World Cup 2014 - Group B: Preview & Analysis

This result would mean that Netherlands will have to play Brazil next round. A nightmare scenario.

In your scenario Spain and Netherlands draw, but this will be very hard. I would be very happy with that result. I think Chili will go trough and one of the big names go out.

 

Very likely for Australia to go pointless, but I have a hunch that one of Holland and Spain will fail in this group.

 

Chile is playing very well and will give a tough game to every opponent. The weakness is that the squad is not deep and some players can fall to the mindgames and get a cheap red card.

This group will offer the best games of the first round.

 

My prediction for the Group stage:
Spain 7 (gd)
Netherlands 7
Chile 3
Australia 0

Or

Spain 9
Chile 6
Netherlands 3
Australia 0

I also don't think Australia will do much at this world cup - maybe nab a goal or 2, but we will be lucky to get a point.

 

this is one interesting group , chile playing its best of football , i am expecting a disaster awaiting for one of the finalists of 10 WC

 

Agreed. I would not underestimate Chile.

Spain has plenty of problems right now, and who knows which Netherlands team is going to show up....the one which made it to the finals of WC 2010, or the one which crashed out of Euro 2012 by losing all three of its group stage matches.

 

I think Spain will come through anyhow. It will be between Holland and Chile for the 2nd spot. Chile has the advantage playing in South America but Holland normally gets good results vs South American teams. Australia needs a miracle.

 

(I'm biased here),

my prediction :

Chile 7 pts. (draw to Australia, as we traditionally, always fvck ourselves against suposedly weaker opponents)
Netherlands and Spain 4 pts. (tied in everything : same GD, same amount of goals, same loss to Chile, same victory to Australia, where Zidane (put there by FIFA) will have to take another ball from the pots they used for the WC draw, where Valcke, out of the sight for everyone to see, will take out the paper with the name of who will be the second placed team (very likely it will be France or Switzerland, if they don`t make it out in their group), to confront Brazil in the next phase.
Oh yes, Australia 1 pt.

It is this ^^^^, or, in one of the games that Spain plays against either Netherlands or Chile or both, almost the whole roster of the team that faces Spain, will get carded with one of its players expelled (could be a double yellow or a direct red, actually doesn't matter), and Spain will get an unexistent penalty kick, where Spain will end with a one goal lead against its opponent, and they will pass to the next phase as first of group.
Oh yes, and Australia as second of group.

 

Call me crazy but I think Spain could crash out at the group stage. They're an excellent team and possess the ball better than anyone in the game but there just seem to be some cracks in the squad that haven't been properly addressed.

I don't know if you can justify starting Iker Casillas or even bringing him with the squad if he isn't a regular starter. What message does it send to the guys behind him who are in form and getting game time with their club teams?

Is Alvaro Arbeloa going to start on the right after getting abused v. Brazil in the Confederations Cup? Or will be Azipilicueta/Carvajal?

Scoring. Negredo plays better with a partner but Spain haven't played two up top in years. Diego Costa has decided he is now Spanish- which in my opinion is complete BS (and it wouldn't surprise me if members of the locker room shared a similar sentiment).

Will Del Bosque be brave enough to rotate in guys like Isco, Alcantara and Javi Martinez? Or will he insist on sticking with the vets?

Some problems are good problems to have but I think locker room discord could prevent this team from navigating a very difficult group. The amount of travel this team has done post WC-2010 is also a concern it's like they're a traveling road show.

Moreover, Chile matches up very well with Spain- they met at the last world cup and played a bunch of friendlies in between- it's always been close.

My prediction is that all three teams wind up on 6 points- Australia picks up zero. Netherlands and Chile to advance.

 

I think this one comes down to the last round. Spain will be in control of their destiny with an easy opponent ahead of them.

The real game will be Chile-Holland. The only question is do they both go in on 3 points, or will one of them have 4? If they both go in on 3 points this group may in the end be decided on who can run up the score on Australia more.

 

An Overhyped Chile, a poor Australia and two teams relying on aged players to make a difference... Don't know why this group should be so exciting.

Still Netherlands and Spain will go through relatively easy.

 

i'm going to the spain vs holland game and have 4 extra tix for that game. PM me your interest level.

i can see spain and chile going through. this will be one of those groups where spain, holland and chile each lose a game and tie breakers will be involved

 

Most top-heavy group in the tournament. Poor Australia. Chile are very good, and on SA soil, I have a feeling that Spain or Holland may slip up to them. Have the two finalists from the previous WC ever been in the same group the next WC?

Well, there are going to be some dynamite matches here: Spain/Chile, Netherlands/Chile, Spain/Netherlands. Wow!

I think Spain and Chile make it through.

 

have you seen a full Chile match in the last 12 months?

 

Not sure if Chile has the defense to really succeed. They have everything else, but in the heart of the defense I think they can be exposed especially on set pieces. They gave up 1.56 goals per game in qualifying. They gave up 2.5 per game against the other 4 WC teams from CONMEBOL. I know that's 4 of the best teams in the world, but really it doesn't get any easier in their group.

With Holland at least you can say that their defense isn't the greatest so maybe Chile can score on them too. But against Spain I'd say that a really disciplined defensive team that's hard to break down would have a better chance ... maybe a Switzerland or Greece

 

I say Chile goes through with 5 points. They are not afraid of Spain. They are a better team than Holland at the moment (slightly).
They start off with Australia and will be in first place since I think Spain and Holland will respect each other too much and get a 0-0.

The Dutch may be the odd men out here on goal differential.

 

I agree with you here, there is a huge question mark on Chile's defense. For certain this group will have the most exiting games of the first round. Chile's defense will allow goals... but their offense will also punish you and they will hold possession.

 

With Sampaoli Chile has conceited 13 goals in 12 games. Not the greatest defence but this has been vs

Brazil (In Toronto and in Bello Horizonte)
England in London
Colombia in Colombia
Spain (In Switzerland)
Uruguay

To be objective, clearly Spain and Holland are favorites. Think we have a 25% chance of winning vs each of them. I actually think we will beat Holland and lose/tie barely vs Spain.

 

Sorry no foreign goals on these 2 games.
Both ended 2-0, in our favour.

 

We know
It was to show we conceited those goals and played against good opposition, not just any lesser team. Should have made myself clearer, my mistake.

 

1st.

 

I'm less confident than my compatriots: I think we can get 5 points (this is a quite realistic prediction in my opinion).

 

Im ok with that, as long as Brasil gets second place.