By: Browntown B.
We are now left with 8 teams, none of which feature Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. This could very well be the last World Cup we see either of them in. As strange as it sounds, it’s hard to hard to imagine either will remain in peak physical condition for the 2022 World Cup with Ronaldo at 37 and Messi at 35. What a run it’s been for both, but this article is not about them. This is about finding the “best” among the eight remaining soccer teams in the world. For the most part, I think we saw the best teams move forward with the exception of Russia. Spain didn’t play well enough to win, though I do believe they were the better team. So here’s who we are left with:
Uruguay vs France
Brazil vs Belgium
Russia vs Croatia
England vs Sweden
We have some really good matchups in the quarterfinals with Brazil vs Belgium being the marquee game. I still really like Belgium, but they have a battle on their hands. Brazil’s win over Mexico showed why so many people picked them as favorites before the World Cup started. This might be the hardest matchup to pick. Belgium moves the ball so well together, and when they’re on, it’s almost impossible to stop them. The come back from 2-0 down against Japan proved just that. The combo of Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, and Dries Mertens is really hard to top, but Brazil can counter with Neymar, Coutinho, and Willian. The Belgium trio has scored more, but you could argue their competition hasn’t been as strong. With these teams being so evenly matched, I think the difference is going to be how the back three of Belgium play. The Belgian midfield is going to have to step up and help. In the Japan game, they were spreading the Japanese defense out with their wings, opening up all kinds of space on the back end. If they can’t get this squared away, Neymar and company will absolutely pick them apart. With that in mind, I think this is one of those matchups that people will be saying should have been the final -- these might be the two best teams. I think it’s back and forth, with Belgium pulling it out in the end. To me they are the more complete team.
The other really big match-up is France vs Uruguay. I was completely wrong about Uruguay with my pick in the round of 16. Their defense might be the best in the tournament. Combine that with the Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani duo, and they’re going to be really hard to beat. (Cavani’s status is uncertain with an injury). France on the other hand have been shaky at times on defense, but had a breakout game in the attack. Lead by Kylian Mbappe (the 19 year old wonderkid), this French attack is World Cup final worthy. I haven’t mentioned him yet, but Ousmane Dembele might get the start on the left wing in this one. He’s another young rising star (just 21) that can change a game. For Uruguay to have any shot at stopping this attack they have to slow down Mbappe and hope the limited playing time and pressure of the World Cup are too much for Dembele. I don’t think it’s possible for Uruguay to completely shut them down, but they MUST limit their chances. They set-up deep and let Portugal have the ball the majority of the time, only maintaining 33% and playing the counter. It worked against Portugal, but I think France can break Uruguay’s defense down. This game is going to be back and forth, but not necessarily high scoring. I think Uruguay with Cavani win, but if he can’t go, France will outscore them; the defense can only do so much.
These other two matchups aren’t nearly as attractive. I think the better of the two will be England versus Sweden. England surprised a ton of people by winning on penalties -- an element that has famously plagued them for nearly 30 years. I believe they showed a lot in this game, and this may have been the game that elevates them all the way to the semis. They struggled in the final third to score, but they created a lot of chances. They had seven corners to Colombia’s two. They were in the final third of the pitch a lot. If they keep that up, I think they have a great chance in this game against Sweden. Sweden plays really good defense, so it’s going to be very difficult for England to convert their chances. England must be careful not to commit too many men to following the attack and leave themselves exposed on defense. While Sweden isn’t great on the attack (their lone goal against Switzerland was deflected off a Swiss defender), if they get numbers on counters they have the ability to score. Harry Kane will be the difference in this one. Yes, he’s the obvious pick, but that because he’s playing so well right now. There won’t be many goals in this one, but England should see it out.
The matchup that might be the dullest of them all is Croatia versus Russia. Croatia hasn’t exactly been the most exciting team in the World Cup, and Russia advanced on penalties against Spain after a 1-1 regulation draw in which they only had 21% possession and took seven shots on goal. This is going to be a low-scoring game, very similar to the Spain game for Russia. They will Croatia dominate possession and wait for a chance to counter. Croatia will have to be more clinical in the final third if they want to win this game. Luka Modric will be huge in this game and will need to control the midfield and get the ball to the right place in attack. Croatia is the much better team, but as we saw in the Spain game, that doesn’t always net the right result. Croatia can’t allow a close contest to be decided by a referees decision; the call will almost certainly favor Russia. I believe Croatia has what it takes to win this game, Russia’s dream run comes to an end.
It should be an exciting Friday with Uruguay versus France to start the day, and Belgium versus Brazil to finish. Saturday may not be quite as exciting for the casual soccer fan, but the coaching tactics should be a lot of fun in these matchups. Looking forward to all of them.
Here are is my updated power rankings going into the quarters.
Belgium
Brazil
Croatia
England
France
Uruguay
Sweden
Russia
The difference between 1-6 and 7 and 8, are massive. It may not bare out in the results, but 1-6 could all be teams in the final. I still think Belgium is still the strongest team going into this weekend. They stumbled a bit with a Japan team that was really organized. Brazil comes in a close second, and I almost moved them to the top after that impressive performance against Mexico. Every single player gets back to help on defense and their three World Cup shut-outs shows. The defense might be the most underrated part of their team. Croatia and England are two that are just outside that elite group. They have the potential to be that good, but just haven’t quite played at that level yet. We could see them meet in the quarters, which would be a lot of fun.
I put France just ahead of Uruguay because of the uncertainty with the Cavani injury. I think after the round of 16, Uruguay made a case to be in the top five, but the Cavani injury has a huge impact on their chances. As for the final two, I even think there is a big gap between 7 and 8. While Sweden isn’t particularly strong, they are much more of a quality team than Russia.
I cut back on the detail in each breakdown this time around, so let me know if you prefer more elaborate insights and I will be happy to share my thoughts. Enjoy the games because I know I will.
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