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World Cup 2018 is almost here and the excitement is in the air with goals, drama and lots of action expected in the world’s greatest single-sport competition.
Before every major tournament starts, there is always a lineup of the “usual suspects” most likely to win it and more often than not, one of these usual suspects usually does win it.
For La Liga trophy, it’s either Real Madrid or Barcelona, for the Premier League, it’s either of the Manchester clubs (City or United) or the London clubs (Arsenal or Chelsea). The same goes for the World Cup as before every tournament, it’s usually the same names mentioned: Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Uruguay, France, Spain, England, The Netherlands etc.
Russia 2018 could, however, see the emergence of a new winner (in the mould of Greece at Euro 2004, Hellas Verona in the 1984-1985 Serie A season or Leicester City in the 2015-2016 Premier League season).
Here is a look at 5 teams that have the potential to cause major upsets in Russia 2018:
#5 Mexico
Colombian coach Juan Carlos Osorio will be looking to do better than he and the team have done at the last two tournaments; semi-final loss to Jamaica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup (though it was with an experimental team) and an okay performance at the Confederations Cup where the team went out in the semi-finals.
The jury is still out on coach Osorio as certain members of the Mexican press have still not forgiven him for his naïve decision to go toe-to-toe with Chile at the Copa America Centenario, a game where the Mexicans recorded their worst ever defeat (a 7-1 thrashing).
The team is finally shedding some of the experienced dead weight it has been carrying way too long. Long-serving center-back Rafael Marquez is no longer a certain starter in the team while some of the other veterans in the team including captain Andreas Guadardo have had to step up their games at both club and national level.
PSV winger Hirving Lozano is the hottest property in Mexican football right now and his pace, directness, and willingness to take on defenders will be a huge part of Mexico’s attacking threat as evidenced in his 2-goal salvo against Belgium in a recent friendly.
Prodigal son Carlos Vela is back playing his football in his homeland and has found his way back to the national fold while fingers are crossed that all-time top scorer Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez will forget his horror show at West Ham and deliver the goods.
With the team’s characteristic doggedness, refusal to know when they are beaten and penchant for springing surprise results, El Tri will be a tricky opponent for the favoured nations at the World Cup.
#4 Nigeria
The Super Eagles as the Nigerian national team is known will be making its sixth appearance at the World Cup since it first qualified in 1994.
The West Africans were the first African team to qualify for the World Cup with a near perfect record of four wins and a draw in five matches comfortably displacing reigning AFCON champions Cameroon & pre-qualification favourites Algeria.
Led by German coach Gernot Rohr, the Eagles have been impressive since the team failed to qualify for both the last World Cup in Brazil and the last edition of the AFCON.
Out have gone some of the old players like Emmanuel Emenike while the country’s FA, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has embarked on a scouting tour that has seen the country poach dual nationality players from European club sides.
In have come players like Alex Iwobi (Arsenal player eligible for England), Olaoluwa Aina (England) Leon Balogun (Germany), Tyrone Ebuehi (Netherlands), William Troost-Ekong (Netherlands) and many others.
The infusion of these youngsters alongside established senior pros like Victor Moses (Chelsea), Elderson Echiejile (AS Monaco but on loan at Sivasspor), captain John Mikel-Obi and others have given the team the perfect blend of youth and experience allied with skill and passion.
The Nigerian team now relies on a cohesive setup that would prove difficult to break down in Russia and can rely on terrific pace down the flanks and the predatory finishing of players like Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City) to finish off teams.
If they can avoid the old off-field issues of infighting, poor planning, lack of funds and disorganization, do not be surprised to see the Eagles soar all the way to Moscow come July 2018.
#3 Colombia
One of the teams that went through qualifying with the minimum of fuss, Colombia were quietly efficient in making it through the notoriously tough CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying rounds.
Los Cafeteros (The Coffee Growers) seem to have hit that sweet spot in a football team’s development; a good mix of experienced players who have something to prove and a steady stream of above-average youngsters.
Colombia have always had good players; Carlos Valderrama, Faustino Asprilla and much more but are yet to make an appreciable impact at world level for the talent they have had.
Under long-term Argentine coach José Pékerman, the Colombians have made excellent progress and should have done better at the last Copa America, losing tamely to eventual winners Chile in the semi-finals.
With Radamel “El Tigre” Falcao back in goal scoring form, captain James Rodriguez playing again and youngsters like Tottenham’s Davison Sanchez coming of age, the Coffee Growers will be a handful for anyone who comes across their path in Russia.
Pékerman will feel he has a team good enough to go far at the World Cup but must do better with his tactics and set up as his record of reaching quarter-finals with his home country, Argentina (2006) & Colombia (2014) show how his tactical acumen failed two very good teams who had the skill set to go all the way to the final matches of these World Cup tournaments.
#2 Croatia
Croats still have very fond memories of their World Cup debut in 1998; a tournament where the “Golden Generation” were led by inspirational captain Zvonimir Boban and included players like Igor Štimac, Robert Prosinečki, star striker Davor Šuker among others.
For a tiny nation of 4.2m people, this small Balkan nation has produced more than its fair share of talented footballers and will look to cause another upset in the World Cup in Russia.
The Croats have the experience and players to get them through and will fancy their chances against the world’s best teams in 2018.
Led by captain and Real Madrid’s midfield maestro Luka Modrić, Vatreni (The Blazers) have a squad with more genuine stars than even established football nations like the Netherlands and will be looking to these stars to lead them to the promised land.
Players like Mario Mandžukić, Ivan Rakitić, Ivan Perišić and others are well regarded and will ask questions of any team who takes them lightly as evidenced by their beating of Spain at Euro 2016.
With Argentina, Iceland, and Nigeria their opponents in Group D, expect coach Zlatko Dalić and his team to give any ill-prepared “big team” a black eye.
#1 Belgium
Die Roten Teufel or The Red Devils are no longer a surprise package given the team’s exposure and quality of players but they are still something of an unknown quantity when it comes to tournament football.
Before the World Cup in 2014, they had been tipped to be among the likely candidates to win but hobbled by the incompetence of then-coach Marc Wilmots, the team never really got going and tamely lost out to Argentina in the quarter-finals. The same pattern was repeated at Euro 2016 where the team lost out to surprise package Wales, also in the quarters.
The jury is still out on coach Roberto Martinez’s ability to lead this very talented squad to glory in Russia but the team has breezed through qualification easily beating the likes of Greece & Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The team is blessed with great options in virtually all positions with even the problematic full-back positions having decent players in Thomas Meunier (right-back for PSG) & Jordan Lukaku (left back who is Romelu Lukaku’s younger brother and plays for SS Lazio).
Eden Hazard isn’t the only world class player on the roster with Kevin De Bruyne, Toby Aldeweireld, goalie Thibault Courtois among the best players in the world in their respective positions.
If Martinez & assistant Thierry Henry can get the squad to play as a team rather than a collection of individuals, they could go the distance.
