Argentina
 |
| Is Higuain to have a good world cup? Sorry |
The forward line needs little introduction.
It's led by Gonzalo Higuain, an orthodox no.9 who is probably the most
complete player in that position at this World Cup.
Unlike many traditional centre-forwards, Higuain is quick off the mark,
and is a threat around, as well as in, the penalty box. Devastating in the last
World Cup at only 22, his goals-to-games ratio is comfortably the best of
Argentina’s front three. The remainder of
that three is made up of the hyper-mobile Sergio Aguero, whose goalscoring form
has been utterly irresistible at Manchester City. He’s not quite as prolific at
international level as for his club, but still troubles the scorers regularly,
dropping back from the front line to unleash mayhem as Messi runs from deep and
Higuain leads the line. Leo himself meanwhile has steadily improved his
Argentina form under current coach Alejandro Sabella, and grabbed ten goals in
qualifying. It’s not just that Argentina have such a high quality of individual
to draw on, but that the three have learned to combine so effectively; in
particular, Higuain and Messi often hit the scoresheet together in qualifying,
with the former claiming nine goals. Messi for his part can no longer be
described as an underperformer at international level; but this is, perhaps,
the biggest chance he’ll get to take a World Cup by the scruff of the neck, so
there is some pressure. There’s some reasonably capable backup to the killer
trio, with Rodrigo Palacio always among the goals at Inter; winger/striker
Ezequiel Lavezzi, on the other hand, has not done much in a national shirt
to justify his membership of the “fantastic four” (the other three are obvious)
on any ground other than alliterative necessity.
Lining up in 4-3-3, Argentina use a
midfield with a mixture of combativity and creativity. Javier Mascherano is the
classic deep-lying holding player; wasted a little by Barcelona as a
centre-back, he revels in his centrality to everything the national side does.
Outside him, Argentina have seen the rise of Angel
di Maria continue, probably the second great magician in the side after Messi. Although somehow
ungainly on first glimpse, Di Maria’s playing style is mesmerizing, with quick
feet, acceleration and a marvelous range of feints and switches, as well as a
great capacity for work. He's a halfway house between the modern uber-midfielder
and the classic winger. Sitting somewhere between Mascherano and Di Maria in
approach is Fernando Gago. A regular sight in a Madrid shirt for years, his
career in Spain somewhat petered out through injury and he has faded from the
view of European audiences. But at 28 he is far from a spent force – this isn’t
necessarily even his last world cup – and his balance of combative energies and
incisive passing make him the metronome in midfield. Unfortunately, injury
has struck again, and he is fighting a knee problem to make the group stages. In
his absence the midfield becomes a little more workmanlike and its linkages a
little less smooth. Lucas Biglia offers the box-to-box presence that Argentina
otherwise lack, and got game time in qualifying; no magician, he is nonetheless reliable.
Reported Tottenham target Ever Banega is a playmaker broadly in the Gago mould,
approaching his prime and with several years’ campaigning in the big leagues
with Valencia behind him. His international career has failed to take flight
however, possibly because he doesn’t really offer much of a change of shape or
pace as against the first choice midfield. Sabella has also brought longtime
campaigner Maxi Rodriguez along to Brazil, although he's no longer a starter;
though not lacking in skill, Rodriguez’ game was always based as much on energy
as on guile, so age is starting to take its toll at 33. Still, he is
likely to feature as a substitute. Of the other squad choices, Augusto
Fernandez is a lively winger from Celta Vigo who has staked his international
claim relatively late at 28; it’s difficult to see how he fits into Argentina’s
system however, save as an understudy. Meanwhile Ricardo “Ricky” Alvarez of Inter
is a pacy attacking midfielder, more direct and therefore less subtle than some of his
midfield rivals, while Enzo Perez, a vital cog in the Benfica machine that
reached two successive Europa League finals, has yet to find his role
internationally.
Argentina’s defence has been questioned,
not least by their own media and fans; it was not spectacularly leaky in
qualifying but not miserly either (CONMEBOL qualifying generally being
quite a goal-happy affair). However, the personnel seem solid enough, so perhaps some of
the criticism is a hangover from the thumping defeat that dumped Argentina out
of World Cup 2010 at the hands of Germany. That, however, was largely the result
of Diego Maradona’s open and naïve tactics. In the middle of defence the
preferred pairing is Ezequiel Garay and Federico Fernandez. Neither is vastly
experienced at international level, but both are established with high profile
and progressive clubs in Europe (Benfica and Napoli respectively). At backup,
Martin Dimichelis’ experience has won him a place in the squad although his
Manchester City season was far from flawless. Jose Maria Basanta, another
centre-back, also travels. At right back there seems little reason to question
the quality of Pablo Zabaleta, a Manchester City first teamer and at first
sight the complete modern full back; his partner on the left, Marcos Rojo, is a
little less assured but still the obvious first choice. Inter’s Hugo
Campagnaro, an international late bloomer, offers further backup. At goalkeeper
there’s something of a tussle for selection between Sergio Romero and the
slightly older, but less established, Mariano Andujar; neither is a superstar
but neither a liability. Sabella remains mysteriously unaware of the majestic
form of Crystal Palace’s Julian Speroni.
All in all, Argentina just about merit the
stellar predictions being made for them. Their attack is literally peerless,
even in this company; we’ve no compunction in pronouncing it the World Cup's best.
In midfield the range of established top level talent is excellent, especially
if Gago is fit, though in his absence Argentina will probably lose something,
either in solidity or in creativity. The defence is, probably
rightly, being identified as the weakest link, but that’s relative. Zabaleta is a first
class player at his peak, and the concern about him, Fernandez, Garay and Rojo
should surely be about lack of World cup experience, rather than about fundamental quality.
Even that seems a minor worry, however, since of those players only Garay (with 18
appearances) has less than 20 caps. It’s just that most of the midfield and forward line are veterans of 2010 whereas the defenders are not. Argentina’s main weakness is that they rely on the
fitness and form of a relatively established first XI whose backup is not of
the same standard. Assuming everyone (except maybe Gago) is present and
correct, things look positive, and as a final point it’s worth noting that the
draw has been kind to Argentina both in terms of their group stage opponents
and their likely path thereafter.
Strengths:
Top quality in attack; solid midfield and decent
defence; experience; comfort in South American conditions; easy draw.
Weaknesses: Inexperience in middle of defence; backup options a considerable
step down in quality; weight of expectations; slight possibility of losing
their way in the defence-attack transition as they lack real “box-to-boxness”
in the middle, where they depend on Gago.
Young
player to watch: Even the blooming potential in
this side tends to be in its mid twenties. Nobody springs to mind to be honest,
although Lisandro Ezequiel Lopez will be looking to stake his claim to a piece
of the future, if he gets game.
Verdict:
Very serious contenders… but then they always are.
Quarters at least, semis quite likely.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
 |
| Pjanic: we tried to find a photo of him at the disco. |
One of the less beguiling aspects of this
World Cup is the lack of debutant teams. With fairly orthodox lists of familiar
qualifiers from Asia and, in particular, Africa, there is in fact only one set
of absolute beginners – Bosnia. One of three European sides at this tournament who are
historically strong at present – the others being Switzerland and Belgium –
Bosnia have made their progress by playing fast, attacking, and at times
strikingly open football. Like Chile in 2010 therefore, they have the potential
to be real hipster favourites, although their coach Safet Susic is no
Bielsa-style philosopher. Susic’s selections are dictated by the limited
resources available to him, which just happen to be much stronger in attack
than in defence. Susic is thus that rarest of birds, the all-out-attacking
pragmatist.
Players like Dzeko and Ibisevic need a supply line, and fortunately Bosnia have a couple of playmakers to match. Miralem Pjanic is perhaps their most marketable asset after Dzeko. Only 24, he already has bags of experience in France and is now a fixture at Roma; a useful dribbler although not ferociously quick, he offers the full playmaker repertoire of goals from deep, set-piece mastery and pinpoint passing. A broadly similar type of player, but operating further forward and with more of an eye for goal, is Zvjezdan Misimovic, Bosnia’s all-time most capped player. Lacking pace, he is nonetheless able to ghost into goalscoring positions from the apex of midfield, deploying his outstanding close control. He's still a force at 32 years of age, as demonstrated by his 5 goals in qualifying. Despite winning the Bundesliga alongside Dzeko in 2009, he is nowadays virtually unknown to audiences outside Bosnia and plays his club football in China. The World Cup will be a suitable stage for him, even if late in coming. Hanging slightly wider on the left is Senad Lulic, an established Lazio first teamer vaguely reminiscent, in style, of Stewart Downing. You’ll have gathered by now that explosive pace is not a Bosnian strong point, and even Lulic isn’t dramatically quick for a winger. He injects some industry, however, into what otherwise might be a languid forward-midfield. At the back of the diamond, Bosnia have more of a choice, with Haris Medunjanin, fairly creative for a holding midfielder, a favoured option; he could however be edged aside by more prosaic utility man Sejad Salihovic. Youngster Muhamed Besic, Anel Hadzic of Sturm Graz, Tino Susic of Standard Liege (the coach’s nephew) and Bochum holding man Adnan Zahirovic are other options. Unbelievably, all of them are central defensive midfielders, and all of them have made the final travelling party. Although Susic has the reputation of a man who thinks Plan B’s are for wimps, he has recently shown signs of searching for ways of switching things up – playing with Dzeko as a lone striker in a recent friendly – and to this end, he's packed the squad with midfielders (twelve of them!). Even so, any reformulation of the midfield is likely to involve a rotation of the existing first-choice personnel; there are some signs of interest in Pjanic as a withdrawn, Pirlo-style playmaker in a 4-2-3-1 setup. Options to mix up the attacking midfield include Izet Hajrovic, Edin Visca and Senijad Ibricic, all playing in Turkey. Of these, Visca is perhaps the most interesting, despite his exile in the Turkish second division with Istanbul BB. Apart from anything else, he is actually reasonably quick; he also likes to shoot on sight.
As you might expect, the Bosnian defence is not the domain of superstars, save for rising keeper Asmir Begovic, surely not long for the confines of Stoke City. The “Minister of Defence” has no serious rival for the gloves. In front of him the only real veteran is captain Emir Spahic, with 72 caps. A peripatetic club career, typical of the experience of the average Bosnian pro, has come good towards its end for Spahic with first-team roles at Sevilla and now Leverkusen. Alongside him we are likely to see fellow Bundesliga campaigner Ermin Bicakcic, although the coach has recently chosen to blood young Toni Sunjic. Ognjen Vranjes is another option. On the left it looks like the only real option is 20-year-old Sead Kolasinac, a Schalke fullback of grit beyond his years who has won the odd duel with Arjen Robben. At right back, Susic will pick from Addija Vrsajeviv or slight favourite Mensur Mujdza. If the almost literally impossible happens, and all of Susic’s defensive middlemen are struck down by injury, then it’s reassuring to know that Vrsajeviv and Mujdza can also both play in that position too.
It's fairly clear what Bosnia’s strengths
and weaknesses are; theirs is not a “balanced” squad. A limited number of high
quality attacking players combine with a
bewilderingly large selection of less well-known defensive personnel. There
is some quality at the back, especially in Begovic and Spahic, but less than
would be ideal. Behind the stars, the Bosnian second string features a lot of
players who ply their daily trade a long way from the cutting edge of club
football, with the further reaches of the Turkish league especially well
represented.
On the front foot, Bosnia have what it
takes to hurt anyone in this group, and that most definitely includes
Argentina. What they are not however, given their lack of pace, is a formidable
counter-attacking side. Bosnia like to have possession and to use it. This may
be a problem against Argentina in particular, and indeed, a recent friendly
between the two teams went 2-0 against the Europeans. Susic has so far shown
little sign of being one of the game’s great tactical innovators, but he will
need to get his thinking cap on to enable Bosnia to compete against sides who
can keep the ball off them and, to a lesser extent, to cope with the sweltering
conditions. The lone-striker option with Pjanic sitting deep is definitely an
option, but will require the wide men to provide an outlet. Even then, it’s hard
to see Bosnia getting anything off Argentina save by sitting back, somehow
surviving the onslaught, and maybe nicking something at a set piece; on that
point it’s good to note that they have some old-school Balkan-style dead-ball
sorcerers in the team in Pjanic, Salihovic and Misimovic. More optimistically, however,
it’s entirely feasible that Bosnia could be too much for Nigeria and Iran.
Strengths: Two sharp strikers, in good form; creativity; ability to manipulate
possession and pace; good keeper; sense of destiny.
Weaknesses:
Shortage of top quality personnel especially in
defence; unbalanced squad; lack of pace; fairly inflexible coach.
Young
player to watch: Part of the joy of watching Bosnia
is going to be watching quality players who are unknown despite their advancing
years, like Misimovic. But the spiky Kolasinac is an easy player to like, and
if Bosnia exceed expectations then it may be that someone like Visca or
Hajrovic hits form in the attacking third.Verdict: We marginally prefer the Bosnians to the Nigerians as second qualifiers. Recent friendly wins against Cote d’Ivoire (2-1) and Mexico (1-0 in Chicago) suggest that Bosnia can hold their own against mobility and pace and African and Latin American styles. Like many attacking sides Bosnia will live or die by their confidence levels; the opening game against Argentina is key and if they avoid humiliation then the second round or beyond is feasible.
Iran
 |
| Will Gucci bag a goal or two? |
Iran had a solid run in qualifying to get
to Brazil, edging out South Korea for first place in their qualifying group,
with a style based mainly on tight defending. Typically, a 1-0 away win over the
Koreans in Ulsan was what saw them home. Their squad balances a lot of
domestically-based talent with a smattering of players from around the European
leagues, though few of the latter are household names; Fulham forward Ashkhan
Dejagah will be the best known to many fans. It’s hard to see Iran having
enough in attack to really make waves in this group so their chances of causing
an upset , or even progressing, rest on that steely defence.
At the back there’s uncertainty between the
sticks, with no clear first choice among three fairly inexperienced
alternatives. German-born Daniel Davari has had the highest-level club career
to date, with Braunschweig in the Bundesliga, but he may lose out to the more
experienced Rahman Ahmadi who showed good form in the qualifying campaign.
Ahmadi looks like the natural first choice but Alireza Haghighi has also been given
a run in recent friendlies. In front there’s little doubt about Jalal
Hosseini’s starting spot; at 32 and with 81 caps, the centre-half’s experience
will be crucial. Alongside him will feature one of Pejman Montazeri, who has
recently moved to Umm-Salal of Qatar, or Hossein Manini of domestic giants
Persepolis. On the left there has been some rotation of late but it’s likely
that Hashem Beikzadeh will start. At right back there is a choice; the
established, and very attacking, option is Khosro Heydari, but there’s also the
possibility of using the Iranian-American Mehrdad Beitashour (also known by
his Anglophone given name, Steven). Heydari, strong and bustling, can play
anywhere on the right hand side, so the choice will largely be tactical. Coach
Carlos Quieroz has brought plenty of backup in the form of centre-backs Amir Hossein Sadeqi and Ahmad Alenemeh (the
latter something of a long-range goal specialist), young utility man Mohammad
Reza Khanzadeh and fullback Mehrdad Pooladi. All in all there’s a good and
experienced unit at the back although it’s getting on – unless Beitashour
plays, none of the likely first choices is under 30.
Experience also reigns in the middle of the
park where Quieroz seems likely to play a Manchester-United-style busy midfield
twosome. Anchor man Andranik Teymourian, possibly the only former Barnsley
player at the World Cup (but correct us if we’re wrong), is likely to play
alongside captain Javad Nekounam, a more attacking presence. These two (aged 31
and 33 respectively) may be the oldest central midfield in the tournament that
isn’t Greek, but they carried Iran admirably through qualifying and, in a team
that seems likely to represent the last hurrah of a famous
generation, they’ll probably start. Also likely to get feature, however, is the
emergent Reza Haghighi (not to be confused with goalkeeper Alireza) who has
played his way into contention in the last year. Perma-backup man Ghasem
Haddadifar also travels as does defender/midfielder Ehsan Hajsafy, a utility
man who’s already hugely experienced at 24 (with 62 caps) but who doesn’t seem
to have a natural place in the starting lineup. Quieroz does like to chop and
change personnel a bit, especially with Nekounam and Teymourian ageing, so the
backups may get plenty of game time. Out wide, the key man in a somewhat
underpowered attacking midfield is Dejagah, who can cause plenty of damage
cutting in from either wing but is likely to start on the left. His shooting
from the edge of the box will be a major goal threat; despite his profile in
Europe, however, he is not an especially experienced international, with 11
caps. Then there is the up-and-coming Bakhtiar Rahmani, an attacking midfielder
with a Beckham-style free kick or cross on him. He may be a contender for the
right hand side or for an advanced slot in the centre of midfield. A more
established choice on the right would be Masoud Shojaei, now with six years in
Spain behind him. Heydari can also play here however, and Quieroz has rotated in
other choices from central midfield too.
Iran could play either a lone
centre-forward with a withdrawn no.10 behind, or a traditional strike
partnership. Either way, Reza Ghoochannejad is likely to feature, given his
stunning form so far in international football (10 goals in 14 games).
Nicknamed “Gucci” in Iran (and possibly “Graham” by English cricket fans with
an unusual level of interest in Iranian football), he is quick off the mark and fond
of shooting first time. Ghoochannejad has not played a huge number of club
games for someone his age (26), and his club goalscoring has tailed off since he
stepped up from the Belgian second division; it remains to see whether he’s
purely a qualifying rabbit-slayer, or the real deal. Either way, a lot of expectation
rests on his shoulders. The only other recognised centre-forward in the final
squad is Karim Ansarifard, a 24 year-old who may partner Ghoochannejad (making
the attack the only youthful part of the team). Alternatively, at no.10 we may see Alireza
Jahanbakhsh, who likes to run the ball, or we may see Shojaei or Rahmani.
This is likely to prove the peak of a
footballing cycle in Iran, with an entire generation of players now at, or
maybe just passing, their peak; it’ll also be a sweet moment for experienced
coach Quieroz. who's 61. Expectations are therefore high. The decisive question is
whether the Iranian defence will be able to maintain its robust form from
qualifying; recent qualifiers against mediocre opposition suggest Iran still
know how to marshall a shut-out, but Argentina will be a different matter entirely. Iran will probably fall short at that level, but their back line may well
have what it takes to subdue Nigeria’s limited attack, and we’d give them a
chance against the Bosnians too. Scoring goals,
however, looks to be a problem, and Iran have recently fired blanks against
Montenegro and Belarus. Unless Ghoochannejad steps up, which is not a given,
then the main goal threat will come from the edge of the box; the midfield
lacks craft but Nekouman, Dejagah, Jahanbakhsh and Rahmani can shoot. Iran are
reckoned by many the weakest team in this group, but a lot of that is due to
the unfamiliarity of their players; we wouldn’t put them far behind Nigeria.
Strengths: Solid defence; experience throughout; a good “spine” especially in
Nekounam, Teymourian and Hosseini; genuine threat from Dejagah and a confident
young striker in Ghoochannejad.Weaknesses: Ageing, and the younger elements are unproven; not much pace; fairly serious lack of goal threat.
Young player to watch: Gucci.
Verdict:
Not especially likely to get out of this group, but
more than just a nuisance. If they get a result against Nigeria Iran will be
well set, but on the whole, we don’t think they have the firepower to qualify.
Nigeria
 |
| World class? Mba |
Super Eagles! Fans of a certain age will
have a fondness for Nigeria based on memories of their swashbuckling 1990s
sides, who twice made the second round of the world cup and probably should
have gone further on both occasions. Those were the days. Eagles 2014 don’t
quite look up to the lofty standards of the past, but to describe them as a
shadow of their predecessors would be unfair. Nigeria have a chance of
getting through this group although they’re probably third favourites.
Perceived as a counter-attacking side,
Nigeria can certainly call on experience in defence. In goal, Vincent Enyeama
is a veteran of two world cups (2002 and 2010). He returned to first-team
football with Lille this season at just the right time for the World Cup, and
was in commanding form in Ligue 1. In front of him are a pair of first-choice
centre backs who are not yet established at major clubs, but have become
fixtures for the national side. Godfrey Oboabona is virtually first name on the
team sheet, and plays his club football for Caykur Rizespor in Turkey. He plays
a game based on sound positioning and physical doggedness, and also uses the
ball neatly, which explains reported interest from Arsenal. His partner in the
centre is Kenneth Omeruo, a composed and technically solid youngster with 16
caps who has so far lived a peripatetic club existence on loan from Chelsea.
These two make a youthful pairing (Oboabona is 23, Omeruo 20) but a talented
one; their distribution of the ball is likely to be key to Nigeria’s
quick-breaking style. On the left of the defensive four, Efe Ambrose of Celtic
is first choice, a fairly traditional defensive fullback who is pacy and
comfortable enough on the ball, but sometimes error-prone. On the other side,
the individual star of the defence might have been Elderson, a highly mobile
attacking full back who loves to overlap; but the recent Monaco signing dropped
out injured after a recent friendly. Juwon Oshaniwa is the likely replacement,
a relatively inexperienced 23-year-old who plays in Israel. Cross-happy but
also able to cut inside, he is a wing-back in similar mould to
Elderson, albeit not quite as electrically quick. There’s almost an excess of
backup at centre-back in the shape of Premiership veteran Joseph Yobo (Nigeria’s
most-capped international, with 96 appearances), Azubuike Egwuekwe (who lost
his place to Omeruo during qualifying), and Kunle Odunlami, a youngster who
starred in the 2014 African Cup of Nations and sports the excellent middle name
Ebenezer.
Nigeria don’t possess a heroic midfield,
but the key player in the centre is undoubtedly Jon Obi Mikel, much more of a
playmaker for Nigeria than for Chelsea. Mikel can play; in this company he is
an all-rounder whose Champions’ League and Europa League experience make him
the lynchpin for Nigeria and the bearer of their hopes. Alongside Mikel, Lazio’s
hard working, but not especially technical Ogenyi Onazi is likely to start on
the right hand side of what will probably be a central midfield three. The
remaining selection in this part of the field is something of a mystery as
coach Stephen Keshi has omitted from his squad several players who played
significant roles in qualifying, including Sunday Mba, Brown Ideye and John
Ogu. On current form it looks likely that Keshi will choose to play the third
player in front of Mikel and Onazi as a number ten or withdrawn striker; a
forward may play this role with both striker Peter Odemwingie and winger Ahmed
Musa potentially in the frame. Certainly, neither Reuben Gabriel nor young
Ramon Azeez, both included in the final squad, is a recognized attacking
midfielder. Wide men will probably be played outside and ahead of the central
three, with Crystal Palace Eagle turned Nigerian Super Eagle, Victor Moses, probably playing on the right. He has established himself as a real goal threat for Nigeria. With
Moses playing alongside someone like Odemwingie or Musa in the centre, Nigeria
have plenty of capacity to run the ball, and this is likely to be a major
feature of their play, especially on the break. Keshi is perhaps unlikely to be
so bold as to play two out-and-out wingers though, so if Moses starts, expect
to see the left wing held down by someone with a more circumspect style.
It might be Ejike Uzoenyi, who can also play full-back, or it might be Azeez. Alternatively if young Michael Babatunde, a rookie left winger, gets a
game then Onazi might be asked to hold the right flank.
At striker, the real question is whether
Nigeria can develop their options for a change of style. Keshi is generally
thought to favour a robust, traditional centre-forward ,and the man in possesson
of shirt number 9, Emmanuel Emenike, fits the bill. Emenike doesn't lack pace for a target man,
and he can run the ball, but his overall style is not subtle. Nor is that of
Shola Ameobi, a late arrival to international football who is blessed with
strength and an excellent touch, but not pace. The widely-admired 24-year-old
Michael Uchebo is also a target man; an inspired player of the back-to-goal
game, he is less handy on the front foot and isn’t yet a heavy scorer at club
level. If a change is required, there is always Odemwingie, but he’d be a
quixotic choice as a lone striker; likelier is the cheekier style of Uche
Nwofor, a quick footed and confident striker who plays for Venlo in the
Netherlands. Whichever of Keshi’s strikers gets the nod, the fact is that none
of them are especially reliable goal-getters. This makes it likely that Nigeria
will continue to look to their no.9 as a hold-up man, bringing in onrushing
players from deep such as Moses, Musa or Odemwingie. If anyone does let off
rockets up front, it may be Nwofor.
Pundits often continue to write about
African football as if all that nation’s countries and teams can be summarized
as one. Nigeria, a punchy counter-attacking unit who rely quite heavily on a
solid defence and have few flair players, do not fulfill many stereotypes. One
thing to note is that they are a young side, one of the youngest at the world
cup; of the likely starters, only Enyeama and possibly Odemwingie are over 27.
But there is nonetheless plenty of experience, and none of the true rookies
Keshi has brought in – such as Babatunde or Azeez – is likely to be over-exposed. The
best of this Nigerian generation are just establishing themselves with European
clubs, often second-tier ones, and the World Cup will be a major stage for them. Pace at the back means
that the Super Eagles have some chance of shackling Argentina, but in all
likelihood they'll be duking it out with the Bosnians for second place.
Their issue is that the Bosnian attack will not play to their strengths; Bosnia
have no pace, and know it, so will attack through the centre and throw
everything Dzeko, Pjanic and Ibisevic can offer (which is quite a lot) at
Nigeria’s young centre-backs. The Bosnian defence, on the other hand, will be
more comfortable playing against the physical Emenike or Ameobi than
against more mobile strikers – again, Nwofor may offer something different. A lot
will come down to whether Nigeria’s energetic but rather artless midfield can
boss Bosnia’s more technical, but less physical unit.
Strengths: Youthful promise blends with tournament experience; good defence
that didn’t concede easily in qualifying or in recent friendlies; pace on the
break; genuine Champions’ League lass in Mikel.Weaknesses: Lack of top quality or, at least, of players with track records at top clubs; workmanlike midfield; few flair players; goal-shy forwards.
Young player to watch: Several, in truth, but we’ll go for Omeruo; this could be his breakthrough and if he has a good tournament, Chelsea will start running out of excuses not to play him.
Verdict: We marginally prefer Bosnia on the grounds of greater finesse, but this is one of the World Cup’s most engrossing battles for second.
No comments:
Post a Comment