Guide to World Cup Group C: Group of…French domination
France have a pretty wonderful route into the quarter-finals, barring any mad collapse…
France
Who are they?
Of the four favourites for this World Cup, nobody has a well of talent to pick from as deep as Didier Deschamps. As an England fan I’m not above admitting being able to leave out names like Aymeric Laporte, Dimitri Payet, Adrien Rabiot, Alexandre Lacazette, Karim Benzema and Anthony Martial makes me feel a bit sick. France don’t really buy into the golden generation stuff these days, because they’ve produced too many excellent players for too long now to think it’s not the norm, but this is a particularly fine vintage.
The most telling part of Didier’s choices is that you can’t really make a case that he’s got anything glaringly wrong. You want Martial, who are you dropping realistically – Thomas Lemar or Ousmane Dembele? No. You think Benzema’s still a player, fine, but are you sending Kylian Mbappe or Antoine Griezmann home? Didn’t think so. I can only make a case for maybe taking Adrien Rabiot over Steven N’Zonzi, but even then Rabiot is in far worse form than N’Zonzi, who’s just had the best season of his career. A half-hearted argument at best. So where are the weaknesses?
First, the dressing room. This France squad seems united and there’s been no great rivalry amongst those going other than good-natured #footballbanter. However, tournaments can do funny things and players can go stir crazy together. There are some huge personalities in that squad. We hope they all just continue to get on.
Second is Deschamps himself. France should have won Euro2016 and would have done were it not for some odd decisions from the manager. In midfield he never found the balance he wanted and kept tinkering. Paul Pogba playing deep in the final even after Ronaldo’s injury for example, or switching between a three that didn’t suit any of the three to a four that didn’t suit any of the four. With this amount of talent, footballers become puzzle pieces and it’s less about finding your best 11 players and more the right balance. Deschamps is still trying, and if anything can derail them it could well be that.
Manager – Didier Deschamps
So, there are issues here. Deschamps is popular with many because he’s World Cup-winning captain Didier Deschamps, but even his biggest fans know he didn’t get the Euros right. Even a slight upgrade and we would have a raft of photos of a despondent Cristiano Ronaldo to enjoy/despair (delete as appropriate). Did he learn enough there to get over the line now?
France are serious about winning this World Cup and Deschamps has work to do. Even with obvious mistakes they got to the final of the Euros, a fact that shows anything less than the same here with an even better squad is failure. A high bar but with 23 brilliant reasons why.
Key Man – Paul Pogba
Note that this says ‘Key Man’ and not ‘Best Player’ before I get Griezmann-ed or Mbappe-ed in the comments. Pogba should be the icing on a stupendous cake, a late run from midfield-shaped birthday present for every match day of the year. The issue is that he needs to play in his favourite position at his ridiculous best to lift those around him or he can be an issue.
In-form Pogba makes everyone else better, anything less and he brings others down with him. The Manchester derby was the epitome of this: a first half spent in the wrong areas going forward and getting in the way, then a second brilliantly swashbuckling his way around and raising the front three to season-high levels. He’s still a riddle it feels only Juventus have ever had the long-term answer to, and he won’t like watching a World Cup pass him by from the bench. Pogba might be the best player in the tournament or he might be a huge question mark – it really is over to him.
What should we expect?
With that squad we’ve every right to expect everything. Will we get it? Over to you, Didier.
Australia
Who are they?
Australia have often been involved in a lot of fun at recent World Cups. In 2006 we had Graham Poll’s Oprah moment (you get a card, you get a card – you all get cards!) and the knockout game against Italy including Totti’s 95th minute penalty. In 2010 they were slot four in a group of death and put in an absolutely heroic performance in the final game to beat Serbia but missed out on goal difference. And in 2014 they got a horrible draw and lost all three games to Chile, the Netherlands and Spain but the middle game against the Dutch was a terrific seesaw affair that they lost 3-2 having been 2-1 up.
In that match 34-year old Tim Cahill scored a beauty of a volley; therein lay a lot of Australia’s problems this time around. While they are producing players of a certain quality consistently, they just aren’t quite good enough. That is evidenced by the now-38-year old and club-less Tim Cahill still not only getting in the squad but actually getting playing time too. He may not start, but Cahill remains a go-to Plan B and that doesn’t reflect greatly on the attacking options they’re picking from.
The knockouts are a big ask and there’s a more than decent chance Australia are going to finish bottom of this group, but they do have a glimmer. The fixtures are in the right order for them – lose to France in game one and then see what they can get from Denmark and Peru. Still, finishing second is all that’s realistically available to anyone in Group C barring French disaster, and Australia are going to have to work incredibly hard to get there.
Manager – Bert van Marwijk
Having got Saudi Arabia to the World Cup, Bert van Marwijk found himself at a crossroads. He was already being questioned, with those invested in the Saudi game pointed towards his lack of interest in their domestic football. As contract negotiation quickly became ultimatum, Van Marwijk opted to leave and his World Cup looked over.
Having made heavy weather of qualifying in beating Syria by the odd goal in two play-off games and similar against Honduras, Australia’s then-manager Ange Postecoglou decided to return to club football. Van Marwijk was quickly installed on a short-term contract and immediately swapped some of Postecoglou’s more free-flowing style for greater organisation. This has made some press sceptical of the Dutchman, but he’s likely not bothered as Graham Arnold will be replacing him as soon as their World Cup ends.
Key Man – Aaron Mooy
If Australia’s general problem is a lack of quality, they can point towards Mooy as the man to buck that trend. His early-season form for Huddersfield Town ultimately led to their survival, and although he suffered a lull as the toil of playing a Premier League season in midfield for the first time set in, Mooy finished the season with an assist for the goal which made them mathematically safe.
Mooy will be asked to create for Australia but he needs good players around him, particularly as he works best when someone else is doing his dirty work and gifting him space. If they have to bring Cahill on for that Plan B, then Mooy’s dead-ball delivery will be vital.
What should we expect?
Australians seem to just be pleased to be there again. There’s a grudging acceptance that they will be in Russia for a short time, but let’s at least hope it’s a good time.
Peru
Who are they?
It’s impossible to talk about Peru without discussing the situation around their captain, Paolo Guerrero. His ban for testing positive for a marker that cocaine use produces has overshadowed the entire country’s preparation for their first World Cup since 1982. Guerrero maintained his innocence and said the trace result must have been from coca tea preparation and accidental ingestion. FIFA considered this a reasonable defence when trimming an initial 12-month ban back to six, thus enabling him to play in the World Cup.
Cue WADA’s involvement, who invoked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to not only reinstate the 12 months but actually increase it to two years. The defence of accidental use was accepted, a 14-month ban still imposed. Cue outrage and literal protest on the streets of Peru. It took until the last day of May for them to learn if their captain can play at the World Cup. Thanks to a Swiss tribunal he can, after interventions at a government level and even from the captains of his Group C opponents asking for leniency.
So Peru’s first qualification for a World Cup in 36 years should have been a non-stop celebration but became a national outcry. Striker Guerrero is not only Peru’s captain but their all-time leading goalscorer and a talismanic presence. Jefferson Farfán had been tasked with the attacking load in his absence but could now struggle for a place if they trust in Guerrero from the start. Farfán is now competing with the in-form and trusted Andre Carrillo on the right, Edison Flores will play on the left and is very much a player to watch/namecheck for cool points. Peru are very good going forward and now have decent options from the bench. They will score goals, so underestimate them at your peril.
Being fuelled by a sense of injustice has helped Peru to some very impressive friendly performances leading up to this World Cup, and they are great to watch when they get into their stride. However, with such a highly charged emotional build up you do wonder what a defeat to Denmark in the first game might do.
Manager – Ricardo Gareca
Qualification made Gareca untouchable, but he was extremely well thought of anyway after turning Peru’s fortunes around since joining in 2015. He took an average team to the Copa America semi-finals immediately and set qualification for Russia as the next big target. This was eventually achieved via a nervy play-off win over New Zealand, but Gareca had steered his team to fifth place in CONMEBOL qualifying ahead of Chile, Paraguay, and Ecuador. They have also not lost since a 2-0 defeat to Brazil in 2016.
Peru missed out on qualifying for 2014 by 10 points ,so there has been a sea change in fortune to get them to Russia. Gareca knows his team’s limits but chooses admirably – and at times breathtakingly – to play on the front foot, in part because his defence is the weakest area of the squad. Whatever happens the job is his for as long as he wants it.
Key Man – Paolo Guerrero
Obviously. When an entire nation has lobbied on your behalf you probably realise that you need to give something back.
We’ve mentioned the front three and this preview has been understandably heavy on Guerrero, so we’ll also mention defender Alberto Rodríguez. He provided great leadership in Guerrero’s absence and is a very talented player. It’s also worth keeping an eye on Sao Paolo’s Christian Cueva, who will be tasked with creating from just behind the striker. On his day he’s as tricky as anyone, but he’ll need to be at the height of his powers against Denmark and France.
What should we expect?
Adventurous, emotional and lifted by what they feel is a corrected injustice, so much rests on a good start against Denmark to keep the good vibes going. Yes we did just use the word vibes.
Denmark
Who are they?
1986 and all that. For a certain vintage, the sight of any Danish team at any World Cup is a welcome one. Recent teams may not be able to compete with some of their forefathers, but there is nearly always at least one player you find yourself latching onto unconditionally. From either Laudrup brother to Preben Elkjaer via a Dennis Rommedahl, Martin Laursen or Jan Molby, it is almost impossible to actively want a Denmark team to fail.
This World Cup there a few candidates, but one shining London-based frontrunner. Christian Eriksen has been a joy to watch over the last two years and produced a virtuoso performance in the play-off against Republic of Ireland. That hat-trick, each goal brilliant in its own right, made sure that if there was anyone in the football world yet to be convinced, they needed to take a long hard look at themselves.
Beyond Eriksen there is a reasonable amount of quality, and Denmark look like slight favourites for second place in the group. Kasper Schmeichel may not be Peter Schmeichel but he is among the best keepers at the tournament, captain Simon Kjaer an excellent defender to protect him. They have the option of going to a three at the back with Andreas Christensen and probably Jannik Vestergaard either side of the captain. Thomas Delaney and William Kvist provide excellent midfield cover ahead of them.
Denmark are prone to a wobble and this blighted their qualifying. Despite being the best team in the Group E they both managed to absolutely blow eventual group winners Poland away 4-0 and lose 3-2 to them. What really hurt were bad days home and away against a weak Romania and a home loss to Montenegro. They will be looking at second place in this group and there’s potentially a favourable knockout game if they get it. I find myself hoping they do.
Manager – Age Hareide
Following a man who had been in the job for 15 years was never going to be easy – just ask David Moyes what it’s like replacing an institution. Hareide has coped pretty well with replacing Morten Olsen and this is now very much his team. He’ll be worried that since qualification Denmark’s form has been patchy to say the least, but he does bullish well as his post-match comments on the Ireland game showed. Denmark will start with manager-led confidence and look for an opening win. Hareide will accept nothing less.
Key Man – Christian Eriksen
For all the reasons we outlined above and more. Denmark’s one truly world-class performer, if Eriksen is on song and afforded protection by his fellow midfielders Denmark will have high attacking hopes.
What should we expect?
It feels like a race between Peru and Denmark for second place so sit back and enjoy match day one – it could be decisive.
David Hartrick
