FIFA World Cup 2022 - Football, The Beautiful Game

 The World of Sports unite again on the gala event of Football - The 22nd edition of World Cup hosted at Qatar, where 32 teams spread across 8 Groups, will compete through 64 matches starting 20th Nov till 18th Dec for the ultimate glory, displaying a delicious spread of grit, sweat, skill, & technique, diced & sliced with mind boggling strategies - support staff on the laptops & tablets assessing data on each player, each team, recent history, playing patterns, strengths, weaknesses, weather conditions, psychological edge et all - in effect it becomes a war zone with the ultimate goal of winning the coveted Cup. Millions would flock the stadiums in Qatar, while billions would be glued to the screens across the globe - a grand edge of the seat spectacle which keeps bettering every four years. This is first time that a World Cup Football is held in winter I think & that can have its own ramifications on the players & their performance. It will be interesting to see how the European Countries face off against the Latin American magicians. 

Historically one of the finest team to graze the field, the Dutch Orange look to rediscover themselves, under the experienced coaching of Louis van Gaal. With players like Frenkie De Jong, Memphis Depay, Virgil Van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, their flowing attacking style could run shivers through any opposition. The team exudes strong physicality & have been quite a well knit team under the experienced strategist. They have always enthralled the crowds with their Total Football ethos, which has raised expectations, only to falter at crunch stages.  A treat to watch, this Orange brand should certainly make it to the knockout stages. 

England are also an exciting bunch of players under the shrewd coaching of Gareth Southgate, who took them to the semis last time around. He always seems capable of getting under your skin to rattle & has an envious squad which boasts of players like Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Grealish, Henderson, Rashford, Luke Shaw, Declan Rice - its an almost endless list of overflowing talent, in each position. But, while they will most certainly make it to the knock out rounds, somehow this team falls short at the crucial moments, & it will be interesting to see what tactics Southgate deploys to make a mark. The players have been together under Southgate for a few years now & understand each other very well, which is a huge positive, but they have imploded in the most unbelievable manner across all major tournaments over the past couple of years.  

Argentina come into the tournament on a 35 game unbeaten run, including a Copa America win over Brazil in 2021, led by arguably the GOAT footballer Leo Messi in his prime & probably in his last World Cup. With players like Cristian Romero, Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Parades, Dybala, Di Maria, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez around him, Coach Scaloni can certainly feel quietly confident in bringing home the glory since Maradona's 1986 superlatives. If they play to their potential, one can expect them playing a mouthwatering semis against Brazil, but before that, they need to avoid a potential banana peel slip with Denmark in knockouts. Certainly a team to follow for flair, skills & Messi magic, as supporters across the globe wait in anticipation. 

Reigning Champion France are an enigma. Despite injuries plaguing key players like Benzema(still nursing muscle discomfort), & Pogba, Kante, Nkunku already ruled out, Les Blues is a team to watch out. Coach Didier Deschamps knows how to conjure a winning combination, & has riches like Mbappe, Tchouameni, Dembele, Coman, Kounde, Pavard, Rabiot to set the tournament on fire. Their recent performance have been sub par & the fact that no team has ever retained the FIFA World Cup Since Brazil did this in 1962, & it looks unlikely that this outfit will go the distance. However, France remains as one of the favorites on paper. 

Under Luis Enrique, Spain is another team overflowing with young talent. Gavi, Pedri, Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres, Laporte, Pau Torres, Dani Olmo all in their early twenties & learning to perform on the big stage, surrounded by the experience of Busquets, Koke, Azpilicueta, Jordi Alba, Rodri, Morata, Unai Simon, the Spanish Armada has the armory to go all guns blazing till the very end. The possessional & positional game is a treat to watch & can mesmerise both opponents & audience into awe. A certain for the knockouts & beyond. 

Four time Champions Germany are always a team to reckon with & under Hansi Flick, the Bavarians are front foot, nippy & aggressive, as the typical well oiled machine that keeps chugging along. While Gnabry, Muller, Musiala, Sane, Havertz & the likes will be marauding the opponents, Gundogan, Kimmich, Goretzka, marshal the midfield & Neuer Dons the sticks behind Ginter, Rudiger, Raum, & others - wow, what a team that is. This team has some heavy lifting to do after some very average performances in the recent times, that has surprised critics. 

Belgium are the dark horse & certainly one of the teams to watch out in this tournament. They are 2nd in the FIFA ranking & under Roberto Martinez, they hope to deliver the goods, as a last hurrah for their Golden Generation, which toppled the mighty Brazil in the last World Cup. With Thibaut Courtois & his lanky large arms under the bars, there is hardly any space for the ball to go through, & then you have Tielmans, Witsel, Debast, Meunier, D Bruyne, Hazard, Lukaku to weave past any opponent & score at will - this team of Red Devils can go past the best. Certainly a team to look out for, unless injuries & fatigue takes over. 

Finalist in the last World Cup, Croatia looks a spent force on the face, but it would be foolhardy to underestimate the likes of Luka Modric, Perisic, Brozovic, Gvardiol, Budimir, who can sting you back without any warning. A formidable unit, they should make it to the knock outs. 

Five time Champions Brazil are the only country to have qualified in all the World Cups till now & have reached at least the quater finals since 1994. Its been 20 years, since Ronaldo Rivaldo Ronaldinho Dunga Cafu combo had brought them glory against Germany in 2002, & they have been hungrily waiting for the podium show for a very long time. Coach Tite has had strung up a wiry, mean team which has all the makings of a Champion. The bookies are rating them with the best chance to lift the Cup & the Selecao supporters are dancing in anticipation. As ever, the team has unbelievable talent in the ranks, with Neymar, never aging Dani Alves and Thiago Sliva building the Jogo Bonito dream along with Vinicius, Raphinha, Richarlison, Jesus, Antony, Rodrigo, Casemiro, Paqueta, Marquinhos, Miliato, Fred, Danilo, Alisson Becker, Ederson..... the list just goes on & on. This team should certainly go through, if they can hold onto their emotions & play to potential - enormous expectations to perform has been the bane over the last few editions. 

Portugal is another enigma, with Cristiano Ronaldo certainly playing his last World cup, a trophy that has eluded him till now - the recent controversies at ManU would certainly spur him to prove his detractors otherwise. This is a team, that can decimate any team on their day & their attacking flair can enthrall the crowds to the hilt. They have quality in every department, with Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias taking over the reins along with Joao Felix, Ruben Neves Raphael Guerreiro etc. This team can spring a few surprises for sure. 

There are other teams in the fray, capable of big surprises - Denmark, Switzerland, Uruguay, Korea, Serbia, all capable of knocking off bigwigs in their moment of glory, but my guess for all of them would be a flash in the pan, which lacks consistency. 

Lets all just watch.....enjoy the spectacle.......savor the mesmerising skills....after all, its once in four years that we get to soak in the beautiful game - JOGA BONITO, in expectation & anticipation.....