World Cup Finals Group F Predictions by Dan Smith
Mesut Ozil has probably our best chance of an Arsenal player reaching the Final…..
Germany 1st
No team has the tournament mentality the German’s have. So much so that even if they continue their poor form displayed in friendlies they should win this group. In fact I go as far to say that Germany are the only side who could not play well and still make it to a final, their mentality is that superior. Since winning In Brazil they have found the balance of winning the World Cup while bringing through the next crop of talent. Don’t underestimate how hard this is. For years France struggled with this. They held on for to long their golden generation who had become famous in their homeland. Then they had youngsters come through, told how great they were before they achieved anything. This created a split in the two camps. By not calling up the man who created and scored the winner in the final 4 years ago, as well as Premier league Young player of the year, Sane, Germany have found the right balance. The decision to select fringe players for the Confederation Cup proved genius in giving as many players as possible knock out football experience. Not considering law of averages that no side has retained this trophy, it’s understandable why they start as favourites.
Sweden 2nd
Kind of Europe’s enigmas. People call them negative and question where the goals will come from.
Yet to get this far they have had to survive, France, Holland and Italy over two legs. That kind of run will inject confidence into a squad with limited star names. There was talk of Ibrahimovich coming out of retirement, something Henrik Larson use to do every time a serious competition came around. That there hasn’t been too much of a campaign for the LA Galaxy striker to do the same tells you their level of confidence
Mexico 3rd
There is a national obsession with the team’s failure continuously at the last 16 stage, a jinx which most likely won’t end in Russia. If they fail to a group involving Germany and Brazil realistically wait in the next round. These concerns perhaps highlight unrealistic belief in the national team. They should be proud of their consistency in always reaching the finals but they have no divine right to get out of this group.
South Korea 4th
Best performances at a World Cup have come from outside of Europe. The consensus is that there remains uncertainty over their best line up and formation. This has been amplified by injuries to key players. There has been encouragement by the form of Son Hen Yeng, who proved this season that he could handle the pressure of stepping in for Harry Kane. Might not be enough quality for South Korea to advance.