NETHERLANDS
How did they get here?
The Dutch topped their qualifying group, ahead of Turkey and Erling Haaland’s Norway™.
Who is their manager?
Louis Van Gaal is back for one last dance, having led the side at the 2014 World Cup. This may be the great man’s final job: he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and spent much of the qualifying campaign quietly leaving camp for radiation therapy. Ronald Koeman will replace him after the tournament, where they will face Ireland in Euro 2024 qualifying.
How do they play?
Van Gaal played a characteristic 4-3-3 in the qualifying campaign, but switched to a back three for the recent Nations League campaign, swapping between 3-4-3 and 3-4-1-2. Such a set-up might have been anathema to Van Gaal for much of his career, but he has recently spoken of the merits of his conversion.
The Dutch have an abundance of excellent centre-backs, while this system also allows him to flood the field with more firepower, so we may see Memphis Depay play behind Steven Bergwijn and PSV’s Cody Gakpo. Denzel Dumfries was a revelation at right wing-back at the last Euros, though there may be issues about a lack of pace at left wing-back: Daley Blind has been stationed there of late.
Who is their key player?
He has endured a patchy start to his club season and he may not quite be the same player he was before that awful injury at Goodison Park, but Virgil van Dijk is captain and a colossus of his national team.
Who is their potential breakout star of this World Cup?
Nineteen-year-old midfielder Xavi Simons made a few appearances at PSG under Mauricio Pochettino before joining PSV ahead of this season. His floppy, DavidLuizesque mop of hair makes him conspicuous but his dribbling and passing skills stand out even more. He has yet to be capped at senior level, but Van Gaal has named him in his squad for Qatar.
Have they got any injury concerns?
Ex-Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum will miss the tournament with a broken leg he sustained in training with Roma at the start of the season. Wijnaldum is a versatile player and has been entrusted with a more creative role with his national team, so he will be a big miss.
Memphis Depay isn’t fit either and hasn’t played since September, but Van Gaal made an exception and included him, hoping he will be ready for the latter two games of the group.
What are their realistic ambitions?
The Dutch will always have high expectations of themselves, but they may lack the attacking quality and depth to be considered a true World Cup contender. Anything other than the quarter-finals would be a disappointment, however. True success will be a happy farewell for the great Van Gaal.
What should I say if I draw them in the office sweepstake?
‘The Dutch have compromised on their classic Total Football principles, which shows they lack the individual quality in attack to go all the way.’
SENEGAL
How did they get here?
Having topped their group in the round-robin phase of qualifying, Senegal qualified by beating Mo Salah’s Egypt in a penalty shootout at the end of their play-off, repeating the trick they pulled in the AFCON final earlier this year.
Who is their manager?
2002 World Cup fans will remember Aliou Cissé, who captained Senegal in that shock, opening-day win over the champions France. He coached the Senegal U23s before taking charge of the national team in 2015.
This is the second time he has coached his nation at the World Cup, and he was part of the wrong kind of history at Russia 2018: Senegal finished tied in their group with Japan, and, level on all other criteria, became the first side to be eliminated from the World Cup on the basis of fair play rules, having collected a couple of yellow cards more than their opponents.
Their bad luck may have been reserved for before the tournament this time around…
How do they play?
It’s often a 4-4-2 for Senegal, with Sadio Mane partnered in attack by Boulaye Dia, who plays with Serie A’s Salernitana. Cisse sometimes moves to a 4-3-3, pushing Watford’s Ismaila Sarr on to a more attacking role. Chelsea duo Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibally form a strong spine with Idrissa Gueye of Everton.
Who is their key player?
Had Liverpool won the Champions League, Sadio Mane may well have won this year’s Ballon D’Or, but instead he finished second to Karim Benzema. Senegal’s terror is that Mane won’t be fit, having limped out of Bayern Munich’s penultimate game before the break this week. He has been named in the squad, but a nation is holding its breath.
Who is their potential breakout star of this World Cup?
Spurs fans will be aware of 20-year-old central midfielder Pape Matar Sarr. Having impressed at French side Metz – also one of Mane’s former clubs – he was snapped up by Spurs, and spent last season back at Metz on loan. It was an underwhelming spell at a club that ended up being relegated. He has been on the fringes of the Spurs squad this season, but will be much more involved for his national side in Qatar.
Have they got any injury concerns?
A rather big one. Mane has been named in the squad, but nobody knows how fit he is. His absence would be a shattering blow.
What are their realistic ambitions?
No African side has ever been beyond the quarter-finals of the World Cup, and if Mane is fit, this Senegal team are good enough to at least match that feat. The draw hasn’t exactly been kind, though, and if they finish second in the group, a clash with England is most likely in the last-16. Victory there would make it a superb World Cup.
What should I say if I draw them in the office sweepstake?
‘Senegal are good enough to make at least the quarter-finals if Mane is fit, but without him, they will struggle to make it beyond the last-16.’
QATAR
How did they get here?
We’re not sure if you’ve heard, but Qatar are hosting this World Cup, so they have qualified automatically. Ironically, as the reigning champions of the Asia Cup, they would have stood a good chance of qualifying on merit. They also competed at the 2019 Copa America – drawing with Paraguay and losing their other two games – and made the semi-finals of the Concacaf Gold Cup last year.
Without actual qualifying games to play, they played a series of friendly games in Ireland’s group, drawing 1-1 in Hungary and then taking a 4-0 hammering to a blue-clad Irish team in Dublin. They also beat Luxembourg and Azerbaijan while taking comfortable beatings from Serbia and Portugal.
Qatar have been using the run-up to the World Cup to become like a club side, and have gone to ground at a training camp in Marbella, coming out to play friendly matches. Not that they have all gone very well: in June they lost 1-0 to Linfield.
Who is their manager?
Spaniard Felix Sanchez Bas followed the Xavi path of moving from Barcelona to Qatar: he was a youth coach at the Catalan club before taking a job at Qatar’s expensive Aspire Academy, which was set up partly to incubate a team capable of performing at this World Cup. He took charge of underage sides before taking over as national team boss in 2017, where he has enjoyed remarkable success, leading Qatar to the 2019 Asia Cup.
Given that level of international success, you won’t be surprised to hear he has a strong relationship with the Emir of Qatar, whom he reportedly helped convince to naturalise a few key players. Given how closely-guarded Qatari citizenship is – it’s how the ruling family distribute their hydrocarbon largesse – that is an emblem of his standing in Qatar.
How do they play?
Don’t expect to be thrilled by Qatar: Sanchez has told Marca that their taking the attacking initiative in games would be “suicide.” They play a low-block 5-3-2.
Who is their key player?
What goals they score will likely come courtesy of striker Almoez Ali, who was top-scorer at the 2021 Gold Cup and the 2019 Asia Cup.
Who is their potential breakout star of the World Cup?
Okay, Xavi has never exactly been shy in his praise for Qatar – “”It’s true there is no democracy in Qatar, but the people are happy” is one line that sticks out - but he has hailed the potential of forward Akram Afif, whom he coached at Al Sadd.
Any injury concerns?
Nothing notable – the squad may have been helped in that regard by the fact the domestic league – in which all of their squad play – has been shut down since September. Whether they will lack match sharpness is another question entirely.
What are their realistic ambitions?
Anyone who watched them in Dublin last year – where they were truly useless – would have been shocked to hear they are the reigning Asia champions. Getting out of the group would be a huge achievement, but bowing out with a respectable performance would probably mark success. To that end, avoiding defeat in the opening game with Ecuador is critical. They wouldn’t be the first World Cup hosts to fail to get out of their group: South Africa own that unwanted piece of history following 2010.
What should I say if I draw them in the office sweepstake?
‘They will benefit from having such a long time together in the build-up to the tournament and winning the Asia Cup in 2019 shows Qatar are not no-hopers, but they might have peaked too early.’
ECUADOR
How did they get here?
Ecuador squeezed into the fourth and final automatic spot by finishing fourth in South America’s fantastic, 18-match, home-and-away table, finishing two points clear of Peru and three better than Colombia.
They have had to defend their place since, as Peru and Chile complained that their player Byron Castillo was ineligible for the eight matches in which he appeared. Chile claimed that Castillo is, in fact, Colombian, and that they have the paperwork to prove it. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled last week that Castillo had an Ecuador passport, meaning he was eligible, and ruled that Ecuador should keep their place at the World Cup.
But CAS also said that this authentic passport contained some falsified information – his place and date of birth – so Ecuador have had three points docked in the next qualification campaign.
Who is their manager?
Argentine Gustavo Alfaro is in charge of a national team for the first time after a peripatetic career which took in just the 16 different club jobs, most recently at Boca Juniors. His most impressive achievement across that time was leading Arsenal – no, not that one – to the Copa Sudamericana in 2007, South America’s edition of the Europa League.
Qualifying for the World Cup is an impressive achievement considering he took charge a month before the campaign started after Jordi Cruyff resigned amid the pandemic, having not taken charge of a single game. Alfaro has trusted youth: based on average age, Ecuador were the youngest side in South American qualifying.
How do they play?
Only Brazil scored more goals than Ecuador in South American qualifying, though they came front-loaded and in an early cascade, putting four past Uruguay and thumping Colombia 6-1. So the numbers slightly skew a side more confident defending than attacking. Of mild concern is the fact the goals have dried up in recent friendly matches: they scored the sum total of one goal in games with Cape Verde, Japan, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. Alfaro usually swaps between 4-3-3 and 4-4-2, with the goals generally shared between strikers Michael Estrada and former West Ham man Enner Valencia.
Who is their key player?
Antonio Valencia has been phased out and has now retired, cruelly, on 99 international caps. This is a young Ecuador team of few recognisable stars – for now at least – but one of their most important players is Brighton left-back Pervis Estupiñán. His crossing from open play is important and his set-piece deliveries are vital. Goals from set-pieces were the bedrock of Ecuador’s qualifying campaign.
Who is their potential breakout star of this World Cup?
Premier League watchers should already be familiar with 21-year-old Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, who will now get the chance to impress those folk who don’t watch until the end of Match of the Day. He was fourth in the assists chart during qualifying.
Have they got any injury concerns?
Defender Robert Arboleda, a regular during qualifying, will miss out with an ankle injury.
What are their realistic ambitions?
Germany 2006 is the only time in their history that Ecuador have made it beyond the group stage of a World Cup: matching that achievement in 2022 looks a step too far.
What should I say if I get them in the office sweepstake?
‘This is a young Ecuador side who are probably not good enough to get through the group, but are good enough to show why Brighton should sign even more of their players.’
Group A Fixtures
Sunday 20 November
- Qatar vs Ecuador; Al Bayt Stadium; KO 4pm
Monday 21 November
- Senegal vs Netherlands; Al Thumama Stadium; KO 4pm
Friday 25 November
- Qatar vs Senegal; Al Thumama Stadium; KO 1pm
- Netherlands vs Ecuador; Khalifa International Stadium; KO 4pm
Tuesday 29 November
- Ecuador vs Senegal; Khalifa International Stadium; KO 3pm
- Netherlands vs Qatar; Al Bayt Stadium; KO 3pm
Read all of our group previews here.
For the latest news coverage on the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022, see here >
