Words by Dec Maher
As Russia 2018 rolls around this month, you’d be forgiven for not being quite as excited as you were for previous tournaments. Whereas in years gone by we’ve enjoyed the carnival atmospheres of South Africa (and their vuvuzelas) and Brazil, a World Cup in Russia doesn’t quite get the juices flowing in the same way.
Well, that is if the threat of rampant hooliganism isn’t your thing.
As well as memories of café chairs being used as weapons at Euro 2016 in France, Russia also has controversies over state-sponsored doping hanging over its head. With Russian athletes being sanctioned by the IOC for multiple failed drug tests at the 2014 winter Olympics.
If the football team are on PEDs, however, they may need to change their dealer, as they come into the tournaments as one of the worst teams in the competition on paper. An ageing squad that still has dinosaurs such as Chelsea legend Yuri Zhirkov kicking around. Russia comes into the tournament ranked 66th in the world.
They’ve still got Alan Dzagoev, who scored at Old Trafford for CSKA Moscow in December and has a history of turning it on at international tournaments, finishing joint top goalscorer at Euro 2012 when he first burst onto the scene. Though he’s never kicked on from the early promise.
It’s safe to say there’d be a few raised eyebrows if Russia lifts the Jules Rimet in July, however it wouldn’t be the first thing they’ve rigged. The tournament favourites are the usual suspects; Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Germany and France will likely make the latter stages and it would be foolish to discount European Champions Portugal from somehow finding themselves deep in the competition. Ronaldo’s knack for doing fuck all then scoring late never ceases to amaze, but Eder will not be there to bail him out if he gets injured this time.
Aside from the perennial contenders, there’s always a few teams that are just fun to watch, even if they end up being ultimately pretty crap. Usually, that’s the role adopted by the USA, however, they somehow failed to qualify, coming fifth behind Panama and Honduras. The options for the title this time around could be one of Egypt, South Korea or Senegal.
Each of these teams has a common quality: a proven Premier League forward. There’s not much to be said about Mo Salah that hasn’t already been said, but it will be exciting to see how he fares with the weight of a country on his back. Heung-min Son is in a similar situation with South Korea. Having achieved god-like status for his form with Tottenham, he will lead a team that lacks quality outside of himself and Ki Sung-Yueng. But with Son in the team, they could score a few goals and cause a stir with an opportunity to qualify from a group that contains Germany, Sweden and Mexico. Of these three teams, Senegal probably has the most quality in terms of names, headlined by Liverpool forward Sadio Mane. Joined in attack by Monaco youngster Keita Balde and backed up by a trio of Premier League central midfielders in Cheikhou Kouyate, Idrissa Gueye and Alfred N’Diaye. Senegal could be a team to keep an eye on.
Then come the teams that should be quite good, but always seem to fall short. Belgium has arguably the best centre back trio in the world with Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Kompany and Jan Vertonghen, and then ahead of them have an embarrassment of riches going forward. Kevin de Bruyne has been in world class form all season, Dries Mertens has reached Maradona levels of fandom in Naples and Eden Hazard is as mercurial as ever. All this ammunition for Romelu Lukaku, who has had a much better season than many would like to accept, should really mean a legitimate challenge for the trophy. But it’s Belgium and they’re coached by Roberto Martinez, who has neglected to call up Rajda Nainngolan to the squad, so who knows what they’re capable of.
Another team that looks good on paper is Croatia, but a so-called “Golden Generation” has failed to live up to expectation. In the last few years, Luka Modric and Mario Madzukic have been genuinely world-class, yet unable to lift the quality of those around them. Likely a last international tournament for both, they could trouble the quarters but it is possible their window of success have closed.
And then there’s England.
Gareth Southgate aside, England’s pool of players look very exciting, especially going forward. Harry Kane is genuinely one of the best number nines in the world, Guardiola has (somehow) turned Raheem Sterling into a goal-getter despite how many chances he misses and Marcus Rashford could be electric given the opportunity. There are obvious deficiencies in midfield when Jake Livermore regularly gets in the squad. Things haven’t been helped by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s season-ending injury.
This tournament seems like a free hit for England as Southgate seems to have full job security, and once again there’s no sort of expectation from fans and media. But don’t kid yourself, that could all change depending on the Belgium game in the group stages. Win that, and the hype will go into overdrive.
Either way, this tournament surely can’t get worse than being knocked out by Iceland?
Russia 2018 will the first major tournament to feature VAR for all the games, something that continues to split opinion as to its necessity and application. There were so many issues with the system after its limited trial in the Carabao Cup this season, that it feels almost inevitable there will be an incident overshadowed by the controversial system.
The first issue VAR presents with regards to a World Cup is how the games flow. International football is usually dour enough due to lack of time to coach and players coming from different systems, that it doesn’t need to be stopped every few minutes to review a decision between a corner or goal kick. Or a possible penalty shout 5 minutes ago. Further to that is the issue of clarity. When the referee stopping the game every few minutes, half the stadium won’t have a clue what’s going on. Imagine a game between a South American team and an Asian team, with a European referee, articulating what’s going on will be incredibly difficult for those inside the stadiums. Especially when the majority of referees will be using it for the first time.
A final point about VAR is that no matter how many referees look at an incident such as a penalty decision, it is so difficult to get a unanimous decision, especially among fans.
A World Cup in Russia is a weird prospect. There’s no real culture to latch on to like the last two tournaments, little in terms of build-up and little expected. IF Russia is to be a success, the football will have take centre stage. It seems silly to say but Vuvuzelas are more memorable than who finished top goal scorer in South Africa. With neither the country or its team having much of an identity to look forward to, Russia 2018 will be like nothing we’ve ever seen.
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