Group Preview
Group A, not as straight forward as I first thought.
I can’t really work out how much of an influence the spectre of Putin will be over the poor Russian team. None of them will want to upset the all-powerful Russian leader. Will the threat of working in the Siberian salt mines be a potent motivator?
So, team by team:
Egypt
A one man team? Possibly, but a fit and on-form Mohamed Salah is certainly the teams’ talisman and with good reason. Up until that Champion’s League final he was on fire for Liverpool. As a Southampton fan I am pessimistic about their chances, as they have an Argentinian coach, Hector Cuper, who had success in La Liga in Spain and is defensive minded and conservative. Remind you of anyone?
This is Egypt’s first appearance in the World Cup finals since 1990, following repeated failures in the qualification stages of previous competitions, when success looked certain. As for how they will do, I think a lot will rest on how their first game against Uruguay in Ekaterinburg on Friday afternoon pans out. Win and the chance of getting something out of their next two games should be enough to see them through to the final 16.
Russia
Ahh, the enigma. I really don’t know what to say about them. They are in the middle of a full blown defensive crisis, with retirements and injuries clearing the lines of any sort of international experience.
The bright spot is their manager, Stanislav Cherchesov, the 54 year old Russian having experience as a goalkeeper in two World Cup’s and two Euro’s, four league titles, playing for Spartak Moscow and subsequently abroad, before returning to Russia to coach. It was a move to Poland’s Legia Warsaw and two Polish league titles that brought him to the Russian team in August 2016. As a disciplinarian he is exactly what the current team needs. With a weak defence and injury worries about the forwards, the young talented midfield has a lot riding on it. Will that be enough?
One problem the squad has, is that all bar two players, ply their trade in the domestic league and apparently the Russian public are not expecting too much. Probably with good cause.
Saudi Arabia
Probably the whipping boys of Group A, even getting a point will be seen as a success. Another team with an Argentinian coach, Juan Antonio Pizzi, who is the Saudi team’s third coach since September last year. Hardly a recipe for success.
Like the Russians, the majority of the Saudi squad are domestically based, with just three players playing abroad, all of them in the Spanish La Liga. Pizzi has been trying to develop a more patient, passing game, which needs more discipline than the current squad seem capable of. Given their limitations in attack, their main hope seems to be to keep the score down at the other end and try and hit the opposition on the break.
Uruguay
When I looked at this group initially I thought that it was all about Russia and no doubt the Russians themselves thought that, but this team is beginning to have the look of one which might just go a long way.
Starting with the coach, the remarkable 71 year old Oscar Tabarez, who has now coached more games than anyone else for their national team. He is now in his second spell at Uruguay, the current spell starting in 2006. His real success however, is with the countries youth sides, creating a conveyor belt of talented youngsters feeding through into the senior squad. That and a recent change to his tactics, unexpectedly changing to a more bold formation has transformed the teams expectations.
After a disastrous series of friendlies prior to the start of the World Cup qualification campaign, which included losing 3-1 to the Republic of Ireland, Tabarez completely changed from his previously conservative approach and also introduced some of the youth team players, which paid dividends straight away, cruising through qualification. The end result seems to be a team that is well balanced, with a far quicker defence than before and with a midfield that can hold the ball, feeding the strikers. The strikers. Suarez and Cavani. An exciting team, maybe not in the same class as Brazil, but a team travelling to Russia full of optimism nonetheless.
One final thought froma Saints perspective, watch out for Uruguay’s No.22, a certain Martin Caceres, signed by Southampton on a free transfer a couple of seasons ago, but who never played a league game. He is in the final squad and appears to be on Lazio’s books, but such has been the impact from the youngsters, that I would be amazed if he gets any game time. Still, the longer they stay in the competition, the more chance he might actually put in an appearance.
Who will go through?
Uruguay should win this group at a canter, but who else will go through? I have a sneaking suspicion (based on nothing other than a hunch) that Salah might not be 100% fit and that the Russians will raise their game enough to squeak through. Watch out for the youngsters in the Uruguay team. Several could become household names very shortly.
I can’t really work out how much of an influence the spectre of Putin will be over the poor Russian team. None of them will want to upset the all-powerful Russian leader. Will the threat of working in the Siberian salt mines be a potent motivator?
So, team by team:
Egypt
A one man team? Possibly, but a fit and on-form Mohamed Salah is certainly the teams’ talisman and with good reason. Up until that Champion’s League final he was on fire for Liverpool. As a Southampton fan I am pessimistic about their chances, as they have an Argentinian coach, Hector Cuper, who had success in La Liga in Spain and is defensive minded and conservative. Remind you of anyone?
This is Egypt’s first appearance in the World Cup finals since 1990, following repeated failures in the qualification stages of previous competitions, when success looked certain. As for how they will do, I think a lot will rest on how their first game against Uruguay in Ekaterinburg on Friday afternoon pans out. Win and the chance of getting something out of their next two games should be enough to see them through to the final 16.
Russia
Ahh, the enigma. I really don’t know what to say about them. They are in the middle of a full blown defensive crisis, with retirements and injuries clearing the lines of any sort of international experience.
The bright spot is their manager, Stanislav Cherchesov, the 54 year old Russian having experience as a goalkeeper in two World Cup’s and two Euro’s, four league titles, playing for Spartak Moscow and subsequently abroad, before returning to Russia to coach. It was a move to Poland’s Legia Warsaw and two Polish league titles that brought him to the Russian team in August 2016. As a disciplinarian he is exactly what the current team needs. With a weak defence and injury worries about the forwards, the young talented midfield has a lot riding on it. Will that be enough?
One problem the squad has, is that all bar two players, ply their trade in the domestic league and apparently the Russian public are not expecting too much. Probably with good cause.
Saudi Arabia
Probably the whipping boys of Group A, even getting a point will be seen as a success. Another team with an Argentinian coach, Juan Antonio Pizzi, who is the Saudi team’s third coach since September last year. Hardly a recipe for success.
Like the Russians, the majority of the Saudi squad are domestically based, with just three players playing abroad, all of them in the Spanish La Liga. Pizzi has been trying to develop a more patient, passing game, which needs more discipline than the current squad seem capable of. Given their limitations in attack, their main hope seems to be to keep the score down at the other end and try and hit the opposition on the break.
Uruguay
When I looked at this group initially I thought that it was all about Russia and no doubt the Russians themselves thought that, but this team is beginning to have the look of one which might just go a long way.
Starting with the coach, the remarkable 71 year old Oscar Tabarez, who has now coached more games than anyone else for their national team. He is now in his second spell at Uruguay, the current spell starting in 2006. His real success however, is with the countries youth sides, creating a conveyor belt of talented youngsters feeding through into the senior squad. That and a recent change to his tactics, unexpectedly changing to a more bold formation has transformed the teams expectations.
After a disastrous series of friendlies prior to the start of the World Cup qualification campaign, which included losing 3-1 to the Republic of Ireland, Tabarez completely changed from his previously conservative approach and also introduced some of the youth team players, which paid dividends straight away, cruising through qualification. The end result seems to be a team that is well balanced, with a far quicker defence than before and with a midfield that can hold the ball, feeding the strikers. The strikers. Suarez and Cavani. An exciting team, maybe not in the same class as Brazil, but a team travelling to Russia full of optimism nonetheless.
One final thought froma Saints perspective, watch out for Uruguay’s No.22, a certain Martin Caceres, signed by Southampton on a free transfer a couple of seasons ago, but who never played a league game. He is in the final squad and appears to be on Lazio’s books, but such has been the impact from the youngsters, that I would be amazed if he gets any game time. Still, the longer they stay in the competition, the more chance he might actually put in an appearance.
Who will go through?
Uruguay should win this group at a canter, but who else will go through? I have a sneaking suspicion (based on nothing other than a hunch) that Salah might not be 100% fit and that the Russians will raise their game enough to squeak through. Watch out for the youngsters in the Uruguay team. Several could become household names very shortly.
