Group E of the 2022 Qatar World Cup has two World Cup and European Championship "double champion" teams from Germany and Spain, which is a well-deserved "group of death" in this cup. In addition to the top two in Germany, there are Asian champions Japan and Costa Rica, a powerhouse in CONCACAF and the Caribbean, which are the bookmakers' most optimistic "dark horse" teams. As you can imagine, the match in Group E must be exciting.
German team
Frick drove the "chariot" to speed up
The World Cup "quadruple" German team is a presence that cannot be ignored in previous competitions. Although the "Germanic Chariot" is no longer the favorite to win the title, it is still one of the most competitive teams in the round of 32 thanks to its strong championship heritage and a large number of players who play for the biggest European clubs.
However, after two consecutive defeats at the 2018 World Cup and 2020 European Championship, the German Football Federation fired Loew, who had been in charge of the national team for 15 years since 2006, and coach Frick took over the coaching whip. After taking over, Flick continued his successful coaching experience at FC Bayern Munich to speed up the aging Germanic chariot through a younger squad and aggressive play. In this World Cup in Qatar, the German team also became the first team to qualify for the final with the first place in the qualifying group.
In the European zone of the UEFA Nations League and World Preliminary Round in the past two years, rising stars Havertz, Musiala and Schlottbeck have gradually matured, Mesozoic players Kimmich, Gundogan, Sane, Gnabry and Rudiger have sat in the main position, and veterans Müller, Ter Stegen and Kroos have led the team to continuous improvement with their own experience.
At present, the team's midfield is stronger than the forward. Since the retirement of goalscorer Klose, Germany have not found his forward successor. Leipzig striker Timo Werner, who has been in excellent form in the Bundesliga this season, scoring nine goals and contributing four assists, has completely missed the World Cup due to a torn ankle ligament. This undoubtedly deprived the "Germanic tank" of a heavy machine gun.
Fortunately, Havertz, who plays for Premier League giants Chelsea, has improved rapidly in recent seasons and gradually filled the gap in the team's forward line. But his technical characteristics are more like an offensive forward and overlap relatively with Mueller's position. Whether to use a "no-striker" or to revamp existing players to make up for the loss of a goalscorer is a difficult problem that Flick needs to solve before the World Cup starts.
Compared to his predecessor Loew, although Flick has the highlight of leading the club to the "Triple Crown", he still needs a major competition to prove himself at the national team level. Especially against the Spanish team with similar strength in the same group, the German team must show their skills and strive to finish first in the group. This will avoid the two strong teams in Group F that may be encountered, Croatia or Belgium.
Team Spain
"Matadors" use rookies to pick up the girder
In FIFA's latest men's national team world rankings, "Matador" Spain is ranked seventh, the highest-ranked team in Group E.
In recent years, the Spanish team, under the leadership of coach Luis Enrique, has inherited the traditional 433 formation and passing tactics, implemented oppressive attacks, and used intensive and fast short pass penetration to strive to "pass" the ball into the opponent's door. With this tactical play, Matador reached the last four at Euro 2020 and finished runner-up in the 2021-2022 UEFA Nations League.
In the current Spanish squad, the only players left when they won the 2010 World Cup were Busquets and Alba, and the other positions have been replaced by new players, and the strength of the central midfield has been significantly weakened. Not only are Morata and Saravia in the forward line not comparable to Torres and Villa, but the midfield does not have the core of the organization such as Xavi and Iniesta.
However, under the full cultivation of Luis Enrique, rising stars such as Barca midfielder Pedri and striker Ferran Torres have gradually occupied the main position in the team. Among them, Pedri, who is regarded by the outside world as the successor of Xavi, has become the core of the midfield of "Matador" with his active running and skillful personal skills.
In addition to Pedri, the Spanish squad includes rookies such as 18-year-old Gavi, 20-year-old Fathi and 22-year-old Ferran Torres, who have not yet had a chance to prove themselves in international competitions. In this World Cup, with the help of veterans such as Busquets, these young people will gradually provoke the girder.
Team Japan
The "Blue Samurai" has ambitions to reach the quarterfinals
While the Desi top two are favourites to qualify for Group E, Asian champions Japan, ranked 24th in the world, are also eager to achieve a historic breakthrough on Asian soil. The Blue Samurai have previously qualified for the World Cup finals seven times and the round of 16 three times (2002, 2010, 2018).
In recent years, Japan has seen many outstanding young players go to play in European leagues, which has raised the country's overall football level to a higher level than four years ago. In the latest 26-man World Cup squad released by the Japan Football Association, there are as many as 20 players in Europe. These include: Kenyo Tomiyasu of Arsenal in the Premier League, Kaoru Mikasa of Brighton; Takumi Minamino of Monaco in Ligue 1, Nagashima Kawashima in Strasbourg, Junya Ito in Reims; Maya Yoshida of Schalke 04 of the Bundesliga, Itakura Takashi of Borussia Mönchengladbach, Takuma Asano of Bochum, Don Anru of Freiburg, Daichi Kamada of Frankfurt, Yoki Ito and Hiroshi Endo of Stuttgart; Jiujian Ying of La Liga Real Sociedad; Yuta Nakayama of Hasfield in the Championship; Bi Tanaka of Dusseldorf in the German Bundesliga; Mount Shibasaki in Sai-B Leganes; Hidemasa Morita of Portuguese Super League; Maeda Dairan of the Su Super Celts; Kiyo Ueda of Bruges, Schmidt of St. Turden.
In terms of personnel composition, these players in Europe cover almost all the main positions of the Japanese team. On the offensive end, the Japanese team flew on both wings: Takumi Minamino on the left had excellent skills at his feet, and was proficient in passing, control, belting, and shooting; Junya Ito, the "fast horse" on the right, not only has excellent physical confrontation, but also has strong breakthrough ability, and is an indispensable player in the team's positional warfare and counter-attack. In midfield, Takeshi Shibasaki, Bi Tanaka and Itakura are all strong players who are good in attack and defense. Defensively, Kenhiro Tomiyasu and Ma Yoshida will also jointly shoulder the heavy responsibility of the core of the defense.
According to Japanese media reports, the Japanese team hopes to surpass the results of the last World Cup and aim for the quarterfinals of the World Cup, but the premise is to "upset" to defeat Europe's top teams such as Spain and Germany.
Costa Rica team
"Pirates of the Caribbean" is looking forward to its continued glory
In terms of fame, Costa Rica is the least favored team in Group E. Pirates of the Caribbean, who have qualified for the World Cup finals six times, are currently ranked 31st in the world, with their best result being the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
At the 2014 World Cup, Costa Rica was tied to three World Cup winners – England, Italy and Uruguay – and finished top in the group and reached the quarter-finals in a historic event, only to lose to the Netherlands on penalties and not reach the semi-finals. Therefore, the team has the potential to play the role of a "dark horse" in this World Cup.
However, in recent years, the Costa Rican team has been young, and the talent gap is serious after the end of the golden generation, and the team's top star is still the 35-year-old Paris goalkeeper Navas. In the 2018 World Cup, Costa Rica did not win a single victory, and this World Cup once again fell into the "group of death", and their goal is to replicate the miracle of 2014.
(Original title: Two "double champions" smash the first place in the group)
Source: Beijing Evening News reporter Wang Yang
Image courtesy of Visual China Wu Wei drawing
Process editor: U099
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