Qatar 2022: Group E Preview
After four and a half years the 2022 World Cup is almost upon us. This edition is perhaps the most controversial ever with host nation Qatar’s human rights record and treatment of migrant workers a serious issue in the buildup. The awarding of the tournament to the Middle Eastern country meant a traditional summer World Cup was out of the question due to high temperatures spawning the first ever winter World Cup. Nevertheless the month long festival of football looks set to thrill us with some of the biggest stars in the game hoping to lead their nation to glory.
Here’s a comprehensive look at Qatar 2022’s Group E, with Spain, Costa Rica, Germany and Japan looking to book their place in the knockout stages of the tournament.
SPAIN
Since winning the 2010 World Cup in South Africa – 12-and-a-half years ago – Spain have either won or drawn 87 per cent of their 154 matches. They have lost just 20 of them during that time.
But while the stats look impressive on paper, they only tell half of the story – perhaps even less.
Vicente del Bosque’s team, of course, followed up the World Cup triumph by retaining their status as European champions at Euro 2012, but soon cracks began to show. At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, they failed to progress past the group stages for the first time since France 98 and at Euro 2016, they were knocked out by Italy in the round of 16.
Their participation in the 2018 World Cup in Russia was overshadowed by the departure of Julen Lopetegui as manager before the tournament had even started. The news he had been appointed Real Madrid head coach – and would take over after the tournament – infuriated the Spanish FA, who relieved him of his duties and installed Fernando Hierro in his place. Once again, they were knocked out in the round of 16, this time by the hosts.
Luis Enrique replaced Hierro shortly after the tournament and won five of his seven games in charge – the first against England at Wembley – before resigning to spend time with his daughter Xana, who had been diagnosed with bone cancer. Roberto Moreno, a member of Enrique’s coaching team, replaced him on an interim basis, secured Euro 2020 qualification and then made it clear he wanted to lead the team at the tournament.
Enrique was re-appointed in November 2019, three months after Xana’s death, but there was no place for Moreno, whom Enrique labelled “disloyal” for stating his intent to hold onto his position in charge.
For the most part, happier times have followed. The team reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020, finished as runners-up to France in the 2021 edition of the Nations League and will take part in the finals of that competition in 2023.
Spain finished top of Group B in World Cup qualifying, having taken 19 points from the 24 on offer, but only once did they win in a wholly convincing manner – a 4-0 win over Georgia last September. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Greece in the first qualifier, had to come from behind to beat Georgia the first time around in the next and were later beaten by Sweden.
Enrique’s team need to show the grit and ruthlessness of their predecessors in Qatar in order to ensure they do not make this a third World Cup in succession to banish from the mind.
Spain qualified for the tournament with relative ease, winning six of their eight matches, conceding just five goals and taking 19 of the 24 points on offer. They come into the tournament with five wins from their last eight fixtures, too, which should certainly bode well for belief and morale.
Crucially, the bookmakers do not have Luis Enrique’s team down as favourites to lift the trophy, which should certainly relieve some of the pressure on them, particularly after disappointing showings at the last two World Cup’s.
That is not to say they do not have a squad capable of something special. Granted, when the squad was selected for the September internationals, only four players – Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Koke and Alvaro Morata – had earned more than 50 caps, but there is so much fresh, young talent that Enrique can supplement that with.
Barcelona’s teenage sensations Pedri and Gavi will be eager to replicate their La Liga form during their first senior major tournament, much like 20-year-old forwards Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino, who have racked up plenty of domestic appearances themselves over the last few seasons. In goal, Brentford’s David Raya and Brighton’s Robert Sanchez have just a single cap each, but they are certainly in contention to stake a claim for the No 1 shirt.
In Germany, Japan and Costa Rica, Spain face stiff competition to reach the knockout stages of the tournament in Qatar, but the aforementioned failures should add fuel to their determination to make this a World Cup to remember.
Player to watch: Alvaro Morata
The man likely to be spearheading the attack in Qatar – and doing so as one of the more senior players in the Spain squad – will be Alvaro Morata.
The 30-year-old is back playing his club football at Atletico Madrid and has scored four goals in seven appearances for the national team in 2022 so far, and he hit three in the qualifying campaign, too.
His total haul of 27 goals in 57 caps put him joint-sixth with Fernando Morientes on Spain’s list of all-time top goalscorers; three more would see him leapfrog both Morientes and Fernando Hierro into fifth place.
Best known in England for an unsuccessful three-year period on Chelsea’s books, Morata spent the previous two seasons on loan at former club Juventus, where he scored 32 goals in 92 matches in all competitions. He has carried similar form into the 2022/23 La Liga campaign, with five goals in his first 12 appearances.
He missed out on a place in the squad for the 2018 World Cup after struggling in his first season at Chelsea, but scored six goals in 10 games across both Euro 2016 and Euro 2020 – and given he will be approaching 33 by the time of the next World Cup, the striker will be hell-bent on leaving his mark.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Unai Simon, Robert Sanchez, David Raya.
Defenders: Dani Carvajal, Cesar Azpilicueta, Eric Garcia, Hugo Guillamon, Pau Torres, Aymeric Laporte, Jordi Alba, Jose Gaya.
Midfielders: Sergio Busquets, Rodri, Gavi, Carlos Soler, Marcos Llorente, Pedri, Koke.
Forwards: Ferran Torres, Nico Williams, Yeremi Pino, Alvaro Morata, Marco Asensio, Pablo Sarabia, Dani Olmo, Ansu Fati.
Fixtures:
- November 23rd v Costa Rica
- November 27th v Germany
- December 1st v Japan
COSTA RICA
The 2022 World Cup will be just the sixth edition of the tournament Costa Rica have participated in – and they are coming into it off the back of an eye-catching run of form.
Current manager Luis Fernando Suarez – who has been in charge since June 2021 – has overseen eight victories in the last 11 outings.
Arguably the most important of those came back in June, when ex-Arsenal striker Joel Campbell scored the decisive, unanswered goal in the play-off match that sent Los Ticos to the World Cup at New Zealand’s expense.
There is no getting away from the fact Qatar 2022 is the final hoorah for many of the experienced members of the squad: Record appearance-maker Celso Borges is 34, defender Kendall Waston will turn 35 in January, the aforementioned Campbell is 30 and evergreen skipper Bryan Ruiz, who played over 100 times for Fulham, celebrated his 37th birthday in August.
There, however, are a plethora of bright prospects coming through, bringing the average age of the squad down considerably. One of those is Sunderland teenager Jewison Bennette, who became the nation’s youngest-ever player last year, while another is 19-year-old midfielder Brandon Aguilera, who signed for Nottingham Forest in the summer. Integrating youth seems to have been a priority for Suarez since his appointment last June.
Based on September’s selections, there seems to be that often desirable blend of youth and experience in the Costa Rica squad that has the potential to produce on the big stage.
Had their qualifying campaign got off to a more positive start, Costa Rica could have been home and dry, with a World Cup place in the bag, well before they eventually sealed their spot in the very last play-off back in June.
Instead, they were forced to do it the hard way.
In June 2021, in the wake of a run of just one win in 14 games, Ronald Gonzalez was sacked as manager and even when Luis Fernando Suarez replaced him shortly afterwards, it took a good while for Los Ticos to get back on track.
They reached the quarter-finals of last year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, but took only two points from their opening three World Cup qualifiers – against Panama, Mexico and Jamaica – and chalked up a disappointing nine points from their first eight.
This year, they have well and truly kicked into gear, however. With six games to secure a place in Qatar, they won six, drew one and conceded just one goal, which saw them finish fourth in CONCACAF qualifying, behind the USA on goal difference alone. They did only score seven goals in those six matches, which suggests Suarez has instilled excellent game management qualities into his squad.
That timely – and much-needed – resurgence set up the aforementioned play-off against New Zealand, which they won to become the 32nd and final team to qualify for November’s tournament
Suarez himself is no stranger to the World Cup. The Colombian, 62, led Honduras at the 2014 tournament in Brazil, during which they failed to muster a point in Group E. But eight years earlier, in 2006, he did considerably better, leading Ecuador to the round of 16 for the first time in the country’s history.
Costa Rica will be hopeful his experience at both ends of the spectrum bodes well as they look to exit the group stages themselves for the first time since reaching the quarter-finals in 2014.
Player to watch: Jewison Bennette
One of only seven players from the most recent Costa Rica squad to currently play their club football outside of their home country, Jewison Bennette was a relative unknown when he signed for Sunderland this summer.
But in fact, It would be an understatement to say the winger – who only turned 18 in June – has enjoyed a meteoric rise since he made his professional debut for his hometown club Herediano in August 2021 – less than 18 months ago.
Three weeks after his domestic bow, he earned his maiden senior international cap during a 0-0 draw with El Salvador in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and made history by becoming the youngest-ever player to represent Costa Rica, aged 17 years and two months.
In November 2021, Bennette provided the assist for ex-Arsenal striker Joel Campbell, who scored the goal against New Zealand that sent Costa Rica to the World Cup and this September, he scored his first two international goals in a 2-2 friendly draw with South Korea.
The Black Cats shelled out a reported £1m to secure him on a four-year deal this summer.
Bennette’s interview with ESPN in August, where he told of a conversation with international boss Luis Fernando Suarez, highlighted his work ethic: “I explained to him about the offer and he was very happy and told me that now I had to work twice as hard because back in Europe with the rate here is not enough, I have to work twice as hard.”
He is doing just that and undoubtedly establishing himself as the future of Costa Rican football.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas, Esteban Alvarado, Patrick Sequeira.
Defenders: Francisco Calvo, Juan Pablo Vargas, Kendall Waston, Oscar Duarte, Daniel Chacon, Keysher Fuller, Carlos Martinez, Bryan Oviedo, Ronald Matarrita.
Midfielders: Yeltsin Tejeda, Celso Borges, Youstin Salas, Roan Wilson, Gerson Torres, Douglas Lopez, Jewison Bennette, Alvaro Zamora, Anthony Hernandez, Brandon Aguilera, Bryan Ruiz.
Forwards: Joel Campbell, Anthony Contreras, Johan Venegas.
Fixtures:
- November 23rd v Spain
- November 27th v Japan
- December 1st v Germany
GERMANY
If you want World Cup pedigree, look no further than Germany. No team in the tournament’s history has reached more finals than Germany’s eight, while their four titles can only be bettered by Brazil.
Germany’s World Cup glory is no distant memory, with their most recent triumph coming just eight years ago in Brazil, when they stunned the football world by thrashing the hosts 7-1 in the semi-finals.
However, Germany’s proud record at major tournaments has taken a knock in recent years. Joachim Low’s side travelled to Russia in 2018 as the reigning champions but were humbled by Mexico and South Korea on their way to an embarrassing group-stage exit.
Germany fared better at Euro 2020, getting out of a tricky group that also contained Portugal and France, but still fell short of their lofty expectations when being knocked out in the last 16 by England.
Those back-to-back failures finally brought an end to Low’s 15-year tenure, meaning Germany will be going into a major tournament without the 62-year-old at the helm for the first time since the 2006 World Cup.
This did not appear to be a cause for concern, though. Low’s successes earlier in his reign had allowed him to cling onto his position for a couple of tournaments too many, and his replacement – Bayern Munich’s treble-winning manager Hansi Flick – brought a breath of fresh air to the national team.
However, after guiding Germany to wins from his first eight games in charge, Flick – who spent eight years as Low’s assistant and was part of the staff that masterminded the 2014 World Cup win – has just one win in the last seven matches he has overseen.
What’s more, even the most optimistic fan of Die Mannschaft will likely admit to being unnerved when they were drawn in the same group as Spain for this winter’s tournament.
For a side accustomed to reaching finals on a fairly regular basis, Germany have a surprisingly poor record against Spain, having beaten them just once in their last seven encounters.
Three of the most painful defeats of the long Low era came at the hands of Spain – 1-0 reverses in the Euro 2008 final and 2010 World Cup semi-finals, plus a 6-0 thrashing in Seville in the two sides’ last encounter two years ago.
While Germany should remain confident of advancing from a group that also contains Costa Rica and Japan, Spain’s lurking presence lessens the room for error for Flick as he looks to restore the national team’s reputation as major tournament masters.
The eight consecutive wins at the start of Flick’s tenure helped to ensure Germany qualified for the World Cup on the back of a dominant qualification campaign. Flick’s side topped their group with nine wins, 36 goals scored and just four conceded from their 10 matches. Their only defeat – a 2-1 humiliation at home to North Macedonia – came in the dying days of Low’s time in charge.
But after stumbling through their Nations League campaign – they conceded nine goals in six games and finished behind Italy and Hungary – doubts have begun to creep in at just the wrong time.
Last month’s international break was particularly disappointing for Germany, with Hungary claiming a 1-0 win in Leipzig and England fighting back from 2-0 down to claim a draw against Flick’s side at Wembley.
The manager has been consistent in his selections, with 4-2-3-1 being the go-to formation and familiar faces like Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich remaining prominent, while Chelsea forward Kai Havertz – who scored twice in the draw with England – is a regular under Flick.
However, right-back remains a problem position for Flick, who has started three different players in the position in the last four games. West Ham centre-back Thilo Kehrer, RB Leipzig centre-back Lukas Klostermann and Borussia Monchengladbach winger Jonas Hofmann have all found themselves shunted onto the right of the back four, but none have convinced.
In a team packed with established stars of European football, there is a danger Germany’s right side could prove to be their Achilles heel.
Player to watch: Jamal Musiala
Germany’s struggles at recent international tournaments have partly been caused by a lack of cutting edge in the final third. Low’s team had the majority of possession in matches against France, Hungary and England at Euro 2020 yet failed to win any of them and were held scoreless in all but one.
Those troubles in front of goal were also present at the 2018 World Cup, when Germany scored in only one of their three group games on their way to an early exit.
But since then, Jamal Musiala has emerged as one of the brightest talents in European football and now looks ready to showcase his creative and goal-scoring abilities on the biggest stage.
Musiala, who played for England up until U21 level, was part of Germany’s Euro 2020 squad but played just nine minutes across their four matches, with Low not appearing to trust the then-18-year-old to step up in the biggest games.
But Flick has no such issues. The former Bayern boss gave Musiala his debut for the Bundesliga side and has gone on to hand him 17 caps at international level, with the teenager often occupying a role on the left of attack or behind a lone striker.
While Musiala has only one goal and two assists so far for Germany, his impressive form for Bayern in the first half of the season suggests he is ready to increase his output with the national team and perhaps make England regret that he did not make a different decision over his international allegiances.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp
Defenders: Matthias Ginter, Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Sule, Nico Schlotterbeck, Thilo Kehrer, David Raum, Lukas Klostermann, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Christian Gunter
Midfielders: Ilkay Gundogan, Jonas Hofmann, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala, Joshua Kimmich, Thomas Muller, Julian Brandt, Mario Gotze
Forwards: Kai Havertz, Youssoufa Moukoko, Niclas Fullkrug, Karim Adeyemi
Fixtures:
- November 23rd v Japan
- November 27th v Spain
- December 1st v Costa Rica
JAPAN
Japan make their seventh consecutive World Cup appearance in Qatar after finishing second behind Saudi Arabia in their qualification group.
After a rocky start which saw Japan lose two of their opening three games, Hajime Moriyasu’s side recovered well to end with seven wins and a draw from their 10 qualifiers.
Japan head to Qatar with extra confidence too, after solid performances in their September friendlies as they beat the USA 2-0 and then held Ecuador to a goalless draw. They also have a final warm-up match against Canada in Dubai on November 17.
At the last World Cup, Japan came close to pulling off one of the shocks of the tournament as they went 2-0 up against Belgium in the round of 16. But a remarkable second-half comeback, which saw Nacer Chadli score a dramatic 94th-minute winner, ended any hopes of a first World Cup quarter-final.
If the Samurai Blue are to progress through their group this winter then they will have to see out a shock or two after being drawn in a group with four-time winners Germany, 2010 winners Spain and 2014 quarter-finalists Costa Rica.
Japan certainly carry an offensive threat to give their opponents problems in Qatar.
Former Liverpool attacking midfielder Takumi Minamino will be central to this and will have support from Celtic ‘s Daizen Maeda, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Daichi Kamada and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo.
In midfield, Celtic’s Reo Hatate has missed out on the squad, with Stuttgart’s Wataru Endo and Sporting Lisbon’s Hidemasa Morita the central midfield pairing in Japan’s 2-0 win over the USA.
Defensively the Samurai Blue have experience in former Inter Milan full-back Yuto Nagatomo and ex-Southampton centre-back Maya Yoshida, who plays for Schalke.
But their star quality at the back lies with Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu. The 23-year-old will be one of the first names on the team sheet for Moriyasu where he is likely to play at left centre-back.
Player to watch: Takumi Minamino
Japan would have been hoping that Takumi Minamino’s £15.5m summer switch to Monaco from Liverpool was the jolt he needed after a bit-part role in his two-and-a-half years at Anfield.
But it has been a disappointing start to life on the French Riviera where he has found himself in a familiar position – on the bench. In fact, Minamino was labelled the Ligue 1 flop of the season in September by French media.
But the World Cup now offers Minamino the chance to prove his talent in a high-quality group where he could just be the difference-maker for Japan – especially with his knack of scoring important goals.
For Liverpool last season, he found the net 10 times, including a last-gasp equaliser against Leicester in the Carabao Cup as well as scoring twice in the 2-1 FA Cup against Norwich, as Jurgen Klopp’s side won the domestic double.
He also scored Japan’s opener in their standout World Cup qualifying win over group winners Saudi Arabia – and it is that quality in important games that makes Minamino the man Japan will be relying upon to inspire upsets against Germany and Spain.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt, Eiji Kawashima.
Defenders: Miki Yamane, Hiroki Sakai, Maya Yoshida, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Shogo Taniguchi, Ko Itakura, Hiroki Ito, Yuto Nagatomo.
Midfielders: Wataru Endo, Hidemasa Morita, Ao Tanaka, Gaku Shibasaki, Kaoru Mitoma, Daichi Kamada, Ritsu Doan, Junya Ito, Takumi Minamino, Takefusa Kubo, Yuki Soma.
Forwards: Daizen Maeda, Takuma Asano, Shuto Machino, Ayase Ueda.
Fixtures:
- November 23rd v Germany
- November 27th v Costa Rica
- December 1st v Spain
