world cup 2018 review
With The Greatest Show on earth come to a close (and what a Great world cup it was) I am reviewing all 32 teams.
Group A-
Russia -Quater Finals
Review- Before the world cup began the whole country was preparing for huge disappointment at the world cup with few expecting them to get out the group. Even the neutrals were expecting Russia to come third in the group behind Uruguay and a Salah inspired led Egypt. Even the first game against Saudi Arabia was expected to be a 0-0 bore feast. However, sometimes The hosts can surprise you (While South Korea got A LOT of help in 2002 they still did well). Russia scored FIVE against Saudi Arabia then three against Egypt (more on them later) and took the country on a huge ride of joy and optimism. Beating Spain on Penalties in the last 16 after losing to Uruguay was the clear highlight and while they nearly got past Croatia but lost on penalties, I highly doubt the country and those players will look back with hardly any disappointment. Well done Russia
Best Player- Denis Cheryshev
Saudi Arabia- 3rd in group stage
Didn't have the best start to the tournament but did improve after the 5-0 mauling from Russia. Only conceded one to Uruguay which was a huge achievement and then beat Egypt in their final game which was a fantastic result for them. Will go home with that joy at least.
Best Player- Mohannad Aseri
Egypt- 4th in group stage.
The so-called 'dark horses' of the tournament proved to be nothing but headless chickens. Okay, that is harsh but baring Salah there wasn't really anyone else who could score or play well (Okay Essam El Hadary did play okay but he is 45 for crying out loud). Egypt wanted Salah to perform like he did at Liverpool. Two issues. 1. He was NEVER fully fit for this world cup and shouldn't have played against Russia. 2. Hard to believe this but Liverpool do have other players who are quite good and score goals. Yes, Salah was the main man last season but still... They went home with their tales between their legs.
Best Player- Mohamed Salah-(Despite being 5% fit he was still their best player by a Mile)
Uruguay- Quater Finals
Sometimes teams can surprise you. I didn't have any reason to expect anything from Uruguay this time around despite, to be honest having a good squad. However, they proved to be the best South American team - no the best team OUTSIDE of Europe this time around. Okay, Suarez and Cavani didn't rip teams apart but that didn't matter because their defence this time was fantastic. The Athletico Madrid partnership of Giménez and Godín worked wonders and looked like getting Uruguay to the final. Pity they met their old friend Griezmann in the quarters though... (Bonus Points for Suarez not doing anything hugely controversial this time around)
Best Player- Diego Godín
Group b
Iran- 3rd in group stage
Just beat a plucky Morroco in what many thought to be the Useless match in the group (well it was TBH) then just lost to the Spanish in a poor game then managed to get a draw against Portugal which they could have won. Not bad considering no-one gave them a chance and they had to cope with losing their boot sponsors thanks to the USA Sanctions.
best player Karim Ansarifard
Morrocco 4th in group.
Very Unlucky in the competition. Deserved a point against Iran then played well against Portugal despite losing and nearly beat Spain. Which sent the Spanish on a downward spiral after that.
Best player-Khalid Boutaïb
Portugal Last 16
Ronaldo shone in the first two games but faded as the world cup went on. Portugal is a team in transition and must prepare for life without their best player. Should have lost to Iran and in defence looked very weak. Deservedly lost to Uruguay.
Best player- Cristiano Ronaldo
Spain Last 16
Looked okay in the first game despite David de Gea making a howler against Portugal. However, that was the highlight of their competition. Costa was getting the goals and looked a real menace but the rest of Spain never got out of second gear and underestimated the Russians and Lost on penalties. pathetic.
Best player- Diego Costa
Group C
France- Winners
France who fell at the last hurdle two years ago at the Euro's went a step up this time around and the golden generation came good. Only Giroud disappointed (Maybe his wife was watching his every move...). They have the next big superstar in Mbappé and they have a huge pool of players to pick from for the 2020 euros. Pity most of the squad have to play abroad thanks to PSG ruining the French league.
Best player- Kylian Mbappé
Denmark- Last 16
Most of the talk before the world cup was about Eriksen and how he would perform. To be honest I didn't see that much of him because it was Poulson and Schmeichel who impressed me the most. I doubt Kasper will have many trophies at international level but he did perform magnificently as he kept Denmark in the competition and saved a penalty against Luka Modric against Croatia. Denmark went out on penalties but at a good enough tournament for them.
Best player- Kasper Schmeichel
Australia- 4th in Group
Considering that they had very little in the way of players to call up Australia did okay. Pity Cahill didn't score but that's life, isn't it? Were there to make up the numbers and showed it. At least they don't have to go through Oceania qualifying anymore. All credit for getting a point.
Best Player- Mile Jedinak (well he knows how to take a penalty)
Peru- 3rd in Group
Very unlucky this time around. Kept the French quiet and should have got a point at least against Denmark. Played well in a tough group but did get a famous win over a poor Australia.
Best Player André Carrillo
Group D
Argentina- Last 16
For a team that scraped through to the world cup, Messi and co were a huge disappointment. Poor in defending and attacking with no real midfield they looked poor against Iceland, appalling against Croatia and just about pulled themselves together and beat Nigeria. But they faced the French in the last 16 and despite scoring three goals looked a complete shambles in defence and were knocked out. No-one was sorry to see them go. Still cannot believe that Mascherano not only got picked but started every game. Shocking.
Best Player- Sergio Agüero. (well there wasn't much choice)
Croatia- Runners-up
The REAL dark Horses of this world cup (Wave at Egypt). Croatia bettered the heroes of 98 and took one step further. They were a fantastic attacking threat throughout the competition with Modric, Rakitić, and Mandžukić proving how amazing they are. Croatia made hard work getting through to the final winning two penalty shootouts and getting a deserved extra-time winner against England (I am so not biased at all). Modric was simply incredible at this world cup and fully deserved the golden ball. Pity, it ended in defeat but the French were that bit stronger.
Best Player Luka Modrić
Nigeria- 3rd in group
The super eagles were terrific when played in their famous lime green shirts. Sadly they were only allowed to play one game in their home kits. Against Iceland. They were very disappointing against Argentina in particular. Very annoying as they were my pick in the sweepstake at work
Best Player- Victor Moses
Iceland- 4th in group
The smallest team at the world cup stunned Argentina to grab an unexpected point against them and we were all thinking that they were on their way to the last 16 aka euro 2016. However, Croatia and Nigeria proved to be much stronger and Iceland could not repeat their heroics of 2016. Kudos to the fans for those incredible thunderclaps and Rúrik Gíslason for becoming a social media icon.
Best Player- Alfreð Finnbogason
Group E
Brazil - Quater finals
My pick to win the world cup ultimately disappointed in Russia. They never got out of second gear and while they looked defensively a lot more solid the team's reliance on Neymar and Jesus proved to be a flawed task. Neymar became the laughing stock of the world due to his stupid hair and even worse theatrics with the diving and bad acting when he got tackled. Though to be fair he did show some glimpses of Magic it is clear that his time at PSG has done him no favours and he needs to get out of Paris. As for Jesus, he made no impact at the world cup and Tite seemed reluctant to drop him. Brazil was far better with Bobby Firmino playing but in the end, Belgium knocked them out with a stronger performance all around.
Best Player- Philippe Coutinho
Costa Rica- 4th in group
The signs were there when they played England just before the world cup. Costa Rica's time in the sun has set. Yes, they still have Navas but he is certain to just be the Real Madrid number 2 keeper by August. Costa Rica was outplayed in the competition mostly (though they kept Brazil out for most of the game) but did show some of the character from 2014 and Navas was incredible.
Best Player- Keylor Navas
Serbia- 3rd in group
The stats will not be kind to Serbia as they lost 2 out of 3 games. However, on the field, they were okay to watch and played alright football. Unlucky to lose to Switzerland but could not keep Brazil out. Should be better at euro 2020.
Best Player- Aleksandar Kolarov
Switzerland- Last 16
A surprise package from this world cup the Swiss did rather well at the world cup. Maybe in all fairness, they should have lost to Brazil but they looked strong attacking wise. Maybe it was because Shaqiri knew he had to perform well to get back into the top flight (and he has). Maybe it was because Xhaka knew he had to impress his new boss at arsenal otherwise he would be out the door. And he did that as well. In defence, they didn't look that great but in attack wise, they were quite good.
Best Player- Xherdan Shaqiri
Group F
Germany- 4th in group
So the curse of the holders goes on. To be fair though Germany only have themselves to blame for this disaster. Starting from Neuer playing in goal when he spent the whole season injured and not giving Marc-André ter Stegen a chance. That was harsh. What was even worse was the fact that he didn't take Sane who just had the season of his life at Man City. Yes, Brandt did well (and was Germany's best player by a mile). Joachim Löw said he didn't think Sane was ready. Well, it could not have been much worse. Ozil was awful and when he didn't play against Sweden they looked a bit better (only a bit). Then he got recalled to play against South Korea and they lost!! Hummels didn't take his chances and Werner looked out of his depth (but he is young and will come good I believe) Utter Shambles. And do not get me started on Boateng.
Best Player- Julian Brandt (Well there wasn't much choice)
Mexico- Last 16 (what a Surprise)
The Mexicans stunned the world by beating a terrible Germany in their first game then getting past a brave but ultimately poor South Korean side. Then looking like they could win the group and probably face a beatable Swiss side they stuff it up against Sweden and come second. And face Brazil in the last 16 instead. Just goes to show that Mexico cannot get that monkey off their backs.
Best Player- Guillermo Ochoa
South Korea- 3rd in Group
The South Koreans were brake but ultimately not good enough at the world cup. Were poor against Sweden, Okay but fell short against Mexico then proved to be good against a terrible German side. Son Heung-min proved to be the star man again but Jo Hyeon-woo became a goalkeeping hero after his saves against Germany.
Best Player- Son Heung-min
Sweden- Quater finals
Who needs Zlatan hey? Sweden looked a better side without their star man and team performances carried them to the last 8 where they lost to England. Very good against Mexico in particular where they let the Mexicans press the self-destruct button. With Alexander Isak coming through at Borussia Dortmund for Sweden their future is looking bright. (thank god for football manager)
Best Player- Andreas Granqvist
Group G
Belgium- 3rd Overall (Semi-Finals)
The golden generation almost came good. They played so well leading up to the semi-finals barring that odd win over Japan where they scored in the last minute to win 3-2 after being two goals down. But they had enough in the tank and on the bench unlike other teams to get a plan B together and succeed. De Bryne, Hazard, and Lukaku all carried their Premier league form into the world cup with Fellaini and Chadli surprising everyone with good performances and Courtois winning the golden glove. Will have another chance at Euro 2020 and I wouldn't bet against them.
Best Player- Eden Hazard
Tunisia- 3rd in Group
There isn't a lot to say about Tunisia. They were a better side than Panama but nowhere near England or Belguim. Nearly got a point against England but it would not have been deserved. Belguim thrashed them then they managed to beat Panama. They were okay. Not much more to say really.
Best Player- Wahbi Khazri
Panama- 4th in Group
How the hell did they qualify? Seriously. yes, they were the so-called plucky underdogs but the way they played made them 0% likable as well. wrestling Harry Kane and John Stones to the ground while trying to defend in the box. Bad tactics. Get angry about every foul that was given against them just made them sore losers. They did score two goals though and their fans and commentators were fantastic. However. How rubbish is the USA not to get past this team to qualify...
Best Player-Felipe Baloy
England- 4th Overall (Semi-Finals)
Who would have thought it hey? England finally does well at a world cup and equal their best ever result outside of their home stadium in a competition. Gareth Southgate put several demons of himself and the team to bed in the competition. Our Captain and main man Harry Kane got the golden boot. We won a knockout game our first since 2006. we made national heroes of several players (Pickford, Maguire, and Trippier) and most importantly we actually won a penalty shootout at a world cup!!! the fact that we were disappointed about losing the semi-final to Croatia says it all. Gareth Southgate and his team took an England squad on a journey that will never be forgotten.
Best Player- Kieran Trippier
Group G
Columbia- Last 16
Columbia's world cup started in total disaster against Japan after THREE minutes when Carlos Sánchez handled the ball in the box and conceded a penalty. And got sent off. Great start. Columbia lost that game but recovered to beat Poland and Senegal to reach the last 16. Then it got odd. Columbia played dirty against England. Now I am not saying England were completely blameless but when they conceded the penalty they argued for about five minutes with the referee and while he was distracted with the 3 or 4 players shouting at him, a couple of other Columbia players Scuffed up the spot kick area to try and make Kane miss. When you have Maradona supporting you it says a lot about your team.
Best Player- James Rodríguez
Poland- 4th In group.
Before the world cup started Poland was ranked 8th in the world and were seeded for the world cup. Well, they won't be 8th in the world now. They were total rubbish at the world cup and looked very weak in both attack and defense. Lewandowski was total rubbish and was totally ineffective. The only reason that they got any points at all was the fact that Japan decided not to play football and risk getting any yellow cards. Poor all round
Best Player- Jan Bednarek
Japan- Last 16
One of the surprises of the world cup did have a lot of luck in the group stage. Columbia gifted them a win and Senegal gifted them two goals. Then it dawned on the team that it was going to be the number of Yellow cards in their final game against Poland would get them through even if they lost to a pathetic Polish side. Was it allowed? Yes. Was it fair? Not really. But they surprised the world with a great 70-minute performance against Belguim where they were 2-0 up. However they tired towards the end and let Beguim win 3-2.
Best Player- Takashi Inui
Senegal- 3rd in Group.
Very Unlucky not to get through but Senegal were the best African side by a mile at this world cup. With a manager full of Meme's and THAT goal to beat Poland (Pure Genius) the only reason they did not get through was due to the number of yellow cards (They attempted to beat Columbia while Japan could not be bothered and it showed in the end) However the rules are the rules and they should have beaten Japan.
Best Player- Sadio Mané
