The first match of Group D is our second match of this massive Saturday. South American powerhouse and two-time World Cup champions Uruguay take on the “Ticos” of Costa Rica. The other two teams in this group play later; they are England (one World Cup) and Italy (four World Cups), which means Costa Rica can rightly feel aggrieved to have been drawn into this difficult group. They may present some problems for their three opponents – if only because they’re not a widely recognizable bunch and they usually put up a mighty defensive wall.
What’s At Stake
Uruguay will feel they need to take three points today before their two more difficult games against England and Italy. Costa Rica are considered unlikely to progress, and they’d be happy to steal a point from the South Americans. It’s worth noting, however, that Costa Rica is capable of powerful bouts of football-playing, as the USA men found out when they lost to the Ticos, 3-1, last fall. In that game, the Central Americans, fired up after having been forced to play through a blizzard in the States, came out pressing and took a two-goal lead within ten minutes. They’ve got speed and quality, and something tells me they’ll be a handful for England next week.
Costa Rica is another team that uses a five-man/three-man defense, but theirs will probably truly be a five-man defense, with the wingbacks glued to the three centerbacks in a wall of five. That will make them look something like a 5-2-3, with Yeltsin Tejeda sitting deep and only Celso Borges offering much support to the front three.
Uruguay will employ a 4-4-2, but two flying wingers in Stuani and Rodriguez will make it look like the sort of 4-2-4 that was in vogue when Uruguay won the World Cup in Brazil sixty-four years ago. Uruguay are missing their best player today in Luís Suárez, pictured above, a full-time diver, part-time cannibal, and one of the world’s five or so best players.
Jon Champion and Stewart Robson. We saw these two yesterday. Robson was as bulldoggishly English as we expected, accusing Diego Costa of stepping on his marker’s foot to win a penalty but not considering that, since he’s human, Costa’s foot had to come down somewhere eventually and an anatomically-aware centerback might have been able to predict where it might land. Today features two Latin teams, with all the attendant diving and (gasp!) technical skill. Robson might not survive this one.
Match-specific Drinking Games
Stuart the Puritan: Have a drink whenever Stuart Robson uses the phrase “He’s gone down easily there.” How drunk? Drunk.
Under Siege: Take a shot whenever the excellent Costa Rican goalkeeper Navas stops one. How drunk? So drunk.
It’s the Humidity: Drink something cold whenever a player fakes an injury to give everyone else a chance to grab some water. How drunk? I’d go easy on the sauce the first half, or you might be in trouble in the last twenty minutes.
Argentina: Máte. The first non-alcoholic drink on our list, but it’s herbal, so drink enough and I’m sure something will happen.
Costa Rica: Guaro. Don’t drink this stuff. It’s three in the afternoon, man come on. You shouldn’t be rooting for Costa Rica, anyway.
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: England vs. Italy
Picture credit: express.co.uk
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