England on the Wrong End of a Rope-A-Dope

Mario Balotelli pumped after heading Italy past England at Manaus
(Pic Courtesy of the Daily Telegraph)

It was the eighth round in Kinshasa, Zaire. George Foreman had tried whatever his mind and fists could come up with, throwing whatever he had at Muhammad Ali, but the old man was still standing. 'Twinkle-toes' wasn't dancing around the ring, not as he used to when in his pomp, but he altered his tactics. 

Foreman was the younger of the two, had power, speed and seemingly unstoppable shots when it lands on its target. Ali meanwhile, was said to have gone past his best, unable to tango around the ring as he so fancifully used to. That is where the 'rope-a-dope' came into existence. After absorbing pressure for seven and a half rounds, a flurry of shots in 10 seconds ended the fight, and made Muhammad Ali World Heavyweight Champion again. 

Italy are not World Champions, at least not yet. But this group has the tactical and technical ability to go very deep into this competition. The rope-a-dope worked to great effect in the Amazon heat against England, similar to what Ali deployed in the searing weather in what was billed as the 'Rumble in the Jungle.' 

Andrea Pirlo, by far the best player on Manaus' pitch, controlled every facet of play by Cesare Prandelli's men, something I pointed out would happen in my previous piece here > http://trueotreat.blogspot.com/2014/06/spanish-kings-brought-to-their-feet-by.html. He danced around, did Pirlo, shimmied, and provided a delicate dummy to fool the England defence, which resulted in Claudio Marchisio driving the Italians one nil up. 

Pirlo, a class above the rest. (Pic Courtesy of FIFA.com)

Though England came back via a lethal counter, thanks to the combination between Rooney and Sturridge, preceded by a sumptuous pass from Raheem Sterling, Italy set about with a rope-a-dope. Something which England should have done, but failed to. The men from Rome drew Roy's troops out, and exposed their weak underbelly. That is where England can be got at, right at the heart of their defence. Johnson and Jagielka can be got at, Baines was left exposed, much due to Rooney's hesitancy of wanting to help out defensively or join the attacking party up front. 

England would have to be tactically more astute in order to get out of this group, and they will have to pay much gratitude to Joel Campbell and Co. 

The team from CONCACAF sent shockwaves after coming up trumps against 2010 semifinalists Uruguay, and Joel Campbell was at the centre of everything good about this team. He should feature in Arsene Wenger's plans after being shipped out on loan last season. 

Joel Campbell ran the show for Costa Rica
(Pic Courtesy of FIFA.com)

They have turned this group on his head, after many expected them to be the whipping boys of Group D, labelled the 'Group of Death.' Uruguay have much to do in order to get over their shortcomings, as they seemed devoid of ideas without Suarez. This sets up a fascinating encounter in midweek when they play the English, and it would certainly be mouthwatering to see who comes out on top between Suarez and Sturridge, Liverpool's SAS. 

Luis Suarez watching agonisingly from the bench.
"If only I'd been on the pitch.
(Pic Courtesy of FIFA.com)

Japan meanwhile, struggled a great deal in the heat against Didier Drogba's Ivory Coast. Solid and organised in the first half, a quickfire double from the Africans in the space of two minutes garnered three points for Africa's strongest representatives. In order to get points off Greece and Colombia, the Japanese would have to buck up and increase the tempo of their game, or they might have to start preparing their flight tickets out of Rio. Watch out for the Ivorians though, a team which on their day, could run the best of teams to the ground. 

Gervinho after heading in the winner via Serge Aurier's cross
(Pic Courtesy of FIFA.com)

Colombia on the other hand, played a calm and calculated match in their win against Greece. Although without their talisman in Radamel Falcao, in James Rodriguez of Monaco, they have someone who could unlock the door of even the best defences in town. Add that to the solidity and guile of Jackson Martinez off the bench, the pace and willingness to work of this team, could prove as vital ingredients of a team harbouring hopes of going past the group stages. They could top the group if they get past Ivory Coast. 

Moving onto tonight's set of fixtures though, sees Group D and E get their matches underway, with Switzerland taking on Ecuador, France against Honduras and Argentina getting their campaign up and running in a match with Bosnia & Herzegovina in Rio. 

Switzerland v Ecuador

Quite a contrast to a traditional Swiss team, this lot put together by Ottmar Hitzfeld possess a combination of grace, finesse, guile and extreme technique. Much like Switzerland's sporting icon in tennis great Roger Federer, this group of players have much talent and skill to put forth on the pitch. With the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Tranquillo Barnetta, Josip Drmic and Granit Xhaka, do keep watch on the Swiss in this tournament.

They might have a bit too much for the Ecuadorians, who, set up in a 'work-man' like team who will never stop running, could find it difficult, with Antonio Valencia their most notable player. 

Possible scoreline : Switzerland 2-1 Ecuador

France v Honduras

Recent outings have seen the 98' World Cup winners perform admirably, with the likes of Karim Benzema and Loic Remy hitting form at the right time. A lot would depend on the amount of ammunition supplied to the French front line by Yohan Cabaye. He makes this team tick, and with the energy of Paul Pogba, the French could be one of the dark horses in this competition. 

Honduras meanwhile, have not offered much in encounters with bigger teams, and with them known traditionally as a team which sits back and tries to hit teams on the counter, it might not work against the speedy defenders in France's lineup. In what which would shape up to be a one-sided affair could see the French victorious here. 

Prediction: France 2-0 Honduras

Argentina v Bosnia & Herzegovina

Will Lionel Messi light up in Brazil? That is the question on the minds of Argentina's fans. I would though, keep an eye out for Angel Di Maria and how he stamps his authority in this side. The speedy winger has been top class this season, and if he can get going and spur on his comrades in Aguero, Higuain and Messi to get going, this could be a long night for Edin Dzeko and his friends. It will also matter on the sort of level Asmir Begovic plays at, in order to keep out the Argentinians. 

Bosnia do have a formidable attack in their system, but it would depend on how good their defence is tonight, to stand any chance at all of causing an upset. Honestly, I find it hard to see that happening, and they could be on the end of a hiding tonight. 

I'm going for Argentina to win this, 4-1