Group A: Brazil, Mexico, Cameroon, Croatia
1st : Brazil- 9 points
World Ranking: 4
Key Players: Neymar
Brazil sits as the number 4 ranked team according to the Coca-Cola World Rankings, just below Portugal, Germany and defending champion Spain. The Selecao has a lot of talented players, some come and go and for this World Cup, we won’t see Kaka or Ronaldinho. But, we’ll see Neymar who is a young rising star with still a lot of potential. He’s a player that everyone should watch in this World Cup. He might preform his best soccer and make every Brazilian proud. Brazil has a lot of pressure, if they do not get out of this group stage, it would be an embarrassment not only for the team but for the host country as well. Brazil should not worry since they have what is arguably the best defensive line of the tournament. They can sweep the group and make it to at least the quarterfinals.
2nd: Mexico- 6 points
World Ranking: 19
Key Players: Marco Fabian, Raul Jimenez
Mexico has a lot to talk about, from almost not qualifying for the World Cup to having a new coach. There’s two players that we should keep an eye for. First, Marco Fabian despite all the trouble he’s been through, he came out of the 2013 – 2014 season strong. Going from Chivas to Cruz Azul wasn’t easy for him as he had to adjust to the play style that Cruz Azul is used to. Despite all that In Cruz Azul he regained his football skills and caught Miguel Herrera’s eye to make it on to the 23 man roster. Raul Jimenez also had a great season with Club America. Jimenez seems to be in good shape and his soccer skills are great, if he does a great performance in the world cup we might see him getting transferred to Europe where he’ll play with the top stars. It would be nice seeing Marco Fabian and Raul Jimenez partner up. Their partnership would be nearly unstoppable, Mexico has to prove to that it could do much more if they pour out their hearts out in the field. A lack of passion is what seemed to keep El Tri from a solid qualification. If they play as a team we might see the next world cup champion, Mexico probably even has the potential to become a finalist.
3rd: Cameroon- 3 points
World Ranking: 50
Key Players: Samuel Eto’o, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting
Cameroon is ranked 50 in the world ranking way below Mexico and Brazil. Cameroon has only appeared 6 times in a world cup while winning noneof them. Maybe this year could change, Cameroon has good players like Samuel Eto’o and Eric Choupo. It would be nice to see Eto’o recover his skills, since he left Barcelona his skills have dropped below what we are used to seeing. As for Eric he’s a player everyone should watch closely. His skills are good and being as fast a runner as he is, he could really do damage to anyone’s defense. The combination of Eto’o and Eric could be deadly, If Cameroon plays as a team and not against themselves, we might see a strong football from this nation, that potentially could make it far into the tournament.
4th: Croatia- 0 points
World Ranking: 20
Key Players: Luca Modric
Ranked number 20 in the world rankings, Croatia will probably not advance to the World Cup’s next phase. It’s a bit of a shock that FIFA even allowed Croatia to participate, especially after one of their players, Josip Simunic, started a Nazi fan chat. Regardless, Croatia hasn’t proven anything relevant. Winning 2-0 against Iceland means very little since Iceland ins’t a great team, but Luka Modric is a great player. He has proven that time and time again at Real Madrid. He can create great plays that can be very dangerous but this year won’t be his year with his National Team. Croatia will not advance past the group stage. Some of their players just lack heart, passion, and the drive to pull through. It does not look like they wear their Nation’s Jersey in their hearts.
Photo Credit: Clive Mason
