World Cup Preview | Group A | Netherlands look set to make up for lost time

The 2022 World Cup kicks off this Sunday with Qatar and Ecuador getting the tournament underway.

For the first time in history, the FIFA World Cup will take place midseason in relation to Europe’s top five Leagues with 32 teams setting their sights on Qatar.

The nature of timing ensures a number of players will miss out while the Republic Of Ireland also failed to qualify.

But with the World Cup approaching, we’ll be taking a deep dive into the nations that are competing group by group as the 32 teams prepare to get their tournament underway starting with Group A.

Qatar

Manager – Felix Sanchez

Best WC Finish – N/A

2018 WC Finish – N/A

FIFA World Ranking – 50

Tournament Odds – 500/1

Qatar will be hosting the World Cup this year and therefore received automatic qualification for the tournament. They will open the competition on Sunday with their clash against Ecuador kicking things off for the biggest tournament in world football.

FIFA’s decision to allow the Arabic country to host the competition has come with its issues, with the majority of fans around the world unhappy due to the country’s restrictions as they also host the first winter World Cup in history.

However, on the pitch this will be the first time the country take part in the competition since it began in 1930. It will be a new environment for the players who have never had the opportunity to compete with the world’s best in a tournament with their recent friendlies against some of the top teams ending miserably for the side. Ireland were 4-1 winners over the side thirteen months ago.

They will have the edge over their opponents in terms of the playing conditions and the environment of the country with a nation behind them that will be dreaming of a World Cup journey.

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Ecuador

Manager – Gustavo Alfaro

Best WC Finish – Last 16 (2006)

2018 WC Finish – N/A

FIFA World Ranking – 44

Tournament Odds – 250/1

The second team of Group A is Ecuador, who will be competing in their fourth World Cup, all coming within the last twenty years.

The South American side impressed in their qualification, clinching the fourth and final spot in their table alongside Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. From their eighteen games, which stem back to late 2020, the side won seven, drew five and lost six including a win against Uruguay and stalemates against Brazil and Argentina.

Gustavo Alfaro possesses a young team with a handful of quality players playing in Europe’s top leagues. They’re led by 33-year-old Enner Valencia, who is their top scorer and has made appearances for Premier League side West Ham. And he’s bang in-form at the moment with 12 goals from 11 appearances for Turkish Super Lig leaders Fenerbahce this season.

Other top players include Brighton duo Pervis Estupinan and Moises Caicedo who are main stays in the side’s Premier League campaign so far as they occupy the seventh place ahead of the winter break. Real Valladolid’s Gonzalo Plata is also one to watch this tournament as he looks to help his nation progress in Qatar.

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Senegal

Manager – Aliou Cisse

Best WC Finish – Quarter-Finals (2002)

2018 WC Finish – Group Stages

FIFA World Ranking – 18

Tournament Odds – 90/1

Champions of Africa Senegal are a side that haven’t been highly spoken about ahead of the tournament. Headlines have been dominated this week with the fear that Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane may miss the tournament due to an injury he suffered against Bayer Leverkusen but head coach Cisse still included the former Liverpool man in his 26-man squad.

Mane was vital to their 2022 African Cup of Nations success as he guided them to their first ever title and has been in impressive form since his summer transfer to the Bundesliga giants. It would be a massive loss if he fails to recover in time but there’s still quality across the board for Senegal.

The majority of their squad plays in Europe’s top five leagues including their captain Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy who both line-out for Chelsea although their form this season has left a lot to be desired. Other star players include Watford and former Premier League hotshot Ismaila Sarr, Everton’s Idrissa Gueye and Monaco winger Krepin Diatta.

Their tournament hopes will ultimately rely on the Nation’s favourite son Sadio Mane who can single-handedly elevate the side if he overcomes his battle for fitness.

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Netherlands

Manager – Louis Van Gaal

Best WC Finish – Runners-Up (1974, 1978, 2010)

2018 WC Finish – N/A

FIFA World Ranking – 8th

Tournament Odds – 11/1

Undoubtedly the favourites to progress from Group A, Louis Van Gaal’s Netherlands side will be looking to make up for lost time in the tournament as they failed to make the cut in Russia back in 2018.

Their squad for the upcoming tournament was named last week and the quality of the players involved is depicted from the names that were left out. Newcastle’s Sven Botman, who’s enjoyed a stellar start to his career on Tyneside, was left at home alongside Man United’s Donny van de Beek and Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch to name a few.

With the nation brimming with quality, it’s tough to pin-point a single key player. Captain Virgil van Dijk will be competing at his first major international tournament for the side as he looks to put his inconsistent club form this season to one side to lead his team to success in tournament.

He will likely be partnered alongside Bayern’s Matthijs de Ligt throughout the tournament with the two forming a formidable backline with Daley Blind another potential start. PSV’s Cody Gakpo has been a revelation this season with Europe’s top suitors keeping an eye out for the winger alongside his team-mate Xavi Simons.

It’s very unlikely that the Netherlands will not be making an appearance in the knockout stages this season as they look to change their recent run of history and go one better this year.