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After previously analyzing Group A of the World Cup, we go on and take a look at the competitive Group B, which will see Spain, Netherlands, Chile and Australia fight for a place in the knockout round.
As the title holders and winners of the last 3 major football competitions, Spain can hardly be considered anything else than one of the strong favorites in Brazil. However, Spain seems to have lost some of that brilliance that brought them so much success over the last six years. The aging ex-Barcelona nucleus is steadily falling apart with Puyol retired, Xavi and David Villa past their best, and Fabregas and Iniesta out of form. While still filled with quality, Spain is in somewhat of a rebuilding period and here is where Vicente Del Bosque’s experience might come in handy. Results in the last 2 years have still been good, but a 0-3 defeat to Brazil in the Confederations Cup final is still haunting the Spaniards. With so much competition in this group, Spain will have to be at their best right from the start if they are to finish first. They will need a solid gameplan from Del Bosque, a vintage Casillas and a healthy Diego Costa would also be an important asset.
- Key players: Sergio Ramos, Sergio Busquets
- Strong spots: Overall quality, Passing game, Keeper position, Defense, Midfield, Manager
- Weak spots: Aging key players, Performance exhaustion
- Odds to qualify: 1.17 @ Bet365
Netherlands cruised trough the qualifiers in typical fashion, but they will need to keep that level up on the big stage, something they are rarely able to do. One time they did it though was in the last World Cup, when they lost the final in extra time against their Group colleagues Spain. Revenge will be on the cards for Netherlands in the high profile group opener, which could well end up deciding the first place. Van Gaal’s side has a somewhat similar problem to Spain, as their key midfielders and strikers are aging, but they should be ready for one last push. Holland will fight neck and neck with Spain for the first place and their form over the last 2 years will give them confidence they can top Group B.
- Key players: Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben
- Strong spots: Overall quality, Midfield, Offense, Counterattacks, Manager
- Weak spots: Aging key players, Defense
- Odds to qualify: 1.72 @ Betfair Sportsbook
Chile has such a marvelous generation of players, but the South American nation can’t catch a break and is always forced to play in the toughest groups. Chile finished on the 3rd place in the World Cup qualifying tournament and has only lost to Brazil and Germany in the last 13 outings. The bookies are giving Chile some attention here as they have odds to qualify just a bit higher than Holland. Despite this, there`s only 2 ways that Chile will challenge for a top 2 spot – either Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sanchez to be at their absolute best, or Netherlands to have one of their traditional breakdowns at big tournaments (unlikely with Louis van Gaal as manager).
- Key players: Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sanchez
- Strong spots: Offense, Individual quality, Counterattacks
- Weak spots: Defense, Chemistry
- Odds to qualify: 1.95 @ Bwin
Australia has the worst team in recent years and the Kangaroos needed a late effort to overtake Jordan and finish second in the Asian qualifying group. The pre-World Cup friendlies were mostly awful as of May 31st, including two 6-0 drubbings at the hands of Brazil and France. With zero star power and with some horrible results over the last 2 years, it would take a miracle for Australia not only to avoid the last place, but win more than a point in this group. I`d tip them to finish with zero points, but unfortunately there`s no such betting option available at the moment. Look for Australia to be one of the worst teams in this World Cup.
- Key players: Tim Cahill, Mile Jedinak
- Strong spots: Offense
- Weak spots: Individual quality, Defense, Form, Chemistry
- Odds to qualify: 15.00 @ Unibet
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