World Cup 2014: Which Teams Are In Top Form and Could Possibly Win It All?

As the World Cup progresses through its group stage, it is far too early to predict a winner. However, there are some teams that are playing at a higher level than their competition. It may be their team’s current form, weak group or lack of serious injuries. Let’s take a closer look at these teams and why they should be contenders in July.

Chile

When Chile opened up against Australia with a 3-1 win, there was little fanfare from the futbol community. After all, La Roja was playing on South American soil against the Socceroos, the lowest ranked team in group play. However, after beating Spain and eliminating the last World Cup victor from advancing out of the group stage, it’s clear that this team is a solid contender.

While most of their players do not have the pedigree of playing for top flight European teams, almost all are starters for their respective clubs. More importantly, manager Jorge Sampaoli has his team playing in unison, creating an unselfish environment for his players to thrive in. Chile finished in third in World Cup qualifiers in the very competitive CONMEBOL group with a record of 9-6-1, ahead of teams like Ecuador and Uruguay, demonstrating that they are battle-tested and well prepared for the matches to come.

With an offensive-minded manager and a midfield that can sustain them, expect La Roja to take the game to the opposition. But they are adept at quick outlet passes from their defensive line and are effective in the counter-attack, creating yet another weapon at their disposal. While Brazil and Argentina are fawned over as the South American darlings, do not sell this team short. Their run out of the group stage should be fun to watch, and they’re built to score on any team.

Brazil

While not especially impressive in their first two games, they have still garnered four points and will be able to rest some of their players should they choose to in their final game against Cameroon (arguably the worst team in the tournament). Historically, Mexico have played them competitively, and had goalkeeper Ochoa not had the game of his career, Brazil would have six points and the coronation of the host country would dominate the conversation.

This is a team with tradition and pride playing in front of its fans on its home soil. A Seleção have won five World Cups, most recently in 2002, and it’s certainly plausible that they win another. The players themselves are immediately recognizable as among the best in the world, and their manager Luiz Felipe Scolari took over as manager for his second stint in 2012, having won the World Cup for Brazil in his first stint in 2002.

They have some weaknesses, most notably goalkeeper Julio Cesar, currently playing for Toronto’s MLS franchise. He is serviceable but not world class, and can be beaten at the far post. But their defense has improved on this team, their midfield is solid, and then there are their numerous goal scorers.

We think of Neymar when their offense comes to mind, but on Brazil, anyone can put the ball in the back of the net. As Brazil’s Cup play progresses, look for Neymar to create opportunities for others as well as himself.

Netherlands

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Not only did the Netherlands beat Spain in the opening round, they humiliated them. Yes, one can point to the revenge factor from losing to Spain in the World Cup finals four years ago, but revenge alone wouldn’t be enough to beat the No.1-ranked team like they did. The Spanish manager Del Bosque could only stare in disbelief at the dismantling of La Roja, and for good reason. For some of the Dutch players, this will be their final chance for World Cup glory, and they played like a team possessed. From the opening kick, they were determined not to allow Spain to control the tempo of the game, as they had in previous matches. As the game progressed, the rhythm of the game shifted to the Oranje.

The Dutch have quality at all positions, and to beat them, an opposing team must simply outscore them. But it won’t be easy. The Netherlands are playing like they’re on a mission to reclaim their silverware, and from their performance against Spain, no one should discount their chances.

Mexico

El Tri had a difficult time advancing out of the qualifiers, but improved their level of play towards the end of their campaign. At one point they needed the United States to defeat Panama in the final CONCACAF group qualifier, then had to beat New Zealand handily in home and away matches to grab the final spot at a chance for glory. At one point, they changed managers four times in a six-week period and only won two of ten matches during the fourth round of CONCACAF qualifiers. So why is Mexico on this list?

Miguel Herrera, their current manager and former manager of Club America, is a former defender and international footballer as well, and understands the game well from both sides of the ball.  His players are an eclectic mix of veterans (Salcido, Marquez) and youth (Dos Santos, Herrera) and the team’s individual talent pool has never been in question. Their starting goalkeeper (Guillermo Ochoa) at age 28 is in the prime of a successful career and while out of contract, is being linked to a move to Liverpool. El Tri have tremendous support from its fans, and Herrera has this team believing in itself again. While it is uncertain that this team will advance to the finals, they seem poised to make a run at the Cup, and should be exciting to watch.

Argentina

With a storied history that includes advancing to the finals of the World Cup four times (winning twice), Argentina is also one of only two countries that have won all three of the most important FIFA recognized events (World Cup, Confederations Cup and Olympic tournament). They are playing in their home continent and are supported by some of the most fervent fans on the planet.

Argentina’s manager, Alejandro Javier Sabella, had a fifteen year career as a midfielder in the EPL and in the Argentine league. As a manager, he was an assistant to legend Daniel Passarella for several years before being given the job as head of the Argentine national team in 2011. He is surrounded by players who are known to futboll fans everywhere, starting with captain Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the best (if not the best) footballer in the sport today. The roster is laden with solid players, with most plying their trade in Europe’s top divisions (three play in the Argentine Primera Division and one in La Liga in Mexico).

Having lofty expectations, their fellow countrymen will consider anything less than hoisting the World Cup a failure. Time will tell whether they progress to this stage, but what is certain is that will contend in each game they play and can never be counted out of a match.

Germany

While no one ever thought that the Nationalmannschaft would simply fade away, there were some concerns regarding the effect injuries would have on this team. This is a team that have won the World Cup three times and been runner up four times. The last three events have seen the Germans take third place twice and runner up twice, and the Germans want this to be their time for glory. But with star striker Marco Reus ruled out of the tournament and several others (like team captain Philipp Lahm and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer) recently injured and not at 100 percent, there was some question of how well the Germans would perform in this Cup.

After their dismantling of Portugal in game one, any concerns were mitigated by their dominance of play. While it can be pointed out that two of Portugal’s starters were injured and had to be replaced, and their premier central defender Pepe received a red card (reducing Portugal to ten players on the field), it can be pointed out that Germany was outplaying Portugal well before that point in the game. Besides, injuries are a part of the game, and as far as the red card, that is the fault of Pepe, who has a history of this sort of behavior.

If they can stay relatively healthy, this team has the ability to advance deep in Cup play. While their individual players are all talented in their own right, their manager Joachim Low is among the best and has this group playing well as a unit. It is that team concept that is largely behind their success.

In terms of support, the German Prime Minister (Angela Merkel) is at the games and as the picture shows, she is not only behind the team, she stands with them.

Belgium

After dropping to an all-time low ranking of 71st in 2007, the Red Devils began a revamping of their youth development program, no small feat for a small European country of roughly 11 million citizens. The fruits of  labor are beginning to take hold, as their “new golden generation” has them currently FIFA-ranked in 11th position. Their current manager Marc Wilmots is a former Belgian international footballer who was an assistant beginning in 2009, taking over the helm in 2012. Their roster is among the youngest of any Cup team, starting with their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who is a mere 22 years old, but was the starting keeper at Atletico Madrid while on loan from Chelsea. In fact, almost all of their players perform in the top flight in Europe, while two play for a top Russian team (Zenit Saint Petersburg).

In their opener, Algeria gave Belgium all they could handle before goals in the 70th and 80th minutes gave the Red Devils all three points, defeating Algeria, 2-1. A closer look at the statistics, however, point to a more convincing win, with Algeria mustering only one shot on goal (their penalty kick). Belgium possessed the ball  65% of the time and had ten shots on goal. These statistics will bear fruit in their upcoming matches against Russia and South Korea. While they are a young team and relatively inexperienced in Cup play, most have cut their teeth at a highly competitive level, and are among the healthiest teams vying for the Cup.

If Wilmots can get his team to combine their youthful energy with their top-flight talent, the new golden generation can live up to its name and will be playing in July.

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