Group G, considered by many to be the Group of Death in South Africa, and features three teams that could easily make the final round of the tournament. The lineup is Brazil, historically the most successful national team ever and the number one ranked team in the World at this current time, Ivory Coast who possesses the most star-studded African roster in the field, and Portugal who made the semi-finals in the last tournament and has one of the top three players in the world on their team in Cristiano Ronaldo. These are three teams who all pundits had advancing out of their group before the draw came out, but now that the three of them have been paired together the harsh reality has set in that one of these heavyweights will go home after the group stage. Oh yeah, and the fourth team: North Korea, the team shrouded in the most mystery as they come from a militaristic communist nation who does not allow many foreigners within their borders, or many of their own citizens to leave. Even though I do not believe this is the Group of Death, I do think Group G will be by far the most interesting group in South Africa to observe.
Brazil enters this World Cup as heavy favorites, along with Spain, to win the entire tournament and it’s hard to blame people for thinking this way. Even if this team did not come from the country whose national team has won the most World Cups ever, this team would still be on many people’s radars to win it all. They have world class talent at every position. Many of Brazil’s past teams were known for their flair and style, while this one may be known for its size and strength so in that regard this will be a different Brazil team than the world is used to. A giant plus the Brazilians have this time that they normally do not is a very talented goalkeeper. Julio Cesar, coming off winning the treble of championships with his club team Inter Milan, is in the upper echelon of goalkeepers in the world. He is capable of making those eye popping saves that only few can, as well as do a great job of saving penalties. He made a couple of crucial saves against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final that were absolutely clutch, so he’s proven that he steps up his game for the big occasion. They even have a good backup in Gomes, the talented Tottenham Hotspur keeper who could start for many of the biggest teams in South Africa. They have two of the best fullbacks in the world in Maicon and Dani Alves. The only problem here is both are right backs, so only one can be at his natural position, while the other will have to either sit or play a different position. Maicon gets my vote, and appears to be winning in the mind of coach Dunga, so expect to see his powerful, surging runs on that right flank in South Africa. But what to do with the world class talent that is Daniel Alves? I would put him on the left flank and see if he can play left back. He is one of the best athletes in the world, I think he will be able to be a more than competent left back. In the center of defense stands the experienced captain Lucio and the above average Juan. The two are a more than competent center back duo. The midfield features Kaká, one of the top players in the world. He is the creator of Brazil’s attacks going forward, and his play will be vital to their success. They also feature the very defensive Gilberto Silva, an all-around all-star in Felipe Melo and the crafty Elano, who is world class at set pieces. The options at the forward position vary, but the stud is Luis Fabiano, who will be the go-to guy when they need a goal, just like Ronaldo was for years. Other forwards who could play are Grafite, a sneaky player who has been on great form the past two years in the Bundesliga for his club Wolfsburg, Nilmar who seems to score goals at will, and the nimble Robinho, whose speed and athleticism makes him dangerous on the counterattack. Probably Robinho starts up front with Fabiano, but it really doesn’t matter: Brazil will have a world class frontline that they won’t need to rely on heavily because everyone on the field for them can score.
North Korea is the second team to be drawn in this group, and is easily the weakest. However, there is an argument that the North Koreans are the most important team in this group in that if they nab a result from any of the other three teams in the group that will end their hopes of advancing. No way North Korea gets at least a draw from two games, but one is not farfetched. On top of that, all three teams will want to batter the North Koreans, in case goal difference becomes the difference between advancing and elimination. They are the most mysterious team in the entire field, with nobody knowing a whole lot about their players. They are an extremely defensive team who puts five defenders on the backline and pretty much sit behind the ball. North Korea is a very disciplined and united group, who makes up for their lack of flair with team chemistry. Up front, they have Jong Tae-se “The People’s Rooney”, who appears to be their only true threat going forward. I’ve watched highlights of Tae-se, and he actually looks like a quality player up front who is able to run at defenders with blistering speed and a surprising amount of power, as well as be capable of scoring eye-popping goals. It’s unfortunate that North Korea got drawn into a big and physical group because otherwise I think Tae-se could actually have an impressive tournament. Unfortunately for him and the rest of the North Koreans, even if they aren’t aware of it, they are facing three of the most fancied sides in South Africa and will be lucky to get one draw from their three games.
The Ivory Coast is the third team in this group. For many heading into this World Cup, just like the last one, they were everyone’s picks to be the African team to finally make the semifinals. When you have star players like the Toure brothers, Emmanuel Eboue, Aruna Dindane, Solomon Kalou and Gervinho, it’s tough for people not to favor you. Oh yeah, and the massive force up front in the form of Didier Drogba, who can be considered amongst the ranks of the world’s best strikers. However, a broken arm and swirling reports of doubt over his chances of playing in South Africa makes it seem that even if Drogba will be able to play, he will not be on his A game. Granted, his B and C game is pretty good too, so if he’s on the field I expect him to be effective. They also have Dindane, Kalou and Gervinho, so although Drogba is a big loss, they do have depth at that position and should still be able to score goals. I would honestly be more worried for Ivory Coast’s sake if it was Yaya Toure, the midfielder who will control everything for the Elephants who is truly irreplaceable. Toure will be a key feature for the team, as well as Didier Zokora, who will be the defensive midfielder in the unit. The defense is what worries me for Ivory Coast. Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue, who played together while Toure was still at Arsenal, are athletic but always strike me as players who buckle under pressure. They aren’t the world class defensive stalwarts like Lucio or Nemajna Vidic are for Brazil and Serbia respectively. Basically, I believe these players are good in the role of supporting cast in a backline of stars, but when they have to be the go-to guys, they aren’t up to snuff. They are the leaders of an otherwise fairly inexperienced backline, in front of a goalie who has not had a great club year. I believe the Elephants will go as far as their midfielders and attackers take them, because their defense is not going to win them many games in South Africa.
Portugal is extremely similar to the French team this year in that if the World Cup was played on paper, they would make the quarterfinals and semifinals of many people’s brackets. However, the game is played on paper though, and things like who coaches is very important, hence why Portugal is not as good as they should be. Coach Carlos Quiroz barely got this team qualified, having to go through a playoff with a tricky Bosnia and Herzegovnia team. The Portuguese’s strength is in their wingers, with Cristiano Ronaldo being the jewel of that set up. Ronaldo is probably everyone’s consensus for second best player in the world behind Lionel Messi, but when Ronaldo is on his A game it’s hard to imagine anyone better. The problem is that his A game rarely happens when he wears the blood red jerseys of the Portuguese national team, something that he has been ripped for in the media for years. A dynamic winger who can change the game seemingly at will, Ronaldo will try his best to be firing on all cylinders in South Africa in an attempt to unseat Messi as the world’s best. The other winger is Nani, a player similar to Ronaldo who is dynamic and theatric. Nani is coming off his best year at Manchester United, and will want to have a great world cup to put him in the category of elite wingers in the world. Raul Meireles, Pepe and Deco occupy the center of the midfield. Deco and Meireles will be expected to do much creating going forward, while Pepe, who is a natural central defender, will be on defensive midfield duties. He will be protecting a solid backline, whose center backs, Bruno Alves and Ricardo Carvalho, are among the more experienced and talented central defenders in the field. The fullbacks are weak though, as Duda and Ferreira are very susceptible to both mental and physical errors. The goalkeeper is the consistent Eduardo, while Liedson, born in Portugal, will try to put the ball in the back of the net. It will not be easy for him operating alone up front, but what will be nice is that Ronaldo and Nani will attract most of the defense’s attention on the wings, leaving more room for him to operate in the center of the park. A talented roster, my main issue with it is the inconsistency they showed in qualifying (and a recent friendly where they tied minnows Cape Verde at home) and the lack of trust they have in coach Quiroz. This I believe will lessen the chances of this talented squad living up to their potential.
Conclusion:
I see this as being the craziest and most complicated group in the entire tournament. Many people have Brazil advancing on full points, with the winner of the opening match between Portugal and Ivory Coast advancing as well. I do not see it going that way. I see Portugal beating Ivory Coast (looks like Drogba is doubtful for this game), Ivory Coast beating Brazil (a rejuvenated side with Drogba in it, they will have to play for their lives) and Brazil beating Portugal (too much talent for Brazil not to beat a team that is prone to bouts of inconsistency). All three will beat the poor North Koreans, but the North Koreans will become the central team in the group as goal difference will come into play. I have the Brazilians finishing first with a +7 goal difference. Head to head will then decide who gets second, and that means Ivory Coast advances. Portugal is the odd team out. They also have a tough game against North Korea where they only win 2-1, with Jong Tae-se nabbing the goal for the Koreans. Here is the table, schedule and how I see the group playing out:
Game 1: Brazil 6 vs. 0 Korea DPR
Game 2: Ivory Coast 0 vs. 1 Portugal
Game 3: Brazil 1 vs. 2 Ivory Coast
Game 4: Portugal 2 vs. 1 Korea DPR
Game 5: Portugal 1 vs. 3 Brazil
Game 6: Korea DPR 1 vs. 4 Ivory Coast
Standings:
Brazil 6 pts
Ivory Coast 6 pts
Portugal 6 pts
North Korea 0 pts
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