MATCH 26 – The Other Valencia

MATCH 26  – GROUP E

HONDURAS        1-2          ECUADOR

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Goals

HON: Costly 31′;

ECU: E Valencia 34′, 65′;

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Venue : Arena da Baixada, Curitiba

Referee : Benjamin Williams (Australia)

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TEAM LINE-UPS

Honduras: Valladares, Figueroa, Bernardez, Izaguirre (Garcia 46), Bengtson, Costly, Garcia (Chavez 83), Espinoza, Garrido (Martinez 71), Claros, Beckeles.
(Manager: Luis Suarez)

Ecuador: Dominguez, Guagua, Erazo, Paredes, Noboa, Montero (Achilier 90), Ayovi, Caicedo (Mendez 82), E. Valencia, Minda (Gruezo 83), A. Valencia.
(Manager: Reinaldo Rueda)

THE MATCH

Honduras 1-0 Ecuador.

Honduras 1-1 Ecuador.

Honduras 1-2 Ecuador.

MATCH 10 – French Rout

MATCH 10  – GROUP E

FRANCE          3-0          HONDURAS

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Goals-

FRA: Benzema 45′(P), 72′, Valladares 48′(OG);

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Venue : Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre

Referee : Sandro Meira Ricci (Brazil)

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The French National Team needs a booster. The big controversies and player mutinies of the last World Cup will be remembered as one of the darkest days in their history. They needed a big win. For themselves and the fans. And they got it. France completely destroyed a tough-tackling Honduras team, even without their best player and talisman, Franck Ribery, who was ruled out of the World Cup due to injury. Based this performance, fans can believe again. France could go a long way in this World Cup. It wasn’t without drama though. Let’s see how one of football’s stupidest controversies panned out.

TEAM LINE-UPS

France: Lloris, Debuchy, Varane, Sakho, Evra, Pogba (Sissoko 57), Cabaye (Mavuba 65), Matuidi, Valbuena (Giroud 78), Benzema, Griezmann.
(Manager: Didier Deschamps)

Honduras: Valladares, Beckeles, Bernardez (Osman Chavez 46), Figueroa, Izaguirre, Najar (Claros 58), Wilson Palacios, Garrido, Espinoza, Bengtson (Boniek Garcia 46), Costly.
(Manager: Luis Suarez)

France played with star man Karim Benzema as a lone striker up front, with youngster Griezmann and the pacey Valbuena behind him. Supplying them were the formidable central midfield trio of Matuidi, Pogba and Cabaye. Real Madrid youngster Varane got the nod ahead of the likes of Koscielny to partner Sakho in central defence. The star men for an inexperienced Honduras side were the England-based contingent of Figueroa, Espinoza and Palacios.

THE MATCH

It was a rough game right from the start. Honduras lived up to their reputation of being one of the most physical sides in the world. Tackles were flying everywhere. But it wasn’t just Honduras who were causing the damage. It seemed that France had come out determined to meet fire with fire. France themselves got 3 players booked in the first half. In the 27th minute, a clash between Pogba and Palacios saw them both booked, but it could’ve easily been red. Palacios seemed to kick Pogba while the Frenchman retaliated by lashing back out. But, the game went on, but not for long for the Honduras man. A minute before half time, he clumsily crashed into Pogba just inside the penalty box. Easy decision for the ref. Second yellow card. Sent off.

Palacios – Losing his calm.
Red Card.

A clear penalty. Up steps the man who has a lot of pressure on his head from fans and the media, Benzema. Pressure? What’s that? He coolly buries the ball in the net, sending the keeper the wrong way. Great way to end the half for France. As for Honduras, being a goal down and a man down, it was going to be a long night.

Benzema – Mr. Cool.
France 1-0 Honduras.

The second half began with France predictably in control. They looked real lively, especially trickster Valbuena who was working his shoes off in the pitch. And it didn’t take long for the hard work to be paid off for the French, as 3 minutes into the second half, they doubled the lead. But it wasn’t without controversy. A delightful pass from Cabaye to Benzema, followed by a wonderful half volley shot by the striker led to the ball hitting the far post and hitting the keeper on the other side on the rebound, who couldn’t gather it fully and fumbled with the ball near the goal line. When everyone thought that it was great save, the referee blows the whistle and for the first time at the FIFA World Cup 2014, Goal-line Technology comes into play. Goal for France. Well, the controversy started moments later, when the giant screen at the stadium showed the replay where it said ‘NO GOAL’ first and then ‘GOAL’ later on. Confused and furious Honduras fans roared in anger. The players were surrounding the referee. It was chaos. But, it was just stupid. Because all these people just misunderstood what was being shown. The replay showed that the ball wasn’t in when it initially hit the post, but it went in, after the goalkeeper’s fumble. It was an own goal by the keeper. If everyone had just concentrated a bit more on the replay, before shouting out in anger, there would have been no problem. But, that’s football fans for you. That’s the passion. That’s what I love about it.

Benzema – Is it in?
France 2-0 Honduras.

After that, Honduras had no way back. France kept on threatening the goal. Finally in the 72nd minute, both France and Benzema got another one. A beautiful move found its way to the Real Madrid man’s feet who blasted a shot from the ride side of the goal into the top of the net. Rounded off a brilliant performance by the striker.

Benzema – Icing on the Cake.
France 3-0 Honduras.

 

Man Of The Match : Karim Benzema

CONCLUSIONS

France got the morale booster they needed. Although Honduras weren’t exactly a quality opponent, it will help their confidence. They face tough tests ahead against the Swiss and Ecuador, but with Benzema in the form he is, France can push them all away.

As for Honduras, its a steep uphill task from now. With their star man suspended and a poor goal difference means their hopes of qualifying are all but over.

GROUP E – One Sided Affair

GROUP E

Switzerland

Ecuador

France

Honduras

 

OUTLOOK

It has been a good, long and yet a tiring wait of 4 years after the previous World Cup in South Africa. With the next edition starting in Brazil in less than 24 hours, I bring to you an overall review of the group and my predictions for Group E. It is going to be a rather one sided show by France and might very well top the group. For the second spot, it’s going to be a fight between Switzerland and Ecuador. I’d side towards Switzerland given their solid defense and very young and passionate front line in the form of Shaqiri, Seferovic and Granit Xhaka. Honduras who are hunting for their maiden World Cup victory would be looking forward to achieve it and might as well find it if they get their focus on the Ecuador game. With no further ado, let us jump into the team tactics and predicted starting XI of all the 4 teams in Group E.

 

 

SWITZERLAND

 

 

Nickname : Nati (The National Team)

FIFA Ranking : 6

Manager : Ottmar Hitzfeld

Team & Tactics

Switzerland being coached by the ex Bayern boss, der General, Ottmar Hitzfeld, have a very formidable defence. They have very agile wingers on both the flanks. Switzerland often maintain a very compact defence with both the wingers tracking back to help the defence and midfield. ‘Gott’mar Hitzfeld (Gott – God) likes to play the 4-2-3-1 formation with wingers tracking back.

The Rossocrociati are likely to field the defensive duo of the experienced Steve Von Bergen and the Arsenal turned Hamburger defender, Johan Djorou. The Juventus right-back Lichtsteiner and Wolfsburg left back Ricardo Rodriguez are expected to hold a tight and compact line at the back with wingers tracking back and bursting on the counter during attacks.

This resilient defence will be shielded by the Napoli duo Inler and Behrami. With Dzemaili, again from Napoli, on the bench, they have the depth required in case of an unexpected setback, which are being witnessed quite frequently in the footballing world these days.

Xherdan Shaqiri is the man who would be making most of the attacking for the Schweizer Nati. He is more of a Robben-esque player who loves to take on defenders from the right can cut in to unleash a powerful shot with his left foot. Granit Xhaka, the Borussia Monchenglad’bach talisman is the young player to watch out for in the strong Swiss squad. He is going to start as a second striker or a typical CAM. With Valentin Stocker, occupying the left flank and Real Sociedad striker Haris Seferovic playing as the #9, the Switzerland team looks complete and are very well on track to go further on the group stage. Although, Ecuador might just make it so the Switzerland have got to be vigilant.

Shaqiri – Leading the Swiss Guard.

 

Switzerland Squad In Full

Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg), Roman Buerki (Grasshopper), Yann Sommer (Basel).

Defenders: Johan Djourou (Hamburg), Michael Lang (Grasshopper), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Ricardo Rodriguez (Wolfsburg), Fabian Schaer (Basel), Philippe Senderos (Valencia), Steve von Bergen (Young Boys), Reto Ziegler (Sassuolo).

Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta (Eintracht Frankfurt), Valon Behrami (Napoli), Blerim Dzemaili (Napoli), Gelson Fernandes (Freiburg), Gokhan Inler (Napoli), Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich), Valentin Stocker (Basel).

Forwards: Josip Drmic (Nuremberg), Mario Gavranovic (Zurich), Admir Mehmedi (Freiburg), Haris Seferovic (Real Sociedad), Granit Xhaka (Borussia Monchengladbach).

 

 

 

ECUADOR

 

 

Nickname : Amarillos (The Yellows)

FIFA Ranking : 26

Manager : Reinaldo Rueda

Team & Tactics

Their victory over Uruguay in the qualification stage helped them secure the World Cup spot. Their home form has been particularly impressive in the group stage. However, that is very little relevant to the Brazilian conditions.

They play a very fast paced game through the flanks with the Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia doing most of the work. They have a very fragile defensive wall and no proper central midfielders to orchestrate the play and hence their game mostly revolves around crossing the ball into the penalty area. They are expected to employ a 4-1-4-1 formation with two pacy wingers down both the flanks.

Valencia would be key to their hopes of qualifying into the knockout stage. His inconsistency in the past season in English Premier League would be a concern. Nevertheless, belief and confidence in oneself can always help you achieve the unexpected.

Antonio Valencia – Their biggest hope.

 

Ecuador Squad In Full

Goalkeepers: Alexander Dominguez (Liga de Quito), Maximo Banguera (Barcelona, Ecuador), Adrian Bone (El Nacional).

Defenders: Gabriel Achilier (Emelec), Walter Ayovi (Pachuca), Oscar Bagui (Emelec), Frickson Erazo (Flamengo), Jorge Guagua (Emelec), Juan Carlos Paredes (Barcelona, Ecuador.

Midfielders: Segundo Castillo (Al Hilal), Carlos Gruezo (Stuttgart), Renato Ibarra (Vitesse Arnhem), Fidel Martinez (Tijuana), Edison Mendez (Santa Fe), Christian Noboa (Dinamo Moscow), Luis Saritama (Barcelona, Ecuador), Antonio Valencia (Manchester United).

Forwards: Jaime Ayovi (Tijuana), Felipe Caicedo (Al-Jazira), Jefferson Montero (Morelia), Joao Rojas (Cruz Azul), Enner Valencia (Pachuca), Michael Arroyo (Atlante).

 

 

 

FRANCE

 

 

Nickname : Les Blues (The Blues)

FIFA Ranking : 17

Manager : Didier Deschamps

Team & Tactics

The bleak and dreary World Cup story of France continues. They qualified from the only 5 team group in the qualifying round with just one loss to Spain. After a rather unsound exit from the 2010 World Cup and the sacking of their head coach, Raymond Domenech. Ever since Didier Deschamps has taken charge of the French team, he has employed 4-3-3 which was custom made for athletic players. Too add to a brilliant tactian in the form of Deschamps in their arsenal, they have got a plethora of talented youth who have been featuring regularly in the Top-5 European leagues.

My personal observation of this French team is that, when they get going they are ruthless. But, there are often certain periods of time where they tend of lose concentration with wayward passing and often they need to maintain harmony in their movements and runs. They need to be very aware of the exact position of every player all the time which would help them make proper decisions on the field. They have got a pretty easy group to qualify from. But, what needs to be seen is whether they step on the gas and make this count because when they do step on the gas, they might do what they did against Jamaica in the friendly.

However, the loss of their main player Franck Ribery would upset their chances at hitting gold but they go have a very good cover for the left forward position in the form of the Real Sociedad winger, Antoine Griezmann. He has been in exceptional form over the last season for La Real and this would be a perfect platform to mark his potential and raise his value in the transfer market.

The expected starting XI would be the CB pairing of the two young CBs who have proven their potential in top clubs, Laurent Koscielny and the Real Madrid starlet, Raphael Varane. Digne and Debuchy, as fullbacks would be looking forward to put in crosses and make overlapping runs far wide. We might see a midfield trio of Matuidi, Cabaye and Pogba. Matuidi is the man you are looking for, in case of any fantasy dilemma in the midfield. Griezmann filling in the shoes of Ribery would occupy the left flank with the Marseille midfielder Valbuena on the right and Karim Benzema occupy the #9 role. We might also see Deschamps going with two forwards against Switzerland which hold a very tight defensive line at the back in which case Giroud would take the position of Valbuena.

In conclusion, for France to be one of the contenders for the title, they need to work more as a team and bring in the harmony and more fluidity. However, I don’t see them struggling in the group stages. A Quarterfinal position would be my prediction. Anything above, would only be possible by trying to get into the gear and make the most out of their talent.

Benzema – Huge Expectations

 

France Squad In Full

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Stephane Ruffier (Marseille), Mickael Landreau (Bastia).

Defenders: Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle), Lucas Digne (Paris St-Germain) Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny, Bacary Sagna (both Arsenal), Eliaquim Mangala (Porto), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid).

Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye, Blaise Matuidi (both Paris St-Germain), Clement Grenier (Lyon), Rio Mavuba (Lille), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille).

Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad), Loic Remy (Newastle, on loan from QPR), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich).

 

 

HONDURAS

 

 

Nickname : Los Catrachos

FIFA Ranking : 33

Manager : Luis Fernando Suárez

Team & Tactics

Honduras qualified for Brazil with relative ease. They finished third in the CONCACAF group standings, leaving Mexico and Panama to battle it out for the final spot. They have drawn 3 matches and lost 3 matches of their last 6 World Cup outings and would be keen on changing that.

Honduras has the Premier League duo, Wilson Palacios and Maynor Figueroa and would be counting on their experience to get the victory they are craving. Celtic left-back Emilio Izaguirre is arguably the best player of Honduras. His speed and agility on the left flank would be helpful for the team. It would be tough to crack the pretty obdurate defence of Switzerland and France. They best bet at the victory would be against Ecuador.

Wilson Palacios has seen good times in the Premier league under the new boss Mark Hughes after a pretty rough patch at the Britannia Stadium. He is a ferocious atheletes and despite his poor run of form in the Premier League, he would remain the heart of the midfield for Honduras. Los Catrachos need some massive defensive performances from him and Figueroa if they are to pick up that elusive maiden World Cup win.

Given their day, Honduras could well be celebrating their first ever World Cup win.The people of Honduras would surely settle for that first ever victory. Anything surpassing that would be a massive surprise.

Palacios – Doesn’t he look like a monkey?

 

Honduras Squad In Full

Goalkeepers: Noel Valladares, Donis Escober (both Olimpia), Luis Lopez (Real Espana).

Defenders: Brayan Beckeles (Olimpia), Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic), Juan Carlos Garcia (Wigan), Maynor Figueroa (Hull), Victor Bernardez (San Jose Earthquakes), Osman Chavez (Qingdao Janoon), Juan Pablo Montes (Motagua).

Midfielders: Edder Delgado (Real Espana), Luis Garrido (Olimpia), Roger Espinoza (Wigan), Jorge Claros (Motagua), Wilson Palacios (Stoke), Oscar Garcia (Houston Dynamo), Andy Najar (Anderlecht), Mario Martinez (Real Espana), Marvin Chavez (Chivas USA).

Forwards: Jerry Bengtson (New England Revolution), Jerry Palacios (Alajuelense), Carlo Costly (Real Espana), Rony Martinez (Real Sociedad).