Welcome to the Jungle

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 19^th 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 24^th 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 3^rd 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.