So the group stages are over and we now look forward to the knockout stages of the tournament. Before we head forward however I thought this was a good time to look back and evaluate the group stages, and give my first XI for the opening rounds. the following players are mostly from games I watched.
Goalkeeper: Tim Howard
What I saw of the USA games, Howard was amazing in goal, and almost single handedly has ensured that the USA qualified to the second round. the USA defense seemed to leak like a sieve, offering up plenty of chances, but Howard was up to almost all of them. In all 3 group games there were 26 shots on the US goal, and only 4 goals, with Howard being credited with 17 saves.
Right Back: Jerome Boateng
The younger of the Boateng brothers, and the one which chose Germany, has had a very good tournament, none better than when he played his elder brother when Germany defeated Ghana..He has been solid in defense and supported the german attack with great crosses and runs from the back.
Left Back: Leighton Baines
Even though England as a whole were disappointing and ended up being no match for the other teams in Group D, I thought that Baines played exceptionally well. In the matches I saw his name was mentioned almost all the time when the play was on his side of the field, and always because of something outstanding.
Centre Back: Vincent Kompany
Just like in the EPL, Kompany has been a rock in the centre of the Belgium defense, helping to almost keep a perfect defensive record, with Belgium only letting in 1 goal. Kompany has been solid and has organised the back line well.
Centre Back: JosĂ© MarĂa GimĂ©nez
Gimenez is a young rising star, who has started to shine at this world cup. He was un-needed for the first game but when his captain, Lugano was injured the youngster was called up and he showed great class against England.
Defensive Midfielder: Andrea Pirlo
Italy may not have been happy with the way they performed as a whole to see off the great Pirlo at what should be his last world cup, but there was nothing wrong with the way the master played. His passes were perfect, even when he didn’t even touch the football!
Defensive Midfielder: Luiz Gustavo
The Brazilian anchor has been everything a defensive midfield player needs to be in the games I have seen, including having the most cartoony facial hair of any player at this world cup. In brazil’s games he has been there to defuse any attacking moves before they turn into something, and supported the attack and gave them someone to move the ball through when they hit a dead end.
Right Wing: Arjen Robben
Whilst Robben maybe one of the older wingers at the tournament he has shown that he has lost none of his skill, nor his speed. he ripped Spain open, and continued in that vein against Australia and Chile, with 3 goals in 3 games.
Left Wing: Oscar
Brazil has had a pretty average tournament by their standards, and hopefully the best from them is still to come. However one standout from their attacking players has been Oscar, who has shown that his form at Chelsea wasn’t fleeting and that he can stand up on the big stage, unlike other left wingers.
Number 10 / Attacking Midfielder Lionel Messi
Who else but Messi? He has played the position that is becoming synonymous with him perfectly, and has ensured that Argentina did not drop any points even though as a team they have been playing poorly. Like Brazil the best from Argentina is still to come from Argentina, and probably there is better to come from Messi as well, which is scary given how good he has been so far, where he is joint top scorer.
Number 9 / Striker: Thomas Muller
Muller also has 4 goals so far, and also seems to be able to score when ever he wants, in just the way you want from your striker leading the line. Muller is another that has the chance to be the player who most influences the tournament, and will likely be close to the golden boot come the end of the tournament.
NineSixFourTwo 