What if we were Coach? – Group C
Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
In today’s installment of “What if we were Coach?”, Young and Drew dive into Group C – a very deceptive group that could spring surprises across the board. Given the different styles on offer from Colombia, Ivory Coast, Greece and Japan, this could easily be one of the most intriguing groups of the entire tournament. Have at it, gentlemen!
Group C: Colombia, Ivory Coast, Greece, Japan
Young goes first today;
Colombia – If Falcao was not injured, Columbia would have been another dark horse to win the World Cup or pull off something similar to Uruguay in 2010. Despite having a world class striker whose fitness and form is in question after healing from a torn ACL, Columbia still has enough firepower to get out of Group C in first place. Jackson Martinez and Teofolo Gutierrez are capable of playing up top for Los Cafeteros without missing a beat. Columbia qualified for the World Cup in convincing fashion, finishing at second place in their group behind Argentina. With a bright young star like James Rodriguez and an ageless captain in Mario Yepes, Los Cafeteros has boasted one of the most attractive brand of football through creative playmaking, solid combination play, and high tempo. Balanced from back to front, Columbia will most likely utilize a 4-4-2 formation:
GK: David Ospina
DF: Juan Camilo Zuniga (LB), Mario Yepes (CB), Cristian Zapata (CB), Pablo Armero (RB)
MF: Fredy Guarin (CM), Carlos Sanchez (CM), James Rodriguez (LAM), Juan Guillermo Cuadrado (RAM)
FW: Jackson Martinez (FW), Teofolo Gutierrez (FW)
Ivory Coast – I sympathize with this team. Their golden generation suffered the misfortune of being placed in the group of death for two consecutive World Cup. Although their core players have aged, they still have the talent of making it out of this and having their first taste of the knockout rounds. Along with the veteran core of Didier Drogba, Yaya Youre, Kolo Toure, and Arthur Boka, Les Elefants have a handful of players who had an outstanding season at their club including Seydou Doumbia of CSKA Moscow. Yaya Toure helps the Ivory Coast’s shallow pool of midfielders because of the man-tank that he is. As their key attacking midfielder, Toure is capable of pummeling defenders while bring the ball up the field and rushing back to break up the counter attacks. He’s literally the best weapon on the team, let alone the world. That said, Ivory Coast should go 4-3-3 and ride on Yaya Toure as far as he can take them:
GK: Boubacar Barry
DF: Arthur Boka (LB), Kolo Toure (CB), Sol Bomba (CB), Serge Aurier (RB)
MF: Cheick Tiote (CDM), Serey Die (CDM), Yaya Toure (CAM)
FW: Gervinho (LW), Didier Drogba (ST), Seydou Doumbia (RW)
Greece – The 2004 Euros feel like a distant memory since the national side didn’t carry any momentum from their championship run into the following tournaments. They do boast some talented players in their midfield, but their frontline is severely lacking. It doesn’t hurt to mention that the same players from the 2004 Euros, Giogios Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis, haven’t retired and are still running the show for the Ethiniki. The Greeks are in trouble in group because they not only lack sufficient talent, they also lack a cohesive identity. Their first step? Stop experimenting and stick with a 4-5-1 gameplan:
GK: Orestis Karnezis
DF: Vasilis Torosidis (RB), Loukas Vyntra (CB), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (CB), Giannis Maniatis (LB)
MF: Kostas Katsouranis (CDM), Giorgios Karagounis (CM), Panagiotis Kone(CAM)
FW: Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (LW), Giorgios Samaras (ST), Giannis Fetfatzidis (RW)
Japan – Ever since the Blue Samurai found their identity on the pitch, they not only became one of the most dangerous teams in Asia, but the world. If there’s a team out there that’s considered a world-beater, that’s Japan. Although the team is severely lacking in the height department, what they make up for their vertical deficiencies, they replace it with ballet-like cohesion and speed. Although Keisuke Honda has been the face of the team with his dynamic style of play and set pieces, others like Makoto Hasebe and Shinji Kagawa have been able to mobilize the ball to the box with their sharp passes and sneaky off-ball movement. Likely to play a 4-5-1 formation, this team is looking to dominate the possession battle and keep the ball away from opponents as long as possible. It’s also important to note how difficult it will be to expose Japan in the wings due to their workhorse fullbacks, Yuto Nagatomo and Atsuto Uchida. The Blue Samurai will be one of those teams that will make you stop everything that you’re doing just to watch them play. They’re going to be that entertaining to watch:
GK: Eiji Kawashima
DF: Yuto Nagatomo (LB), Maya Yoshida (CB), Yasuyuki Konno (CB), Atsuto Uchida (RB)
MF: Yasuhito Endo (CM), Makoto Hasebe (CDM), Keisuke Honda (CAM)
FW: Shinji Kagawa (RW), Yuya Osako (ST), Shinji Okazaki (LW)
And now, Drew is up;
Colombia – This summer marks Colombia’s fifth appearance at the World Cup out of twenty – not very good for a nation that continues to produce quality footballers. Out of their four previous appearances, they only made it out of the group stage once. This year presents their best chance to make waves on the international stage and many are tipping them to make the quarter finals. Despite the health concerns of Radamel Falcao, Colombia have quite a few talented attacking players, led by Jackson Martinez, James Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado. But in order to truly shine this summer, Colombia must be sure to control the midfield against every opponent they come up against, especially Ivory Coast and Greece, two sides that are very physical in the middle of the park. The experience of Mario Yepes will be called upon to marshal a back-line that will also have to be at it’s best. As such, as coach I would deploy in a 4-3-3 that offers both midfield possession and the ability to let their pacey players effect proceedings:
GK: David Ospina
DF: Juan Cuadrado (LB), Mario Yepes (CB), Eder Balanta (CB), Santiago Arias (RB)
MF: Fredy Guarin (CM), Abel Aquilar (CM); Juan Quintero (CAM)
FW: James Rodriguez (LW), Jackson Martinez (ST), Victor Ibarbo (RW)
Ivory Coast – They have qualified for the last two World Cups, can boast that they possess arguably the best center-midfielder in the world in Yaya Toure, and they are in the midst of their most impressive crop of talent in the nations history – the Ivory Coast have a real chance to reach the knockout stage for the first time. They have power and pace all over their squad, but one question must be asked – do you select the impressive Wilfried Bony as striker, or do you rely on national hero Didier Drogba? Their selections at every other position are pretty straight forward, and it will be interesting to see how Serge Aurier will cope with all the hype surrounding him after his impressive displayers in Lique 1 for Toulouse this past season. With so many attacking options at their disposal as well as the influence of Drogba, there is no question that Yaya Toure is the key – if he is on form all summer, he could very well propel Les Elephants into the round of 16. As coach, I would deploy in a 4-3-3:
GK: Boubacar Barry
DF: Arthuer Boka (LB), Kolo Toure (CB), Didier Zokora (CB), Serge Aurier (RB)
MF: Cheik Tiote (CM), Yaya Toure (CM), Geoffroy Serey Die (CM)
FW: Salomon Kalou (LW), Didier Drogba (ST), Gervinho (RW)
Greece – There are few more frustrating teams to play against than Greece. Firstly, they are incredibly tough to break down in defense as if it was Thermopylae all over again. In addition, they love to bring their physical presence to the fore – such a combination of the two is their tried and tested strategy, and it even saw them win Euro 2004. The problem with such an emphasis on defense first, second and third, the Greeks struggle to score goals in any sufficient quantity to be successful at a World Cup, but all is not lost. Despite their reliance on the same players for years, a new crop of young attacking players is starting to come to the fore – springing them in a surprise XI may throw a monkey wrench or two in the plans of their opponents who are no doubt expecting to put them under siege for 90 minutes. Given that fact, as coach, I would deploy in a 4-5-1, with the two wide midfielders looking to counter:
GK: Stefanos Kapino
DF: Jose Holebas (LB), Konstantinos Manolas (CB), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (CB), Vasilis Torosidis (RB)
MF: Nikolaos Karelis (LM), Giannis Maniatis (CM), Andreas Samaris (CM), Georgios Karagounis (CM), Panagiotis Kone (RM)
FW: Konstantinos Mitroglou (ST)
Japan – Very quietly, Samurai Blue are probably the most technically gifted side in this group. They were quite impressive in the group stage during the 2010 tournament, and they will certainly be out to prove that they were no fluke. Four years on, the core of their midfield and attack are the same and have been reinforced with some impressive younger players. Likewise, their back-four remains solid and experienced and can boast 248 caps between their four likely started, three of whom play in the EPL, Bundesliga and Serie A. The rise of Hiroshi Kiyotake adds a fourth player to an already impressive attacking trio, while their midfield pairing of national team legend Yasuhito Endo and Makoto Hasebe offers stability and an excellent launch pad for which Japan can push forward and express themselves. If I were coach, a 4-2-3-1 would be in order, with the two midfielders operating a little deeper:
GK: Eiji Kawashima
DF: Yuto Nagatomo (LB), Yasuyuki Konno (CB), Maya Yoshida (CB), Atsuto Uchida (RB)
MF: Yasuhito Endo (DM), Makoto Hasebe (DM); Shinji Kagawa (LAM), Keisuke Honda (CAM), Hiroshi Kiyotake (RAM)
FW: Shinji Okazaki (ST)