Abdullah719
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World Cup 2018: Group H could be anyone’s to win
Every World Cup has a so-called “group of death” where there’s no clear favorite and any of four good teams can top the group or finish dead last. In 2018, that group looks like Group H, because there is very little to separate Poland, Senegal, Colombia, and Japan from one another. Poland is probably the best team of the lot, but there’s very little room for error in this group. These teams can’t afford any slip-ups, and the close degree of competition here will make this group a lot of fun to watch.
Poland
Perhaps the most surprising name in the group of first seeds, Poland's elevated status comes thanks to their FIFA ranking, which rated them as the sixth-best team in the world when the pots were determined. Though they've since dropped to seventh, their lofty ranking owes much to a trouble-free qualification campaign: They won eight games from 10 in Group E, finishing five points ahead of Denmark.
Qualification for Russia 2018 follows a quarterfinal spot at Euro 2016, where they were eliminated by eventual winners Portugal on penalties. As such, coach Adam Nawalka's spell in charge represents something of a resurgence for a nation who finished third at the 1974 and 1982 tournaments, but last went to a World Cup in 2006. Third place might be a reach this time, but they have enough to reach the knockout stages. And Robert Lewandowski is really, really good.
Key player: Robert Lewandowski
One of the most complete strikers in the world, deadly with head and with either foot, Lewandowski's presence up front is enough to make Poland a worrying prospect for any opponent. Bayern Munich's number nine scored 16 times in qualifying; not even Cristiano Ronaldo scored more.
Senegal
Right now, no one in African soccer beats Senegal for athleticism, and perhaps no other team in the world has as many great pure athletes. If you love watching teams that play quickly and try to beat their opponents for pace as often as possible, you’ll seriously enjoy the Lions of Teranga, who haven’t needed to resort to plan B yet.
Senegal were wrapped up in a controversy during World Cup qualifying, with one of their losses getting voided. FIFA found that a referee intentionally manipulated the match in Senegal’s loss to South Africa, and Senegal won the replay. That led to them going undefeated in qualifying, comfortably qualifying five points ahead of Burkina Faso.
The Senegalese defense is anchored by Kalidou Koulibaly, Napoli’s world-class center back. But as a defender, he’s a bit overlooked in favor of the team’s big star...
Key player: Sadio Mane
No player has been more important to Liverpool’s success over the last two seasons than Mane, who combines incredible speed with dribbling, crossing, and finishing ability. He’s on the verge of his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring season in the Premier League, and was joint-top in assists during African qualifying.
Colombia
Colombia wowed a lot of fans at the 2014 World Cup in a tournament that saw them fly through the group stage and look as good as just about anyone, then win a knockout game against Uruguay, and then were rewarded for all that by meeting Brazil in the quarterfinals in a match they lost closely. It was also the tournament that saw James Rodriguez burst onto the world stage and play as well as anyone.
When it comes to the attack, many of the same faces will be around for this team, with James returning, Juan Cuadrado back and playing well for Juventus, and Radamel Falcao finding his groove again and scoring constantly for Monaco. There’s plenty of talent in the back as well, but I’m curious to see how it’s sorted. A question to watch, and one that could decide how far this team goes: Is 21-year-old Davinson Sanchez ready to step up and be an anchor of the back line?
Key player: James Rodriguez
James finally got out of a tough situation that saw him too often on the outside of the lineup at Real Madrid and is on loan at Bayern Munich, but there’s no doubt about his role or importance to the Colombia national team. He will be given the freedom to create much as he did in the last World Cup, and if he can find those moments of brilliance, he could take this team far in the tournament.
Japan
Long one of the top teams in Asia, Japan are hoping to finally start taking the next step forward as a national team and make a big impact in the World Cup. To date, they’ve never made it past the first knockout round in any World Cup they’ve been part of, including their round of 16 departure when they helped host the tournament alongside South Korea in 2002.
Japan have long been on the cusp of being a good team, with lots of intriguing talent creating some very potent squads, but they’ve often been managed by coaches who seem unwilling to let the team play to their real potential. Vahid Halilhodžić certainly has many of the more tactically conservative traits that have been a hallmark of Japan’s coaching, but he has been willing to let Japan cut loose when the situation suited it. Hopefully we’ll get more such chances to see Japan roaring along at their best, because they can be a lot of fun when they get rolling, even if they’re not expected to make a deep run in the tournament.
Key player: Shinji Kagawa
Despite having one of the best scoring records at the national team level in the Japanese squad, Kagawa has unfortunately had a habit of disappearing in big matches for his country. Currently in good club team form for Borussia Dortmund, though, there’s hope that if he can maintain that form for the rest of the season, he can be the vital, aggressive playmaking presence this Japanese side needs from the attacking midfield area.
Prediction
Poland
Senegal
Japan
Colombia
https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/201...up-draw-group-h-poland-senegal-colombia-japan
Every World Cup has a so-called “group of death” where there’s no clear favorite and any of four good teams can top the group or finish dead last. In 2018, that group looks like Group H, because there is very little to separate Poland, Senegal, Colombia, and Japan from one another. Poland is probably the best team of the lot, but there’s very little room for error in this group. These teams can’t afford any slip-ups, and the close degree of competition here will make this group a lot of fun to watch.
Poland
Perhaps the most surprising name in the group of first seeds, Poland's elevated status comes thanks to their FIFA ranking, which rated them as the sixth-best team in the world when the pots were determined. Though they've since dropped to seventh, their lofty ranking owes much to a trouble-free qualification campaign: They won eight games from 10 in Group E, finishing five points ahead of Denmark.
Qualification for Russia 2018 follows a quarterfinal spot at Euro 2016, where they were eliminated by eventual winners Portugal on penalties. As such, coach Adam Nawalka's spell in charge represents something of a resurgence for a nation who finished third at the 1974 and 1982 tournaments, but last went to a World Cup in 2006. Third place might be a reach this time, but they have enough to reach the knockout stages. And Robert Lewandowski is really, really good.
Key player: Robert Lewandowski
One of the most complete strikers in the world, deadly with head and with either foot, Lewandowski's presence up front is enough to make Poland a worrying prospect for any opponent. Bayern Munich's number nine scored 16 times in qualifying; not even Cristiano Ronaldo scored more.
Senegal
Right now, no one in African soccer beats Senegal for athleticism, and perhaps no other team in the world has as many great pure athletes. If you love watching teams that play quickly and try to beat their opponents for pace as often as possible, you’ll seriously enjoy the Lions of Teranga, who haven’t needed to resort to plan B yet.
Senegal were wrapped up in a controversy during World Cup qualifying, with one of their losses getting voided. FIFA found that a referee intentionally manipulated the match in Senegal’s loss to South Africa, and Senegal won the replay. That led to them going undefeated in qualifying, comfortably qualifying five points ahead of Burkina Faso.
The Senegalese defense is anchored by Kalidou Koulibaly, Napoli’s world-class center back. But as a defender, he’s a bit overlooked in favor of the team’s big star...
Key player: Sadio Mane
No player has been more important to Liverpool’s success over the last two seasons than Mane, who combines incredible speed with dribbling, crossing, and finishing ability. He’s on the verge of his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring season in the Premier League, and was joint-top in assists during African qualifying.
Colombia
Colombia wowed a lot of fans at the 2014 World Cup in a tournament that saw them fly through the group stage and look as good as just about anyone, then win a knockout game against Uruguay, and then were rewarded for all that by meeting Brazil in the quarterfinals in a match they lost closely. It was also the tournament that saw James Rodriguez burst onto the world stage and play as well as anyone.
When it comes to the attack, many of the same faces will be around for this team, with James returning, Juan Cuadrado back and playing well for Juventus, and Radamel Falcao finding his groove again and scoring constantly for Monaco. There’s plenty of talent in the back as well, but I’m curious to see how it’s sorted. A question to watch, and one that could decide how far this team goes: Is 21-year-old Davinson Sanchez ready to step up and be an anchor of the back line?
Key player: James Rodriguez
James finally got out of a tough situation that saw him too often on the outside of the lineup at Real Madrid and is on loan at Bayern Munich, but there’s no doubt about his role or importance to the Colombia national team. He will be given the freedom to create much as he did in the last World Cup, and if he can find those moments of brilliance, he could take this team far in the tournament.
Japan
Long one of the top teams in Asia, Japan are hoping to finally start taking the next step forward as a national team and make a big impact in the World Cup. To date, they’ve never made it past the first knockout round in any World Cup they’ve been part of, including their round of 16 departure when they helped host the tournament alongside South Korea in 2002.
Japan have long been on the cusp of being a good team, with lots of intriguing talent creating some very potent squads, but they’ve often been managed by coaches who seem unwilling to let the team play to their real potential. Vahid Halilhodžić certainly has many of the more tactically conservative traits that have been a hallmark of Japan’s coaching, but he has been willing to let Japan cut loose when the situation suited it. Hopefully we’ll get more such chances to see Japan roaring along at their best, because they can be a lot of fun when they get rolling, even if they’re not expected to make a deep run in the tournament.
Key player: Shinji Kagawa
Despite having one of the best scoring records at the national team level in the Japanese squad, Kagawa has unfortunately had a habit of disappearing in big matches for his country. Currently in good club team form for Borussia Dortmund, though, there’s hope that if he can maintain that form for the rest of the season, he can be the vital, aggressive playmaking presence this Japanese side needs from the attacking midfield area.
Prediction
Poland
Senegal
Japan
Colombia
https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/201...up-draw-group-h-poland-senegal-colombia-japan
love underdog
