Playtime is Over

The World Cup group stages have come to end, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. There have been some duds in terms of match quality (Qatar vs Ecuador comes to mind; what a waste of 90 minutes that was), but there have also been some super entertaining games that have left fans on the edge of their seats. With the group stages done and dusted, this is where the tournament really. Some teams will rise to the occasion, while others will falter. Come a couple of weeks’ time, we’ll know who will come home with title of World Champions. So, with the intro out of the way, let’s assess what has happened so far in Qatar.

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Who Doesn’t Love An Upset

What has made this World Cup different to others has been the number of upsets. It all began with Saudi Arabia stunning Argentina on matchday 1. They defended superbly throughout and were clinical with the chances they created. I don’t think many fancied Japan to qualify for the last 16, but they did the unthinkable, beating both Germany and Spain en route to advancing as group winners. Who would have thought that for the second World Cup in a row, Germany wouldn’t make it out of their group. Look at Morocco as well. Sure, they’ve got some talent players, the likes of Hakimi and Ziyech, but them also topping their group certainly wasn’t on the cards. In the process, Morocco beat Belgium which was key in sending the latter home early. Let’s not forget about South Korea, who with a last-minute winner against Portugal, snuck through at the expense of Uruguay. From a neutral’s POV, it’s meant that you can never predict what’s going to happen game-by-game, and long may it continue.

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Is It Actually Coming Home?

Let’s get real for a minute. I’ve seen people wax lyrical after England comfortably swept aside Iran and Wales, but some English fans need to chill a little bit. We shouldn’t forget that before England beat Wales, they put in a truly abject performance against the USA. They were even getting booed after full-time. Iran and Wales are two teams that England should be beating comfortably. The first time they played a semi-decent side, they came unstuck, lacking any real creativity or urgency. The Americans really made England look ordinary. It begs the question; can England win this World Cup? Well, anything is possible, as we’ve seen already. I do think in terms of personnel, they have the quality, especially in the attacking areas. I think the concern will be whether against better opposition, they can dominate games in midfield. If Southgate goes with five at the back, with two holding midfielders, England will get overrun in the centre of the park. My gut feeling is as soon as they buck a top side, like a France, it will be the end of the road for them.

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The End of the Road

Speaking of the end of the road, that certainly is the case for certain teams. They’ve achieved the most they can as a group, but it’s time for a change. Countries that spring to mind are Belgium and Germany. This current crop of Belgians have been dubbed the “Golden Generation” due to the wealth of talent within the squad, players like De Bruyne, Courtois, Hazard & Lukaku just to name a few. Despite all the ability they have, they’ve only reached one World Cup semi-final. They never managed to win the big one or even get to a final. Belgium’s best players are all in their early to mid 30s; they’re not getting any younger. It’s time to breath some new life into the squad, sooner rather than later. Germany were always a side that would almost be guaranteed to make the quarters of any international competition. Those days seem long gone. They’re different to Belgium in that their team isn’t an aging one. They’ve still got a good mix of youth and experience. For whatever reason, in recent tournaments, they’ve struggled. They’ve haven’t made it out of the group in the last two World Cups, where previously they had made it to the semis four consecutive tournaments from 2002 to 2014. I think the international game is evolving, and it might be moving too fast for the Germans.

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The Cream Always Rises To The Top

This isn’t one team that is the clear favourite to win the World Cup, but in glimpses we’ve seen that if certain teams can put it together, they could be hard to stop. France didn’t succumb to the dreaded World Cup curse, like defending champions have in the past. Even with Benzema getting injured before the competition, there aren’t many attacking quartets better than Mbappe, Griezmann, Dembele and Giroud. If they can remain on song, they should be a team that their opponents would want to avoid. Brazil were many people’s favourites (including mine) and they remain one of the contenders. Neymar’s injury does put a slight damper on their chances, but the consensus is that he’ll be fit for the knockouts. Like France, they have so many good attacking players that even with Neymar not fully fit, they’re a scary outfit. They haven’t been as impressive as some might expect, but the group stage is about getting out relatively unscathed, which is what they’ve done. Lastly, the Argentines. That loss against Saudi Arabia could have been made people think that this isn’t their tournament. But watching them play Poland it was like a kid taking candy from a baby. It was pure domination. Argentina really should have won by more than 2 goals. Messi knows that winning this tournament would make him the undisputed G.O.A.T. and with him leading the charge, Argentina have every chance of winning their first World Cup since 1986.

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This Week’s Hot Take

If we’re just looking at the group stages only, I can’t remember a more dramatic one in recent memory. Some many of the groups have been decided on the last matchday, with teams going from potentially topping their group to finish rooted to the bottom of it all within the space of a couple of minutes. I think having a World Cup in Winter has added that element of unpredictability that we as football fans love. Why have we seen so many surprises in Qatar? Who knows, but I for one am not complaining. If the drama continues into the knockout rounds, this might be a World Cup for the ages.