World Cup Spotlight: Group F
Group F of the 2022 World Cup consists of Belgium, Canada, Morocco, and Croatia. An evenly balanced group, Belgium is the favorite to progress, but the other three sides are not to be overlooked and could make deep runs themselves if all goes well in Qatar. So, let's take a deeper look at one of the most interesting groups in this tournament.
Belgium
Eden Hazard must turn back the clock for Belgium to maximize their potential
Perhaps the last dance for the country's "Golden Generation," consisting of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, and others, Belgium has high hopes for this winter's tournament. Their third-place finish in 2018 was the best in their history, and it won't be easy to do better than that as many of their stars have aged, and the younger talents such as Jeremy Doku and Charles De Ketaleare may not quite be ready for the big stage. Their defense is also a major issue, as they lack pace for the modern game, and Toby Alderwield and Jan Vertonghen are past their prime.
However, with KDB on the pitch and Thibaut Courtois in goal, Belgium has the best midfielder and goalkeeper in the world, and if other players can regain form, they are as good as any team they'll face. On the other hand, if they look their age, a shock early exit could be on the cards.
Canada
Alphonso Davies (Sporting News)
Qualifying for the first time in 36 years, Canada is a young squad led by Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies. However, he is not their threat as Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan make up a lightning-quick attacking trio that could give aging nations such as Belgium and Croatia trouble. Nevertheless, their manager, John Herdman, has his side humming as they finished first in CONCACAF qualifying and have become one of the feel-good stories of this World Cup.
They are often organized smartly and can be quite deadly on the counter-attack, which makes for a good recipe when defending against typically better sides who prefer to pass the opponent to death. Their inexperience could lead to costly errors against veteran teams, or it could be a blessing as they may harness it into a fearless attitude. Canada is a bit of an unknown with a high potential to cause some upsets.
Morocco
Ziyech’s absence creates plenty of issues for Morocco (Getty Images)
Another side with the potential to have a wide variety of results, Morocco is led by flying wing-back Achraf Hakimi. He is supported by others who have been successful on the big stage in Europe, including Sofiane Boufal and Yusuf En-Nesyri. However, their biggest star, Hakim Ziyech, refuses to play for the national team over a rift with manager Vahid Halihodzic, so unless their relationship can be mended, the squad will be missing a mercurial talent who can take over games on his own.
A 3-0 loss to the United States in June was discouraging, but they followed it up with wins over South Africa and Liberia to regain momentum. Morocco will need to rely on the previously mentioned players to spark their attack and for Yassine Bounou, one of the best keepers in La Liga, to have a fantastic tournament. They are narrowly the fourth-best side in this group, but it is fine margins, and they have the firepower to outperform expectations.
Croatia
Luka Modric (Getty Images)
Runners-up in 2018, Croatia will be trotting out a somewhat similar side to the one that captured the hearts of their nation just four years ago. Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, and Marcelo Brozovic still run the midfield, Domagoj Vida is ever present at the back, and Ivan Perisic and Andrej Kramaric remain along the front line. Josko Gvardiol is a new face in defense, and he has the potential to be one of the world's best, but other than him, the next generation has not really found their footing.
They looked their age in parts of Euro 2020 but showed enough quality and experience to at least make it out of the group before losing to an admittedly better Spain side in the Round of 16. Their experience could prove to be the difference maker against Canada and Morocco, or the energy may be lacking, and they could get out ran by these younger sides. Besides Gvardiol and Sime Vrsalijko, their defense looks subpar as Vida is not as effective anymore, and the other center backs and left backs are largely unproven.
Ultimately, if Kovacic and Modric are cooking and Perisic and Kramaric are firing, it will be difficult to beat them. The games being scheduled so tightly together does not favor this older squad, though, and they could eventually run out of gas.