pretty decent list... just a few changes id make. -Vangioni is argentine... not sure if he has italian ancestry but i think he's already been capped by ARG. - Mandragora is a mid... he's got loads of potential but is pretty injury riddled so not sure if he will have enough looks before next year (see also Stefano Sensi.. same situation..more of a look at euro 2020 then the WC 2018). -Piccini not really on the radar at the moment.. will be tougher for him to break through playing outside of Serie A -Candreva (RW/RM) not a CM some other players to add: - Mattia Caldara (CB) --> the next best defensive prospect after Rugani / Romagnoli. - Armando Izzo (CB) --> fringe defensive prospect but he's been called up before. -Roberto Soriano (CM) -Andrea Petagna (ST) --> bulky striker who can hold up play well and has started being more prolific as a scorer -Davide Calabria (Full back) -Roberto Gagliardini (CM) -Danilo Cataldi (CM) -Marco Parolo (CM) he's a current starter and i don't see that changing by next year
Brazil will regret not capping Thiago Alcantara before Spain did. That guy is a hybrid of Xavi and Iniesta. Without him they lack that key figure who can make a team tick and connect defense to attack. France have Pogba, Germany have Kroos, and Spain now have Thiago. Coutinho can play that role however if Tite plays him deeper. Coutinho played that role at Liverpool in 2013/14 when they nearly won the title, and he was very good at it. IMO Coutinho doesn't have the electric pace to stretch defences either. I personally think that either Lucas Moura or Douglas Costa would be a better option on the wings while Coutinho plays as attacking playmaker. The depth they have is awesome, they have two very good players in almost every position; even with players like David Luiz, Alex Sandro, Danilo, Walace, Felipe Anderson, Gabigol, Hulk and Luan not even considered.
I read your argument with @benficafan3 on this thread and I was a bit disappointed that I didn't chip in, but: Do you believe that Belgium has a starting XI better than or comparable to Portugal and Argentina?
Are Belgium favourites, no ... IMO neither are Argentina and Portugal ... again for me it's still Germany, Brazil, Spain and France even though nobody really sticks out/no clear frontrunners between them. Are Belgium better than Portugal, yes ... I'd still view Argentina as a slight favourite but so far their performances have been underwhelming and many starters are playing poorly or hardly play for their clubs. Here's Belgium ... You could also start with Dembele instead and either Mertens or KDB ... probably Mertens as super-sub. Also, we'll have to wait and see which players will be in top form, as is the case for any team.
Not sure if De Bruyne in a midfield two would work, he's too attacking minded for that. I'm even less certain about Carrasco as a wing back. Surely 4-2-3-1 makes more sense no? On paper this squad should be very good, with the exception for a lack of quality left-back (Vertonghen has to be shoehorned there), and Kompany almost always being injured. Has Roberto Martinez been better than Wilmots so far, @Blondo ?
Since Martinez replaced Wilmots he has worked on ingraining a 3-4-3 which he used in all our competitive fixtures ... he has done an excellent job of fitting our players into the system and bringing out the best in them ... Meunier really impressed and Carrasco, especially with the workrate he displays, is very comfy as well, carrying the ball and providing the width we lacked before, looking better than under Wilmots when we used Vertonghen as LB (with the caveat that we're usually on the front foot and play very high up the pitch) ... with De Bruyne in midfield it tends to look a bit more like a diamond (nominally playing in a more advanced position for country than what Pep demands of him) ... regarding Kompany, again, we'll have to wait and see which players will be in top form, as is the case for any team (Vermaelen was top at the Euros but isn't in a good place atm, still have other options though) ... being better than Wilmots wasn't a big ask and we had our reservations ... but Martinez brought a club mentality to the job and with the progress he has made so far the team has been a joy to watch (focussing mainly on a highly entertaining 3-4-3) ... he also demonstrated tactical flexibility and is willing to experiment ... although to get a good read there haven't been enough matches and decent tests (that's the same for all NTs though).
Based on Current Form Of Players My Favorites would be as follows: 1) Brazil 2) Italy 3) France 4) Germany 5) Belgium
Based on their WC qualifying meeting in Turin in October, I'd have to go with Spain in the top 5 over Italy at this point. Spain controlled the match almost from beginning to end, and were unlucky not to leave Italy with the 3 points. Italy also had trouble with lowly Macedonia in another qualifying match.
France will be tough to beat. M'Bappe is their next superstar. Considered in france as the new Thierry Henry. As a dark horse, Croatia if they qualify might do well. Especially that the world cup will be played in eastern europe!
with all due respect .. i would not place so much emphasis on that one game. Starting lineup from that game: Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci, Romagnoli, Florenzi,, Montolivo, Parolo, De Rossi, De Sciglio, Pelle, Eder Nowhere close to our first choice squad. Also, their only goal came on a blunder by Buffon.
It was a bit of a thrashing. Spain controlled possession 63 to 37 and had 13 corners to Italy's 2. Italy really had no clear chances on goal, and were bailed out ten minutes from time by the penalty call. Anyway, with the point in Turin, Spain is now on the front foot in Group G. It has already built up a 7 goal lead in goal difference over Italy, and it's hard to see Spain dropping any points against the rest of the group, all basically minnows. Italy will probably have to win in Spain to finish first in the group. More likely, they will have to qualify through the playoffs, and as we know, that is a dicey way to have to go through.
Italy are the masters at getting results. Possession 37, two corners with no clear chances and the game ended in a 1-1 draw! Never to write off the Italians.
I have Spain right behind the teams on that list as a contender. I just don't know if their old core will be up for the task of winning a difficult tournament. Also the new crop of youngsters just don't seem to be there yet.
Kylian M'Bappe is the real deal. France will be a strong contender for the next 10 years with such player and generation. He stands out.
BTW gabriel Jesus is too young to play an important role of CF for Brazil in world cup. He's good no doubt but probably lacks maturity which will come only with age...He is just 19
Not that crazy putting Italy and France ahead of Germany based on form. They're all playing around the same level now as Euro 2016 showed us. But how Brasil is #1 I'm not sure. Playoffs are risky but then again the big nations always seem to survive them. I'd put Italy ahead of Spain now. They wrecked Spain in the Euros and a draw in qualifying hardly makes up for that.
Germany was better than both France and Italy even at the Euro 2016. To say that both have better players in form only shows ignorance about German players. But hey, that was never different.
2018 favourites. 1. Portugal (obvious) 2. Netherlands (with Bas Dost) 3. Brazil/Germany 4. Italia (4 stars, bro)/ France / Argentina 5. Spain