Group C Preview

Group C - a group of parity?  Possibly.  Unfortunately parity can make for picking difficulties  Here's a little preview to help you set these teams apart!

Colombia:

Colombia have a lot.  They are 8th in the world, have players in all the major leagues, are steeped in World Cup experience, and are even the home of reigning world cup anthem writer, Shakira!  But it may just be what they don't have that defines this summer's campaign.  Monaco's Radamel Falcao has been left out of the squad because of the inability to recover from an ACL torn earlier this season.  In most minds, as Falcao goes so goes Colombia.  

Now this South American team's hopes may not be completely gone but Falcao's loss sure put a crimp in the plan. Colombia was thought to be the heavy favorite to run away with Group C.  But this set back evens the playing field a lot more.  The key to a Colombian advance to the next round would be to continue to play the way they are known for; as a unified team. Falcao was their leader (at least Statistically) but with him not pulling the ropes can the pack still stay together?  This futbol loving country that takes national holidays when it's team plays will still be hoping for a few less pay days for themselves and a few more for the team.

Ivory Coast:

On paper, this is hands down the best team in Africa.  They are chalk full of talent: Wilfried Bony, Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Gervinho, Salomon Kalou and 36 year old super striker Didier Drogba. Many of these guys have tons of experience, and are most likely playing in their final Cup, so they want to make it count.  In both 2006 and 2010 they found themselves in the Group of Death.  Now that they've finally gotten the luck of the draw they have their best chance to leverage their talent and chemistry to make the knockout rounds for the first time.  If you are going to pick a so called "Dark Horse" then this could be your team.  Now don't let their mascot name put you off.  They are a big team but they can move with grace and pace.  If you want to see how to play fluid and creative soccer just watch Yaya Toure, whether he as the ball or not, move around the field and cut the opposition in pieces.  Or take in Drogba's awesome strength to get to the ball on a free kick no matter how big the crowd around him.  The challenge is to see if the Elephants can play like a team.  With so much talent on the field they are going to need to put personal pride aside and play selflessly to make it through.  If they choose to do that watch out!

Greece:

Greece.  They are big.  They are strong.  They are experienced.  They are tough.  But honestly, that's about it.  Back in 2004 they won the European Championships with imposing defense and selective counter-attacking tactics.  But they haven't changed, and haven't won, since.  Their captain, Giorgios Karagounis, the Iron Man of European football, lead them to their past victory.  But his legs are now showing their 37 years of all out effort.  Can they make it into the Round of 16?  They have the will but it would be really hard to see way. Greece is worth watching, at least for one player.  Kostas Mitroglou was sold to English Premiere team Fulham from Olympiakos in January for $20 million.  The striker proved his worth by scoring a goal in every other game of Greece's qualifying run, a streak that has drawn attention from major clubs around Europe.  Mitroglou could be fun to watch, but is probably a glimmer of the future in what looks like a squad that is mostly fading into the twilight of history.  

Japan:

This team, who finished first in Asian qualifying, might just be the little guys that don't fit at the kids table (or in the Junior's ring) anymore.  Japan is a team to watch out for.  They are quick and very, very technical.  They are one of the fittest teams in the world and can go toe to toe with any other country when it comes to endurance.  On their day they can maneuver their way out of any situation quicker than a Mr. Miyagi-coached Daniel Larusso at his prime.

The player to watch is AC Milan's Keisuke Honda. The attacking midfielder can orchestrate the team's success with his ability to see the passing lane before anyone else. He also has a fantastic shot, one he used to scored the penalty that ultimately qualified them for the Cup.  If Honda can get into the groove of blazing passes into the feet of solid strikers like Shinji Okazaki and Shinji Kagawa then the rest of the group could quickly start seeing Japan as the biggest Mawashi on the block.

Happy picking!