Belgium, South Korea, Algeria and Russia make-up the final Group H.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/australia-in-nightmare-group-of-death-for-brazil-world-cup-20131207-2yxjw.html#ixzz2mj4Oj8u8

Edited by Joffa: 17/5/2014 09:51:23 PM

Edited by Joffa: 17/6/2014 10:28:58 PM

I wonder if I'm the only one who thinks South Korea have a better chance than a few presume?

NONE of their opponents are massively intimidating, for them, reputation wise. Algeria especially, they should feel they could be more than competitive against. Granted, no givens and Algeria were well competitive last World Cup, but so have SK been, for a number of World Cups. Russia and Belgium won't be as intimidating as others they could've drawn, including who we drew from those same Pots (Spain and Netherlands!).

If SK are on their game, they could progress from the Group Stage, once again. They could 'easily' cause a 'technical upset' though in real terms all four teams are relatively even or none greatly superior than others?

SK's star players, they build up good experience and some enter their peak while others still have their peak ahead of them! A number of their top, top, players based in the EPL, others in the Bundesliga, J-League or what not. K-League ever stronger, including good ACL teams.

I'm just NOT underestimating SK and ofcourse support all our fellow AFC teams in all their respective groups! Show the Euro-snobs and the world, what you're made of!

Group of life?

No, that title goes to 'Group E' (France, Swiss, Ecuador and Honduras!)? Aka known as the 'Group of Cakewalk for France!'

This is still a tough, competitive and fairly even group. Odds are still a little against our AFC brothers in all groups, even the ones like this, where they have a half-chance. They're capable, that is true, but on the day, Russia, Belgium and co, IF they 'show up' then it could be a tough time. Capello should have Russia well organised too and Belgium have one heck of a talented generation of players there right now, with Fellaini, Hazard, Lukaku, Kompany, Benteke and co. Intimidating really, in a way. But SK have their own 'EPL stars' who face many of those players.

But same time, could their defence and organisational structure, withstand the onslaught of pacy Hazard, the physical Lukaku, Fellaini and Benteke and co? Komany and co could be hard to break down too.

All of Russia's players are now based in the Russian league. Arshavin gone. They're a variable, but which Russia shows up? They tend to be a team who flatters to deceive, but guess we can only wait and see what this Russian team does. It's a good group/opportunity for them though!

Algeria were competitive in 2010 with England and co and should feel they could be so again. I true variable especially for the likes of Russia.


Hmmm, Belgium to top the group - but WHO to go with them? South Korea a good chance, but still need to be at best, with some luck, to overcome other two - not unlike we had at WC 06?!

Edited by gloryperth: 7/12/2013 08:51:46 AM

Best chance any of these countries will ever have of getting out of there group, maybe Russia

S. Korea paired with Belgium, Algeria, Russia in 2014


Published : 2013-12-07 10:05
Updated : 2013-12-07 10:05
South Korea on Friday was paired with Belgium, Algeria and Russia in the group stage at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

At a draw held here in the Brazilian resort town, South Korea ended up in Group H with the two European qualifiers and one African representative.

South Korea, making its eighth consecutive World Cup appearance, is currently 54th in the FIFA rankings, the lowest among the four in the group.

Belgium is the highest-ranked nation in Group H at No. 11, followed by Russia at No. 22 and Algeria at No. 26. The top two countries from each of eight groups will advance to the knockout stage.

South Korea has never beaten Belgium, with a draw and two losses. South Korea has defeated Algeria in their only meeting, but lost to Russia 2-1 in their first-ever showdown last month in Dubai.

South Korea has faced Belgium at the World Cup twice, losing 2-0 at the 1990 tournament in Italy and drawing 1-1 at the 1998 event in France. South Korea has never played Algeria or Russia in a World Cup.

Belgium will be making its first World Cup appearance since 2002, by virtue of winning Group A in the European qualification with an undefeated record of eight wins and two draws.

The team is led by a 20-something trio of English Premier League stars: Eden Hazard of Chelsea, Marouane Fellaini of Manchester United and Christian Benteke of Aston Villa.

Russia will also be playing in its first World Cup in 12 years, after winning Group F over the more glamorous Portugal in the European qualification. Fabio Capello, former head coach of England, took over Russia in July and the team has gone 7-2-3 in win-loss-draw on his watch.

Against South Korea on Nov. 19, Russia fielded a team of players all based in the Russian Premier League.

Algeria will be playing in its second consecutive World Cup, after edging out Burkina Faso 1-0 in the clinching qualifying match. Defensive back Madjid Bougherra, who plays for Lekhwiya in Qatar, scored the winning goal in that crucial match.

Forward Islam Slimani, a member of Sporting Lisbon in Portugal, has netted nine goals in just 17 matches since making his international debut last year.

On paper, Group H appears to be relatively wide open, as South Korea avoided Spain, the defending champ and world No. 1, among other European powerhouses, and also South American contenders such as Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

South Korean head coach Hong Myung-bo, however, guarded against premature optimism, saying Belgium, Algeria and Russia will all be tough opponents for his squad.

"South Korean fans may not be too familiar with Belgium, but I think they will be an even better team next year," Hong told reporters here after the draw. "Russia is a team of physical and skilled players and Algeria is also a strong team. There is never an easy group at World Cups, and we can't afford to think that we've ended up in one."

Hong, a former South Korean national team captain, played in four World Cups as a defensive back. He said preparations will make all the difference in the tournament, and he will try to address South Korea's shortcomings in the coming months.

He also said the media have an important role to play leading up to the World Cup, adding that reports that underestimate South Korea's opponents may only end up motivating them.

Hong took over the national team in June. South Korea has won three matches, lost four and drawn three others since then, scoring 12 goals and giving up 11.

South Korea has had trouble converting scoring chances near the opposition net, while its defense has conceded a goal in six consecutive matches.

South Korea made an unlikely run to the semifinals at the 2002 World Cup, which it co-hosted with Japan, and that remains its best finish at the quadrennial event. At the previous World Cup in South Africa in 2010, South Korea reached the round of 16 but lost to Uruguay 2-1.

South Korea will open the 2014 tournament against Russia on June 17 in Cuiaba, central Brazil, and then will face Algeria on June 22 in Porto Alegre, south of Cuiaba. It will close out the group stage against Belgium on June 26 in Sao Paulo.

Among other Asian qualifiers, Japan also ended up in a favorable pairing, joined by Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire and Greece in Group C.

Australia will have a difficult time making it out of Group B, which will feature the finalists from the 2010 World Cup, Spain and the Netherlands, along with Chile.

Iran, which defeated South Korea in their final Asian qualification match, drew Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Group F.

Host Brazil will face Cameroon, Mexico and Croatia in Group A. The proverbial "Group of Death" could be Group G, which will pit two-time champion Germany against Ghana, the United States and Portugal. Group D may also be a stage for some hotly contested matches, with Uruguay, Italy, Costa Rica and England.

Group E features Switzerland, Ecuador, Honduras and France, with the two European qualifiers favored to advance to the next round.

According to the Korea Football Association (KFA), the national governing body of the sport, Hong's team will open the first training camp of 2014 on Jan. 13 in Foz do Iguacu, about an hour's flight from Sao Paulo.

South Korea will then move to Los Angeles for two more weeks of training, and will play three friendly matches in the U.S., according to the KFA.

South Korea will first face Costa Rica on Jan. 25 in LA, followed by Mexico on Jan. 29 in San Antonio, and finally the U.S. in Carson, California, on Feb. 1. All three opponents will be playing at the 2014 World Cup. The KFA said times and venues of these matches are subject to change.(YONHAP)

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20131207000033

Belgium to win with Russia or South Korea to finish second.

Group H: Predictions and Preview
December 6, 2013
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By James Horncastle

Group H: Belgium can go far
Tags: World Cup, Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea
Overview

It might sound mundane but this was the group many teams wanted to be in even before the draw started. Why? Well, because it’s the last to start, meaning there’s more time to prepare and acclimatise. It has logistical advantages too and the conditions should benefit those who make it up. Games will be played in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte, which are all close together in the southeast of Brazil, where the weather is mild and the humidity low through June and July.

Projected finish

Going on first impressions, this group seems like one of the easiest. It’s not quite as straightforward as E appears, but you’d think Belgium would be confident of making good on their promise. That’s unless they become presumptuous and take Algeria and South Korea too lightly. Russia won’t, not if Fabio Capello can help it. Memories of 2010 still hurt the Italian. England were in a group branded EASY, comprised as it was of Algeria, Slovenia and "the Yanks." They made hard work of it, finishing second. Will Algeria frustrate Capello again, as they did by holding his England to a stalemate in Cape Town four years ago? We’ll have to wait and see.

Team-by-team

Belgium: Like Colombia, they are a team blessed with a golden generation, but Belgium’s feels more complete. They have a top goalkeeper in Thibaut Courtois; excellent centre-backs in Jan Vertonghen and Vincent Kompany; a dynamic midfield featuring Marouane Fellaini, Axel Witsel and Mousa Dembele; pace and invention wide and between the lines in Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens and Kevin Mirallas; then Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke up front. There’s depth too. Qualifying was a breeze and there’s a lot of hype. You just question whether to believe it. On paper, there’s no reason they can’t make the last four as they did in 1986.

Algeria: The future looks relatively bright. Granted, they don’t have a Rabah Madjer, but Nabil Ghilas, who has followed in his footsteps by joining Porto, was a powerhouse of a goal scorer in Portugal last season and poses a threat. Ishak Belfodil is the proverbial big man with a good touch, who broke through at Parma last season and won a move to Inter, where he’s joined by his former Bologna teammate, midfielder Saphir Taider. Algeria are known for pulling off World Cup shocks. Remember they stunned eventual finalists West Germany in 1982, narrowly fell to Brazil in 1986 and held England in 2010.

Russia: After the disappointment he had with England in South Africa, a sensation Fabio Capello has not felt too often over a successful career, will things be better with Russia in Brazil? He’s been impressive enough for there to be a new four-year contract on the table. How so? Well, by making Russia hard to break down. Their defence has been a weakness in the past, but only conceded five goals in qualifying and is now a strength. Roman Shirokov, Igor Denisov and Viktor Fayzulin form a balanced midfield, while their attack is movement-based and can be a handful. Were they to have the Andrey Arshavin of Euro 2008, who inspired them to the semifinals, perhaps there’d be more confidence around them.

South Korea: Two knockout appearances in the past three World Cups suggest we should expect South Korea to get out of their groups. Capable of playing neat and tidy football, there are some fine technicians in the middle of the park, notably Cardiff City’s Kim Bo-Kyung and Sunderland’s Ki Sung-Yueng, who can even play as a ball-playing centre-back as he did for Swansea in last season’s League Cup final. The most talented of them all, however, is undoubtedly Son Heung-Min, Bayer Leverkusen’s record transfer, a forward that rivals Japan, bereft of a goal scorer, would surely love to have in their own ranks.

Best individual battle: Eden Hazard vs. Son Heung-Min

How about the 22-year-old golden boy of Belgium’s golden generation, against the aforementioned Son, who is a year younger? Both have great futures ahead of them, but are making the difference for their clubs already in the present. If Hazard is able to make his midweek performance for Chelsea against Sunderland the norm and “take responsibility for his talent” as Jose Mourinho wants him to, then we might see him explode the way Cristiano Ronaldo did at Manchester United. Underestimate Son at your peril. Quick and two-footed, he’s scored six goals in 10 games for Leverkusen so far this season and is utterly ruthless, as demonstrated by the hat trick he netted against former club Hamburg.

Best game: Belgium vs. Russia

This one -- at the Maracana on June 22 -- instantly leaps out at you. These two sides met at the 2002 World Cup and it was a thrilling encounter. Belgium won 3-2, and how poignant is it that current coach Marc Wilmots got what was to prove the clinching goal in the 82nd minute? Will he be able to lead his country to another stunning victory, or will the experience of Capello be the difference? It should be a cracker.

X factor: Staying fresh

This might be the group from which the dark horse truly emerges because as referenced earlier, the start date, the traveling -- or apparent lack of it -- and the favourable temperatures and relatively low humidity will provide the teams who get out of it with something so precious in major tournaments: the real X factor of freshness.

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1640371?cc=3436

Belgium and Russia to go through.

I am very happy with this draw, Belgium is based in the south of Brazil, so there are cooler conditions and less travel time.

We will reach the second round were we problably will play Portugal.
Our golden generation, has not yet been tested by any of the big guns or players.

Second round is a must, from there on, everything is possible!

Woh interesting.

And reading further - Interesting to see that Capello has a genuine second chance and genuine second chance to take on Algeria again and make a stronger impression in a kind of similar standard group. So Russia COULD be dark horses indeed on the back of Capello's organisation.

I just hope the likes of South Korea, Japan and Our team, ofcourse, rise to new levels and really show the AFC what it can offer! SK have a genuine chance here, but they will REALLY have to work for it, no doubt - even more than they did last World Cup!

World Cup 2014: Belgium’s golden generation set to make an impact

Nick Munday    December 11, 2013

Belgium have been drawn to face Russia in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The rest of Group H is made up of Algeria, from pot 2 and Korea Republic, from pot 3. Judging by the ease of their unbeaten qualifying campaign, it would be expected that Belgium shouldn’t have any problems in reaching the knockout stages next summer.

Despite failing to qualify for the previous two World Cups, they cruised through their qualifying group, which included Croatia and Serbia. They registered a national record of seven successive wins and finished top with eight victories and two draws. In comparison, other big nations such as France, Portugal and Sweden had to settle for play-off places in their qualifying groups.

Premier League fans have been lucky enough to witness an influx of Belgian talent over the last few seasons. The current group of players plying their trade in England feature some of the most dangerous young stars in the world and Belgium possess a very strong squad ahead of next year’s tournament.

Manager Marc Wilmots faces a goalkeeping luxury. 20-year-old Thibaut Courtois is a highly capable, exciting ‘keeper who is currently on loan at Atletico Madrid from parent-club Chelsea. He kept six clean sheets during World Cup qualifying and is the number 1 choice between the sticks. Liverpool’s summer signing Simon Mignolet though, has been in impressive form this season and would prove a worthy enough replacement should Courtois be injured.

The Belgians look strong in defence too. Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany is one of the best central defenders in the world, and captains both his club and country. As well as established Premier League defenders Jan Vertonghen and Thomas Vermaelen, Wilmots can choose from 35-year-old Bayern Munich defender Daniel van Buyten and Atletico Madrid new boy Toby Alderweireld.

In the middle of the park is Chelsea’s star man Eden Hazard. You’ll often see him cutting open defences but he also has an eye for goal, netting fourteen goals in his debut season in England last year. Marouane Fellaini, Moussa Dembele or Axel Witsel can also play in the centre, as can Porto’s Steven Defour.

The depth in Belgium’s squad continues, with three Premier League wide players aiming to earn a place in the starting 11. Everton’s dangerous Kevin Mirallas likes to cut inside and is also a goalscorer. Nacer Chadli has made a slow but steady start to his Tottenham career and is a consistent performer on the international stage. Finally, pacey youngster Kevin de Bruyne is highly regarded in Belgium and is beginning to show flashes of why Jose Mourinho brought him to West London.

It would be expected that the powerful Romelu Lukaku would play as the striker. Having spent last season on loan at West Brom, where he notched up 17 league goals, he was sent out on loan again, much to the delight of the Everton fans that have seen him make an instant impact. Although he has struggled to replicate last season’s form, Christian Benteke has also proven that he is prolific. The big forward was linked to various big clubs this summer but signed a new contract with Aston Villa back in July. The pair notched up a total of 36 goals in English football last season.

Much emphasis has been put on the fact that the current crop of national players has been playing with each other for many years. In 2007 at the UEFA European Under-17 Championships, a team featuring Christian Benteke and Eden Hazard reached the semi-finals on home soil. A year later, at the Beijing Olympics, Belgium’s squad included Kompany, Vermaelen, Fellaini, Vertonghen, Mirallas and Dembélé. They missed out on a bronze medal by one place, after losing to Brazil, with the eventual winners being Argentina of Messi and Agüero.

Not only are the players familiar with their teammates, but they’re also used to playing in the same formation. After Belgium’s embarrassing first round exit as co-hosts of the UEFA 2000 European Championships, the Belgian FA knew something had to be done to avoid further underachievement. A 10-year plan was devised in 2001, which aimed to establish a new generation of gifted youth players. Every national age group, from schools upwards, were made to play in the same way, using an exciting 4-3-3 system. This meant that from a young age every player had a solid understanding of his role in the team.

With all the talent at their disposal, Belgium are dark horses in the eyes of many and are currently 14-1 with most bookmakers to go all the way and lift the World Cup. The question remains though, with this added and unfamiliar expectation; will Kompany and co be able to handle the pressure? Soon to be tested on the world stage, it will be interesting to see whether or not this young squad can live up to the hype.

http://www.breadandbutterfootball.com/world-cup-2014-belgiums-golden-generation-set-to-make-an-impact/?

THE RUSSIA WORLD CUP SQUAD – ENTIRELY HOME-BASED PLAYERS?

0 COMMENTS 15 DEC 2013 POSTED BY GARETH MCKNIGHT

Russia enter next summer’s World Cup as something of an unpredictable entity, with the eastern European nation’s side in transition. Fabio Capello will be charged with the task of qualifying for the knockout stages of football’s biggest tournament for the first time in the country’s history, with Belgium, Algeria and South Korea standing in the way in Group H.

There has certainly been a switch in Russian club football of late, with the trend of the top players heading abroad seemingly turned on its head.

The Premier League for example has seen some of Russia’s most well-known players head to English shores over the last five years. Following in the footsteps of the likes of Andrei Kanchelskis and Dmitri Kharine, fives Russian stars have stepped out for English sides in recent times.

The highest profile Russian addition to the Premier League was Andrei Arshavin, who became Arsenal’s record transfer signing after moving to north London in 2008. Capable of wizardry and with the four goals against Liverpool in mind, the skillful attacker was labeled as the poster boy of Russian football.

However, Arshavin suffered a notable dip in confidence and form, and departed the Emirates Stadium outfit in the summer to return home.

Yuri Zhirkov had an ill-fated spell at Chelsea between 2009 and 2011, but failed to make a significant impact on affairs at Stamford Bridge. The versatile left-sided player was largely used as a back-up to Ashley Cole, and has since headed back to the Russian Premier League.

Tottenham thought they had signed a striker capable of getting them the goals to challenge for major honours after adding Roman Pavlyuchenko to their squad in 2008, but over a four-year stint at White Hart Lane the forward failed to establish himself.

Capable of match-winning form, the attacker was never given a consistent run of games to fully adapt to life in England, and left the club in 2012.

Finally, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Pavel Pogrebnyak have also graced British shores. The former had three largely ineffective years at Everton, while the latter started at Fulham and now plays for Reading in the Championship.

Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko had moments where they threatened to be top Premier League players, but none of these five Russian stars could really be adjudged to have had a successful spell in England.

Looking at the dynamics of the Russian squad selected for recent friendlies against Serbia and South Korea, none of these five players featured. In fact, the entire 23-man squad ply their club trade in the Russian Premier League.

The failed experiments of the afore-mentioned stars seems to have taken its toll on football in the nation, with every likelihood that Capello’s contingent that travels to Brazil next summer will be entirely comprised of players playing their club football in Russia.

Pogrebnyak is a possible exception, as is Sevilla’s Denis Cheryshev; however, not many nations travelling to the tournament will have as many players based on home soil as Russia.

With the growing number of young Russia stars on the rise, the experiences of the five players who moved to England and failed will surely be taken into consideration when they decide their club futures.

The likes of Alan Dzagoev and Aleksandr Kokorin will not be short of suitors in the next couple of years – whether they decide to stay at home or attempt to become a success overseas could well shift the dynamic of the Russian national side for years to come.

http://provenquality.com/russia-world-cup-squad-entirely-home-based-players/?

Belgium Shoots For World Cup 2014 Success
After a decade of careful coaching aimed at supporting local talent, Belgium emerges as a contender for victory in Brazil.5:17am UK, Saturday 11 January 2014

Video: An Unlikely Contender For World Cup
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By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent
With just 11 million residents, Belgium is one of western Europe's smallest nations, but it's hoping to kick above its weight at international football's biggest tournament.

The Red Devils, who make up the country's national team, are now ranked 11th in the world, having powered up FIFA's rankings from 68th just four years ago, in one of the game's most extraordinary revivals.

A glimpse at the talent in the Belgian squad gives you a clue as to how they've achieved it, with eleven of the squad playing in the English Premier League, the most competitive and lucrative in the world.

Vertonghen, Mignolet, Vermaelen, Fellaini, Dembele, Hazard, Chadlhi, De Bruyne, Benteke, Lukaku and Mirallas all play for English clubs, gaining valuable experience in the league and often in UEFA's European championship.

Those gained skills, the argument runs, are imported back into the national squad.


Many of Belgium's most talented players have sought contracts overseas
A decade ago Belgium adopted the German model of coaxing and shaping young talent: improving coaching in technique, feeding young players through a honed academy system and ensuring early first team exposure to gain experience.

The exceptional players who benefited from the new regime are now in their teens and early twenties, but the success of the national programme has, conversely, stripped the Belgian league of its finest exponents.

Sky News spoke to fans outside an Anderlecht match, which is Belgian's biggest club but has just a fraction of the wealth of English Premier League stalwarts like Manchester United.

"They always want more money and better clubs, so the players go abroad, they never come back to Belgium to play," said one man with a Belgian shrug.

A lifelong Anderlecht supporter told us: "I've been coming here for 25 years and I've seen a lot of players go."


Belgium is one of western Europe's smallest nations
The success of the Belgian players may have been at the expense of the national league, but the Red Devils are experiencing a bump in support at home they would not have dared dream about five years ago.

Maarten Breckx, the sport anchor at Brussels-based VTM News told me: "It's cooler to support a good team than a bad team.

"There was this period when Belgium was playing teams like Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan and they had one or two fans who would travel with them.

"A few months ago when Belgium played Scotland, several thousand supporters were there. They don't mind being associated with winners, but steer clear of a bunch of losers."

However, Maarten said captain Vincent Kompany has cautioned against inflating expectations ahead of the World Cup in Brazil.


Belgium has risen from 68th in the Fifa rankings to 11th in just four years
"It's a very young group of players right now and if we reach the second round that will already be a big success. He's reaching for the European Cup in 2016. That's more like the goal of this generation of Belgian players," Maarten said.

We visited an Under-9s match in Watermael-Boitsford, a Brussels suburb where coaches are already looking for new talent, but concentrate more on fostering team spirit over individual glory.

Coach Alain Caron said that much of the credit for today's team must be given to the manager Marc Wilmots who speaks all the national languages of Belgium: French, Dutch and German, thereby leapfrogging the linguistic divide which still tears at Belgium's unity.

England's FA says it has been watching the experiment in Belgium and taking note of the good practice on display there.

The director of elite development Dan Ashworth told Sky News he is pursuing a number of strategies to ensure England produces its own crop of technically gifted players, while noting the wealth of the Premier league makes it harder for homegrown players to gain first team experience.


The people of Belgium are hoping for success in Brazil
"I think you see some cycles. At some stage France were all the rage, then it was Spain and Holland and Germany, now Belgium," he said.

"I think every so often there's a country which has a good crop of young players which everyone gets excited about and I'm just hoping that in a few years' time people will be coming here to watch us and our young technical players."

Manager of the Under-21 squad, Gareth Southgate hopes the FA's Elite Player Performance Plan which is attempting to fix transfer fees between academies and improve coaching will help England replicate Belgium' success.

"In the Premier League we are now attracting the best players from around the world and the standard needed to get in is much higher. That's a challenge for both English players - and English coaches," he said.

There are nay-sayers, who it is just luck that so many good Belgian players came through at the same time. If a second generation emerges and builds on the current team's successes, then those critics may be silenced.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

http://news.sky.com/story/1193458/belgium-shoots-for-world-cup-2014-success

Exclusive: South Korea pushing for friendly against Ghana before 2014 World Cup
Posted On Sunday, 13th April 2014

Exclusive: South Korea pushing for friendly against Ghana before 2014 World Cup


South Korea are desperately seeking a friendly against Ghana in June to boost their preparation for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil in June, GHANAsoccernet.com can exclusively reveal.

The Asian giants are pushing for the warm-up match with the Black Stars Ghana in June to help in their preparations for the World Cup as they seek to size an African opponent.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) says it is hoping to arrange the match against Ghana on 10 June.

The Asians hope the match will be their last warm-up match at their World Cup training camp base in Miami before heading for Brazil.

“We will announce the exact schedule and place once the friendly is confirmed,” the KFA said.

South Korea will face a tough Algerian side at the World Cup and they are hoping the match against the Black Stars will give them a firm idea about their Dessert Foxes.

Ghana, ranked 38th on the latest FIFA list, is in Group G with three-time champion Germany, the U.S. and Portugal.

South Korea is currently 54th in the FIFA rankings, paired with Belgium, Algeria and Russia in Group H.

Ghana have already lined up a friendly against Holland on 31 May but matches against their subsequent opponents Honduras and Costa Rica are unconfirmed.

South Korea is seen widely as a tougher opponent than Honduras and Costa Rica.
http://www.ghanasoccernet.com/exclusive-south-korea-pushing-friendly-ghana-2014-world-cup/

I reckon Belgium will take it out, but I won't be at all surprised if South Korea jag a top two spot. They're a quality outfit despite what their ranking says.

Team Profile: Korea Republic

30 April 2014, 12:57pm

How they qualified
Before finally securing their eighth consecutive FIFA World Cup™ qualification, Korea Republic had twice seen their campaign in significant peril. Unlike Japan, who counted on the same starting XI and Australia, who used their core of experienced players throughout qualification, a proven and reliable starting line-up was elusive for Korea Republic throughout the qualifying competition.

With the squad changing constantly, an unprepared Taeguk Warrior side were stunned 2-1 by Lebanon in the third round’s penultimate match, which left their hopes hanging by a thread. The defeat cost Cho Kwangrae his job but under new boss Choi Kanghee, Korea Republic dispatched Kuwait 2-0 to progress at the West Asian’s expense.

The next round continued nearly in the same vein, with Choi’s side floundering with draws against Uzbekistan and Lebanon and a defeat to Iran. A 1-0 home win against Uzbekistan in the penultimate game saw their fortunes revived, but after losing the closing game to Iran by the identical scoreline, they had to wait until Uzbekistan’s 5-1 defeat of Qatar to confirm their direct qualification by edging the central Asians on goal difference.

FIFA World Cup history
Despite being Asia’s most frequent visitors to world football’s showpiece event, Korea Republic had never won a match at the finals until they co-hosted Korea/Japan 2002. They got off to a winning start with victory over Poland before defeating Portugal to reach the second round for the first time. The Taeguk Warriors went on to reach the semi-finals at the expense of Italy and Spain, only to lose to Germany in the last four. In 2010, they made history again by reaching the knockout stage for the first time on foreign soil, before going down at the hands of Uruguay in the Round of 16.

The key players
The squad's make-up kept changing during the qualifying and under new coach Hong Myungbo, a new-look team has taken shape. A series of emerging stars, notably German-based Son Heungmin and Koo Jacheol, have graduated into the team's backbone force. Bolton Wanderers' Lee Chungyong is the new man wearing the captain's armband and home-based Kim Shinwook and Lee Keunho are proven goal-scorers.

Current coach: Hong Myungbo
Best performance in a FIFA competition: FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan 2002 (Fourth place)
Former stars: Cha Bumkun, Hong Myungbo, Park Jisung

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/sports/worldcup2014/35101/team_profile_korea_republic#.U2N6_0l-9jo

Group H the one to watch

11 May 2014 | 00:00-Vitor Sobral

The FIFA World Cup draw may have been met by loud cursing from Socceroos fans.

For neutrals, Group B is a mouth-watering entity that is sure to provide spectacular football in the first round of the tournament.

The draw also threw up other titanic struggles, like England v Italy and Germany v Portugal.

With these encounters the focus of pre-tournament coverage, it might be easy to gloss over Group H.

But for me, this could be one of the more interesting sections of the tournament.

Many devoted football followers would see this is as a group that Belgium should dominate – and with good reason.

The Red Devils boast one of the most formidable squads in world football today. It could even field two competitive outfits with the talent Marc Wilmots has at his disposal.

Not only is there strength in depth, but the Belgians also posses a potential player of the tournament in Eden Hazard.

Yet World Cups are rarely so accommodating to strength on paper as Colombia in 1994 or Argentina in 2002 know all too well.

Russia may pose the most serious threat to the Belgium’s chance of progressing in first.

The core of the side that was so impressive yet ultimately unsuccessful at UEFA Euro 2012 is still around, while some fresh faces have been added as well.

Russia’s most important change however has been the arrival of uncompromising coach Fabio Capello.

In a squad historically let down by infighting, the 67 year-old’s strict methods may be just what the Eastern Europeans require for major tournament success.

Under the Italian’s guidance Russia topped a qualification group that included Portugal and with all of the squad playing in its home country, Capello will be able to organise a perfect preparation.

But an over-reliance of domestic players could also be a disadvantage.

A lack of familiarity against diverse styles could undo the Russians against African and Asian opponents. Still it will be a formidable opponent.

For me Korea Republic is the dark horse of this group.

The Asian nation’s focus on youth development has led to a conveyer belt of talented youngsters moving to top European leagues.

Even among this fine generation, Bayer Leverkusen forward Son Heung-min stands out.

The 21 year-old keeping Robbie Kruse on the bench at the German club, combines sumptuous skills, electric pace and a ferocious shot and will be well complemented by English Premier League duo Kim Bo-kyung and Ki Sung-yueng, while this World Cup might be Park Chu-young’s platform to finally realise his immense potential.

The Taeguk Warriors will be lead by one of the most famous names in Korean football, Hong Myung-bo.

The 45 year-old coach steered his nation to the bronze medal at London 2012 and after some time working under Guus Hiddink as an assistant at Anzhi Makhachkala, Hong is primed for his World Cup coaching debut.

Korea Republic is at the very least bound to cause numerous problems for its opponents in Brazil.

Algeria may be seen as the whipping boy of this group, but the Desert Foxes performed admirably four years ago and even earned a draw against England.

This time the Africans are poised to be an even tougher outfit.

Coach Vahid Halilhodzic is an experienced and strict disciplinarian who had great success in France with Lille.

He has organised Algeria into a strong defensive unit that prefers a direct style in attack.

The north African side has some technically gifted weapons to call upon in the forward line, most notably Valencia’s Sofiane Feghouli.

Another advantage for Algeria is the number of players it has performing in Europe’s top competitions.

Most of the squad is plying its trade in the English Premier League (like Nabil Bentaleb), the Spanish Primera, Serie A, Ligue Un and the Portuguese Primeira, where striker Islam Slimani became a cult hero at Sporting after scoring eight goals.

This top-level experience will serve Algeria well as it attempts to outmanoeuvre its most illustrious opponents.

I think all four nations have a chance of progressing to the knockout stages and that should make Group H one to keep a keen eye on.

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/vitor-sobral/blog/1188807/Group-H-the-one-to-watch

Group H Winner

Belgium 1.67
Russia 3.20
South Korea 9.00
Algeria 23.00

http://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/soccer/international-soccer/world-cup-2014/outrights

I think people are massively underating Algeria. Their squad has players from across Spain, France, England and Italy.....they are well organised and more formidable than many think. The fact that few people know or follow the African teams and are European and Sth American centric in their analysis means that these guys are a good value bet to get out of the group.

Edited by andycass: 22/5/2014 03:56:16 PM

World Cup 2014 Opta Stats: Algeria

Playing at their fourth World Cup finals Algeria are massive underdogs to do well in Brazil, but do the Opta stats offer hope that they can at least get out of the group for the first time in their history?


After having won two of their first three games at the World Cup, Algeria have subsequently failed to win any of their last six (D2 L4), their last victory dating back to 24 June 1982 (3-2 v Chile). Algeria are amongst the rank outsiders to win the World Cup, trading at 1000.0.

Algeria have never gone past the group stages in the World Cup (1982, 1986 & 2010). They are 6.4 to qualify from Group H.

This is Algeria's fourth World Cup, the joint-most for an Arabic country (alongside Saudi Arabia and Tunisia). They can be backed at 14.0 to be Top African Team.

Algeria are the first ever African side to beat a European one at the World Cup. It was against West Germany on 16 June 1982. They can be backed at 9.6 to win their opening game against Belgium.

Vahid Halilhodzic played 60 minutes with Yugoslavia in the 1982 World Cup (3 shots, 1 on target). It's his first World Cup as head-coach. Algeria are 20.0 to be the Team Conceding Most Goals.






World Cup Tournament Record


Games: 9
Wins: 2
Draws: 2
Losses: 5
Goals For: 6
Goals Against: 12

*Penalty shoot-outs = Draw

https://betting.betfair.com/football/world-cup/world-cup-2014-opta-stats-algeria-210514-200.html

Capello: I know my squad

27 May 2014
AFP

Russia coach Fabio Capello says he has already decided on his 23-man 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ squad but intends to wait until the 2 June deadline before divulging his list.

"I'm really pleased with all of my players' work in the training camp," he told local media after Monday's 1-0 World Cup warm-up win over Slovakia. "In the match with Slovakia we've seen the high level of intensity that we will likely face at the World Cup in Brazil. I'm happy that none of my players were injured."

He added: "I've already determined the 23-man squad for the World Cup but I want all of my 25 footballers to carry out preparations all together until the deadline." The 57-year-old former England coach added: "We showed well-organised play on Monday, it's a good starting point.

"But we can definitely play better, much better in attack. It's obvious that after a series of very intensive practices last week my players lacked freshness against the Slovaks. And I'm even more happy to give the two young players (Maxim Kanunnikov and Pavel Mogilevets) the chance to make their debut in the national team."

Russia have two more Brazil preps lined up against Norway on 31 May and Morocco on 6 June. One of the players expected to miss out on Capello's 23-man squad is Sevilla forward Denis Cheryshev, an injured absentee for last week's UEFA Europa League final. Russia, appearing at their first World Cup finals in 12 years, are drawn in Group H along with South Korea, Belgium and Algeria.

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2014/m=5/news=capello-i-know-my-squad-2344811.html

Belgium World Cup 2014 Profile: Can the Premier League All-stars Create History?
Raquel Vélez García
By Raquel Vélez García
June 4, 2014 12:52 BST

Manager: Marc Wilmots.

World Ranking: 12.

How they qualified: Topped Group A ahead of the likes of Croatia, Serbia and Scotland.

World Cup Best: Fourth place - 1986.

Fixtures: Group H - Algeria (17 June), Russia (22 June), Korea Republic (16 June).

Squad -

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet, Sammy Bossut.

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld, Anthony Vanden Borre, Daniel Van Buyten, Vincent Kompany, Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Vermaelen, Nicolas Lombaerts, Laurent Ciman.

Midfielders: Axel Witsel, Marouane Fellaini, Steven Defour, Moussa Dembele, Nacer Chadli, Kevin De Bruyne.

Forwards: Romelu Lukaku, Divock Origi, Eden Hazard, Kevin Mirallas, Dries Mertens, Adnan Januzaj.

Expectations: Belgium come into the World Cup after a 12-year absence with the best group of world-class players since their golden generation of the late 1980's and early 90's. Wilmots' side have registered an almost record in reaching Brazil and travel to the tournament with high expectations.

Their kind group stage draw should seem them reach the last 16 smoothly. In the knock-out phase, Germany or Portugal could follow - a true test of the Red Devils' recent progress.

Star man: Eden Hazard – The Chelsea man has been in brilliant form this season, netting 14 goals in 35 league appearances and will have a key role in leading the team to victory. Tottenham flop Nacer Chadli, the symbol of the wealthy of the Belgian youth system, has qualities to outshine the Blues' winger though.

Romelu Lukaku will also be a huge threat in the Belgium squad in the absence of Christian Benteke, after the youngster produced in the Premier League for Everton. Hazard is among several promising players, along with Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Toby Alderweireld while Wilmots' side have one of the best defenders of the competition with powerful duo Vincent Kompany at his disposal.

Prediction: Quarter final – Belgium are expected to win the group and thought they could get beyond the round of 16, their lack of experience could be their undoing later in the tournament.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/belgium-world-cup-2014-profile-can-premier-league-all-stars-create-history-1451209

2014 World Cup Team Preview: Belgium


Kirsten Schlewitz

Jun 6, 2014, 9:11 AM EDT

The mention of Belgium often doesn’t start the heart thumping and the fingers trembling. Usually, you’re more likely to start thinking about chocolate. Fries. Waffles. Mussels.

Ok, now I’m hungry.

But we’re talking about the World Cup here, and yes, teams should fear Belgium. Not based on their history: the furthest they’ve made it in a World Cup was fourth, back in 1986. In 2002, they were knocked out in the Round of 16, and celebrated by failing to qualify for the next two World Cups and three European Championships.

Don’t underestimate Belgium, though. The majority of their players may not have experience in the biggest games on the brightest stages, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have the ability to scare their opponents. The midfield is packed with talent: Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne, and Kevin Mirallas are just a few of the names that could start. Thibaut Courtois is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. And forward Romelu Lukaku may be just 21 years old, but he’s already had plenty of experience terrorizing defenses.

Record in qualifying
Undefeated in UEFA Group G. And that group wasn’t exactly a cakewalk, either. Both Croatia, who wound up finishing second, and Serbia, who finished third, felt they had a good shot at the World Cup finals. Wales and Scotland both put up more of a fight than many had expected.

Belgium clinched qualification in their penultimate game, beating Croatia 2-1 to send them into a playoff with Iceland. The victory allowed the Belgians to cruise a bit in their final match, drawing 1-1 with Wales.

A look at Group H
Belgium shouldn’t have much of a problem getting out of their group. Their recent performances meant they were seeded, and they’ve been drawn with Russia, South Korea and Algeria. South Korea could cause a few problems for Belgium’s attack, as they’re a strong unit who plays together very well. Russia, under Fabio Capello, will be able to adapt their strategy depending on their opponents, but they’re unlikely to move past the group stages. Algeria are the weak link in the group – a solid enough side, but one that hasn’t run up against much top-class competition.

Game schedule

Thursday, June 17 at 12 noon ET: Belgium vs. Algeria (Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte)

Sunday, June 220 at 12 noon ET: Belgium vs. Russia (Estádio do Maracaña, Rio de Janeiro)

Thursday, June 26 at 4 p.m. ET: South Korea vs. Belgium (Arena Corinthians, São Paulol)

Star player
Eden Hazard. Sure, he got into a little spat with manager José Mourinho that left to Hazard being left on the bench for some (must-win) Chelsea games, but who hasn’t fought with Mou at one time or another? Hazard, the PFA Young Player of the Year, is the most talented of an immensely talented crop of young Belgian players. He’ll zip through the midfield, trickster his way around the defenders or simply execute a perfect pass that will have your jaw dropping.

Manager
Marc Wilmots, originally an assistant manager for the national team, took charge of Belgium in May 2012. He obviously guided this talented bunch of players through what could well have been a difficult qualifying process, but his biggest challenge lies ahead: how to make the right selections for the major games he’s facing. Without Christian Benteke, who ruptured his Achilles and is unavailable for the World Cup, Lukaku is a lock up top. But who plays behind? No matter which three attackers Wilmots chooses for his 4-2-3-1, some highly gifted players will remain on the bench – like Dries Mertens, who scored 11 goals for Napoli this season. If Belgium fail to go as far as many are predicting, Wilmots could find himself on the unemployment line.

Secret weapon
Is it fair to say Romelu Lukaku? After all, it’s hard to keep a 6’3″ striker seemingly made of pure muscle a secret. Especially since he made his first appearance in the Premier League nearly four years ago. The 21-year-old scored 16 goals on loan at Everton this last season, and has scored six in 28 appearances for Belgium.

Now, the pressure’s on for the young forward. While Belgium can certainly score from midfield, he’s still going to be the one looked to to knock in the goals. If he’s able to keep cool in Brazil, he’ll take his country far.

Prediction
Fourth place, losing to France in the match the runners-up are forced to play to determine who’s really the third best in the world. Not too shabby for a team that’s missed out on qualifying for five consecutive major international tournaments.

http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2014/06/06/2014-world-cup-preview-belgium/

World Cup 2014: Russia tactics and key questions – the expert’s view

Fabio Capello has brought endurance and defensive stability to the Russian team, but doubts over captain Roman Shirokov’s form and fitness are a worry ahead of Brazil

Dmitry Girin

The Guardian, Saturday 31 May 2014   

This article is part of the Guardian’s World Cup 2014 Experts’ Network, a co-operation between 32 of the best media organisations from the countries who have qualified for the finals in Brazil. theguardian.com is running previews from four countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 12 June.


4-3-3 has been the main formation in which Fabio Capello has sent out his Russian team. There are three basic things that Italian wants to see in his side – discipline, speed and team movement. Capello taught our team to endure, he taught our team to defend. Central midfielders Igor Denisov, Denis Glushakov, Roman Shirokov and Viktor Fayzulin play a crucial role in this style of play. They provide a high-pressure pressing game, so that the team can win the ball back quickly. In addition, Shirokov is an expert at making late runs into the box – this is one of main attacking option for the Russia.

This style of play works very well against big teams like Portugal, with the 1-0 win in Moscow the best example. But physically it is very demanding, and it is very hard to get it right without good preparation. Russia had a problem against team like Azerbaijan and Northern Ireland, who likes to “park the bus” in their box. In Brazil they should be wary of Algeria.

Capello has a few “untouchable” players in the squad. Goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, a pair of centre-backs Sergey Ignashevich and Vasiliy Berezutski, playmaker Shirokov, right winger Aleksandr Samedov and forward Aleksandr Kokorin.

Denisov was the main defensive midfielder in the first half of the qualifying campaign, but he did not play in the last few matches: Glushakov became Capello’s first choice in this position. But now the Spartak Moscow man is in really poor form, like his teammate Dmitry Kombarov, who was the main left full-back in the qualifying. So, Denisov has a good chance to return to the first XI in Brazil.

Kokorin played most of qualifying as a left winger, and Aleksandr Kerzhakov played as a centre forward. But Zenit’s striker was not so good in second half of the season (only nine games and two goals after the winter break). So it is likely that Kokorin will start up front at the World Cup, with Kerzhakov on the bench. In that case, Yuri Zhirkov, Aleksei Ionov and Oleg Shatov will compete for left winger’s position (all have been included in the 30-man provisional squad).

The weakness of the Russian team is in the centre of defence. Ignashevich and Vasiliy Berezutski are really good players. Yes, they are very experienced, they understand each other very well. But Capello has no further options in this position. Alexey Berezutski has not played much this season while Vladimir Granat has no international experience.

If Ignashevich and Vasiliy Berezutski get injured or suspended, it will be a really big problem for our team.



Who is the player who is going to surprise everyone at the World Cup?


Aleksandr Samedov. The 29-year-old right winger worked really hard in recent years and has made great progress. He had a very good season for Lokomotiv: scoring seven goals and making nine assists in the Russian Premier League. He was not in the first XI at the start of the qualifying campaign, but now Samedov is one of the few guaranteed starters in the squad. He is fast, intelligent player and he has a fighting spirit.



Who is the player who is going to disappoint the most?


Roman Shirokov. Probably, he is the strongest player in Russia at the moment, excluding Akinfeev. He put in fine performances during the qualifying campaign, and he is the captain. But it has been a difficult year for Shirokov. He had a big conflict with Zenit’s ex-manager Luciano Spalletti, falling out with the Italian and being loaned to Krasnodar. And Shirokov has had some injuries in the last few months. If Shirokov is in poor form in Brazil, it could be a big disaster for our team.



What is the realistic aim for your team at the World Cup and why?


Just get past the group stage. Fans’ expectation is very high, because they think that Russia has an easy group (the same situation as two years ago at Euro 2012). Yes, we can beat South Korea and Algeria, and we can get some points against Belgium. But our team must be in the best shape to do this. We will play on another continent, in a different time zone, in very hot climate – that could be a big problem.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jun/06/world-cup-2014-russia-tactical-analysis

FIFA World Cup 2014: Group Review H
09 June, 2014
   
   Currently at 11, Belgium are the highest-ranked team in Group H and have also made the most appearances in the World Cups compared to their opponents.

Six of the team's overall 11 previous campaigns were part of a successive streak that started from 1982 and ended in 2002. The furthest Belgium have ever progressed was in the 1986 edition, where they finished their campaign in fourth place.


The Western Europe nation qualified for the 2014 World Cup after an impressive performance in their Uefa qualifiers, where they won eight of their ten matches, drew two and lost none to finish atop Group A. The current Belgian side has been dubbed the 'new golden generation' by the media, having achieved an all-time high fifth Fifa world ranking in October 2013. Head coach Marc Wilmots is credited with "not only giving the young group confidence in themselves, as well as enjoying a close relationship with his players, but also at the same time being capable of instilling discipline to the squad". In his playing days, Wilmot appeared in the 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Cups, making eight appearances and scoring five goals. He also captained the side in 2002, the last time Belgium appeared at a major championship.


Les Diables Rouges have players like Eden Hazard on the flank, who can make excellent scoring opportunities from that position. Their midfield will also be strong will Maruoanne Fellaini and Axel Witsel bringing experience from playing in the Champions League.


Algeria


The highest-ranked team in Africa as of June 5, Algeria have played in the 1982, 1986 and 2010 Fifa World Cups but have never progressed further than the first round. They beat Burkina Faso 1-0 in their World Cup play-off second leg to qualify for Brazil on the away goals rule after a 3-3 aggregate draw, becoming the first African and only Arab nation to seal their berth in the 2014 edition.


The current side will be looking to play for pride as much as for victory; the team was unable to score a single goal in their three games at the last World Cup, which included a goalless draw against England. Their Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic has cast aside several established players in favour of a new generation, many of whom represented France at youth level. Algeria's key player is undoubtedly Sofiane Feghouli who played twice for the French U21 side. The Valencia forward could be the Fennec Foxes' key man in Brazil and can be relied upon to put in a real shift for his team against the technically superior Belgians and Russians.


Russia


In their nine appearances at the World Cup, Russia's best result came in 1966 where they managed to reach the semi-finals. They did not fare badly in the 1958, 1962 and 1978 either (finishing their campaign at the quarter-finals stage), but went downhill thereafter. Sbornaya's recent best result came in the Euro 2008, where they finished semi-finalists.


The hosts of the 2018 World Cup qualified for this year's event from the top of their group after a 1-1 draw with Azerbaijan in their last game.


One of the players to watch out would be goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who conceded just five goals during the whole qualification competition. On the other hand, Aleksandr Kerzhakov was the team's top scorer with five goals in the same round and may prove to be lethal in finishing.


Korea Republic


South Korea are one of the most successful teams in Asia, having participated in eight consecutive and nine overall Fifa World Cup editions — the highest number for any Asian team. Starting from 1954, this will be the 10th time that South Korea will appear in the mega event. Although they have failed to achieve a win in five of their World Cup outings, South Korea became the first and only Asian team to make it to the semi-final stages in 2002, when they co-hosted the event with Japan; their fourth-place finish is the team's best result to date.


The team narrowly qualified for the 2014 World Cup by finishing second in their group via goal difference in the Asian Football Confederation qualification round. Their present head coach Hong-Myung Bo captained the team in its impressive 2002 show and is also the most-capped player (136) in the entire history of the nation's football.


The Taeguek Warriors will need to ensure they are able to retain possession in midfield and bring their skilled attacking players into play. Both tasks will be primarily the responsibility of Sunderland loanee Ki Sung-yueng. Ki has enjoyed an excellent second season in the Premier League, acting as a major driving force for the Black Cats as they both reached the final of the League Cup and avoided what had seemed to be certain relegation.


Summary


With their vast World Cup experience and line-up of some of the most productive European footballers – including Premier League champions Manchester City's captain Vincent Kompany – Belgium seem to carry weight in Group H and may make it to the knockouts. However, Russia can pose a threat as they go into the World Cup with burning ambitions to do well before they host the 2018 edition.


South Korea gave their best performance on foreign soil in the 2010 World Cup, when they made it to the last-16 round, so they may make the higher-ranked teams struggle. Algeria seems the least threatening team of the group, having never progressed further than the initial group stages.


End.
http://paktribune.com/sports/news/FIFA-World-Cup-2014-Group-Review-H-14765.html

World Cup Preview Group H: Belgium and the pack- Algeria, Russia, South Korea


Richard Farley

Jun 10, 2014, 11:11 PM EDT

Belgium's national soccer team players Marouane Fellaini and Eden Hazard take part a training session at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels   

In terms of talent, there is group at this year’s World Cup that sees such a huge gap between its leaders and the pack than Group G. Though Belgium, the group favorites, haven’t qualified for a major tournament since the 2002 World Cup, the Red Devils will arrive in Brazil as one of the most talented teams on the planet. Only a lack of experience and notable results keeps the Belgians from being more than a dark horse.

The rest of the group, however, may be the least inspiring two-through-four of the tournament:
•Russia are in a partial transition from the Zenit St. Petersburg-dominated teams of the last six years;
•inexperience through South Korea’s team makes the group’s second Red Devils a better bet for 2018;
•while an Algeria side that will be better than its 2010 version are more scrappy than dangerous.

Let’s take another look at Group H (click on country name for full preview)

Belgium: Though the Belgians have one of the world’s most enviable cadres of young talent, the team hasn’t qualified for a major tournament in 12 years, leading many to ask how they could have possibly been seeded. Led by Eden Hazard in attack and Vincent Kompany in defense, however, Marc Wilmots’ team is clearly the best in this group. Only inexperience can trip them up.

Algeria: Moujid Bougherra’s presence anchors a defense that’s capable of competing with the South Koreans and Russians, but the team’s big questions are in attack. In South Africa, the Desert Foxes failed to score a goal. The lack of a proven scorer means goals could prove equally problematic in Brazil. Sofiane Feghouli’s playmaking will be vital.

Russia: The steel Fabio Capello instilled saw Russia confidently manage qualifying, but a slow defense could have problems with the speed of Group G’s opponents. Going forward, the loss of captain Roman Shirikov will hurt, leaving Russia hoping Aleksandr Kokorin will break out or Aleksandr Kerzahkov is more productive than he did in his last big tournament (Euro 2012).

South Korea: Threats going forward from Son Heung-min and Lee Chung-yong give the South Koreans the ability to take advantage of Russia and Algeria’s slower defenders, while a midfield triangle featuring Koo Ja-cheul and Ki Sung-yeung provides the quality and creativity to make use of Hong Myung-Bo’s most dangerous players. The side’s inexperienced center backs could prove problematic, while Park Chu-young may not give them the threat they need in the middle of attack.

Who’s going through: Belgium and Russia, though with Sergei Ignashevich and Vasili Berezutski in defense, the speed of Algeria and South Korea could hurt them

Who’s going home: Algeria and South Korea. Algeria will consider this tournament a moral victory if they prove more dangerous than they were in South Africa, while 2014 sees the Koreans caught between two worlds.

Top players to watch:

5. Son Heung-min, South Korea

4. Romelu Lukaku, Belgium

3. Thibaut Courtois, Belgium

2. Vincent Kompany, Belgium

1. Eden Hazard, Belgium


http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2014/06/10/world-cup-preview-group-h-belgium-and-the-pack-algeria-russia-south-korea/

Belgium rebuilt its whole soccer system to shape its World Cup team


June 10, 2014, 5:59 PM|Reporting from Sao Paulo, Brazil



When Belgium was knocked out four games into the 2002 World Cup, it looked more like an ending than a beginning..

And it was since it marked the conclusion of the country's Golden Generation, a period that saw Belgium qualify for six consecutive World Cups and make it to finals of the European Championships.

But it also marked a new beginning. Because out of the ashes sprang a new, potentially better national team that could carry Belgium beyond the second round of a World Cup this summer for just the second time in the country's history.

Belgium's national soccer federation borrowed liberally from the philosophies and training methods of the Netherlands and France, focused heavily on development, built a new national training center and taught its youth teams to play the same style.




The ideas weren't always popular but they were effective, and now that investment is beginning to pay off with the young team Belgium has sent to Brazil marking the start of what the country hopes will be a second Golden Generation.

"This generation will shine at their brightest in the years to come. They're still young and can improve a lot," Belgium Coach Marc Wilmots told reporters. "However, we have to be realistic and give them time."

Wilmots retired from the national team at the end of the first golden era in 2002, only return to at the start of second one as coach.

Time definitely appears to be on Belgium's side because its 11 starters average less than 25 years of age. And none of the team's four brightest stars –- goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and forwards Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku — are older than 23.

That, more than anything, validates the blueprint Michel Sablon drew up when he took over as Belgium's technical director at a time when the national program needed an overhaul.


A major turning point in that turnaround, Sablon told London's Guardian newspaper, was an extensive University of Louvain study of youth football the federation commissioned. Among the findings was that youth coaches placed too much emphasis on winning over development, so Sablon switched those priorities around.

He also dictated that at every national age-group level teams play a high-tempo 4-3-3 system, which drew resistance from his bosses in the federations and from youth coaches.

But it wasn't long before he was proved right.

In 2007, a stellar team led by Hazard and Christian Benteke reached the semifinals of Europe's U-17 championships. No Belgium team had ever done that before.

A year later a slightly older Belgium team made it to the semifinals of the Olympic Games.


From there the players went their separate ways, with all 23 men on the World Cup roster playing club soccer outside Belgium, the majority in the English Premier League. They all sprang from the same foundation, though, which Hazard says is key.

"When we do get together, it is important we have all been immersed in the same football culture," he told Esquire magazine last year. "In England, it is one country and pretty much one style of football, very intense, generally high-tempo, so we do share that. There are others who come in from [Spain's] La Liga or elsewhere, really good players who bring different things, but the players in England do share something, I think."

Even without the 23-year-old Benteke, who ruptured an Achilles' tendon this spring and is out of the World Cup, Belgium is clearly the class of its group in Brazil and should have no trouble reaching the second round. And with a talented core that stretches from front to back –- from Hazard through midfielder Marouane Fellaini to central defender Vincent Kompany to Courtois –- Belgium could go quite a bit further.

That would make history, of course, because the only other time Belgium won a game beyond the group stage was in 1986 when it reached the semifinals.

"If everyone continues to think of the collective, everything will go well," Wilmots told the soccer monthly Fourfourtwo.

WORLD CUP PREVIEW

GROUP H

ALGERIA

FIFA World ranking: 22.

Last World Cup: 2010.

Best World Cup finish: Group stage.

How qualified: Beat Burkina Faso in CAF playoff.

It's a fact: Author Albert Camus was a goalkeeper in school, which probably makes the University of Algiers the only college to have had a Nobel Prize-winning keeper.



The skinny: Algeria, which hasn't won a major trophy since capturing the African Cup of Nations in 1990, has had to fight for respect. South Africa marked the team's first appearance in a World Cup in 24 years and Algeria exited winless again after losing its final game to the U.S. on Landon Donovan's goal in stoppage time. This young, inexperienced team is playing with more flair behind Sporting Lisbon striker Islam Slimani but it still struggles on offense. Coach Vahid Halilhodzic loves to go to his bench, mixing and matching his lineup to take advantage of his opponent's weaknesses.

BELGIUM

FIFA World ranking: 11.

Last World Cup: 2002.

Best World Cup finish: Fourth place (1986).

How qualified: UEFA Group A winner.

It's a fact: Belgium will be the least-traveled team in the group stage, having to travel less than 1,400 miles back and forth to its three group-stage games. The U.S. is traveling nearly 9,000 miles.


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The skinny: With 23-year-old Chelsea forward Eden Hazard up front. Manchester United's 26-year-old Marouane Fellaini in midfield, Manchester City's 28-year-old captain Vincent Kompany on defense and Atletico Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois, 22, in goal, Belgium has a solid, experienced collection of young, big-name stars who have performed well in the hyper-competitive English Premier League. As a result, the World Cup won't intimidate them. And they've played well lately, shutting out Sweden and Tunisia in their last two warmups. One question mark is the fitness of 21-year-old striker Romelu Lukaku, who injured his ankle in last week's friendly with Tunisia.

RUSSIA

FIFA World ranking: 19.

Last World Cup: 2002.

Best World Cup finish: Group stage.

How qualified: UEFA Group F winner.

It's a fact: Only two of the 42 players called up in the last year compete for teams outside the Russian Premier League. Neither one made the World Cup roster.


The skinny: The Russian soccer federation has its eyes on 2018, when the country will host the World Cup. But five of the team's core players are older than 30 and probably won't be around then so they'll be trying to make a statement here. Former England Coach Fabio Capello took over on the sidelines two years ago after Russia's disastrous performance in the 2012 Euros and guided the team past Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in World Cup qualifying, conceding just five goals in 10 games. This is Russia's second appearance in the World Cup since the breakup of the Soviet Union.

lRelated Former U.S. coach Bruce Arena offers his World Cup predictionsSoccerFormer U.S. coach Bruce Arena offers his World Cup predictionsSee all relatedí

SOUTH KOREA

FIFA World ranking: 57.

Last World Cup: 2010.

Best World Cup finish: Fourth place (2002).

How qualified: AFC Group A runner-up.

It's a fact: This summer will mark South Korea's eighth consecutive appearance in the World Cup and ninth visit overall, most among Asian nations.

The skinny: In nine World Cups, South Korea has made it out of the group stage only twice but both those performances have come since 2002. The South Koreans have their work cut out for them if they hope to keep that momentum going in this group, where Belgium and Russia are the heavy favorites. But dangerous Bayer Leverkusen striker Son Heung-Min gives Korea a potent scoring threat, and if the young team — just one player is older than 30 — plays well against Russia it could make things interesting.

SCHEDULE

June 17: Belgium vs. Algeria at Belo Horizonte; Russia vs. South Korea in Cuiaba

June 22: Belgium vs. Russia at Rio de Janeiro; South Korea vs. Algeria in Porto Alegre

June 26: South Korea vs. Belgium at Sao Paulo; Algeria vs. Russia at Curitiba

http://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/la-sp-world-cup-belgium-russia-20140611-story.html#page=1

Edited by Joffa: 11/6/2014 08:01:56 PM

NATE Silver’s powers of prediction are unparalleled.

As the brain behind statistical analysis blog FiveThirtyEight, Silver has been forecasting results in political elections and sporting contests for years. During the last US presidential election, he correctly predicted the winner in all 50 states.

Now, Silver has turned his attention to the World Cup.

He has developed a predictive model called the Soccer Power Index (SPI), which harnesses reams of data to rate every team’s chances on a match-by-match basis.

“Technically speaking, SPI is two ratings systems rolled into one,” Silver says. “One based solely on a national team’s play, and one that reflects a composite of player ratings for what SPI projects to be a team’s top line-up.”

If you want to know how the index works in excruciating detail, you can read more about it here. Otherwise, you can see its predictions for every World Cup group below.


GROUP H: Algeria, Belgium, Russia, South Korea

An uninspiring quartet fills the final group. Belgium (77.3 per cent) and Russia (64.8 per cent) should progress without much trouble.

“This is the weakest group in the field by some margin just about any way you slice and dice it,” Silver says. “It has both the worst best team (Belgium) and the worst worst team (Algeria).

SO, WHO WILL WIN THE WORLD CUP?

“Argentina, Germany and Spain, like Brazil, are wonderful soccer teams. You could perhaps debate which of the four would be favoured if the World Cup were played on a hastily constructed soccer pitch somewhere in the middle of the desert,” Silver writes.

“But this World Cup is being played in Brazil. No country has beaten Brazil on its home turf in almost 12 years.”

That loss, in a friendly against Paraguay back in 2002, barely counts. Brazil didn’t take the game seriously, and substituted most of its star players well before full-time. According to Silver, Brazil’s last home defeat in a match that actually mattered was in 1975.

With home ground advantage factored in, alongside all the other data, Silver’s Soccer Power Index gives Brazil a 45.2 per cent chance of winning the World Cup, ahead of Argentina (12.8 per cent), Germany (10.9 per cent), Spain (7.6 per cent) and Chile (4.2 per cent).

http://www.news.com.au/sport/football/fifa-world-cup-2014-superstar-statistician-nate-silver-has-bad-news-for-australia/story-fnkjl6g2-1226950736040

Edited by Joffa: 11/6/2014 10:01:25 PM

Great strike by korea, that goal was shinji ono-esque :lol:

And russia has called up "Jerkoff" from the substitute's bench

edit:
and 'jerkoff' has scored :lol:

Edited by condemned666: 18/6/2014 09:31:00 AM