ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia? Yeah right, they wont do much! You would think, but I remember that game against Belgium in ’94 when Saeed Al-Owairan went on a dizzy run, breezing past about 4 or 5 Belgian defenders to score a Maradonaesque goal. Not only did they beat a half decent Belgian team, but they qualified for the second round from a group that also had a Dutch team overloaded with stars and a good Moroccan team. Ok a very good Sweden team knocked them out, 3-1, in the next round, but it goes to show that no team should every be written off at a World Cup.
Ok they haven’t done a whole lot since 1994, and are back at the world stage for the first time since 2006, but you could argue that their group is definitely manageable. Russia dont look that great and Egypt with a Salah that is carrying an injury are beatable. Uruguay would cause them too much trouble, but Saudi Arabia must definitely be targeting 4 points minimum to have any chance of getting into the next round.
As for their squad, it is top heavy with players who play in the Saudi National League, with a sprinkling of players who play with Spanish teams. Well I say play but it looks like none have actually had any games as of yet in the Spanish league. One player who catches the eye is Mukhtar Ali, a player who has represented the England team at under 16 and under 17 level, and plays for the Dutch team, Vitesse Arnhem, signing from Chelsea! He has made about 8 appearances for the Dutch club. Interesting, lets see how he fares in Russia.
Do I think Saudi Arabia can repeat their 1994 success and make the second round? No, not really, but I cant just write an article and say they are shite, I have to pad this out somehow!!
For sure Robert Lewandowski is the one to watch, but I have never been convinced about him. Yes he bangs in the goals in the Bundesliga but in my mind he has never performed at the big stage, be that an international tourno or the latter stages of the CL. He was simply atrocious in the last Euros, bad form and an ever worse attitude. As captain that seeps into the rest of the team and what I see any time Poland plays is a cynical team and doesn’t offer much in the way of excitement or free flowing football. If a team can get Poland’s back up then they can definitely beat them, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Senegal in the opening game could cause them all sorts of problems. 
In a group featuring the mighty England and the not so mighty Tunisia and first timers Panama, they should easily get into round two. It doesn’t really matter too much if it is first or second, as that more or less means you get to play probably Senegal/Poland/Colombia, all three teams beatable but in the quarters you will have either Germany or Brazil no matter what side of the draw you are in. Can they get past the quarters? That is the question. In one sense playing Brazil or Germany could be their final as you’d expect that if they won that game then they would be hot favourites to lift the trophy. But we thought that before, remember the Euros and the crash to the Welsh!! Have they learned from that?
Roberto Martínez is a manager who has done well with small teams, especially in cup competitions, so I am sure he has the team well grounded. The midfield maestro of Manchester City, Kevin De Bruyne, started the season on fire, and it looked to me at least that he quietened down a little after it looked that City would win the EPL. Was he trying to preserve himself for the World Cup? If so, then Belgium are a serious threat as De Bruyne when he is on form is easily the best player in the world. Belgium really need him to click, as they have the big oaf Romelu Lukaku up front who needs the ball to be put on a plate before he can score a goal. 
I’d expect them to canter in their group. Switzerland and Serbia are muck and Brazil will play some samba football putting them to the sword. Costa Rica might give them some game, but also wont have a chance of an upset. Nine points and lots of goals should see them ease into the second round where they might get to probably play Mexico. Belgium or even England in the last eight might be interesting but you would imagine that Brazil would edge them to make the semis. Might get France/Portugal/Spain in the semis to set up a possible final with Germany and a chance to really set the record straight. Now wouldn’t that be some final?
All eyes will be on Neymar, coming into the World Cup at 26 and in peak physical fitness, this really can his World Cup. I am also looking forward to seeing Liverpool ace, Roberto Firmino, and also Gabriel Jesus of Man City. Both players having great seasons in the EPL. Both the whole squad looks decent and although my heart skipped a beat when I saw the name Fred, rest assured it is a new younger Fred who plays in Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk, phew!
Messi they wouldn’t have even made it out of their group. Getting hammered 6-1 recently by Spain and only just about getting qualification (once again thanks to Messi in the last game) doesn’t bode well for this years games. They already lost to group rivals Nigeria recently as well. 
But you can never discount Messi. The 5 time World Player of the year will surely once again drag his team kicking and screaming over the line. I expect them to get out of the group, just about. With a tough second round game against either Denmark or France that might cause issues to them, and if they get trough that they have Spain or Portugal in the last eight. It wont be easy and it seems every game is a challenge. I don’t think they can do it as Sergio Aguero is carrying a niggly injury and Gonzalo Higuain is a crock of shit.
A pretty good Denmark team could seriously cause them problems in the group stage, but otherwise they should dispatch of a poor Australian team and a Peru team who are probably still in shock of actual qualifying. The Denmark game is last of the three, and it really could go either way. To early to call for me. The difference in winning is avoiding a possible Argentinian team in the second round. Or play Iceland/Nigeria/Croatia? A possible semi’s with Germany or Brazil lie in the long grass depending on results. 
Didier Deschamps has surprised me in how well he has done with the French national team, he has got them far considering the mess he had taken over from Blanc and Domenech before him. They play generally good football under him and we dont tend to see any strife that has rocked previous French teams. But it is France and they are hard to predict. Could get to the last eight, but I dont think they have just enough to get past Germany or Brazil.
I expect the first game will decide the outcome of the group, as I dont expect Morocco and Iran to cause Portugal or Spain too much trouble. In the next round I feel Portugal could get past Russia/Uruguay with few issues. But if all goes to plan we could have a Messi V Ronaldo match up in the last eight and what a game that would be with both players probably playing in their last World Cups???
I think Portugal should get to the last eight at least, after that it all depends on how much the team works around Ronnie. Nani and Quaresma need to step up again, Pepe in defence, and I wonder if Renato Sanches might find the World Cup a welcome distraction to his awful club form of the last two years, it would be nice to see him play some good football on the world stage again. Added to all this is a wily old manager, Fernando Santos, who has finally got Portugal heading in the right direction after years of initial promise but with little to show for it. 
Nice talk with Seth Burkett, an ex professional footballer in Brazil and author of the well received book “The Boy in Brazil”
