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Group C of the 2018 World Cup consists of 1998 winners France, and Denmark from Europe, Peru as part of the CONMEBOL contingent as Australia from the Oceania region. With France pretty much expected to lead the group, Peru and Denmark will battle it out on 16 June in the group's most important match.
The group is fairly straight-forward as France are one of the favorites for the tournament and will be expected to dominate all their games in the group stage. The other place will go to one of Peru or Denmark, as Peru are considered massive dark horses for this edition of the World Cup.
Most likely to go through to the RO16: France, Denmark/Peru. Sorry, Australia.
France
There is no need to introduce the French players as most of them play in Top teams in the top leagues of the world. After missing out on the Euro 2016 at home when they lost against Portugal in the final, this is France's chance to recapture their mojo as one of the elites.
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France qualified as the winners of their European qualifiers, securing 23 points out of a possible 30. What will haunt them is the draws they secured against seemingly weak oppositions - Belarus and Luxembourg - on their way to the WC.
Coach: Didier Deschamps
Deschamps, pronounced the pretentious way, was part of France's title-winning team in 1998 and was handed the job in 2012. He did well with the team in the qualifiers and is quick to change systems when it doesn't work, but something about him doesn't scream World Cup-winning coach.
Some fans are of the opinion that his coaching is the weakest link of the team, alongside France being a team of talented individuals but not able to function as a team. But on a pure individual level, they have one of the best teams on paper.
Lloris will play every minute of every game as a keeper, as well as the captain of Les Blues. But his season with Tottenham was a little mixed, as Lloris conceded quite a few goals he should certainly be stopping.
But his distribution with the national team is much better than at Spurs, and he is still one of the best shot-stoppers in the world, and his leadership will be much needed at the WC.
League rivals Raphael Varane and Samuel Umtiti are the most likely CB pairing, although Rami got a look-in during the friendlies. Mendy's return to fitness means the Manchester City player is also definitely part of the starting XI with Monaco's Sidibe joining him as the other wing back.
In addition to this, France has several defenders who are more than capable back-ups in Hernandez, Kimpembe and Pavard.
France switch most often between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3 and unfortunately, are yet to figure out what their best formation is. A lot of it revolves around Paul Pogba. After a few okay-ish performances, most fans (almost 75%) want him gone, but whether Deschamps will go through with it remains uncertain.
Kante is assured of a place in the team as their DM, but Paul Pogba thrives better in a three-man midfield. This means that Matuidi has to be accommodated into the team as a midfielder. This leaves three spots - for Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe, Lemar, and Fekir.
Griezmann and Mbappe will certainly not be dropped, and Dembele's performances in the friendlies can't be ignored as well. Lemar is an absolute beast for the National team and Fekir had a monster season at Lyon.
What we have is a good old-fashioned problem of plenty. If France go on to have an underwhelming season, this will be their main issue. Their depth is too good to reach a balance, and the resulting confusion might blow their chances during the WC.
Not to forget that Coman, Lacazette, Rabiot, and Martial did not even make the squad. I think it might be time to just hand the 2022 WC to France.
Player to watch out for: Antoine Griezmann
The Atletico Madrid player has been rapidly and constantly getting better over the last few years and is in the form of his life just in time for the WC. We have seen Griezmann tear teams up when playing for a mostly defensive team.
With all the quality around him this time and in a team that likes scoring goals, Griezmann should take his game even further. As a side note, also do not forget Kylian Mbappe. Maybe Neymar might leave PSG to leave Mbappe's shadow after the WC.
Australia
This will be Australia's fourth straight appearance at the World Cup, and that in itself is an achievement for a country that is obsessed with sports as long as their name isn't football. |
It was not an easy qualification for Australia, as they had to claw their way into the WC finals. A 3-1 win against Honduras in the final play-off was enough for the team from down under and they will be more than happy about just being there.
Coach: Bert Van Marwijk
Bert Van Marwijk is the best thing about this team, as he is one of the better national team coaches around right now. He got the job in January after their previous coach Ange Postecoglou resigned after qualification was assured.
Bert was responsible for taking the Netherlands to the finals in 2010 and was the manager who led Saudi Arabia to the 2018 WC. With Australia, he will have a monumental task on his hands, and it will take a miracle to make something of it.
Brighton's Ryan had a fantastic season with the team in the PL and is a widely praised shot-stopper, and he will start in goal for the team.
Australia usually play a back 4 but haven't established a firm starting XI under Bert - obvious considering that he only got the job in January. As far as most opinions are concerned, it will be Behich, Degenek, Risdon/Jurman and Sainsbury as the defenders.
Luongo had an excellent season at QPR and was their player of the season. He is also great in the national team, having already helped them win the 2015 Asian cup where he scored the opening goal. But his place in the starting XI is still not 100% and he might have to serve it out from the bench.
Huddersfield's playmaker Aaron Mooy and Aston Villa's Jedinak will play a prominent role, along with Rogic, Leckie, and Nabbout in a 5 man midfield. Whether that will line-up as a 2-3 or as a 3 man defending midfielder with 2 wingers is up to Bert.
The striker's position is the one Australia has the most problem with. While most observers pit Juric as the starter and Tim Cahill as the super-super-sub, it is nowhere good enough to trouble teams at the WC. Cahill is 38 years old, and was still responsible for carrying Australia into the WC.
Do not expect Australia to make any dents in Russia. At best, they can give us some exciting games like they did in the previous WC, but no breaths will be held when the Socceroos take their positions on the field.
Player to watch out for: Tim Cahill
This is his fourth World Cup and he scored 11 goals on the road to Russia. While he is certainly not capable of starting and playing 90 minutes, he is still Australia's best bet for goals. To be honest, that is just sad.
Peru
This will be Peru's 5th appearance in the WC finals, and their first in 36 years. Peru had an impressive outing in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, finishing in 5th place behind Argentina and Colombia, and ahead of Chile.
Like Australia, Peru had to go through the playoffs before securing their qualification and a 2-0 aggregate against New Zealand was enough for them to book their planes to Russia as the last team.
Coach: Ricardo Gareca
The former Argentine player was appointed in 2015 as the head coach of the Peru national team. Nicknamed El Tigre, Gareca spent most of his managing career in South America before being handed the position.
It is safe to say that he is already a hero among the Peruvians. There are some things you can't do without becoming a cult hero, and qualifying a nation to their first WC in 36 years is one of them.
Peru's national team has always been technically talked about, but an indisciplined defense has let them down. Gareca had his job cut out - and that is what he has done. Peru are now more organized in defense, while their electric pace is their biggest strength.
Along with pace, their physicality is what Peru's biggest advantage is. Despite being on the shorter side (Average height of 178 cms), Peru's players will not be afraid to win 50/50s and when you throw in their speed, Peru is a complete nightmare to play against.
In Pedro Gallese, Peru have a solid goalkeeper who will give everything for the national team when asked. Peru most famously held Argentina to a goalless draw at Buenos Aires, and he reportedly even played the playoff games against New Zealand with an injured finger.
A back 4 of Advincula, Ramos, Rodriguez and Trauco is as menacing as it sounds. They have a very intimidating physical presence and will be extremely tough to break down, both mentally and physically.
Their midfield has several players who epitomize the South American branch of football - tricky and creative. They aren't afraid to go for the glorious and it almost always looks like they are having fun on the pitch, while still retaining their basic shape.
Flores, Cueva and Carillo as a trio are tasked with all the dirty work, and their creativity on the ball is second to none in the group as far as the midfield is concerned. They play as part of an attacking midfield of 3, ahead of 2 DMs - most likely Yotun and Tapia, if the Peru faithful are to be believed.
Their finishing is a little concerning, but with captain Guerrero allowed back into the squad after an appeal from the team, even that is not much of an issue. Guerrero is their main motivating force on the pitch, and is Peru's all-time goal scorer.
If things go well, and most signs point to yes, Peru is this edition's dark horse. They are capable of going on a long run making a few upsets on the way, including maybe even finishing top of the table if the French can bottle it again.
Player to watch out for: Christian Cueva
The midfielder scored 5 goals for Peru during the qualifiers, but his game is much more than just goals. Cueva is the engine of their midfield, and he is halfway between Kante and Pogba - he goes for the audacious and is also everywhere. He has pace, he can dribble and he also requires new lungs after every game. What more do you need?
Denmark
After missing out on the previous edition, this will be Denmark's fifth appearance in the WC finals. Despite most of the world wide fans knowing only Christian Eriksen on the team, Denmark are out to prove that they are much more than one highly sought-after playmaker.
Qualification for Denmark was not very direct, as they had to play a second round qualification game before booking their place. After a 0-0 draw in the first leg, they smashed their way through the Republic of Ireland 5-1 in the second leg thanks to a hat-trick from he who will not be named.
Coach: Age Hereide
After Denmark failed to qualify for the Euro 2016, their coach - Marten Olsen - their longest serving manager stepped down, paving the way for Hereide to come into the side. The response has not been too shabby.
The Norwegian is a very experienced coach, having won titles in all of the Scandinavian countries - with Helsingborgs IF, Malmo, Rosenborg and Brondby. This will be his first major tournament with the national side, and expectations are bang in the middle.
Most of Denmark play in Europe's famous leagues, and the team as a whole is not that unknown. The difference is that most players are with teams that are not too famous, and hence the general underestimation of Denmark.
Leicester City's Kasper Schmeichel is their preferred keeper, and despite a mixed season in the PL, his reflexes are one of the best in the league and he usually makes top saves without looking too lost.
Once again, a four man backline of Dalsgaard, Kjaer, Jorgensen/Christensen and Stryger is as tall as it is hard to pronounce. The height of the Danes is an advantage that is being massively overlooked, and it will be the key difference when they take on Peru.
Denmark play with a unlikely 5 man midfield, with one holding midfielder and 2 sets of two midfielders ahead of him. Copenhagen's Kvist is the team's best DM and he will be the link that ties the offense with defense.
Ahead of him, the attacking portion of the midfield will revolve around Eriksen, with Delaney playing a second role to him. Eriksen will be the main focus of the team, as well as the opposition defenders.
Thankfully, Thomas Gravesen - one of Denmark's most capped players (66) has a solution:
You could protect Christian Eriksen a little more. If the others go to him, you can get one of the other midfielder players - if one runs after Christian and covers him - then help Christian. Go down and plan him down. When the star in ice hockey runs with the puck and he gets smashed into the bands, one comes with a long beard without teeth and will beat for Christian - an ice hockey player on that level. You can easily transfer to the national team's playing style.
With Sisto and Poulsen playing as wingers, there is enough talent in the midfield to qualify to the next round over Peru.
The lone striker up-front will either be Jorgensen or Dohlberg, with Jorgensen being expected to play the more active role. Dohlberg is an exciting young prospect and he will be extremely useful from the bench against tired legs.
Player to watch out for: Christian Eriksen
The playmaker supreme at Tottenham Hotspur is one of the best in the world in his position, and can change games at will. For the national team, Eriksen has occasionally come good and at the biggest stage in the world, this is his chance to prove himself once more.
Unfortunately, there are rumors that he might leave the squad at any time to visit his girlfriend as she is expecting.
