The draw for the 2014
World Cup has been and gone, with England finding themselves placed
in Group D alongside Uruguay, Italy and Costa Rica. Before the draw
many within the media had shared their thoughts on the 'best' and
'worst' case scenarios, the same way they would have four years
prior. Back then we would have been feeling pretty pleased with
ourselves after being drawn a relatively problem free group on paper.
Once again England expected, once again England disappointed. We
scraped through that 'problem free' group, finishing second to the
USA before being torn apart by a young, vibrant German side in the
second round. Expectations should not be as high going into next
years finals, it will be more of a case of 'England Hopes' than
'England expects'. Throw in the fact that no European team has won a
world cup in South America and I would hope that logic will prevail
within the media this time around.
The opening game of the
group sees Roy Hodgson's men take on Italy in the Amazonian city of
Manaus. Not an ideal location to play by any means, but I feel it is
a good thing that we are at least playing a European nation in this
game. Italy too will have to acclimatise to the tremendous heat and
humidity in Manaus, don't expect to see a World Cup classic played
out here. Temperatures are likely to reach around 30 degrees and a
humidity level of around 80%, Hodgson had himself described Manaus as
'the place to avoid'. As you may all have read, this went down an
absolute storm with the local Mayor, Arthur Virgilio, so at least we
will have the locals backing...
Last time the two teams
met in a major tournament, it was Euro 2012, which saw England camp
out in their own half for the majority of the game before their
customary exit via the penalty shoot out. Ball retention against the
bigger nations has always been a problem in recent years, something
which could cause massive problems in Manaus. Remember 'the ball
doesn't sweat', one can imagine the Italians will try to dictate the
game by dominating possession once again. Chasing the game in this
kind of humidity does not sound like a recipe for success and is
something Hodgson will have to think about when picking his starting
XI.
Next up, England find
themselves taking on 2010 semi finalist Uruguay in Sao Paulo on the
19th June. Luckily this is closer to their Rio camp,
meaning a similar climate. Unfortunately, we find ourselves facing a
South American side (already used to this climate) with an
undoubtedly strong yet ageing squad. They do boast two of the worlds
most prolific strikers in Edison Cavani and a certain Luis Suarez (I
think some of you may have heard of him), who England will have to
contain in this second, crucial game if they want to progress.
Uruguay are a team who have played together for some time and will be
the last chance of glory on the international stage for the elder
statesmen in their squad. Uruguay are a team who know how to play
their strengths, often with the defence and midfield playing close
together, then looking to utilise their strike force on the break.
Don't be fooled by the fact Uruguay had to qualify via the play-offs
either, the South American campaign is a long and gruelling one with
some fantastic games occurring in varying climates. They will be a
handful and I'm sure Suarez will be reminding us of just how good he
can be whilst playing for Liverpool in the coming months.
So this leaves Costa
Rica, in what could be a must win game depending on what happens
against Italy and Uruguay. With wanting to be positive and all, lets
not even discuss the possibility of a dead rubber being played out
here! The final penultimate game of the group will be played in Belo
Horizonte on the 24th June, another game not too far from
England’s base in Rio. England played in this city at the last
world cup in Brazil, famously losing to the USA back in 1950. Lets
not dwell on that fact though, Costa Rica are the weakest team in the
group (on paper at least) and many would have already marked this
down as a win, with the first two games shaping England's chances.
Many people won't know a great deal about Costa Rica bar the name
Paulo Wanchope and I can clarify today that there is a no chance of
him making the squad this time around. In all seriousness, they are
not a team that should be taken for granted, just look what happened
when we played Algeria at the last World Cup. Yes, it is a game we
should win but they will no doubt be fired up for causing an upset as
massive underdogs in Group D. Just ask how easy the Scottish found
their game against them at Italia 90, not that Scotland find any game
easy these days (sorry, couldn't resist!). Los Ticos finished second
behind USA in the final qualifying stage of the CONCACAF section,
with outstanding performances from Fulham play maker Bryan Ruiz and
Arsenal's Joel Campbell assisting them in the process. They will be
somewhat of an unknown quantity to England and will certainly be more
accustomed to the sort of climate the players will be facing.
Overall, this is going to
be a tough group without question, based on ranking it is actually
the second toughest group behind Group G. But as they say, 'if you
want to be the best, you have to beat the best'...and Costa Rica.
The most important thing for England is ensuring that they give
themselves a chance going into that final game. We are massive
underdogs to win (rightly so), so why not use this as a basis for
getting a positive atmosphere within the England camp and the
country. Everybody loves an underdog remember? We breed this very
mentality more than anyone in the world within our domestic leagues.
Just look at the FA cup, more specifically that famous 3rd
round of fixtures where on the day, anybody can beat anybody. This
would be a breath of fresh air from the standard 'build them up, then
knock them down' approach we have seen in previous world cups. Its
not going to be easy, I just hope that for a change we don't hear the
usual hype that goes hand in hand with England entering a World Cup.
Let's take it one game at a time and see what happens from there, get
yourself out of that group and you should be fearless and brimming
with confidence. Roy Hodgson will not just have to manage the squad,
he will also have to manage expectations within the media, not
something an England coach is historically given the chance to do.
This maybe considered a 'group of death' but what we as fans will get
to see, is three exciting games that really could go in any
direction. This is why we watch football.
