FIFA World Cup 2018 ~ Prospects

Every time a FIFA World cup year comes, the fans get excited. Football, which has the biggest following in the world, gets to see the biggest names and evergreen performances in the club level. However, many stars fail to make an impression on the big stages with the National level. Even biggest stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have had outings where they failed to take their nation ahead in the crucial World cup matches.

It is that time, when the entire nation depends on the entire team, with few star performers who have glorified the club football. Some new names leave a mark. James Rodriguez offered a stellar performance in the last world cup, which saw him to Real Madrid. Players like Claudio Bravo and Keylor Navas were at their best in the last world cup. That helped them to secure a place in the top clubs of Europe.

With over a fortnight to go for the kick-off of this year’s FIFA world cup, let us look at the prospects of few teams which have the potential to be the winners of the tournament.

FRANCE

France is managed by Didier Deschamps, who is a World Cup winner. This team has lots of stars who have left a mark in the club football. France is not a team that concedes lot of goals. Also, they are not known for scoring a flurry of goals. They have a good defense with Umtiti and Varane, coupled by the goal keeping experience of Hugo Lloris.

Paul Pogba will be too stressed to play the key role in the midfield. The midfield is one area where the team lacks with experience. But having reached the finals of the EURO 2016, they must know how to control the ball and provide passes to their forwards.

The attack is especially good with the firing Griezmann supported by Giroud, Mbappe, and Dembele. This could be a deadly combination, and they could be lethal in front of goals.

However, since the midfield isn’t as impressive, this team might fall short. They have the potential to reach the semi-finals but winning the trophy requires lots of hard work in the midfield.

PORTUGAL

The defense and goal keeping isn’t as strong as the other teams. Pepe is good, but with age and temper by his side, he might lose out on key tackles.

The midfield is weak, perhaps the weakest of all the top teams. With limited experience, they might struggle.

Ronaldo is the only Forward who could score goals. With no support, he might as well get frustrated.

It would be a tough ask for them competing for the trophy. A Quarter-final berth would be a consolation for them.

URUGUAY

The defense has always been good for Uruguay but Muslera being the goal keeper has failed on few occasions. He is tremendous in saving goals but sometimes he too fails if the attack of the opponent is lethal. The defenders, if they involve in key tackles, could make life easy for the goal keeper. Diego Godin is a match winner and will be noted for his performance.

The midfield has plenty of experience but the players have been not from the top clubs. Perhaps with better opposition they might find difficult to connect with the forwards.

Cavani and Suarez will have to deliver. They might reach the Quarter-finals but progressing after that would be a massive challenge.

ARGENTINA

This is a team which has good players in all the departments. Especially the midfield and attack is superb. They could score lots of goals if they play on top of their standards. However, against big teams they might struggle.

Recently the way they lost to Spain in a friendly, was alarming. If Messi is marked by 2-3 defenders and kept quiet, then the team would be under tremendous pressure, if they are behind on goals.

Nevertheless, they could reach the Semi-finals.

SPAIN

Perhaps the best in terms of Defense and Midfield out of all the competing teams. Goal keepers are decent enough to pull saves. It would be tough to score against them. But the problem is although they might enjoy most of the possession and tire the opposition out, the attack is not good enough to be precise and accurate.

They would perhaps indulge in their usual False 9 and get the ball passed and passed and try to go near the goal and shoot from the 6-yard box. Without a proven striker, most of the games could be draws or could go to penalty shoot-outs.

A semi-final berth is certain for the La Rojas.

GERMANY

A decent team across all departments. They are well-known for their attacking spirits, and they would continue the same. They would score a flurry of goals for sure. The opposition might have to come from behind to win the game.

Neuer would be on top and with good defense, it would be difficult for the opposition forwards. A semi-final berth is certain for this excellent team.

BRAZIL

This team is a mixture of young talents with experienced players. Apart from the goal keeping department with little experience, this team doesn’t have any flaws.

They will have lots of possession since they have one of the best defense and midfield. If the strikers deliver and if they go on front, they have more chances of winning the game.

Yet another Semi-final berth looks certain for the Selecao.