World Cup Draw: Group-by-Group Analysis

The 2018 World Cup draw took place Friday at the Kremlin, which seemed as good a place as any to unveil valuable information of vital global interest.
 
The draw is done and the field is set.
Group A: Russia, Uruguay, Egypt, Saudi Arabia
Group B: Portugal, Spain, Iran, Morocco
Group C: France, Peru, Denmark, Australia
Group D: Argentina, Croatia, Iceland, Nigeria
Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia
Group F: Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea
Group G: Belgium, England, Tunisia, Panama
Group H: Poland, Colombia, Senegal, Japan
■ Russia, England and France got favorable draws. Portugal will play its neighbor Spain in Group B, and Argentina drew one of the tougher first-round groups, as it was paired with Croatia, Iceland and Nigeria. Mexico, the Concacaf champion, will play Germany, Sweden and South Korea in Group F.
 Group A analysis: balance, and two bad teams.
Teams: Russia, Uruguay, Egypt, Saudi Arabia
From Rory Smith in Moscow: The opening game of the World Cup will be Russia against Saudi Arabia: or, to put it another way, the two worst teams in the tournament, according to the FIFA rankings. The group is quite nicely balanced, though: Uruguay will expect to make the last 16, but both Russia and Egypt will have hopes of joining them.
 Group B analysis: two favorites, and no guarantees.
Teams: Portugal, Spain, Iran, Morocco
From Rory Smith: Not as bad as it might have been for Portugal and Spain. Both will expect to make it through — though Morocco is not to be underestimated — in a group that also includes Iran. Finishing on top here might prove crucial as the tournament’s knockout round takes shape.
 Group C analysis: dream group for France.
Teams: France, Peru, Denmark, Australia
From Rory Smith: If France had imagined an ideal group, it would have been this. Peru was among the weakest of the second seeds, Australia does not have a coach, and Denmark should not trouble them too much. Second place could be intriguing, though.

Group D analysis: the most interesting group, for sure.

Teams: Argentina, Croatia, Iceland, Nigeria
From Rory Smith: Probably the most delicately balanced, most interesting, and most competitive of all the groups. Argentina only just qualified, Croatia has an abundance of individual talent, Iceland a tremendous collective strength and Nigeria was, possibly, the toughest fourth seed to draw. Argentina will not be happy at all.
 Group E analysis: a battle for second?
Teams: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia
From Rory Smith: Brazil will not be nearly as happy as France, however. Serbia, Switzerland and Costa Rica is a relatively kind section for Tite’s team. The battle to join them in the last 16 will be absolutely fascinating, however: there is not much between those three teams. And there may not be many goals between them, either.

Group F analysis: the champions should be happy.

Teams: Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea
From Rory Smith: Like France and Brazil, Germany has nothing to complain about: Sweden is hard-working but limited, and neither South Korea nor Mexico have the quality to derail the reigning champion.
 Group G analysis: Two favorites and two sleepers.
Teams: Belgium, England, Tunisia, Panama
From Rory Smith: It should be a straight shootout between England and Belgium to see who claims the top spot and, with it, a theoretically easier second-round fate. The main advantage Panama and Tunisia have is that both will, to some extent, be unknown quantities.

Group H analysis: the most open group of all?

Teams: Poland, Colombia, Senegal, Japan
From Rory Smith: Along with Group A, Group H seems the most evenly spread. Poland was among the weakest top seeds, and Colombia will harbor ambitions of finishing first. Japan and Senegal, though, will both see the Round of 16 as a real possibility now.
 Germany and Brazil installed as the early betting favorites.
No United States, so no World Cup for you? Not so fast there — you can make your viewing experience more vital with a bet on who’s going to win it all. The rest of the world can’t wait to hustle to the betting windows on the beautiful game’s premier showcase.
Germany and Brazil are the current 5-1 co-favorites, according to the British bookmaker Paddy Power, which also rates France (6-1), Spain (13-2) and Argentina (8-1) as serious contenders. The home team, Russia, is 33-1.
Iceland was given a 100-1 chance immediately after the draw, while Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Panama were the longest shots on the board at 500-1.
Looking for a live longshot? How about our neighbor to the South: Mexico is 100-1.
 Serbia completes Group E, with Brazil.
Morocco in with Portugal and Spain in Group B.
Australia goes in Group C with France, Peru and Denmark. France is thrilled, surely, and everyone else thinks they have a shot, too.
Nigeria in Group D with Argentina, Iceland and Croatia.
Panama (this could have been you, USMNT) goes into Group G, with Belgium, Tunisia and England. Not a terrible draw for their debut. Good draw for England, too.
Korea (in F) and Japan (in H) complete the field.
Let the second-guessing, predictions and analysis commence!

The final pot as it was drawn.

Saudi Arabia (wow) goes in Russia’s group, which already looks to be the easiest.
 The field after three pots were emptied.
Group A: Russia, Uruguay, Egypt
Group B: Portugal, Spain, Iran
Group C: France, Peru, Denmark
Group D: Argentina, Croatia, Iceland
 Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica
Group F: Germany, Mexico, Sweden
Group G: Belgium, England, Tunisia
Group H: Poland, Colombia, Senegal
Analysis from Rory Smith: Before the draw, Pot 3 looked slightly and counterintuitively less dangerous than Pot 4; that holds true. Argentina and Croatia will have been disappointed to have drawn Iceland, and Poland, Senegal and Colombia should be fascinating to watch. But most of the top seeds will have been pleased with what they will face: Spain and Portugal, who have Iran, in particular.
 On to Pot 3 now.
Egypt goes in with Russia and Uruguay in Group A.
Denmark is drawn next, but can’t go in Group B, so it’s place in C instead, with France. Ugh.
Iran fills the Group B spot.
Iceland is next out, in Group D with Argentina and Croatia. Harsh draw.
Costa Rica gets Brazil in Group E. That could have been you, America.
Sweden into Group F.
Tunisia with England, then Senegal.
A glance at the groups after two pots.
Group A: Russia, Uruguay
Group B: Portugal, Spain
Group C: France, Peru
Group D: Argentina, Croatia
 Group E: Brazil, Switzerland
Group F: Germany, Mexico
Group G: Belgium, England
Group H: Poland, Colombia
Analysis from Rory Smith in Moscow: By far the biggest reaction inside the hall was seeing Portugal grouped with Spain, and with good reason. The Portuguese, it’s fair to say, have drawn the short straw among the top seeds.
Most of the others will be relatively happy: Brazil, Germany and France, the other major contenders, have avoided the worst of the traps. Belgium and England makes for a finely poised group. And Uruguay will be absolutely delighted to have drawn Russia.
 On to Pot 2 now.
Uruguay is the first team out, and they get dropped in with Russia in Group A. (From Rory: So Russia get Uruguay from Pot 2. Or, more accurately, U
Spain is next, and will play its neighbor Portugal in the first game in Group B.
Peru goes in Group C with France. Didier Deschamps is probably fine with that.
Croatia in with Argentina in Group D. That’s an unlucky draw for Messi and Co., made worse by Lineker cracking about Maradona being good with his hands as he pulls the team out. Ouch.
Switzerland into Group E with Brazil. Gulp.
Mexico thrown in with the Germans in Group F.
England in Group G with Belgium, and Colombia in H with Poland.
Here’s the field so far.
Group A: Russia
Group B: Portugal
Group C: France
Group D: Argentina
Group E: Brazil
Group F: Germany
Group G: Belgium
Group H: Poland
Pot 1 goes first.
Russia, as planned, is the first team out. It goes in Group A.
Portugal is next. The European champion goes in Group B.
France in Group C.
Argentina in Group D.
Brazil in Group E.
Germany, the World Cup and Confederations Cup champion, in Group F.
Belgium is in Group G.
Poland in Group H
 The hosts are on stage. Here we go.
Gary Lineker reads out the teams and explains the rules, extending the interminable wait a little longer.
Remember, Russia will be placed first, as team A1, and play in the opening game.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UN threatens sanctions over faltering peace deal in Mali

The UN Security Council on Wednesday gave parties to a peace deal in Mali until the end of March to show progress or face sanctions for obstructing the 2015 agreement. The council unanimously adopted a French-drafted statement that “expressed a shared sense of impatience regarding the persistent delays” in making the agreement a reality on the ground. Council members “expressed their intention to follow the situation closely and to respond with appropriate steps should the parties not implement the commitments” by the end of March, the statement warned. Islamic extremists linked to Al-Qaeda took control of the desert north of Mali in early 2012, but were largely driven out in a French-led military operation launched in January 2013. Mali’s government signed a peace agreement with coalitions of armed groups in June 2015 to end the fighting, but insurgents remain active, including in central Mali. Last week, the government and two other armed groups, the Plateforme and Coordin...
1 2 3 4

New Porsche 911 Turbo spied – next-generation of the all-weather supercar incoming

Image
Porsche’s next generation 911 Turbo spied with tell-tale side intakes and wide body. Should go on sale late in 2019 Prototypes of the next generation   Porsche 911   have been spotted multiple times already, but images have just surfaced of a development car sporting some telling details that suggest it might wear the famous   Turbo   badge. Some chunky wheelarch extensions and side-mounted intakes are visible in the spy pictures, signs leading to the assumption that - like the current 991 generation Turbo - the new car will feature a wider body than other 911s.   Judging by these images, the next 911 will probably do without any shocking changes to its aesthetic, rather the new car will focus on modernising the 911’s detailing without straying too far from Porsche’s comfort zone. At the front, the grille openings look to be shared with standard 911 prototypes that have already been spotted, expect these to be changed for production. Like t...
1 2 3 4

‘I can’t guarantee Sanchez’s stay at Arsenal’

Image
Arsenal’s Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez celebrates after scoring their third goal during the English Premier League football match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park in south London on December 28, 2017. Manager Arsene Wenger says he cannot guarantee that striker Alexis Sanchez will remain at Arsenal long term, after the forward scored twice in the victory at Crystal Palace on Thursday night. The Chile striker can leave for free this summer when his contract expires and he has been linked with a move to league leaders Manchester City, who failed in their bid to sign him on deadline day.When asked about the 29-year-old’s future, the Frenchman said: “Nobody knows what will happen. It’s difficult to speculate. “We are focused on short term, that means the next game with the players committed and ready to fight. It’s not a guarantee of how long you stay somewhere.“They are questioned, always, when people don’t have long contracts. The best way to show they are co...
1 2 3 4