World cup spotlight: Group a
For the next several weeks I’ll be looking into each World Cup group and giving my thoughts and predictions for each team.
I’ll discuss their chances of making it out of their group and what or who will make them have a successful World Cup run. Starting with Group A.
This group consists of hosts Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, and the Netherlands. This group is very interesting in my opinion, as on paper it seems very straightforward with who will go through and who will be eliminated. The Netherlands and Senegal are seemingly obvious favorites, but when we look deeper it is not so black and white.
Qatar: Thanks to automatically qualifying as hosts, this will be Qatar’s first ever World Cup appearance. Not much is expected from Qatar and it is doubtful that Qatar will make much noise in the tournament. However, Qatar is coming off an impressive Aisan Cup win, defeating quality teams such as Japan and South Korea on their path to hoisting the trophy. In addition, the host nation has only failed to make it out to their group one time in the history of the World Cup and that was South Africa in 2010. So, perhaps history is on Qatar’s side, but I would still be surprised to see them in the knockout round of the World Cup.
Ecuador: Fresh off beating the case against Chile, which could have seen them removed from the World Cup, Ecuador are officially in the World Cup and this is where the group gets interesting. Coming off a very impressive qualifying campaign in which Ecuador finished fourth in the incredibly competitive South American Football Confederation, Ecuador are poised for a surprising World Cup run. With exciting players in the attack, such as Moises Caicedo and Michael Estrada and young high flying wingback Estupiñan, Ecuador have what it takes to make it out of Group A. Time will tell if everything can come together at the right time for this young athletic Ecuadorian team.
Senegal: Senegal are one of the teams I’m most excited to watch this World Cup. With a squad full of talent and confidence after winning the African Cup of Nations, Senegal is ready to go deep in this World Cup. What separated Senegal from the previous two teams in this group is that Senegal has multiple players on top european teams.
Players such as Mane, Koulibaly, and Mendy are the types of players that can change games and Senegal will need these players at their best in order to go deep in the tournament. What makes me so excited about Senegal is that they have the stars but also have quality in almost every position. Many teams have a star player but lack quality in every position, or vice versa, but few teams have both. With players such as Ismali Sarr, Abdou Diallo, Idrissa Gueye, etc. Senegal could be the first African country to reach a World Cup semi-final.
Netherlands: Rounding out Group A is most people's favorites to top the group, the Netherlands. The Netherlands is a very interesting team. There is no doubt that they are a talented side, with Memphis Depay, Quincy Promes, Frenkie De Jong, and other very skilled players. However, after an underwhelming Euro 2020-21 performance there are doubts about whether or not this team will reach their full potential. For me these doubts stem from manager Frank De Boer. When watching his team I have questions about his tactics and why certain players are playing where they are. The Netherlands has the perfect players to be successful using a 4-3-3, however De Boer has been playing a 5-3-2, which does not suit his players very well. With two very strong center backs in Van Dijk and De Ligt and technical midfielders such as De Jong and Wijnaldum, a 4-3-3 seems ideal for the Netherlands. Due to these doubts, I believe the farthest the Netherlands will go is the quarter-finals.
