Hello lovely readers! Welcome to the second instalment of Fortitude’s World Cup group-by-group breakdown.
To get yourselves up to speed with what this is all about check out our first instalment of this feature here then read on to find out what’s what in the current holders’ group – Group B.
The Teams:
Spain, Holland, Chile and Australia.
The Fixtures:
Spain vs Holland – 13/6/2014 8PM (BST), Chile vs Australia – 13/6/2014 11PM, Australia vs Holland – 18/6/2014 5PM, Spain vs Chile – 18/6/2014 8PM, Australia vs Spain – 23/6/2014 5PM, Holland vs Chile – 23/6/2014 5PM
Spain:
Strengths:
What more can be said about this squad of talent than has already been said? Arguably the best international squad ever assembled; if not the best then definitely up there with the 1970 Brazil side – aside from the fact that they have nothing really left to prove to anyone else, expect their spectacular strength in depth to carry them to some extreme heights in this tournament.
Weaknesses:
The centre-backs. Pique and Ramos have been far from the most consistent this year, although the latter has finished the season very strongly for Madrid. Javi Martinez filled in rather well back in February at the centre of defence against Italy so perhaps he could help alleviate the problem.
Key Player:
Diego Costa. Torres and Villa have been more or less running the Spanish frontline for years now and the time for a replacement has come. Costa has had a stunning season and is the ideal man to come in and lead the line for Del Bosque’s side; he looked a tad out of sorts on his debut but bearing in mind he’d had more or less no time to familiarise himself with his teammates, expect to see a different animal come June. His latest injury problems might hinder him in the group stages as he isn’t expected to be fit until a few days before Spain kick off therefore he might not be completely match fit. Should he make the starting line-up in Brazil, he should be tearing teams apart by the knockout rounds.
Where will they finish in the group?:
Despite being in one of the tougher groups of the tournament, Spain should have too much for the opposition that accompanies them and top this group.
Holland:
Strengths:
Offensively they are very strong indeed – the likes of Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie, coached by one of the maestros of attacking football in Louis Van Gaal is a very dangerous proposition for any opposition.
Weaknesses:
Who is going to line up at the back is anyone’s guess – there’s no outstanding defenders amongst their ranks and when going up against the likes of Iniesta or Alexis Sanchez you’d perhaps like a bit more quality making itself known. There’s no issues between the sticks with the likes of Tim Krul and Michel Vorm to choose from but expect the keepers to have a busy group stage thanks to the lack of quality help they might have in front of them.
Key Player:
Robben and Van Persie. Neither could have had more different seasons success-wise if they’d tried; Robben contributed actively to the quickest Bundesliga winning campaign in history whereas RVP, when fit, did his utmost to keep Manchester United from fading even further into obscurity than they eventually managed to; both will be key to Holland’s success in Brazil.
Where will they finish in the group?:
The fact that they’re lacking so much depth defensively will put a lot of pressure on Holland’s offence; if that is tamed by Chile or Spain then Holland will be out – if not, they should just scrape a second placed finish.
Chile:
Strengths:
Being in the same group as Spain and Holland means there’s little expectation on them to qualify and that may be their biggest strength; look at what they did to England back in November when there was no pressure on them and with guys like Vidal, Sanchez, Medel and Vargas pressing the opposition to near death, there’s a lot to suggest they can do well in this group.
Weaknesses:
Vidal and Medel aren’t exactly known for their ability to keep their cool and with those two being key to the squad’s hopes, temperament is going to be a deciding factor for sure.
Key Player:
Whilst Sanchez was the one who picked England apart a few months ago, Arturo Vidal is going to be key to Chile’s chances in this group you’d feel. If he keeps his cool and replicates his club form, Chile will go far, if he doesn’t they probably won’t.
Where will they finish in the group?:
With the quality they’ve got across the pitch and the style of play they have, seeing them take second place in the group shouldn’t be out of the question – if they get it together who knows how well they could do.
Australia:
Strengths:
Youthful exuberance is certainly on their side. Tom Rogic and Tommy Oar are great young attacking options and could compliment the older heads of Marco Bresciano and Tim Cahill rather well.
Weaknesses:
Robbie Kruse is out injured and that’s a real blow for the Australians as he plays a key role in bringing more width to the side and aiming plenty of crosses Tim Cahill’s way. A lack of defensive solidity will probably cost them dearly too in what is a group consisting of some of the best attacking sides in the tournament.
Key Player:
Who else than Australia’s all-time top goal-scorer, Tim Cahill – not leaving him too isolated will be key to Ande Postecoglou’s plans for Australia in Brazil.
Where will they finish in the group?:
With such little promise at the back going against the likes of Spain, Holland and Chile spells out only one thing for me – a fourth placed finish seems pretty likely.