World Cup 2018: Group H Preview
Bayern Munich star Lewandowski will hope to help Poland soar to new heights this year.
Poland
FIFA Rank: #8
Qualified as: 1st Place in UEFA Group E
The Skinny
Poland has seen a fairly meteoric rise in a short time. After performing decently at the 2006 World Cup, they missed out on the next two Cups. Notably, in between those was a group stage exit in the 2012 Euro Cup, which they hosted. Fast forward just a couple years-- they were one of the breakout surprises of Euro 2016, drawing with Germany in group play before advancing to the quarterfinals where they were a PK shootout loss away from the semis (and considering their opponent there would have been Wales, probably from the final). Now, they've soared through qualifying to become a seeded team in the 2018 Cup. Their rise will largely be attributed to their star striker, but really, there's depth at every position. The White and Reds are on the same strata as Switzerland, I'd say: their highs may not be the highest, but their lows won't be too low. As a result, this is a side that could either reach the quarterfinals or exit in Group Play, depending on the breaks they get.
The Best XI
Poland's squad starts and ends with world-class striker Robert Lewandowski, but he's not as much of a one-man show as some other teams in this competition. He will likely be joined up top by Napoli forward Arkadiusz Milik, and their midfield will include former Dortmund star Jakub Błaszczykowski, and two lads who were their relegated English sides' bright spots, Grzegorz Krychowiak of West Brom, and Kamil Grosicki of Hull City. Dortmund's Łukasz Piszczek and Monaco's Kamil Glik will secure the defense, though the latter is fighting an injury scare. And finally, Poland, perhaps surprisingly, has an embarrassment of riches at goalie. The nod will likely go to the older, more-capped Swansea star Lukasz Fabiánski, but my pick would go to the more agile Wojciech Szczęsny, who just spent a year under the tutelage of one Gianluigi Buffon.
Senegal
FIFA Rank: #27
Qualified as: Winners of CAF Group D
The Skinny
Senegal, in their first World Cup appearance since their magical run in 2002, is probably the most confounding side in the entire tournament. In equal doses, they have been pegged as dark horses to make a surprise run on the backs of serious European league talent at every position, or finish last in their group due to inexperience and questionable tactics from manager Aliou Cissé. It will be hard for The Lions of Teranga-- move over, Tunisia, we have a new "Best Team Name" --to exceed expectations. Whether that's a positive or a negative remains to be seen, though topping a competitive qualifying group and positive recent results vs. Bosnia and South Korea is cause for optimism.
The Best XI
Senegal's frontline on the attack is a no-brainer. If they are to start three -- and I think they should --they will be veteran strikers Moussa Sow (Bursaspor) and Mame Diouf (Stoke City), supported by the team's star, Sadio Mané, who will hope to translate his performances for Liverpool to the international stage. Every midfielder called up by Senegal plays in the Premier League, and the foremost of them is captain and West Ham regular Cheikhou Kouyaté. The steady center-back pairing of Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly and Anderlecht's Kara Mbodji will support whomever the keeper is-- likely Rennes' Abdoulaye Diallo.
Colombia
FIFA Rank: #16
Qualified as: 4th Place in CONMEBOL
The Skinny
Colombia has to be one of the most slept-on sides in this tournament. Los Cafeteros also are in the midst of a new golden generation, but you don't hear them capture nearly as much talk as Belgium and Uruguay. Their talent on paper is certainly the tier just below Brazil and Germany, yet you hear more speculation about England, or Croatia, or even groupmates Poland. This may have to do with the faltering domestic performances of many of their stars, and an unconvincing qualifying campaign, which are valid concerns. But with an experienced manager in José Pékerman leading a group largely composed of the personnel that made a scintillating quarterfinal run 4 years ago, you have to imagine they're capable of repeating that success.
The Best XI
I hope Colombia goes all-out in attack. Not only would it be extremely entertaining to watch, it may be a necessity: their depth in defenders and defensive mids is limited. Imagine Radamel Falcao, once widely considered the World's best striker, teaming up with the likes of Villareal's Carlos Bacca, Juventus' Juan Cuadrado, and of course, wonderboy James Rodríguez. If defense is more what gets you going, know that they're in good (albeit fairly young) hands with Barcelona's Yerry Mina, Tottenham's Davinson Sánchez, Milan's Cristián Zapata, and of course, keeper David Ospina of Arsenal.
Japan
FIFA Rank: #61
Qualified as: 1st Place in AFC Group B
The Skinny
Japan has yo-yo'd pretty consistently in their World Cup performances since co-hosting in 2002. That year, they won their group and advanced to the knockout stages. 4 years later in Germany, they finished last place in their group. In South Africa, they were upsetting Cameroon and Denmark en route to another Round of 16 bid, but last time around, they again finished last place in their group, by some distance. By that logic, we should expect the Samurai Blue (who falls just short of 1st in the team name contest, but no worries, Japan will top the national anthem sweepstakes) to progress out of the group this year! It may not be all that far-fetched. Japan are always tactically sound, and have a welcome mixture of talent and experience. Recent results, however, do not foreshadow a promising tournament for the Samurai, in one of the most evenly-matched groups.
The Best XI
He may be past his prime, but it's hard to imagine Japan trotting out on the field without midfielder/winger/general attacking menace Keisuke Honda. Expect him to bolster both Leicester star Shinji Okazaki and a midfield that sports Dortmund starter Shinji Kagawa and Frankfurt captain Makoto Hasebe. Veteran keeper Eiji Kawashima will rely on a back line that has not played much together, but features standouts from Galatasaray (Yūto Nagatomo) and Southampton (Maya Yoshida).
Group Prediction
As I wrote all the way back in December, Group H may not be a traditional Group of Death, but it has to be the most top-to-bottom competitive, featuring 4 teams that are inconsistent in their performance and range from good-to-great at their best. I also wrote this group has some of the best forwards, thanks to Falcao, Lewandowski, Mané and Okazaki. As such, expect a lot of close matches and a lot of goals. This is yet another group-- and in fact, perhaps the most likely to be chaotic --where you could tell me any team would finish in any position and I would not be surprised. I'm just not sure there's any chance of besting Colombia's talent though. And for the 2nd spot, I'll go with the upset and say Senegal recaptures the magic of 2002 and sends seeded Poland home early.