1. Will Lionel Messi’s fitness be a factor?
During the early stages of his career, Messi was often criticised for supposedly failing to emulate his form for Barca with Argentina.
Nevertheless, his hat-trick against Brazil (see below) and vital goal in the qualifier with Colombia in recent times have helped silence man of his critics in this context.
Yet while he may have finally won over the vast majority of the Argentinian public, sections of the rest of the world remain skeptical about his prowess when it comes to international football.
There is also the integral question of his fitness — for the past two seasons, Messi has been dogged by injuries. Thus, there is some doubt over whether he will be 100% fit when the tournament begins.
Moreover, he will be turning 31 by the time of the next World Cup, so this arguably represents his best chance to excel at the tournament, putting additional pressure on him to remain injury free and guide Argentina to glory.
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2. Are Spain past their best?
People have already suggested an end of an era is approaching at Barcelona and given that a large contingent of their best players also represent Spain, it could be argued that the criticism applies to the national team as well.
It will therefore be interesting to see how much faith is placed in the likes of Xavi and Carlos Puyol.
The Spanish underage sides have performed consistently well of late, winning countless honours, so this summer may finally be the time when the likes of Thiago Alcantara and Everton loan star Gerard Deulofeu are unleashed on the world at large.
The vulnerabilities of Vicente del Bosque’s side were exposed by Brazil in the Confederations Cup last summer, with many suggesting the Spanish team looked tired and burnt out from simply playing too much football over the course of the year.
To avoid this pitfall come June, surely better use of their squad, at the very least, is required.
3. Can England escape their group?
Will England produce their worst performance in the World Cup since their failure to qualify in 1994?
That will be the case if they fail to emerge from a group that also includes Uruguay, Italy and Costa Rica.
Even the English media’s expectations are unusually low this time around, which may actually work in the team’s favour, given that ‘pressure’ is one of the main excuses made for their frequent failure to live up to expectations at major tournaments.
However, if their new breed of footballers including Jack Wilshere, Andros Townsend and Daniel Sturridge can deliver on their undoubted potential, then surely Roy Hodgson’s side can reach the second round at the very least.
4. Do Portugal have the strength in depth to challenge?
(Steven Governo/Atlantico/Press Association Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo showed his importance to the Portugal team in spectacular fashion during their World Cup play-off with Sweden.
Nonetheless, the fact that they needed to qualify via the play-offs suggests they may have problems elsewhere in the side.
That said, if Portugal build their team around Ronaldo in a manner reminiscent to Argentina with Maradona in 1986, then they will undoubtedly pose a considerable threat to any team they face.
Yet before they worry about whether they can contend, Paulo Bento’s team must deal with a tough group (the statistical ‘Group of Death’) in which they must play USA, Ghana and Germany — three games in which they are far from assured a victory.
5. Are the hipsters right about Belgium?
Belgium are so many people’s ‘outside bet’ to win the World Cup that the words have lost all meaning by this stage.
However, skeptics point to the fact that they haven’t made any significant impact at international level for almost three decades.
Moreover, those who know them better than most — namely, a number of ex-players — have claimed victory is beyond them this summer.
Barring a disaster though, they should emerge from a group that also features South Korea, Algeria and Russia, while any side that includes top Premier League players such as Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Jan Vertonghen cannot be ruled out entirely.
6. Can Brazil live up the hype?
It’s no secret that playing at home is traditionally a considerable advantage for sides competing to win the World Cup.
And this is the case especially for a team with the rich footballing history of Brazil — they’ve won the trophy on more occasions than anyone else (five) and are also the only country to have competed in every tournament since the competition’s inception.
On the face of it though, they possess an ordinary enough side on this occasion by their illustrious standards — Neymar is the only real star in the team and David Luiz, for example, can be unreliable at the best of times in defence.
On the other hand, they won last summer’s Confederations Cup in impressive fashion, and have a very solid look about them in midfield, with players such as Tottenham’s Paulinho likely to provide the solidity to complement Oscar’s creative nous.
7. How good is this generation of German football?
Over the past year, views on German football from most fans and critics have oscillated wildly.
Opinions have ranged from those claiming that the Bundesliga is by far the best in the world to critics who insist it is excessively overrated.
There is no doubt though that while the standard of their league may have been overestimated, their national team — which contains the fulcrum of the Bayern and Dortmund sides that made last year’s Champions League final — is in fine health.
Their golden generation have so far underperformed in big tournaments, but the confidence they acquired through playing in the Champions League more regularly since Euro 2012 means they are still rightly considered as being among the favourites to lift the trophy.
8. What can Ireland learn from the tournament?
Tellingly, back in 1986, Jack Charlton attended the World Cup having been confirmed as the new Ireland manager earlier that year.
The Englishman brought a notepad with him and it was then that he formed the basis of the strategy — focused on the strengths of the world’s best teams — that would bring Ireland unprecedented levels of success in the ensuing years.
Consequently, it would surely be beneficial for Martin O’Neill or Roy Keane to make the journey to Brazil this summer.
Ireland have long been accused of being tactically inept, largely owing to Trap’s outdated style of football characterised by an obsession with caution and an ostensible over-reliance on the 4-4-2 formation. By closely dissecting the approaches of other sides, MONKeano can gain some valuable insights and experience into the necessary factors that would enable a team such as Ireland to fulfill their potential at international level.
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