and Morocco beat South Korea 3 - 1 last month with the bench players (the usual 11 played against Gabon 3 days earlier in the previous WCQ). none of these players started against Gabon. Also Saudi Arabia lost 0 - 3 at home to Ghana last month.
To be honest the field seems weaker in general: CONMEBOL looks weaker save for Brazil, who looks stronger. Colombia does not look as good as back in 2014, Uruguay has regressed, Argentina I guess is a question mark and Peru will be a pot 2 team everyone will want to draw. CONCACAF is weaker without the USA. Costa Rica has regressed since 2014, Mexico is the only constant. Nobody expects much from Honduras or Panama. AFC can only go up after their 2014 showing. Anything will be an improvement on that cup. South Korea may have beat Colombia, but they looked anything but good in other recent games. Iran again seems the best Asian team. CAF is hard to say. Totally different setup as compared to 2014. Nigeria is sending a stronger squad than the one that made the 1/8 final, Senegal is the most talent-abundant team for some time now. And you have the three North African teams. Tunisia seems like a downgrade on even Cameroon, but... well... we'll see. For all the dreadful football Tunisia has brought to the World Cup over the years, they have never had such a shameful display as Cameroon in 2014. UEFA specific countries look stronger (France, England, Spain, Portugal) or just as strong (Germany, Belgium), but the rest of the field won't strike fear in anyone's heart. Croatia, Serbia and Poland are good East European teams (although Poland especially is widely overrated in the FIFA rankings), but I wouldn't expect much from the Icelands and Irelands and Switzerlands. Not to mention UEFA will have no Holland and possibly no Italy. Mixed bad for UEFA. Overall the field seems much weaker than in 2014, where almost each group had multiple quality teams.
Looking at the qualified teams: Nigeria - Africa’s best bet! A good generation of players. They should get to the quarter finals but if they really peak they could go as far as the semi finals. I hope they play France and knock them out to get revenge on them for the scandal of 2014 Egypt - Egyptians seem modest about their expectations but judging by the Al Ahly and Zamalek players over the past two years (2 Caf champions league finals) and the presence of Salah, Elneny and Hegazi, as well as Egypt reaching the Afcon final, they should ease into the last 16 and possibly a quarter final spot if they play to their best Morocco - I wasn’t sure about them until watching them yesterday. They weren’t bad at the Afcon this year but they certainly improved since then. They have a good defence and an okay attack. They beat the teams they should beat and definitely don’t lose matches they shouldn’t lose. A team with potentional but I see them capping at the last 16. They should get out of the group stages though. Senegal - Now this team needs to improve. They are all fine and well on paper but they don’t play like the names that they have. They don’t create too many opportunities and can be bossed out of a game easily. Their attack is one dimensional and when out of ideas they give the ball to Mane and hope for the best. They do have the Sadio Mane factor but they could potentially flop. I expect them the be knocked out in the group stage but if they meet their potential, the furthest I can see them going is the last 16. I hope they prove me wrong though. Tunisia - Now this team does not play any inspiring football. It’s a chore to watch them but this Tunisia team is different to the ones of old. They have a lot more local players and the players deliver when called upon. I expect them to be knocked out in the group stage though, but they may surprise us with a place in the last 16.
Brazil have the best chance in my opinion. They look as complete as Germany did in 2014 with depth aplenty. They are a better defensive team as in left back they have Marcelo and Alex Sandro. Right back they have Dani salves and Danilo. In Center back they have Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Miranda. They also are really potent in an attack composed of Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Coutinho, Firminho, Willian and Douglas Costa with that being anchored by Paulinho, Fernandinho and Casemiro. They are complete. Despite my bias towards Germany I tip them to win the World Cup. I support Germany normally when watching international football besides my home team (South Africa). Germany always have a strong team but the issue for them not having a proper striker (Werner is a right winger converted to a forward) hurts their chances of defending the World Cup. They will reach the semi finals for sure though but I see them finishing 3rd. Argentina seem like a side in regress but you can never write them off because they are very much a tournament team. They have youth too in Dybala and Angel Correia. You can never write of the fact that they have the best player in the world too in Lionel Messi. That alone puts them in the semi finals. I think they might go to the final. They could possibly win too if not Brazil.
Egypt over the years really should have been Africa's Mexico. Not many players playing abroad, but they always are way better than their team roster suggests thanks to a strong local league.
We need to see the draw (1st december) before having expectations on who will go past the group phase. Drawing Polonia from Pot 1 isn't the same as drawing Brazil or Germany. Luck plays an important role in a World Cup scenario. Referees will play an important role as well, Cote d'Ivoire would have done better in the pas World Cups with better referees, I remember their game against Holland in 2006 and their game against Grece in 2014 and the ref mistakes played a role in their defeats.
I think Egypt, Mexico and Turkey are the biggest underachievers in producing talent. They all have a massive footballing culture yet never being a World Cup contender.
Ghana pretty much dominating Egypt at home as usual. I know its a glorified friendly, but think Egypt always looks second best in Ghana. Overall feel Ghana is another victim of the CAF qualification system. They would easily qualify ahead of Tunisia as least.
Don't forget that right before the draw happened they changed the rules so Tunisia would be seeded instead of Egypt. I was hoping Egypt would be drawn with Tunisia so it wouldn't have mattered, but instead Tunisia got the easiest draw.
Less said about Tunisia and how they made the World Cup the better. Its all so fishy... They even had some very preferential ref treatment in their games.
Damn. Egypt somehow draws vs Ghana. Ghana was all over them, they obviously wanted to go out on a high and they were good for the win, but somehow failed to... I counted three misses from a couple of yards out. Ghana still has talent there.
Not so much Ghana, albeit no Partey for example. Ghana is in full rebuild mode, so who knows what the first XI is?
Just a friendly, but the positive... Nigeria is still able to score and break down defenders at will. One touch passing and through balls, imaginative play in the final third... Even bigger, real progression in the play of both Iwobi and Iheanacho despite their respective club struggles. This tournament can be a huge turning point for their careers if they show up like this. For Iwobi, he's suddenly able to combine his creative instincts and dribbling skills with clinical finishing. For Iheanacho, two things displayed that he has seldom been given the opportunity to do in the EPL, play off other strikers creating chances for other attackers and the free kick. It's often baffled me how a man who has shown such accuracy and power has never been given a free-kick opportunity until now. And with free-kicks being such an important and potentially game-turning aspect of the sport now, it's immensely important that we may have unlocked this new aspect of his repertoire. Again, just a friendly, but very, very promising result not just for the getting the win, but showing the ability to come back from behind (which they never had to do during qualifying), keep possession and make the decisive passes on the counter to make their opponents pay. More games will be needed for reference, but this team could... knock on wood... be a semi-final caliber team... . ...don't... jinx... it....
First half between Senegal and South Africa nearly done. 0-0 as it stands. More of the same from the first game. Senegal not really creating much and South Africa with the ball (though not as dominant as the game in Polokwane) Vilakazi with a brilliant chance to score but Senegal Goalkeeper makes a brilliant save and a double after Dolly hits the rebound straight at the keeper again.
Half time and 0-0 in Dakar... this match is really important as the appeals by Burkina Faso and South Africa are seeming promising to overturn FIFAs ruling of replaying the match between Senegal and South Africa that SA won. Burkina Faso seem confident and both cases have been deemed admissible by CAS so far. Ruling on 1 December so technically Senegal haven’t qualified just yet. Either way the match has been a bit of a snooze but more of the same of the previous game just with a slower tempo. SA should really be leading 1-0 here afte the chance earlier mentioned. Senegal haven’t really created anything worth mentioning. Quite underwhelming considering it’s a packed stadium and they have special shirts to celebrate their qualification. You would expect a big performance at home. However they are nowhere to be found so far.
It's good to see African sides doing well in early friendlies vs other upper esch. confed sides. Once again we see that with a slight shift towards the North, North and West African sides once again dominate qualifying bar a few minor challenges from the East, Central and Southern Africa. World Cup expansion was supposed to rectify this, but I'm beginning to wonder if this will just end up enabling more North and West African sides to qualify. If you look at the qualifying and add CIV, Ghana and Algeria to the mix, it's difficult to see how the other regions topple this stranglehold by the West and the North anytime soon unless South Africa has a resurgence given their solid domestic facilities and league. Make no mistake, this world cup is an important one for CAF sides to build upon the progress of qualifying two sides in 2014. Should have been three given CIV's scheduled implosion that took place last time out. I like what I'm seeing from Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal. If Tunisia don't fall on their faces it will be a cherry on top. Would have preferred any one of CIV, Algeria or Ghana to them though. If Tunisia can avoid becoming another Cameroon of recent years, they'll have my applause...
Senegal 1-0 up after Khune comes out waaaay off his line and misjudged the situation... he tries to run back to the poles and Senegal striker chips calmly. A real gift lol.
Senegal have some weird favour when it comes to SA. South Africa seem to love letting them off the hook lol
South Africa equalize through Percy Tau! Lol what a crazy few moments in the last 5 minutes. This what football is about!
Ciss comes on for Niang Jali comes on for Zwane who goes off after missing the penalty. Ndoye on for Ndiaye
Manyama comes on for Vilakazi. Tau with two opportunities. Good save for the first and the free kick put wide
South Africa nearly grab a late winner with the goal keeper flopping and the ball being crossed to the far post but Zungus header saved just in front of the line!