FIFA World Cup 2014: Group D Analysis – Will Gerrard vs Pirlo decide the group?

With the World Cup slowly creeping upon us, we analyse ‘the Group of Death.’ Group D, which sees Uruguay, Italy, England and Costa Rica clash.

Uruguay

FIFA Ranking: 6

Oscar Tabarez’s side reached the finals after beating Jordan in an Intercontinental play-off match, with a comprehensive 5-0 aggregate score. Los Charruas started their CONMEBOL qualifying stage impressively but endured a sticky patch where they failed to win in six matches. They recovered to win four of their final five games, however, before a win and a draw against minnows Jordan sealed their passage to Brazil.

Best Player: Luis Suarez

The Liverpool talisman was in scintillating form for his country during qualification and has been equally potent at the start of the Premier League season. The 26-year-old is also his country’s all-time top scorer with 39 goals from just 76 caps, surpassing Diego Forlan’s previous record at the Confederations Cup earlier this year.

Best Young Player: Jose Maria Gimenez

Atletico Madrid snapped up Uruguay’s next big hope Jose Maria Gimenez from Danubio – a team in his native homeland – earlier this year and he has been earmarked as the natural successor to an ageing Diego Godin due to his classy defensive style and desire to play out from the back.

Manager: Oscar Tabarez

The former Uruguay defender settled largely with a 4-4-2 or the more fashionable 4-4-1-1/4-2-3-1, with Edinson Cavani spearheading the attack and Luis Suarez operating in the ‘No.10 role’ just off him. But Tabarez has become more renowned for his ability to rejig his pack, particularly in tricky away trips to try and stifle the opposition, with 3-5-2 and 4-3-3 utilised in the build-up to the finals. Uruguay will be one of the more gung-ho outfits on show in Brazil, thanks mainly to their plethora of attacking talents but also due to a leggy defence which includes veterans Diego Godin and captain Diego Lugano.

Costa Rica

FIFA Ranking: 31

The Central American outfit emerged from their CONCACAF World Cup qualifying group in second position behind USA in the fourth stage of the process, winning all five of their home matches, while only conceding seven goals – the best defensive record in the group.

Best Player: Bryan Ruiz

The pressure will be firmly placed on the Costa Rica captain and Fulham playmaker to come up with the goods at the other end of the pitch to complement their impressive defensive showings during qualifying. Ruiz was Los Ticos’ top goalscorer en route to the finals and will be key to any hopes the Group D underdogs have of springing any surprises next summer.

Best Young Player: Joel Campbell

The Arsenal striker has been unable to play for his parent club as yet due to a wrangle over a work permit but has illustrated his potential worth to the Gunners in loan spells at Lorient and Real Betis. He is out on loan again this year at Olympiakos, where an impressive tally of five goals in just 12 appearances for the Greek outfit has elevated his status amongst Costa Rican fans in World Cup year.

Manager: Jorge Luis Pinto

The 60-year-old Colombian returned to his post of first-team manager at the back end of 2011 after an ill-fated spell in charge between 2004 and 2005. But the qualifying campaign was a much more tranquil affair this time around, with eight players starting seven or more of the final group games.

England

FIFA Ranking: 13

England laboured to the World Cup finals, if the truth be told, but did remain unbeaten throughout the course of the campaign after coming through potential banana skins against fellow competitors for the top spot in Ukraine, Poland and Montenegro. When the chips were down, however, England did come up with the goods in winning their final two group games to seal their passage to the finals but recent friendly defeats to Chile and Germany respectively have served to dampen spirits.

Best Player: Wayne Rooney

The Manchester United striker led his country almost singlehandedly through some hazardous tasks, notching in the crucial final two fixtures as well as grabbing goals in Poland and Montenegro. Put simply, England would not have made the World Cup finals but for the striker’s contribution and he will wear a heavy burden in Brazil to try and fire his team to glory.

Best Young Player: Jack Wilshere

England currently have a wave of youngsters coming through into the setup but people must not forget that one of the country’s most exciting talents is still only 21. Wilshere has endured a stop-start career so far due to his chequered injury record but Brazil 2014 could present an inaugural tournament outing for the Arsenal midfielder and much will be expected given his expansive range of passing and trademark bursts from midfield.

Manager: Roy Hodgson

Often criticised for his conservatism and pragmatic-over-aesthetic approach to the game, Hodgson should still be applauded for navigating England through a tricky group and although the draw against Ukraine particularly was hard to digest, it secured the result needed to help England progress. Plus, prior to the Chile and Germany defeats, the former Switzerland manager had only tasted one defeat in his 22 matches in charge since his appointment in May 2012.

Italy

FIFA Ranking: 7

Had one of the smoother passages to the World Cup finals, breezing to top spot in Group B with two games to spare and, along with the Netherlands, becoming one of the first European nations to book their ticket to Brazil. The Italians ended up finishing six points clear of Denmark and were unbeaten throughout the duration of the group. The Azzurri also scored the most goals (19) and conceded the joint least (9), alongside Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

Best Player: Mario Balotelli

AC Milan striker Balotelli endured a mixed spell in England at Manchester City but is showing increasing signs of maturity approaching the finals as the spearhead of the Italian attack. The Nigerian-born forward was instrumental in helping Italy reach the Euro 2012 final, scoring twice to down Germany in the semi-final and was the top scorer during the qualifying campaign with five goals. Somewhat ominously, Italy have never lost when the 23-year-old has found the back of the net for them.

Best Young Player: Lorenzo Insigne

The Napoli sensation will hope to make a sufficient impression throughout the remainder of the season to earn a place in the World Cup squad but some of his performances already this term – including two brilliantly taken goals in the Champions League against Dortmund – have got tongues wagging. The diverse frontman also comes with the added bonus of taking a mean free-kick.

Manager: Cesare Prandelli

Slightly totalitarian in his methods, Prandelli is a man with high standards and is respected throughout the Italian game for his hardline stance. His tactical nous means Italy are in good shape ahead of the World Cup – evidenced by a near flawless qualifying record – and if he can get the best out of Balotelli, then Italy have the resources to go far in the competition.

Three of the Best Potential Duels:

Luis Suarez v Mario Balotelli:

The duo have both developed fiery reputations but also share an undoubted footballing quality in common and will be the key men in dictating the outcome of this group.

I personally think Luis Suarez will come out on top due to the scintillating form he is currently in with Liverpool but, akin to his duties at club level, there will be more pressure on him to carry a Uruguay side which has slightly less quality in other areas than Italy. He is certainly capable of it.

Wayne Rooney v Edinson Cavani:

Unlike the other two headline acts in the group, these two equally exciting frontmen put in a shift for the whole side and are more than happy to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in to help their side out defensively but are also lethal up front.

Wayne Rooney is in devastating form just now for club and country but with Edinson Cavani more accustomed to the South American climate, I can see the PSG No.9 revelling in his role alongside Suarez and wreaking havoc to help the Uruguayans win the group.

Steven Gerrard v Andrea Pirlo:

Two old timers but still two experts of the game, it will be interesting to see how prominent a role they both play in their respective sides’ setups. The Italian team of Euro 2012 allowed Pirlo the freedom of the midfield to link up attacks and spray the ball out wide from deep lying midfield positions.

But with Pirlo out until the New Year with knee ligament damage, will we really see the same man who lit up Poland and Ukraine two years ago?

Gerrard’s form for club and country has hardly been outstanding but the Liverpool skipper has been the bastion of consistency for years and still has enough in his locker to just about win this particular battle in what could be the final dawn on the glittering careers of two majestic midfield men.

Combined XI:

Prediction:

Uruguay will top the group mainly due to their superior strikeforce, in my opinion. Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and even stalwart Diego Forlan are more than capable of offsetting the troubles that may be faced in defence. They may well qualify as my surprise package too, in this case.

I expect Italy to come second as I can see them grinding out draws against England and Uruguay and beating the anticipated Group D whipping boys Costa Rica.

I think England will therefore be the ones to miss out and ‘flop’ to a third place finish. A lack of world class quality in defence and midfield may come back to haunt Roy Hodgson’s side, who face a formidable task in reaching the knockout stages of the competition.

1. Uruguay
2. Italy
3. England
4. Costa Rica