the pitch every time he walks onto it, he has the passing and finishing ability to match, and at the young age of 24, he’s only going to get better.

Man City striker Edin Dzeko was Bosnia’s top scorer in Qualifying and is his country’s highest ever goal scorer, with 35 goals in 62 appearances. The big Bosnian forced his way into the City side towards the back end of last season. Some commanding displays of power and strength, combined with his superb technical ability and calmness in front of goal made him City’s number one striker, leaving Alvaro Negredo to warm the bench.

With all this creative talent in the team, Dzeko is bound to get a lot of chances in Brazil, and I wouldn’t put it past him to take most of those chances, giving Bosnia a great chance of getting out of the group, and maybe going a little further.

Top Bet – Edin Dzeko to be the Top Tournament Goalscorer, Each way bet at 66/1 w. Coral.

Iran Qualified - 1st in Group A of Asia Qualifying.

After failing to qualify for the last World Cup in South Africa, the Iranian team were desperate to make it to Brazil this time round. This desire showed on the pitch, as they came first in both the initial and secondary group stages of Asian qualifying, losing only two games in the process.

Ex-Portugal and Real Madrid manager Carlos Queiroz has been in charge of the Iran side since 2011, his managerial experience will be vital as he looks at the possibility of getting Iran past the group stage, a feat they have never managed in their three previous World Cup campaigns.

Three straight draws in their opening pre tournament friendlies, was followed by a 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago, stretching their unbeaten run to seven games. This will stand them in good stead ahead of their opening game against Nigeria, as will the form of some of their top players.

Reza Ghoochannnejhad, or Reza for short, has scored ten goals in 14 games since making his international debut in 2012. He recently made the switch to English football in the January transfer window, securing a move to Charlton Athletic, helping the team steer clear from the Championship relegation zone. Whether he is played as a central striker, or coming in off the flanks, his direct dribbling and pace will worry the opposition defence, and he has shown during his short international career, that he knows exactly how to find the back of the net.

Captain Javed Nekounam has been part of the Iranian engine room for well over a decade now, notching up 140 caps for his country. At the age of 33, this is likely to be his last tournament, but his vision and flair will be as important as ever to the rest of the team. His expertise at set piece’s contributed to him being Iran’s top scorer during qualifying and will give goalkeeper’s something to worry about in Brazil.

Askhan Dejagah was on the outskirts of the Fulham team for the first half of last season. However, when Felix Magath took over, he threw Dejagah straight into the first team and despite the team eventually being relegated, he really caught the eye. His pace and power turned full backs inside out, his work rate and stamina was very good and he also scored some pretty special goals, cutting inside off the left wing to fully utilise his thunderous shooting power.

Iran will be plucky and courageous, but ultimately there are two teams in their group who are considerably better than they are, so getting a result against Nigeria may be the best they can hope for, but even that might will be a very tough task.

Top Bet – To Finish the Group with 0 points, 14/5 w. Stan James

Nigeria Qualified – 1st in Group F of African qualifying. (4-1 Play-off Win over Senegal)

The reigning African Cup of Nations champions come into Brazil on the back of a successful qualifying campaign. They made a bit of a meal of a relatively easy group, even though they finished it unbeaten, before easily taking care of a decent Ethiopian team in their play-off.

Stephen Keshi has been picking very youthful sides since he took over his beloved Nigeria in 2011, and the squad he has selected for the World Cup is no different, combining young stars with experienced pro’s who have played at the top of European football. This mix has brought success on a continental level, and Keshi will be hoping they can recreate this on the biggest stage of them all.

Since beating Ethiopia, they have failed to win any of their warm up games, but good draws against Italy, Mexico and Scotland will have done a lot towards creating positive team morale. Keshi will hope his best player’s can build upon this with some good performances in Brazil.

Vincent Enyeama has been a giant figure in the Nigerian goal for over a decade now, and at 33 he could still has another tournament left in him after this one. Earlier this season for Lille, he kept 11 consecutive clean sheets, narrowly missing out on the clean sheet record that has stood in Ligue 1 since 1993. He isn’t the tallest of goalkeepers, but his sheer athleticism more than makes up for that. His catching and shot stopping is as good as it ever was and he will be hoping to have another outstanding tournament.

Since moving to Chelsea in 2012, Victor Moses has faded into the background in English football. His performance’s at Wigan earned him a move to Stamford Bridge, but he has never been able to reproduce that for in the blue of Chelsea. A loan move to Liverpool didn’t work out either, where he barely featured during the title challenge in the second half of the season. But his talent is unquestionable. His power and drive has the ability to put defenders on the back foot, his crossing is usually good, as is his finishing when he gets into the right position. Moses could see this tournament as a chance to put himself in the shop window, to show perspective suitors what he can do to, as next season he will be desperate for first team football.

Ogenyi Onazi has only broken into the Lazio first team over the past two seasons, but he has already made himself a crucial part of their team. He may be small in stature, but he is as strong as an ox. His drive, power and stamina make him the perfect box-to-box midfielder, he is precise in the tackle and has shown on numerous occasions that he can find the back of the net when he needs to. He has been linked with a move to Liverpool during this transfer window and if he puts in some eye catching performances, he may seal himself a move to a big European team.

Even though Nigeria have some good quality players, I can’t see them troubling the top two teams in this group. They will need to beat Iran in their opening game, then take a point in either of their other two games if they have any hope of getting out of the group.

Top Bet – To Finish the Group with Under 3.5 Points, 4/5 w. William Hill.

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