World Cup 2022: Group C Preview
With Argentina's Copa America triumph last summer, Lionel Messi finally got his international trophy, but this World Cup almost surely represents the last chance for the G.O.A.T. to win the most coveted prize in football.
Argentina
FIFA Rank: #3
Qualified as: 2nd place in CONMEBOL
The Skinny
When Argentina spectacularly crashed out of the 2018 World Cup, it seemed that the day for the aging Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player of all time, to win a World Cup, nor even a single major international trophy for his country, would just never come. But suddenly, over the last couple years, both Messi and La Albiceleste have had an enormous resurgence. Under manager Lionel Scaloni, they have gone off on a stunning 32-match unbeaten streak since late 2019, winning the 2021 Copa America (and finally giving their talisman his coveted international trophy in the process) last summer, flying through World Cup qualifying, and suddenly enter this tournament as betting favorites to take home the Jules Rimet Trophy. Can they continue their golden form from the last 16 months with the added pressure of being frontrunners?
The Best XI
As always, Argentina is blessed with talent in attack, and that starts with Messi, but he has plenty of help with Serie A stars Lautaro Martinez and Angel di Maria, as well as Manchester City's shiny new toy Julian Álvarez. What's most different about this squad from Argentina squads of years past is the support behind them hardly has a dropoff in quality. The defensive players could also be fearsome, thanks to the veteran presence of Rodrigo De Paul, Nicolás Tagliafico, and Nicolás Otamendi, as well as a pair of Premier League breakout stars in Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez and Aston Villa's Emi Martinez.
Saudi Arabia
FIFA Rank: #51
Qualified as: 1st place in CAF Group B
The Skinny
Apart from the host nation, Saudi Arabia enter the tournament with the lowest acclaim of any side. And unlike Qatar, they face an incredibly difficult group which suggests they may be the whipping boys of their three wildly talented opponents. That said, their surprisingly dominant performance in World Cup qualifying suggests The Green Falcons may not be a team to take lightly.
The Best XI
Much like with hosts Qatar, this "ideal" starting XI selection is based almost entirely on caps, as the squad is exclusively made up of players in the Arabian league, and thus is largely unknown to me (and probably the World at large). The Saudis don't hurt for veteran experience, though, particularly in the midfield and defense with Salem Al-Dawsari, Salman Al-Faraj, Nawaf Al-Abed, and Yasser Al-Shahrani.
Mexico
FIFA Rank: #13
Qualified as: 2nd place in CONCACAF 3rd round
The Skinny
When Tata Martino was hired as Mexico's national team manager in 2019, it was seen a home-run hire. The veteran Argentine has overseen a particularly turbulent tenure for Mexico, however, one that has seen El Tri undergo a generation change in its key players, fall to the United States in both major CONCACAF competitions last year, and play out a very uneven World Cup qualification season. But, they did end up comfortably qualifying, and as we've seen in the last 8 World Cups, regardless of their form coming in, they are force to be reckoned with in the group stages especially.
The Best XI
Mexico suffered a couple big injury losses coming into this tournament, in the form of Sevilla's Jesús Corona and Braga's Diego Lainez. Fortunately, they still have plenty of talent in attack thanks to the one-two punch of Wolverhampton's Raul Jimenez and Napoli's Hirving "Chucky" Lozano. Real Betis vet and captain Andres Guardado could helm an all-Europe-based midfield trio, and iconic keeper Guillermo Ochoa will play behind a talented back line that includes the experienced Héctor Moreno and dynamic Ajax duo of Edson Álvarez and Jorge Sánchez.
Poland
FIFA Rank: #26
Qualified as: 2nd place in UEFA Group I, defeated Sweden in playoff
The Skinny
Poland has just about seen a "golden generation" come and go without much of anything to show for it, their 2016 Euro Cup quarterfinal run being the only foray into the knockout stages of a major tournament. Lest you think their best days are behind them, though, they still field a squad bookended by one of the best strikers and one of the best goalies in the World, and their consistent performance throughout qualifying-- their lone loss came to England, and they comprehensively beat a good Sweden team in the playoff --suggests there are more good times ahead for The Eagles.
The Best XI
As mentioned above, the Poles have true stars at, well, the two poles: Juventus starter Wojciech Szczęsny between the sticks, and leading the attack? Perhaps one of the best strikers in the modern era, Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski. That's not all there is to write home about, though; Lewandowski's likely strike partner is longtime Serie A stud (Szczęsny's Juve teammate) Milik, and Napoli's Piotr Zieliński and Feyenoord's Sebastian Szymański will bolster their attack even more in midfield. In defense, questions of experience at left-back should be offset by the veteran presence of Kamil Glik, and the right-hand side is likely to feature Aston Villa teammates Jan Bednarek and the English-born Matty Cash.
Group Prediction
I'm going to keep this simple: Argentina will win this group. Saudi Arabia will get last in this group. All the money in this group will be made in the race for 2nd place between Mexico and Poland. On paper and based on current form, I honestly think Poland is the better team of the two. But you just can't bet against Mexico in World Cup group play, especially when the alternative is a team known for underachieving on the biggest stage.
Comments