FIFA World Cup : Assessing Quarterfinals

As the World Cup reaches its business end, & the quarterfinals start from today, we reflect on the last 8 teams in the competition, which promises some mouth watering contests ahead. While the world has already had its fair share of viral moments & upsets, it promises some scintillating games of football ahead, as some dreams are about to be ruined, while some memories are to be created. This is a time for the real heroes to step up 

1) Brazil vs Croatia : (looks to be a Brazil win)

Tite's Brazil squad started the tournament as favourites & have lived to the expectations till now, despite an unexpected stumble against Cameroon in the final group stage fixture, where they fielded a 2nd string team. The wins against Switzerland & Serbia had some fantastic moments, though the full flow was in patches. In the round of 16, against South Korea, Brazil were at their Samba best with some fluid, pressing football that enthralled the crowds, scoring at will in the first half to win 4-1. With that kind of form, they are surely looking the scintillating Selecao, capable of dancing into the Cup lifting Ceremony on 18th of this month. Its been 20 years since they did that & this team certainly has all the potential capabilities to end the wait. They are functioning well in all departments & are nor reliant on Neymar alone for scoring. The riches in the ranks are staggering with Neymar & his immense presence upfront, Richarlison & his jugglery, Vinicius with his bullet like run down the flanks, Raphinha with his dribbling & neat assists on the other side, Paqueta with his quietly skillful positioning down the middle, Casemiro with his defensive & offensive domination in midfield, Militao, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva & Danilo managing the backline, while providing support in attack, all in unison, & then the large calming influence under the bar by Alisson - apart from this is a bench strength that has stars like Antony, Rodrigo, Martinelli, Fabinho, Ederson, who can walk into any other team's first eleven. This is an enviable squad  with an incredible depth no doubt, despite injury niggles with Neymar, Alex Sandro, Jesus(already out of the tournament for surgery). The world awaits the Joga Bonito, that defines Brazilian brand of football. 

Croatia on the other hand have come through to the round of 8 as runners up from Group F, with some less than convincing performances. Barring the emphatic 4-1 win against Canada, they struggled to draw against Morocco & Belgium & then against Japan in the round of 16, they trailed initially to then level the score 1-1 into penalties, where Japan simply imploded to give Croatia an unexpected passage into quarters. Remarkably it was the 6th time in their last seven knockout ties, that the game went into extra time, & Croatia prevailed in most of them. They may not always beat you, but they can push your limits physically, mentally & emotionally. If the game goes into extra time, then they become likely winners, given the stage. The midfield trio of Luca Modric, Mateo Kovacic & Marcelo Brozovic have the experience, tenacity & technical ability to hold the ball & make opponents chase you, a capability that non of Brazil's opponents have provided till now - so it will be an interesting battle of nerves & skills in the midfield that will determine the outcome of the game. Coach Dalic will certainly play on this as his key strategy to thwart the marauding Brazilian attacks. Outstanding goalkeeping by the lanky Dominik Livakovic till now, especially against Japan to block 3 penalties will certainly boost Croatia's will & intent in defense against Brazil. This will be the 3rd encounter between the two teams in a World Cup, with Brazil having won the last two. 

2) Netherlands vs Argentina : (a nail biting contest with Netherlands nosing ahead)

Netherlands have been quietly but efficiently going about their business in this World Cup. They were comfortable toppers from Group A, with wins against Senegal & Qatar & then a 1-1 draw with Ecuador. they dispatched USA in the round of 16 with a resounding 3-1 win. Lois van Gaal has been able to stitch a well knit team, which plays 3-5-2 formation, much against the popular 4-3-3, which is the heart of total football, so integral to the teachings of Johan Cruyff. The new formation has paid dividends till now as the Orange team are unbeaten in their last 19 games. The team is defensively quite competent with Noppert under the bar, & Frenkie in holding midfield along with the back three of van Dijk, Eke & de Light or Timber de Jong will try & ensure that Messi & company do not get a sniff at the goal, while, attacking full backs Dumfries & Blind will launch through the flanks to create width as forwards Depay, Klassen & Gakpo would look to cash on any opportunity with their quicksilver movements. Cody Gakpo has already emerged as one of the stars in the tournament & has three goals under his belt. On paper & strategy, this has worked well for van Gaal as we look forward to some exciting orange splash on the field. 

Argentina team is all about Leo Messi at 35 yrs, in arguably his last World Cup, & yearning to pick up the elusive trophy for his over flowing shelf of trophies - and with Messi's Argentina the shadow of Diego Maradona looms larger than life. Maradona had almost single handedly won the World Cup in 1986, mesmerising the world with his exhilarating skills - this will reside heavy on Messi's shoulders as Argentinian supporters world over are praying for a similar feat from him. In this World Cup, Messi has already scored three goals & inspired his team into quarterfinals. Barring the first game stuttering loss to Saudi Arabia in the group stages, the Albiceleste have looked very reassuring & in control on the ground. With young turk Alvaraz & ageing Di Maria on the wings along with Messi in the middle, supported by MacAllister, Fernandez & De Paul in midfield, while Acuna, Otamendi, Romero & Molina covering the backline, Martinez taking guard under the bar, this team under Scaloni looks good to go the distance. However, given their Orange opponents' versatility, if Argentina fails to score early through a moment of Messi magic or Alvarez's pacy run, the game could become cagey enough for the Netherlands to sneak in their own initiatives. The longer the game goes, the more chances of Netherlands taking the upper hand. Interesting game on cards for sure - should be entertaining enough to clutch at the seats till the end. 

3) Morocco vs Portugal : (A Moroccan upset win is on cards, but Portugal should prevail)

From Baghdad to Casablanca, fans have cheered vociferously, as Morocco became the first Arabic speaking country to qualify for the last eight in this World Cup. The Atlas Lions are on the verge of history, if they manage to win against Portugal & advance to the semis, which will make them the 1st African nation to achieve this feat. This Cinderella like story has been crafted by none other than their coach Walid Regragui, who has implemented an effective defend & counter attack strategy, that none of their more fabled opponents have been able to unlock till now. Croatia, Belgium, Canada & lastly Spain, have failed to break this hard nut Moroccan resilience, who have conceded only one goal till now & that too an own goal. In the penalty shoot outs against Spain, Yassine Bounou, could not be breached even once, which is more than a remarkable statistics in their favour. This team stays deep in their own half to defend dourly & then canter forward on counter attacks to score. With the likes of Ziyech, En-Nesyri & Boufal upfront there is no dearth of fire power, & then there is the ever reliable Amrabat in the midfield along with Ounahi & Amallah, backed by Hakimi, Aguerd, Saiss & Mazraoui in defence. Finally the smiling & calming influence of Bono under the bar. This team has the ability & perhaps the belief to upset the best, as the Atlas Lions are purring.

Coach Fernando Santos has injected a real purpose in Portugal's campaign in this World Cup. Having benched their mercurial superstar Rolando against Switzerland in the round of 16 to bring in 21yrs old Goncalo Ramos has been a masterstroke, resulting in a resounding 6-1 win against a normally hard to score off Swiss defense, along with the first hattrick of the tournament under the belt of Ramos. There is a general feeling that if there's a side that can unlock the stubborn, watertight Moroccan defense, it will be the this Portugal attack with Bruno Fernandes orchestrating the play & Joao Felix along with Bernardo Silva providing the necessary support to Ramos. This we are speaking of keeping Ronaldo, one of the fiercest strikers of all times in the reserves, along with Leao, Vitinha, Horta & Ruben Neves. Then there is the presence of Dalot, Pepe, Dias & Guerreiiro at the back line, with D Costa under the bar. This is certainly a team with enormous potential & rich depth. This will certainly be a match worth the watch. 

4) France vs England : (a close encounter with France getting better of the two in the end)

Barring a blip in performance to lose 1-0 to Tunisia in the group stages, France has been a special team in this tournament. As reigning champions, one had expected an upset exit, given the traditional winner's curse since 2002, when 1998 winners France were eliminated in group stages. 2006 winners Italy were eliminated in 2010, while 2010 winners Spain went out in 2014 & then 2014 winners Germany were out in group stages in 2018 !! In this tournament, France is coming of age like old wine, as Didier Deschamps is reinventing the midfield by giving Antoine Griezmann a new role as a holding midfielder. With the absence of Paul Pogba & Kante to injuries, Griezmann has taken up this new challenge alongside Rabiot & Tchouameni to create flair, grit, intelligence & work load that brings the fluidity & creativity in the ranks. With Karim Benzema withdrawn for injuries, the attacking line rests on the young shoulders of Kylian Mbappe, who is the current front runner for the Golden Boot with five goals in his kitty. His electric pace, supported by the likes of Dembele on the other flank & Giroud upfront, along with Griezmann, Tchouameni & Rabiot in midfield & the the solid defense managed by Kounde, Varane, Upamecano & Hernandez, & Lloris under the bar, this team looks mean & hungry & capable of demolishing any opponent. The bench strength may not be that deep & strong, & this team is not the same as the one that won the Cup in 2018. However, they are a formidable unit to go the distance. 

To date, it has been a near perfect tournament for England, as they remain one of the very few unbeaten teams in this edition. Barring a draw with the US, this team has overpowered all oppositions with goals galore. They haven't conceded a single goal in the last three games, & are the current leading goal scorers along with Portugal at 12, with eight different contributors. They haven't picked up a single card during the tournament, showing that the players have been extremely disciplined & focused. The game with France provides coach Gareth Southgate with the opportunity to prove that they are indeed world beaters, however a loss will strengthen the rumors that he is good, but unable to win a major tournament. With Jude Bellingham, the teenage sensation, being superlative on the field showing maturity beyond his age, the team looks extremely capable with Captain Harry Kane marshalling the attack along with Saka & Foden on the flanks, Hendersen, Rice & Bellingham in midfield, Walker, Stones, Maguire & Shaw at backline & Pickford under the bar - the team looks extremely lean & tidy, not to forget the likes of Rashford, Grealish, Trippier, Mount, Alexander-Arnold, Ramsdale, Sterling, Gallaghar, all in the reserves, Southgate is spoilt for choices in all positions. Arguably the most potent English football team in a long time. The Three Lions are really looking good to go the distance. This will be the 3rd meeting between these two European giants in World Cup, & given that England have won both the previous two, history gives them an edge. However, both these victories were in 1966 & 1982, & in recent times, France have lost only one encounter in their last eight meetings with England. This game is the fiercest among all the quarterfinals, promising to be a nail biting humdinger & the one to hold nerves better, should prevail.  

The above predictions are based on my reading of the game - Let the best team on the day win !!