World Cup Group A Review

Over the following 8 articles on the Pitchsider, we will discuss all the teams and their chances of winning the competition. Starting with this one, we will discuss Group A, which hosts Qatar, Ecuador, and African cup of nations Winners Senegal and the Netherlands. 

Qatar

As the host of the competition, they automatically get into the competition, but they are one of the favourites not to get out of the group. They have had a string of heavy defeats leading up to the World Cup to teams like Portugal and Ireland. Going into their first World Cup is the greatest of build-ups for a national. However, in 2019, they did win the Asian Cup, which should give them a more positive outlook on this competition. However, they need to fix their issue and turn their losing streak into a winning one. In the latest games, it looks like this has started turning around after they have gotten a well-deserved draw against Chile ending in 2-2 draw.

The Pitchsider view on Qatar is that I think they may get 1 point in this group but will not be able to get out and will finish bottom of the group. They are the lowest ranked in the competition and will not have an answer to the power of the Netherlands and Senegal. But it is great to see new teams get into the World Cup.

Ecuador

Ecuador made it through the qualification in South America. Still, their place in the competition was questionable as one of their players, Bryon Castillo, was not allowed to play for them. However, they have made it into the world cup and Group A. Their biggest problem will come from the lack of ability to score goals. This could be a significant problem for them as they will have to compete against two solid teams and need a win to make it out of the group. However, they have one trick to help this in their star man Enner Valencia. The former West Ham player has an excellent record for Ecuador, with 35 goals in 70 games. 

The Pitchsider View is that they will finish third in the group, just above Qatar on goal difference. However, I believe they will get one draw, then lose to Netherlands and Senegal and not be able to make it out of the group. 

Senegal

Senegal is one of the best teams in Africa after winning the African cup of nations by beating Egypt in the final. History repeated itself when Senegal did it again to beat Egypt in the playoffs for the World Cup; each time was on the penalty, which they seem to be great at. The Squad look strong with their key man to be Mane. They also look strong in defence with Chelsea’s Mendy and Koulibaly at the back. Overall, Senegal has a very well-rounded squad to compete in this completion, with them being one of the teams progressing through this group.

The Pitchsider View is that they will come second in the group and, with a favourable draw in the round of 16, can get to the Quarter Finals. The biggest test for them will be against the Netherlands, and we will see how far they are likely to go when facing them in the group. 

Netherlands

The Netherlands is the favourite of this group to top the group and go far into the competition, being three-time finalists themselves. But can this be their year to finally go all the way and win the World Cup for the first time? Being ranked in the top 10 teams in the World, the Netherlands have one of the best teams in the World and is backed by veteran coach Van Gaal. One of their key players will be the Liverpool defender van Dijk. After a poor start in the season, the defence will be hoping that he can pick up form for the world cup and help his country to win the cup.

The Pitchsider view on the Netherlands is that they will go to the quarter-finals of the world cup after topping the group. We think they will win all the games in the group, but they may not have the quality to compete with the bigger teams.  

Conclusion

Overall, the two teams to go through will be the Netherlands and Senegal, as they have some of the World’s best players in their teams, and these players will be able to push their teams through. Qatar does not have the quality to beat any of the teams in this group, and if they weren’t the host, I don’t think they would have made it to the World Cup. Ecuador does not have players to be able to compete, but they could be an outside bet if the Netherlands or Senegal get off to a bad start.