Wouldn't really call it struggling. More like Roberto Carlos brainlapses. 98 the ball nutmegged him. 06 he was tying his shoe and forgot to mark Henry lol
They are now suspended by the IAAF. They will miss one of the most prestigious events at 2016 Olympics and where many medals can be won. Russia developed tailor made, special designed drugs for their athletes (modified to make them non-tracable), plus bribing and locking in the IAAF. The analogy with Lance Armstrong who paid 1 million a year to dr. Ferrari, and 250000 dollars to the federation, is easy to see (who knows what happened outside his personal bank account). It doesn't take a giant leap to imagine how it goes in filthy rich football, where the wages/turnover ratio has given more room to maneuver (compared with the early 00s), and the landscape has changed (balance of power between clubs). Russia had the highest distance covered and at high intensity in 2008 (ahead of Spain and Germany), although their measured output imploded in the semi final, so who knows whether they can copy. Semi final in 2018? It's not unthinkable.
My opinion is a bit biased but I would not say "average", just not as potent. That always happens when you have a transitional period of players retiring/being injured, while bringing in new talent. Colombia has the foundation to be a threat to win though. One of the best Managers in the world, one of the best young players in the World when healthy (James), and World Cup experienced players in key positions who have had a taste of the World Cup and want to build upon it. The depth issue could be a problem but as we saw in Chile on Thursday there are young players able to step up. All that said, my expectations for Colombia are making the Final 8. After advancing to that crucial round it is a toss up. So many things can happen between now and 2018. And playing in Europe is way different than playing in South America.