Hey guys. I hope you’re as excited about this tournament as we are! Don’t forget to check out our breakdowns of Groups A, B, C, D and E! Argentina’s group is up next – Group F!
The Teams:
Argentina, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Iran and Nigeria.
The Fixtures:
Argentina vs Bosnia & Herzegovina – 15/6/2014 11PM (BST), Iran vs Nigeria – 16/6/2014 8PM, Argentina vs Iran – 21/6/2014 5PM, Nigeria vs Bosnia & Herzegovina – 21/6/2014 11PM, Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Iran – 25/6/2014 5PM, Nigeria vs Argentina – 25/6/2014 5PM
Argentina:
Strengths:
This tournament is full of pretty devastating attacking forces, but Argentina’s stacks up against any of them without question. Even without Carlos Tevez, who evidently hasn’t mended bridges with Alejandro Sabella, an attacking quartet of Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Lavezzi and some fella called Lionel Messi is enough to give any defence a serious headache.
Weaknesses:
This defence is one of the better groups that Argentina has had in recent times but if injuries permit that they have to call on Martin Demichelis at some point, his shaky form plus the lack of genuine quality between the sticks could catch them out at times.
Key Player:
Lionel Messi. Four time Ballon d’Or winner, national captain, one of the top few players to ever play the game – I have a feeling he could be quite crucial.
Where will they finish in the group?:
Of the favourites, the Argentinians have the easiest group. Expect them to qualify easily before mounting a serious challenge to win the tournament.
Bosnia & Herzegovina:
Strengths:
The spine of the team is pretty good; Begovic is a monster between the sticks whereas Pjanic has really developed into a top class midfielder in the last few years. Dzeko’s prowess for Manchester City, scoring 26 goals as Pellegrini’s third choice striker this season, should bode well for Bosnia’s attacking prospects
Weaknesses:
There’s not much depth anywhere else in the squad to compliment the aforementioned players; it might not harm them in a relatively weak group but should they progress it’s going to cause them problems for sure.
Key Player:
Edin Dzeko. He’s going to have it tough – being one of Bosnia’s only real threats he’ll most definitely be targeted by opposition defences – but his brilliant form for City this season and Bosnia in qualifying should serve as encouragement that Dzeko can do the business when it comes down to it.
Where will the finish in the group?:
It’ll be a close fight with Nigeria for second in my opinion but the core players that Bosnia have should be just enough to see them through to the next round; France or Switzerland will probably have too much for them then though.
Iran:
Strengths:
Carlos Queiroz knows his way around a football pitch. Having been very successful as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United and having a brief stint at the helms of Real Madrid and Portugal, Queiroz will have to use all of his experience to get Iran through this group in one piece.
Weaknesses:
Having a good coach is one thing, having the players is another entirely. Queiroz is going to have to put in a performance of Sir Alex’s ilk to compensate for the lack of quality lining the majority of this squad.
Key Player:
Ashkan Dejagah has been one of the few bright sparks of Fulham’s dismal Premier League campaign this year and being one of the few players in the squad with any top European experience, expect Iran to be heavily reliant on him.
Where will they finish in the group?:
They’re the underdogs in this group for sure. Don’t expect them to qualify but they could play a big part in deciding who grabs second place.
Nigeria:
Strengths:
A good group of forwards complimented by Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel in midfield as well as Celtic’s and Fenerbache’s Efe Ambrose and Joseph Yobo at the back means that Nigeria should be a pretty solid all-round unit. With Moses and Odemwingie stretching opposition defences with their pace out on the wings, they should be pretty decent on the break too.
Weaknesses:
They don’t have much depth at all and are likely to depend on one or two sources over and over again for goals. Against the calibre of opposition (not including Argentina) that they’re going to face in this group it probably won’t hurt them too much but should they advance, they’ll need to find a way around it.
Key Player:
Emmanuel Emenike didn’t feature at the dress rehearsal in Brazil this time last year and they’ll appreciate his contribution this time around. Fans may point out that in the Confederations cup they scored seven goals in three games without him but six of those did come against Tahiti. Ameobi, Moses and Odemwingie are capable of contributing but Emenike’s power and pace would make this attacking force a completely different animal; he has more goals this season than the other three combined so having him on form is a must.
Where will the finish in the group?:
A tussle for second with Bosnia is on the cards but I fear they may just lose out. Bosnia’s squad is much thinner but what quality they do possess is much more experienced and arguably better than what is in Nigeria’s arsenal.