Happy Father’s Day! The world is celebrating today with three World Cup matches, the first of which is Switzerland vs. Ecuador in Group E. This match features two very different sides, and could turn into a rout or a very open, entertaining game.
What’s At Stake
Group E is, on paper, possibly the weakest group in the Cup. France may surprise everyone by playing well, even without their star Franck Ribéry, but there’s no way to be sure; who could have anticipated their complete meltdown in South Africa four years ago? Honduras are a really limited side who will be depending on a couple star players. So both Ecuador and Switzerland will hope to use three points today as a springboard to the second round.
There’s a twist, though. The winner and the runner-up from this Group E play the runner-up and winner, respectively, from Group F, where powerful Argentina are matched with three minnows. So the penalty for coming second in this group is almost certainly losing in the second round to Argentina, while the prize for coming first is a relatively easy match with Iran, Bosnia & Herzegovina, or Nigeria. Expect both teams to go for it today.
As I said, these two teams are very different. Ecuador play an old-school 4-4-2, with attacking, chalk-on-the-boots crossers on the wings. They’re captained by Antonio Valencia, a throwback to the days of the true winger and a dead ringer for young Michael Jackson. The Manchester United man is so dedicated to staying wide that he never developed a left leg and hardly uses it for anything but standing, twisting and turning like a contortionist to keep the ball on his right foot. It’s fun to watch.
Switzerland, meanwhile, play a modern 4-2-3-1, the formation de rigueur for the last several major tournaments . As the formation demands, they’ve got two very strong central midfielders in Inler and Behrami. Those two will act as a solid base to allow 21-year-old Xhaka to choreograph the attacking thrusts of a young Swiss front four. If the climate doesn’t temper their forward surges, the pace and energy of Switzerland could overwhelm the older Ecuadorian defense.
The commentators today are Adrian Healey and Alejandro Moreno, a solid pairing. Healey is always entertaining, and it’ll be nice to hear the Ecuadorian names pronounced correctly by Moreno after yesterday’s all-English presentation of Uruguay vs. Costa Rica.
Match-specific Drinking Games
Tony’s Left Peg: Take a stiff shot, with your left hand, whenever Antonio Valencia touches the ball with his left foot. How drunk? Sober as a priest.
Aerial Assault: Have a sip whenever Ecuador cross the ball. How drunk? Switzerland should see a lot of the ball, so it won’t be that bad.
Neutralized: Take a shot anytime Adrian Healey makes a joke about Switzerland’s politics. How drunk? Tipsy.
Switzerland: Goldschläger. If you want to switch teams, you can. Don’t drink Goldschläger in public.
Ecuador: Canelazo. “It’s a hot cocktail made of the aforementioned firewater, sugar and agua de canela (water with cinnamon),” according to our drinking guide.
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: France vs. Honduras
Picture credit: fanpop.com, Babe Berry
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