Jimmy Bagels

If ABC and ESPN can do anything to improve their World Cup coverage, it would be less comments about “goal line technology” and show us far more hot girl fans from around the world.

World Cup Group H

Belgium
Russia
Algeria
Korean Republic

Belgium arrive in Brazil looking to make some moves. Many people’s favorite dark horse pick among the European sides, Belgium is enjoying the emergence of a golden generation of talent. This group is also more favorable to Belgium than some of the others they could have been drawn into. But belgium cannot write their ticket to the knockout stage just yet. Historically Russia has been up and down at the World Cup. They always possess some quality talent but it doesn’t always come together. The Korean Republic has been slowly building their reputation since co-hosting the 2002 World Cup where they reached the semi-finals. With goals and comebacks being the story of the 2014 World Cup so far, this group could go in a different direction than the pundits predicted.

Belgium

Fifa Rank: 11
Odds: 21-1
Manager: Marc Wilmots
Key Players: Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Coutois, Vincent Kompany
Best World Cup Finish: Semifinals (1986)
Fun Fact: 24 million tablets of MDMA are consumed in Belgium per year, a country with population 11 million.

Much has been talked about in Europe over Belgium’s young golden generation. For at least the past year they have been brought up as having an outside chance of winning the World Cup for the first time. The oddsmakers had them the fifth favorites to win before the heavy betting started. This Belgium team should be exciting to watch with a lot of dynamic attackers. Coached by Belgium legend Marc Wilmots, they have at times struggled to play as a cohesive unit.

Belgium has star talent for sure. Eden Hazard was one of the best players in the English Premier League and young striker Romelu Lukaku has enjoyed two success years and is on the verge of reaching the next level. They could be primed for a historical World Cup run. Their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois enjoyed an outstanding year winning the Spain’s La Liga. Vincent Kompany offers power and experience in the heart of defense.

The only odd thing about Belgium is that they seem to have produced a wonderful generation of talent at every position but at fullback. Belgium’d four best defenders are all center defenders although a few have played as full back in emergencies at their clubs. Wilmots’ challenge is going to be making this system of four center defenders work well on the flanks. If the defense can adapt and the attackers can connect as a cohesive unit, Belgium should play some exciting football. In this group playing with four center defenders shouldn’t matter but Belgium might be in for a rude awakening when they reach the knockout round.

Russia

Fifa Rank: 19
Odds: 100-1
Manager: Fabio Capello
Key Players: Alexander Kokorin, Alan Dzagoev, Alexander Kerzakov
Best World Cup Finish: Group Stage (1994,2006)
Fun Fact: In 1994 Oleg Salenko scored a record 5 goals in a single World Cup group stage match.

Russia enters the World Cup after a disastrous few tournaments. Former England manager Fabio Capello took over in 2012 and guided Russia to the 2014 World Cup. They could challenge in this group but with Russia hosting the 2018 World Cup, Capello could be using this World Cup as a test run for the next generation of Russian talent. Veterans were left at home and this team is clearly focused on the young exciting Russian stars.

Dzagoev and Kokorin are the attacking leaders of Russia’s next generation. With Capello heavily focusing on Russian youth these players will have a chance to shine. Alexander Kerzakov offers movement up front that is crucial to the style Capello has Russia playing. Dzagoev and Kokorin are likely to be Russia’s most dynamic attackers who create the goals.

If Capello can set up to effectively counter the weaknesses in his Group H opponents, Russia could be a surprise winner. One danger might be in setting up too defensively and even leaving the dynamic Dzagoev on the bench. With this World Cup already offering such exciting displays, Russia would benefit greatly from some thrilling performances to help build some goodwill towards them hosting in 2018.

Algeria

Fifa Rank: 22
Odds: 1000-1
Manager: Vahid Hililhodzic
Key Players: Sofiane Feghouli, Yacine Brahimi, Habil Bentaleb, Saphir Taider
Best World Cup Finish: Group Stage (1982, 1986, 2010)
Fun Fact: Only 7 of Algeria’s 23-man squad were born in Algeria, the rest were born in France.

Neutrals will hope Algeria improves upon their ugly 2010 matches. They offered little for the fans with droll, unexciting football. Possibly the most boring side in 2010 Algeria has small shoes to fill this time around. But Algeria should be much improved in the entertainment value this time around.

Manager Halilhodzic has focused on bringing through exciting young talent and building a more attacking system than the dull 3 center defenders Algeria used in 2010. The main weakness to Algeria will be teamwork. None of Algeria’s team are club teammates and many are young players who only recently broke into the national team. While this team’s football is much more exciting, the players will not be nearly as used to playing together as any of their Group H opponents.

Sofiane Feghouli has emerged as their creative outlet. He displays great energy for Valencia in Spain and his passing skills will see him as Algeria’s likely playmaker. Beyond that any number of Algeria’s young promising talent could play their way into history on the world’s stage.

Korean Republic

Fifa Rank: 57
Odds: 400-1
Manager: Hong Myung-Bo
Key Players: Son Heung Min, Park Chu-Young
Best World Cup Finish: Semifinals (2002)
Fun Fact: Son Heung Min is the only Korean that played in the Champions League last year.

While stories are likely told of South Korea’s remarkable run to 4th place in 2002, that achievement happened when they were co-hosts. Close to the lowest ranked team in the tournament with players that have the least experience in the top leagues around the world, South Korea will need some magic in Brasil to advance even in one of the weakest groups.

There is some hope for Korea. Manager Hong Myung-Bo was the captain of Korea’s 2002 4th place side. In the year he has been in charge, he has instilled a better system for Korea. Focusing on defensive organization as a platform to launch the young attacking talent, Hong Myung-Bo might be the perfect manager for this new look Korean team. Son Heung Min had an excellent year in Germany for Bayer Leverkusen. He put in some amazing performances that have him on a lot of manager’s shortlists. Korea needs him to step up to the World Stage.

To ensure maximum safety, Brazil has decided to tap into their water reserves for the first time ever. As the World Cup begins, Sao Paulo is currently in the midst of a drought. Jose Marengo, a scientist at Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research said “We are very worried about a major water shortage”. Tapping into the water reserves ensures there won’t be a shortage of water during the World Cup.

World Cup Group F

Argentina
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Iran
Nigeria

Argentina arrives as many people’s pick to win the Cup. Boasting the best player in the world the last 5 years in Lionel Messi, Argentina also benefits from a group they should easily win. Argentina also enters the tournament on a high with all their star players healthy unlike many other favorites who are missing key players. Most people anticipate Bosnia & Herzegovina to battle Nigeria for second place in this group but Iran might be ideally suited to shock many observers.

Argentina

Fifa Rank: 5
Odds: 4-1
Manager: Alejandro Sabella
Key Players: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain
Best World Cup Finish: Champions (1978, 1986)
Fun Fact: Sergio Aguero has a tattoo written in a language J.R.R. Tolkien invented for his Lord of the Rings stories.

Packed with talent in every position Argentina is a strong challenger to win the whole tournament. They also have something to prove. Considered favorites in 2006 and 2010 in South Africa, Argentina failed to fulfill expectations. For all his success at club level, Messi failed to scored a single goal in the 2010 World Cup. The lack of a dominating World Cup display is the one thing missing on Messi’s phenomenal resume.

Even if Messi fails to live up to the heavy expectations of being the “greatest player in the world”, Argentina has a bounty of attacking talent. Sergio Aguero was one of the deadliest forwards in the world this past year helping his team to win the English Premier League. Angel Di Maria emerged as one of Real Madrid’s most important players and is the key to this Argentina team. Di Maria will likely play a conductor role, connecting the midfield with Argentina’s potent attack and spraying passes to the Argentina’s attacking trio.

The main task for manager Sabella will be to organize and balance this talented team. Their weakness is their defense which relies on solid but unspectacular center defenders and a goalie who was only the back-up at Monaco. This Argentinian team will likely play much better if they get the first goal than if they are chasing games leaving their defense exposed. Since 1990, despite being among the favorites every year Argentina has failed to even reach the semi-finals. Messi has already called for an Argentina-Brazil final at the Maracana. We will soon see if Messi can live up to the pressure of history.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Fifa Rank: 21
Odds: 150-1
Manager: Safet Susic
Key Players: Edin Dzeko, Miralem Pjanic, Asmir Begovic
Best World Cup Finish: First World Cup
Fun Fact: Bosnia is the only nation in Brazil making their World Cup debut.

An excellent qualifying campaign sees Bosnia and Herzegovina play in its first major tournament. While history has generally not been kind to nations playing in their first World Cup, this Bosnian team is made of experienced players with a wealth of experience in Europe’s major leagues. Bosnia can also count on a great team spirit and passionate support from their fans who are thrilled to take part in their first World Cup.

Bosnia plays an exciting style that is sure to endear them to neutral fans looking for goals. A proponent of attacking football,  Susic loaded up Bosnia with attacking players which saw Bosnia average 3 goals a game in qualifying. However, he might be a little more cautious at the World Cup signaling his intentions to use a defensive midfielder instead of an extra striker.

Dzeko and Pjanic are Bosnia’s two star players who both enjoyed successful seasons at their clubs. Dzeko scores the goals while Pjanic creates and dictates play. Bosnia will need them both to be on point. Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic is excellent and could very well make the difference in a Bosnian team with a suspect defensive line.

Nigeria

Fifa Rank: 44
Odds: 300-1
Manager: Stephen Keshi
Key Players: Victor Moses, Ahmed Musa, John Obi Mikel
Best World Cup Finish: Round of 16 (1994, 1998)
Fun Fact: Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa and 7th most populous in the world.

Nigeria has had a bizarre year. They won the African Cup of Nations but there have been odd off the field issues involving the Nigerian Federation not paying manager Stephen Keshi. While Argentina are overwhelming favorites to win this group, the Super Eagles will be eying their match against Bosnia as critical for the second qualifying spot. They can’t let their guard down against Iran though.

Keshi has Nigeria playing a dynamic counter attacking style. They will likely sit deep and absorb attacks before unleashing their dynamic wide players to quickly counter. Moses and Musa will be key players to Nigeria’s counter attack. With the full backs in Group F not as good as other teams, Nigeria will have a chance to exploit the other nation’s weaknesses.

John Obi Mikel will be crucial to ensuring Nigeria does not get overrun by Bosnia and Argentina’s dynamic attackers. Obi Mikel is likely their their best player. A strong, tough tackler, he is also a skillful distributor of the ball. How he helps Nigeria transition from defense to attack will be an essential part of Nigeria’s game.

Iran

Fifa Rank: 43
Odds: 2500-1
Manager: Carlos Quiroz
Key Players: Javad Nekounam, Andranik Teymourian
Best World Cup Finish: Group Stage (1978, 1998, 2006)
Fun Fact: Until 1935 Iran was known as Persia.

Iran enters the World Cup one of the biggest underdogs and devoid of any star players. They have never advanced out of the group stage before. However, their arguably most boring team in years might be better suited to advance for the first time. Unfortunately for the average viewer this is not the Iran of Ali Karimi, their legendary midfield genius in the last days of his playing career.

Iran’s manager Carlos Quiroz was in control of Portugal at the last World Cup. Portugal defended excellently only conceding one goal and none in the group stage but they only only scored against an overmatched North Korea. Iran looks set to adopt a similar game plan that Quiroz used at Portugal.

This means the Persian Stars will have a compact, organized defense looking to nick a lucky goal on a corner kick or an opponent’s mistake. While this style is not going to excite neutrals looking for goals, it is a perfect tactical fit for a minnow like Iran in this group. With Bosnia having the potential to attack too much leaving their defense exposed and Nigeria who struggle against organized defenses, Iran’s style might be the perfect foil against their Group F opponents. Even Argentina might become frustrated if they cannot score early against Iran. If the players can implement Quiroz’ system, Nigeria and Bosnia might be in for a surprise.

My parents once flew on a flight from Argentina to Brazil with the Argentine national team. Upon landing in Brazil, the plane was taxi’d to a secure isolated hanger with security to ensure their safety. The Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) announced seven teams will have the highest level security possible during the tournament. They did not reveal which teams are among those seven.

World Cup Group D

England
Italy
Uruguay
Costa Rica

The war of words began early between Italy and England. Italy manager Cesare Prandelli declared that none of England’s players would make it into his Italian squad. Former Italian professional Paulo Di Canio insists England will not make it out of this group. The talk might make it seem like a two horse race but Uruguay finished better than both European sides at the 2010 World Cup. With Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, they have an attack that could easily topple traditionally vaunted Italian and English defenses. Poor Costa Rica will be seen as easy prey in a group that includes three former World Cup winners.

Italy

Fifa Rank: 9
Odds: 25-1
Manager: Cesare Prandelli
Key Players: Andrea Pirlo, Gianlugi Buffon, Giorgio Chillieni, Mario Balotelli
Best World Cup Finish: Champions (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)
Fun Fact: Mario Balotelli burned down his bathroom when he misfired a home fireworks display.

Italy enters the tournament as a respected perennial contender but not one of the favorites. But Italy were not pre-tournament favorites when they won in 2006 either. Nor were they favorites when they beat Brazil’s legendary Joga Bonita team in 1982 to knock them out. The Italians seem to always find a way to win when you least expect it.

Historically the Azzurri have been built around a rock solid defense and this year’s edition is no exception. Gianlugi Buffon starts his 5th World Cup and is still considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Giorgio Chillieni anchors the defense line. Andrea Pirlo is the creator deep in midfield known as a maestro of long perfect passes. The X-factor is the mercurial Mario Balotelli whom Italians will hope focuses more on scoring goals than his antics.

Prandelli has tried to make Italy more exciting during his tenure. A solid tactical coach though, he still knows how to coach his team to defend like last summer when they were even with World Champions Spain after 120 minutes in the sweltering sun. Even if they aren’t favorites, Italy is not a team you usually want to bet against.

England

Fifa Rank: 10
Odds: 25-1
Manager: Roy Hodgson
Key Players: Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana, Steven Gerrard
Best World Cup Finish: Champions (1966)
Fun Fact: Steven Gerrard scored more goals from penalty kicks than any other player in the top European leagues this year.

The Three Lions arrive in Brazil without the British media hyping them as potential cup winners. Drawn into a very difficult group, England also enters the tournament in a period of transition. Some old veterans were left at home in favor of young talent. Roy Hodgson is trying to develop a younger England team not reliant on the veterans of the last 10 years.

While both players are legends in the English league, the Gerrard-Lampard midfield partnership never fulfilled expectations at the international level. Hodgson will have to extract the most from the next generation of talented English midfielders for them to have a chance of advancing. Adam Lallana had a spectacular year while Jack Wilshere and Ross Barkley have tremendous potential. Daniel Sturridge’s amazing year at Liverpool has the English hoping he can bring that form to Brazil.

While the emergence of new stars will be essential for England’s campaign, Wayne Rooney is still the key figure. An up and down 10 years at the international level probably leaves Rooney feeling like he is due for the dominant performance in an international tournament that has evaded him thus far. If Rooney can put it all together in Brazil, England could be surprising a few pundits who don’t think they will get out of this group

Uruguay

Fifa Rank: 7
Odds: 28-1
Manager: Oscar Tabarez
Key Players: Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Diego Forlan
Best World Cup Finish: Champions (1930, 1950)
Fun Fact: Uruguay star Luis Suarez has twice bitten players during matches.

Led by the thrilling play of Diego Forlan, Uruguay were exciting to watch and became fan favorites during the 2010 World Cup. Now, Uruguay expects Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani to supply the electricity. Suarez enters the tournament after his best year as a professional, his name now being brought up with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as best three players in the world.

Getting the most out of Forlan, Suarez and Cavani shapes Tabarez’ tactics. Both Suarez (occasionally) and Cavani (frequently) were played on the wings this year although both prefer the central striker role. It will be interesting to see how Tabarez switches around his front line to get the most from this team. While not as fast as he used to be, Diego Forlan is still an inspirational leader known for coming through in the biggest games.

Uruguay has a quite a football pedigree yet at the 2014 World Cup they will be the smallest nation participating with a population just over 3 million. While Italy and England might have bigger reputations, La Celeste is a hip dark horse pick to win the tournament. With Uruguay’s 1950 World Cup win coming on Brazilian soil, they will take that as inspiration.

Costa Rica

Fifa Rank: 28
Odds: 2500-1
Manager: Jorge Luis Pinto
Key Players: Joel Campbell, Bryan Ruiz
Best World Cup Finish: Round of 16 (1990)
Fun Fact: More than 5% of the world’s biodiversity comes from tiny Costa Rica.

Three former World Cup winners. Three nations in FIFA’s Top 10 rankings. Costa Rica is the minnow that no one will expect anything from. Freed from any pressure this could allow them to play exciting, entertaining matches. When its generally expected that all three games will be lost, any points from the group stage will feel good for Costa Rica.

Costa Rica was impressive in qualifying finishing second behind the United States and forcing traditional power Mexico into a play-off to make it to Brazil. Arsenal’s Joel Campbell shows a lot of talent and could have a breakout tournament. Costa Rica will also need to get the most from the inconsistent Bryan Ruiz. Ruiz is capable of moments of brilliance also disappearing from big games. The Ticos hopes Ruiz comes to Brazil motivated.

Jorge Pinto should have no trouble with motivation. Having a brief tenure as Costa Rica manager in the mid 2000s, he returns at the helm with something to prove. While Costa Rica are the overwhelming underdogs, there will doubtless be some surprise results. Maybe the Central Americans can provide the upset of the tournament.

3.6 million fans from around the world are expected to descend upon Brazil for the World Cup. The UN has donated 2 million condoms to the World Cup. The President of the Nigerian Football Supporters Club thinks that will only be enough to cover one day’s worth of celebrating by the millions of fans attending. He asked the UN to donate 62 million to cover all extracurricular activities.

World Cup Group B

Spain

Netherlands

Chile

Australia

What an exciting draw! Spain vs. Netherlands offers us rematch of the 2010 final match on just the second day of the tournament. Spain is the only nation in history to win three major international tournaments in a row: Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012. Considered by some to be the best international team to ever play in a World Cup, Spain are strong favorites in this group. The 2010 runners-up will have to hope their star performers have another long run in them. Don’t automatically count out Chile though. Chile looks to play an exciting game that should make all these group matches fun to watch.

Spain

Fifa Rank: 1

Odds: 6-1

Manager: Vicente del Bosque

Key Players: Diego Costa, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas

Best World Cup Finish: Champions (2010)

Fun Fact: Spain’s new star striker Diego Costa was born in Brazil and even played for Brazil in a friendly.

For six years Spain has been a dominant machine in international soccer. Completely controlling games by not even letting their opponents touch the ball, Spain made history by winning three major international tournaments in a row. This year the defending World Cup champions added exciting striker Diego Costa to the mix. When they play their best it is tough to even take the ball away from La Furia Roja.

However, there are some signs of weakness. Key player Xavi is 34 and showing signs of slowing down. The whole team struggled to adapted to the heat and humidity in Brazil last summer as Brazil thumped them 3-0 in the Confederations Cup final. Manager Vicente del Bosque also has some team management to sort out. The 2014 World Cup marks the first major tournament Diego Costa will this team. Tremendously talented Cesc Fabregas has never been fully assimilated into Spain’s system with Xavi and Iniesta firmly entrenched. These are key players that del Bosque needs to extract the best performances from if Spain is to make history again.

With second place in group B facing a likely date with Brazil in the first knockout round match, Spain wants to win this group. For the first time in six years Spain looked vulnerable in last year’s Confederations Cup. Even before their final loss to Brazil they needed penalties to get past Italy in a grueling 120 minute match played in the humid Brazilian sun. History might be against Spain winning this tournament but the real question is who can stop this remarkable generation of players?

Netherlands

Fifa Rank: 15

Odds: 25-1

Manager: Louis van Gaal

Key Players: Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben

Best World Cup Finish: Runners-Up (1974, 1978, 2010)

Fun Fact: In 2010, the Dutch received the most yellow cards ever in a World Cup final match with 9.

The Dutch always provide for drama. Capable of producing thrilling performances yet also capable of having a meltdown of discipline and fouls, this Netherlands team is a bit of a wildcard. Despite a solid qualifying run, the Dutch have some questions to answer. Their dilemma in recent years has been playing together as a team rather than as a collection of individuals. Ghosts of their unsporting behavior in the 2010 World Cup final against Spain and in the 2006 World Cup against Portugal still follow them.

Sadly the Oranje will be missing Kevin Strootman, a promising young star who suffered a late season injury. This has forced the Dutch manager Louis van Gaal to change his tactical plan. With van Gaal already announcing he will step down after the World Cup  to  take over at Manchester United the Dutch must walk a tightrope if they hope to repeat their 2010 run to the final.

Even with these challenges, the Dutch arrive in Brazil with a team packed with excellent players. Robin van Persie remains one of the best strikers in the world. The dynamic Arjen Robben threatens even the best defenses from either wing. Both can win games by creating something out of nothing. Van Gaal is recognized as one of the best coaches in world football. He is known for his tactical adjustments and getting the most out of his players. If they hope to win this group, van Gaal will have to bring his A game and not be distracted by thoughts of Manchester United.

Chile

Fifa Rank: 13

Odds: 50-1

Manager: Jorge Sampaoli

Key Players: Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sanchez, Eduardo Vargas

Best World Cup Finish: 3rd (1962)

Fun Fact:Miiko Albornoz was born and raised in Sweden and has never lived in Chile.

Coached by maverick Marcelo Bielsa in the 2010 World Cup, Chile were always exciting to watch. They played a game of non-stop action constantly pressuring their opponents to win the ball back. Current manager Sampaoli learned from Bielsa so Chile is expected to play the same aggressive style on defense mixed with attacking tactics meant to score goals.

Arturo Vidal is the heart of Chile. Considered the best all-around midfielder in the world, Vidal brings composure and passing vision combined with an excellent work rate and tackling ability. He stabilizes Chile in the center of the field. Leading Chile’s attack is Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez. Extremely quick and agile Sanchez can cause problems for any defense.

With Sampaoli bringing back Bielsa’s pressing style, Chile poses a danger to Spain and Holland. They will aggressively attack both European sides when they have the ball and try to catch them sleeping. Chile will also have the advantage of being more used to playing in the humid South American summer weather.

Australia

Fifa Rank: 59

Odds: 1000-1

Manager: Ange Postecoglou

Key Players: Tim Cahill, Mile Jedinak

Best World Cup Finish: Round of 16 (2006)

Fun Fact: In a 2001 World Cup qualifying game, Australia set a world record by beating American Samoa 31-0.

A daunting challenge awaits the Socceroos in Brazil. They come in as the lowest ranked Fifa team. They play both finalists from the 2010 World Cup and a strong, unpredictable Chilean side. One boost they can count on is their traveling fans. The Australians have many passionate fans that will travel around the world to cheer on their underdogs.

Manager Ange Postecoglou only recently took over the reins of the team. The most successful coach in Australia’s domestic league history, he arrives in Brazil untested against international opponents. Mostly a young team, the Australians will rely on veteran New York Red Bulls midfielder Tim Cahill to provide leadership. Australia will also need solid performances from team captain Mile Jedinak who had an outstanding year at Crystal Palace in England.

Australia can take comfort in the fact that no one thought Australia would make it out of their group in 2006 either. Their best chance probably lies in sitting back, playing defensive and trying to tire out the other teams. Its not a pretty style but the smart money is on Australian to go home without winning a game.