GROUP C
Colombia
Greece
Côte d’Ivoire
Japan
OUTLOOK
Most fans would consider this to be the most boring group of the lot. But we know better, don’t we? Looking over at each of the teams, we can easily consider this to be the most unpredictable. All though they have never played each other in the previous editions, none of them can afford to be complacent. With the likes of Didier Drogba, Shinji Kagawa, James Rodriguez and more, we can expect explosive play.
Lets take a look at how each of these teams have shaped up, with analysis strengths, weaknesses and whom to watch out for.
COLOMBIA
Nickname : Los Cafeteros (The Coffee Growers)
FIFA Ranking : 8
Not having much success in the previous editions of the world cup, they were considered to have the best team they have ever produced yet. Having a strong attack, most fans considered them to top the league., beating Uruguay 4-0 and Chile 3-1 in the qualification round. Will the Coffees live up?
Manager : José Pékerman
He might not be famous but he knows his stuff. Having coached Argentina youth to victory in the FIFA World youth championship 3 times, he knows what the situation demands and what can be expected and hence bringing the attacking style instead of the defensive style they have had been following. Having coached his entire life in the South American continent can come to their advantage. But having no practical experience outside might cost them dearly.
Formation :
Generally playing a 5-3-2 or a 4-2-2-2 formation, they push their full backs ahead, while their wingers often come in running when in possession. They often find themselves out of their position and prone to counter attacks, but when they have the ball they are a joy to watch.
Team :
Their goalkeeper Ospina along with the defence line seems moderately-stable, considering the Milan duo of Zapata and Yepes. Yet their age is against them, lacking the reactions required or their fading strength. Armero and Zuniga provide the width and the push as full-backs but often go out of position. Krimen has to make sure they don’t give out too much space.
The midfield in the center is, although experienced internationally, but lacks the flair required at the level they are playing in even with the Internazniole midfielder Guarin playing center. It is very well compensated by the amazing wing force of Cuadrado and Rodriguez who love to throw and run balls in. The wingers with their speed and agility are the strong part of the midfield.
They must be clearly feeling the loss of Falcao, their star striker. But all is not over! With Jackson Martinez having a terrific time at Porto, he now has to step up to meet the odds. He would be assisted by Gutierez, though we would like to see the new Borrusia Dortmund signing Adrian Ramos show his skill.
Young Players to look out for :
Santiago Arias, Eder Alvarez Balanta.
James Rodriguez – Lead Coffee Grower
Colombia Squad In Full
Goalkeepers: David Ospina (Nice), Faryd Mondragon (Deportivo Cali), Camilo Vargas (Santa Fe).
Defenders: Camilo Zuniga (Napoli), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven), Mario Alberto Yepes (Atalanta), Cristian Zapata (AC Milan), Pablo Armero (West Ham), Eder Alvarez Balanta (River Plate), Carlos Valdes (San Lorenzo).
Midfielders: Alex Mejia (Atletico Nacional), Freddy Guarin (Inter), Abel Aguilar (Toulouse), Aldo Leao Ramirez (Morelia), Carlos Sanchez (Elche), Juan Quintero (Porto), Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina), James Rodriguez (Monaco).
Forwards: Carlos Bacca (Sevilla), Teofilo Gutierrez (River Plate), Jackson Martinez (Porto), Vctor Ibarbo (Cagliari), Adrian Ramos (Herta Berlin).
GREECE
Nickname : To Piratiko (The Pirate Ship)
FIFA Ranking : 12
The 2004 Euro cup winners have long lost their shine in the international arena. But that doesn’t make them any less easier in the group. While their nation suffers under a financial crisis, the team is known to play united, fighting against the odds. Will their spirits be enough for them to see the group through?
Manager : Fernando Santos
Do not make the mistake of him being a Portuguese fool you. His knowledge of Greek football is profound and well, the reason why the club has consistently been holding its FIFA rank 10 until a few weeks ago. He specializes in tactical play rather than building the team around a single player. He is a manager of discipline and prefers his team to stay so. Statistics do add up. Least goals conceded in qualifications, none on home soil.
Fun Fact: He is an Electrical and Telecommunication Engineer!
Formation :
They play a 4-4-2 diamond style formation. The back four rarely contribute to the attack, while the diamond midfield formation ensures that there is minimum gap between the defenders and the midfield, leading to a transition-less pass play. The flair of the midfield might see them through to the attacking half, playing almost completely through the center of the pitch.
The Team :
The strongest defense in the group, not by name but by play. Their whole game-play starts slowly from the defense and builds itself up, while the defensive 4 stand like a rock, not giving away position to get flanked or penetrated through by a fast through ball or a target-man cross. Manolas and Sokratis might be their armour this time, having showed good form in their pre-matches.
The flair in the midfield sure exists. Karagounis plays as the center of the play whereas the winger pair of Samaras and Salpingidis often find themselves in the receiving end of the through balls and come towards the inside to pass the ball to the strikers or cross it in to Mitroglou. When Katsouranis runs ahead to support the striker, Either of Karagounis or Tziolis fall back to take his position so as to prevent a counter.
The attackers are quite interwoven with the mid-fielders as they often come deep to assist as well as add an offensive play to the midfield pass-play. On paper, this might be the weakest attack of the lot.
The team might not seem very impressive but their unity play-“play as one, attack as one” formula has seen them do wonders. Their never say die attitude is what kept them at where they are now and might act as the catalyst to them clearing the group!
Players To Look Out For :
Sokratis, Karagounis, Mitroglou.
Mitroglou – Heading the Greek Empire
Greece Squad In Full
Goalkeepers: Orestis Karnezis (Granada), Panagiotis Glykos (PAOK), Stefanos Kapino (Panathinaikos).
Defenders: Vassilis Torosidis (Roma), Loukas Vyntra (Levante), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund), Costas Manolas (Olympiakos), Vangelis Moras (Hellas Verona), Jose Holebas (Olympiakos), Giorgos Tzavellas (PAOK), Yiannis Maniatis (Olympiakos).
Midfielders: Alexandros Tziolis (Kayserispor), Kostas Katsouranis (PAOK), Giorgos Karagounis (Fulham), Andreas Samaris (Olympiakos), Panagiotis Tachtsidis (Torino), Panagiotis Kone (Bologna), Yiannis Fetfatzidis (Genoa), Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Bologna).
Forwards: Georgios Samaras (Celtic), Kostas Mitroglou (Fulham), Theofanis Gekas (Konyaspor), Dimitris Salpingidis (PAOK).
CÔTE D’IVOIRE (Ivory Coast)
Nickname : Les Éléphants (The Elephants)
FIFA Ranking : 23
The aging but star studded side of Côte d’Ivoire can upset quite a few this time around. Weather not being a problem for this team, they topped their qualifying group easily. Their strong attack and midfield might just be too much for some teams to handle.
Manager: Sabri Lamouchi
Almost the African version of Pep Guardiola, he plays with the sophistication in his tactics which we don’t generally see. He was chosen to replace Francois Zahui 5 days before the first qualifier. It would be interesting to see him play out his team, as he is facing criticism and might be fired if they don’t make it through to the next round.
Formation:
They play a 4-3-3 formation, where in the central striker position is very well reserved for Drogba. The 2 mid-fielders with the vision of the in-form captain Yaya Toure and the Newcastle Midfielder Tiote provide balls to the wings were in the pair of Solomon Kalou and the rejuvenated Gervinho(Yes, him) play the dangerous attack they always have had. They generally play either way, that is through the center and the wings, but their flank play pays them better results.
Team:
The defence is the shaky part of the elephants. Their goalkeeper Boubacar Barry isn’t one of the best around. And just look at the defence. Kolo Toure, long past his prime, Zokora has to manage the defense himself. He has been consistent, but has been known to move away from position. Similar is the case with Arthur Boka, though Aurier might provide the much needed energy in the aging defence.
The midfield in the center is the star of this team. Yaya Toure will be the play-maker of the team.Considering his form, there’s no doubt the team will be built about his a-la-carte choices of passing. Along with Gervinho who has been playing good ever since in Roma and Kalou out wide. If they play their tactics well, Yaya can run through brilliant balls to his faster team-mates.
The attack is maybe their strongest part with the old but gold Drogba and Wilfred Bony. Both of them, known for their sheer physicality can beat through the defenses, if only slightly faster. Without the obvious incoming through balls from the midfield though, their attack would be rather dull, a point which opponents would obviously look out for
Young Players to look out for:
Serge Aurier
Yaya – Good luck knocking him down!
Côte d’Ivoire Squad In Full
Goalkeepers: Barry (Lokeren), Gbohouo (Sewe Sport), Mande (Stabaek).
Defenders: Aurier (Toulouse), Akpa-Akpro (Toulouse), Zokora (Trabzonspor), K Touré (Liverpool), Bamba (Trabzonspor), Boka (Stuttgart), Djakpa (Frankfurt), Diarrassouba (Caykur Rizespor).
Midfielders: Tioté (Newcastle), Serey (Basel), Diomandé (St Étienne), Konan (Hanover), Y Touré (Manchester City), Gradel (St Étienne).
Forwards: Drogba (Galatasaray), Bony (Swansea), Gervinho (Roma), Kalou (Lille), Sio (Basel), Bolly (Fortuna Düsseldorf).
JAPAN
Nickname : Blue Samurai
FIFA Ranking : 46
The Japanese have been considered the strongest team from Asia this time. They have only been growing stronger and fans consider them having a possibility of reaching quarters, atleast. Let’s see if they can stand up to their fans’ claims?
Manager: Alberto Zaccheroni
The Italian was brought in to replace Takeshi Okada,maybe to change the held back approach the latter used. Alberto identified the strength of the team in its fluidic midfield and sought to improve it, creating a new set which took European clubs by a wave. His attacking play is considered his stronghold and might create tensions for older defenses.
Formation:
They play a 4-2-3-1/3-4-3 formation, Kaysuke Honda taking the single striker,often lying deep. The 2 midfielders along with Honda hold the ball till the explosive fullback pair of Nagatomo and.Uchida run to put the ball in. Also, the midfield pair has enough talent themselves to make a path through most defenses, if not all.
Team:
The defence, like almost every other team in the group is the weak link for the samurais. The full-backs often run farther ahead to contribute to the attack. This leaves them prone to counters considering either fullback don’t trackback much. The center backs are not the best of the lot. The team has done extremely well when on the opponent half of the field, but under pressure shatters like glass.
The midfield is fluidic and fast. They play a passing and through ball game, but also push the balls to the wings for the fullbacks to take over when countering. Kagawa, Honda and Okasaki play the triangular style short passing. They are the driving force in the team keeping the ball in the offensive half. Kagawa would be the decisive member of this Japanese team. His ‘false-9’ movement might create some spaces which can be utilized very well, while drifting to the wings if and when required.
Their attack is based solely around Honda who often breaks through the offside trap to find himself in clear positions for crosses. As a target man, he is real good at his job and has found the net several times for his club.Even so, Osako plays as the main striker and often pushes himself ahead when Honda drops himself back.
Young Players to look out for:
Hotaru Yamaguchi, Hiroshi Kiyotake
Samurai Kagawa
Japan Squad In Full
Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege), Shusaku Nishikawa (Urawa Reds), Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo)
Defenders: Masahiko Inoha (Jubilo Iwata), Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan), Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo), Atsuto Uchida (Schalke), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Hiroki Sakai (Hannover), Gotoku Sakai (Stuttgart)
Midfielders: Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Makoto Hasebe (Nuremberg), Toshihiro Aoyama (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka)
Forwards: Keisuke Honda (AC Milan), Yoshito Okubo (Kawasaki Frontale), Shinji Okazaki (Mainz), Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United), Hiroshi Kiyotake (Nuremberg), Yoichiro Kakitani (Cerezo Osaka), Manabu Saito (Yokohama F Marinos), Yuya Osako (1860 Munich)
JAPAN 0-0 GREECE
From The Penalty Spot 