Russia is in the Group H of the 2014 Brazil World Cup. Russia has qualified for the World Cup finals after 12 years. Russia will also want to improve on its last showing in the 2002 World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan, where it went out in the group stages. Russia didn’t concede a goal from outside the area during qualifying matches and it is one of only four teams not to concede. They also never conceded more than once in a match. They had a sense of purpose in their front as they scored most of their goals in the first 15 minutes of the game. It is also worthy to note that the Russians do not have any star players among them.
Russia
In the last twelve months, Russia have lost over 200 points and dropped 13 places in their FIFA ranking, more than any other qualifying nation. They conceded more than half their goals with deliveries from wide positions and headers. Even-though their overall defensive record was strong, they looked vulnerable from the above mentioned areas. They were unable to give a reply after conceding a goal.
Coach Fabio Capello, who coached England during their last World Cup final in South Africa, would have a point to prove. The Italian had a forgetful tournament as England was suffered a heave defeat during the quarterfinals. He has changed a struggling defense into a more than capable one during his time with the team and he is also well received by the fans, media and players.
Alexander Kokorin would be a key player for Russia. The forward, who plays in the same position for Dynamo Moscow, is little known outside Russia but has a great chance to shine in the tournament. He was named Russia’s young player of the year in 2011. He was called to the national team for the Euro 2012. Kokorin will be playing in the left flank and his combination with Alexander Kerzhakov should be one to note. Kokorin’s role model in football is Ronaldo.
The other three teams in Group H are vulnerable from the flanks which would be a concern for Russia as they usually attack via the center. It is better to have a change in play. Russians, who found the long ball tricky, would have to be extra cautious with both Algeria and South Korea as they both are capable of producing the long balls. The Algerians are also good with headers, another concern for Russia. However, they might just surprise their oppositions by coming well prepared with those known weaknesses.
Expectations for Russia winning the World Cup final is very less, they are expected to at-least pass through the group stages and perform better than their last outing. If, after qualifying, Russia could avoid Germany in the knockouts then quarterfinals would be a definite prospect on charts.
Russia plays against Korea Republic in their first World Cup 2014 group match on June 17th, and they are expected to win the same.