Group C: Colombia, Ivory Coast, Greece, Japan

LetMeRollIt

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As we have threads for teams but seemingly none for discussions specific to the group stage groups, I went ahead and made one for Group C. Hope it's ok.


Caf team threads:

Team threads already contain, inevitably, discussions on how they may do against other teams in the group:

FIFA Pages:
  • Group C: Contains Standings table and Matches list
  • Standings: Direct link to Standings table
  • Group Analysis: Brief analysis as well as links to team pages

Matches:

14 JUN 2014 - 13:00 Local time, 16:00 UTC/GMT
Belo Horizonte
Colombia - Greece


14 JUN 2014 - 22:00 Local time, 15 JUN 2014 - 01:00 UTC/GMT
Recife
Cote d'Ivoire - Japan


19 JUN 2014 - 13:00 Local time, 16:00 UTC/GMT
Brasilia
Colombia - Cote d'Ivoire


19 JUN 2014 - 19:00 Local time, 21:00 UTC/GMT
Natal
Japan - Greece


24 JUN 2014 - 16:00 Local time, 20:00 UTC/GMT
Cuiaba
Japan - Colombia


24 JUN 2014 - 17:00 Local time, 20:00 UTC/GMT
Fortaleza
Greece - Cote d'Ivoire​


The match links jump to FIFA's page for the specific game.

Enjoy! :)
 
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Nicely done... should be an interesting group and hopefully Japan win the group. :)
 
I'm rooting for Japan but I'm extremely intrigued by this Ivory Coast team.

It's now the third straight World Cup they've qualified for without ever getting out of the group, but it appears that their team is ready to take that next step forward.
Yaya is just coming off the season of his career so this team will live and die by him. I can't see him getting phased by the stakes of the World Cup and the fact that the Ivory Coast are likely not favored to get out of the group will serve to motivate. They have a decent forward in Bony who will probably get the start over Drogba and he's also coming off of a pretty good season. Gervinho I predict will also get the start and he can provide decent pace down the wing and act as an offensive threat.
What makes me sad is the timing of the strengthening of the squad. Imagine a prime Drogba leading the attack while Yaya holds down the midfield and his brother on defense :drool:

I think the Ivory Coast gets out of the group along with Columbia. There's a misconception that Columbia is nothing without Falcao whereas their team is extremely strong and balanced and Falcao's absence will not affect the team enough to prevent them from getting out of the group. Martinez in particular is quite amazing and will serve well to cover the deficit of Falcao. Guarin is a rock in midfield and Rodriguez will provide the link between defense and attack. I'm a little worried about the defense but I think their midfield is strong enough to paper over the cracks.

1. Columbia
2. Ivory Coast
3. Japan
4. Greece
 
Can see this group being very tight. Greece are by far the weakest but they know how to get results so who knows. Colombia without falcao I think will struggle, sadly. Ivory Coast has disappointed me pretty much every time I've seen them. They're good on paper but can't seem to replicate that on the pitch. Japan on the other hand have a great team understanding. Think they'll get through. Would probably pick Colombia for second spot if I had to pick.
 
One of the groups I'm most interested in. It's very tight and I reckon Japan and Columbia to go through. Can see them finishing with the same points as well. Hopefully Japan sort out their defence a bit and do not concede so much. Ivory Coast are a very strong side as well, but I just don't see them going through. Ikou Japan!
 
Hoping Japan are the nation that light up the tournament the same way the likes of Bulgaria, Croatia have done in the past. They play an excellent brand of football and can really provide some great moments.
 
bosnian_red said:
Can see this group being very tight. Greece are by far the weakest but they know how to get results so who knows. Colombia without falcao I think will struggle, sadly. Ivory Coast has disappointed me pretty much every time I've seen them. They're good on paper but can't seem to replicate that on the pitch. Japan on the other hand have a great team understanding. Think they'll get through. Would probably pick Colombia for second spot if I had to pick.
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You have to remember that Ivory Coast have been in Group of death in the past World Cup and this one is their chance to change their fortune given they are in a much better group than their previous world cups. I'm picking Japan and Ivory Coast to go through. I was a bit torn with Columbia in the mix but with Falcao out, their chance of going through have decreased in my eyes. Than again they're playing on South American soil, that's a big advantage for them.

And I just checked Japan form since qualifying for the World cup and they've been terrific in my eyes. They haven't lost since qualifying in their last 5 games, that's pretty good form going into the WC.

Drawn against Netherlands(2-2), beat Belgium(3-2), New Zealand(4-2), Cyprus(1-0) and Costa Rica(3-1). Those are pretty impressive results especially against Countries such as Netherlands and Belgium. They're going into the WC in very good form, I fancy their chances.

1. Japan
2. Ivory Coast
 
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I see Japan and Columbia qualifying from this group. Even without Falcao, Columbia still have a very good team. It wouldn't even surprise me if they make as far as the semifinals. I haven't really checked who their likely opponents are in the next rounds but they can beat most teams I reckon. Japan is a decent team too. Ivorycoast seem to be bottlers at the WC. Greece is just not very good. It amazes me every time that they get results. Not this time I think.

1. Columbia
2. Japan
3. Ivory Coast
4. Greece


@LetMeRollIt : Nice job with the OP.
 
In the general media, the consensus seems to be that Colombia is the obvious favorite while Ivory Coast and Japan fight for second place. No offense to Greece.

From Japan's perspective (I'm from Japan), the first game against Ivory Coast is absolutely the most important game. If we win there's a good chance we can make it. Draw, there's still a chance. Lose, might as well pack up and say goodbye...


MUFC > Everyone said:
I'm rooting for Japan but I'm extremely intrigued by this Ivory Coast team.

It's now the third straight World Cup they've qualified for without ever getting out of the group, but it appears that their team is ready to take that next step forward.
Yaya is just coming off the season of his career so this team will live and die by him. I can't see him getting phased by the stakes of the World Cup and the fact that the Ivory Coast are likely not favored to get out of the group will serve to motivate. They have a decent forward in Bony who will probably get the start over Drogba and he's also coming off of a pretty good season. Gervinho I predict will also get the start and he can provide decent pace down the wing and act as an offensive threat.
What makes me sad is the timing of the strengthening of the squad. Imagine a prime Drogba leading the attack while Yaya holds down the midfield and his brother on defense :drool:
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I've only been able to watch the highlights of Ivory Coast's test match against El Salvador. Yaya was not on the game, he's had some sort of injury. He is expected to come back in the real game I hear. If he's in any shape obviously he'll be causing trouble.

Together with Drogba, Gervinho seemed to the the main offensive threat in the test match. His sheer speed beats his defender when running for the through ball. He's really dangerous.

The current Japan team plays a attack-minded style, but we don't have CR7, so we try to play a collective passing game. This means we try to keep a high defense line and involve many players in the attack. So there's lots of space behind the defense line, and that's Japan's vulnerability.

Also Honda's shape is a major concern for Japan.

I get the feeling Japan - Ivory Coast will be a real attacking match, both sides taking risks. There'd probably be lot's of chances for both sides. I hope my NT does well, but it would be a tough match for sure.


Edit: Corrected typo in country name Colombia. Sorry.
 
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I think Ivory Coast and Japan will go through.

Greece will finish rock bottom. Our team is slow, old and absolutely clueless. We played some youngsters a few days ago and gave Nigeria a good game but I think our manager's too much of a coward to give any of them game time at the actual tournament.
 
Ivory Coast and Japan imo.

Nice group this.

OP, can you put team names in the title?
 
Columbia are the best team in the group by a mile and will top it easily. Either Japan or Ivory Coast for 2nd, probably the former - its amazing how awful the African countries are at the moment.
 
How are Colombia gonna cope without Falcao though?

I know Martinez scores goals for Porto but what's he like at international level? Bacca had a decent year at Sevilla but I've no idea about the other two strikers aside from Dortmund have just bought Ramos.

Hoping for Japan to go through, had a soft spot for them since 2002. They always have nice kits too.
 
Good OP. You have my blessing to do the rest too.
On the group I think Ivory Coast will go through. Hopefully along with Japan as ive had soft spot for them since France 98. I liked Colombia then too. Heck anyone bar Greece and I'm happy.
 
matherto said:
How are Colombia gonna cope without Falcao though?

I know Martinez scores goals for Porto but what's he like at international level? Bacca had a decent year at Sevilla but I've no idea about the other two strikers aside from Dortmund have just bought Ramos.
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Without Falcao the likelihood of them going on a great run - to the semis for example - is diminished obviously. But they aren't a one man team and have more than enough quality to top this group.
 
Group C is the true group of death. Each of the teams can finish 1st or 4th and they are all closely matched.

ELO rankings:
8 Colombia
20 Greece
22 Ivory Coast
24 Japan

Only 16 places between 1st and 4th and Japan are the highest ranked of all the "weakest" teams in each of the 8 WC groups.
 
steve zizou said:
Good OP. You have my blessing to do the rest too.
On the group I think Ivory Coast will go through. Hopefully along with Japan as ive had soft spot for them since France 98. I liked Colombia then too. Heck anyone bar Greece and I'm happy.
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Thanks. I'll think about it if you can wire me the down payment. :D
 
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matherto said:
Hoping for Japan to go through, had a soft spot for them since 2002. They always have nice kits too.
Click to expand...

Not sure if you'll like the new kits. Still blue, but it's like a standard blue, a bit like France's. I liked the deeper blue we used to have. Plus there's dashes of pink now...

And our away kit is like flourescent yellow...
 
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Test matches:

Greece 2 - 1 Bolivia
Colombia 3 - 0 Jordan
Japan 4 - 3 Zambia

Discussions on the Japan test match and highlight video found in its thread.
 
LetMeRollIt said:
Not sure if you'll like the new kits. Still blue, but it's like a standard blue, a bit like France's. I liked the deeper blue we used to have. Plus there's dashes of pink now...

And our away kit is like flourescent yellow...
Click to expand...

I love both the new kits though I also wish the home was a darker blue. The away shirt is great and I normally hate fluorescent shirts.
 
LetMeRollIt said:
Not sure if you'll like the new kits. Still blue, but it's like a standard blue, a bit like France's. I liked the deeper blue we used to have. Plus there's dashes of pink now...

And our away kit is like flourescent yellow...
Click to expand...
I like the stripy sun shaped thing on your kit, although the touchy Koreans are complaining about it. Next, the Union Jack also resembles the Japanese imperial flag. :rolleyes:
 
Think this will be the trickiest group at the WC. It seems like a unanimous verdict here that Greece will not make it through to the Round of 16 and I agree, however, they are a difficult opponent to play against due to how deep they defend and they strike me very much as a 'tournament team', so I think every game they participate in will be a tense affair, with the exception of maybe one game. Colombia are playing with home advantage - to some extent - and have some attacking quality, despite Falcao's absence and Japan are probably one of the teams with the best cohesion in the WC in relation to the quality at their disposal. Ivory Coast have Yaya and Gervinho too.

Strikes me as the kind of group where Colombia could come 4th and Greece 1st and it wouldn't be a massive surprise and I don't expect the 1st and 4th placed team to be divided by that many points.
 
matherto said:
I love both the new kits though I also wish the home was a darker blue. The away shirt is great and I normally hate fluorescent shirts.
Click to expand...

May be the away shirt will help Kagawa remember his shape at Dortmund (and Honda at VVV). :eek:


Cal? said:
I like the stripy sun shaped thing on your kit, although the touchy Koreans are complaining about it. Next, the Union Jack also resembles the Japanese imperial flag. :rolleyes:
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You know your news well, Cal!
 
While almost everyone is counting Greece out, may be rightly so, I feel they are going to get at least 2 boring draws and decide the qualifiers from this group.
 
RedRedWineOT said:
While almost everyone is counting Greece out, may be rightly so, I feel they are going to get at least 2 boring draws and decide the qualifiers from this group.
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I think so too, it's not beyond them at all to bore a draw or two in this group.
 
Colombia and Greece will get through, 7 points and 5 points respectively. Colombia even without Falcao are the strongest, whilst Greece have a excellent defensive record, which goes a long way in tournament football.

Ivory Coast I think will push Greece close but Greece will benefit from playing Colombia first with the traditional cagey first games. Japan will fail miserably, they'll win a lot of friends and few if any points - any team that concedes goals like Japan do isn't long for the world cup. They'll have an experience similar to the one they had at the Confederations cup, albeit an easier group here.
 
JulesWinnfield said:
Colombia and Greece will get through, 7 points and 5 points respectively. Colombia even without Falcao are the strongest, whilst Greece have a excellent defensive record, which goes a long way in tournament football.

Ivory Coast I think will push Greece close but Greece will benefit from playing Colombia first with the traditional cagey first games. Japan will fail miserably, they'll win a lot of friends and few if any points - any team that concedes goals like Japan do isn't long for the world cup. They'll have an experience similar to the one they had at the Confederations cup, albeit an easier group here.
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Pretty much agree with all of this. Unfortunately I can see Japan finishing bottom of the group quite comfortably. Ivory Coast will be too powerful for them and Columbia too strong. As you say, they will win a lot of friends but they're just not good enough defensively. It will be just like the Confederations Cup where they play a lot of good football but come unstuck at the back.
Columbia to top the group with Greece/Ivory coast to battle for second.
 
Cal? said:
I just like Japan a lot, have been there over 50 times and been to 42 of your 47 perfectures. :)
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Wow, that's a lot of times you've been here and a lot of area. Over the years I've been on family trips around my country but we may be about equal on the number of prefectures visited...
 
I watched the Bosnia Herzegovina vs Ivory Coast match video. I thought BH was a really good team, but for Ivory Coast's credit, they had great midrange shots, and the corner kicks looked dangerous, almost like they'd go in directly.

And I saw that Drogba, with his age, is still a great attacking threat. He can try to penetrate defense single-handedly, and even if he doesn't succeed still he's good at earning fouls, because it's very hard to take the ball away from him when he's dribbling. Yaya and Gervhino weren't playing in this match.
 
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I've watched quite a lot of South America WC qualifying games thanks to my insomnia problems and I have to say I've not been impressed by Colombia one bit. They seem to collect points while playing poorly, though, which is a good trait to have. I know they finished only 2 points behind Argentina in their group but it doesn't tell the whole story. They only had 2/3 good games when they spanked Bolivia and Uruguay (?) at home, which inflated their GD, but the other games where just timid, if jammy wins. I saw them get absolutely mauled by Ecuador at home yet still winning the game 1-0. It's actually Ecuador whom I took a liking to throughout these qualifications (outside the big two).

Strange group, all teams are 2nd tier but very evenly matched. Interesting to see how Japan NT fare.
 
Colombia all the way for me. Think they will top the group. And possibly go on a run to the semi.or further.
 
LetMeRollIt said:
Wow, that's a lot of times you've been here and a lot of area. Over the years I've been on family trips around my country but we may be about equal on the number of prefectures visited...
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Japanese food is just the best... :drool:
 
LetMeRollIt said:
Sometimes I'm surprised at what passes as a sushi in other parts of the world. But I won't get in to that...
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I completely understand what you mean, I wouldn't call those things you get in supermarkets/convenience stores in the rest of the world sushi either.

The only thing I still don't get is natto...

Anyway maybe we should take this elsewhere, certainly nothing to do with Group C.
 
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