Saturday’s first match (out of FOUR!) features Colombia and Greece, two teams that will be hoping to escape from a group full of parity, if not quality. There’s no real powerhouse nation here, but Japan and Ivory Coast feature terrific athletes and technical capability. Greece may be the weakest team in the group on paper, but they looked like one of the weakest teams in the tournament when they shockingly won Euro 2004, too. They’re always defensively solid and play with intense pride. Colombia are bursting with skill, but are missing some key players through injury, including star striker Radamel Falcao. Still, it should be fun to watch players like key player James Rodriguez, on whose movement throughout the game you should keep an eye.
What’s At Stake
This is a group from which any two teams could progress. That means a winner today would be extremely likely to go through and a loser would face the uphill battle from first-match defeat that 90% of teams can’t win. (If you like reading about the math behind World Cup probabilities, check out this PDF.)
Colombia vs. Greece probably won’t be a dream for the tactics enthusiast, if only because the teams are so different. As I said, they’re not far apart in terms of likelihood to progress, but they are in terms of skill. The South Americans will likely spend a massive amount of time attacking, while the Southern Europeans will probably sit back and try to steal a goal from a long ball or set piece (corner/free kick).
Zonal Marking suggests Greece’s fullbacks like to get forward, but I don’t see that happening today; they’ll be pinned back. On the other hand, Colombia’s fullbacks, who both play wingback for Napoli in the sort of three-man/five-man defense we saw yesterday, might get caught helping out up front. So look for Greece to play clearances toward the sidelines in search of Samaras or Mitroglou. It’s their best bet.
Taylor Twellman and Adrian Healey team up today, which is like McCartney/Lennon if McCartney were a deaf mute and Lennon were just himself. Healey has a great sense of humor, and Taylor Twellman – though he has a great sense of fashion – seems allergic to irony. Expect some serious soul pain as Twellman painstakingly unwinds Healey’s clever comments.
Match-specific Drinking Games
Funny man/Straight man: Take a shot whenever Adrian Healey says something ironic and Taylor Twellman earnestly corrects it. Take another shot if it takes more than five seconds for Healey to suppress his anger and return to commentary. How drunk? Plenty of sauce + Frustrating commentary = You’ll be belligerent. Angry drunk.
Saudades de Falcao: Have a sip whenever a commentator mentions Falcao, the injured Colombia striker. How drunk? Strong buzz.
Greek Island: Throw back a shot any time a lone Greek forward doesn’t have a teammate within forty yards of him for over five seconds. How drunk? If Greece score first, death.
Colombia: Aguardiente. Fiery, anise-flavored liquor. Not for the faint of heart.
Greece: Ouzo. Also anise-flavored. I’ve never had ouzo, so let me know what you think.
For more:
– Read my general World Cup watching guide.
– Check out Zonal Marking, my favorite tactics website.
– See a commentary schedule or a review of each commentator.
– See where I’m getting my national drink recommendations.
– Check out other match previews from this group:
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