The World Cup is less than two weeks away and excitement has reached fever pitch. The quadrennial event is usually an extravaganza of the world’s top football talent battling it out on the pitch to secure the coveted golden trophy. It is tough to pick an outright favourite to win as each team has it’s many strengths but also some gaping weaknesses. Twelve players have been chosen to represent their countries in the current Arsenal squad, though one has been subsequently released: Park Chu Young and another has never played for the first team: Joel Campbell. In the last edition it was Fabregas who came back with a winners medal which Gunner could it be this time?
France: Laurent Koscienly, Olivier Giroud and Bacary Sagna
Les Bleus had a disastrous campaign in the last World Cup, not making it out of the group stages amidst chaos and player rebellion. With 1998 World Cup winning captain Didier Deschamps at the helm they will be looking for a greatly improved showing in this edition. The French squad has nine players based in the Premier League of which three represent Arsenal (for now). Laurent Koscienly has had a stellar season at the back for Arsenal and his partnership with Per Mertesacker has been vital, France will be hoping he is able to replicate the same form. Sagna too has had a good season for the Gunners as an attacking right-back constantly bombarding forward. Deschamps will be keen to have a fully focussed Sagna, who is in the midst of some transfer drama with a possible move away from The Emirates very likely. Olivier Giroud too has had an extremely productive season, though he has been lambasted by fans and critics throughout the recently concluded season. He went some way in silencing those critics by laying off the assist for the winner in the FA Cup final for Arsenal. His recent partnership with Loic Remy up front against Paraguay was refreshing to see and could be the solution should Benzema fail to get into top gear at the World Cup. France have an exciting mix of young and old faces in their lineup. With the likes of Pogba, Griezmann, Cabaye etc they could do well in the tournament but winning it is still a tall order. The lack of Nasri could hurt their creativity in midfield along with further injury to star player Franck Ribery may just hurt the French more than they bargained for. The team however could build on this experience in preparation for Euro 2016 which is hosted by France.
Spain: Santi Cazorla
La Furia Roja have won three tournaments on the trot and are now looking to win a fourth to cement their place as the greatest international side of all time. The depth in the Spanish midfield can only be matched by that in the Mariana Trench. It is packed with world class talent that could make up two separate squads. It is then that one realizes that it is no mean feat for Santi Cazorla to have been included in the final Spanish squad for the World Cup. By his standards the little Spaniard had an on again off again season for the Gunners. But like Giroud his heroics in the FA Cup final could be just the boost he needs to fire his country to a second World Cup title. What may hurt the team is a lack of suitable firepower up front. Diego Costa had a marvelous season for Atleti but his injury concerns could derail Spanish hopes. Torres is a spent force for club but scores a handy few for country. Could he be the unlikely hero just like he was in Euro 2008? The Spaniards have a tricky group stage with the likes of Netherlands and Chile being in it. The last time Spain met Netherlands in the World Cup was in the final of the last edition which should really have been called Fight Club 2.0 for the sheer ugliness of the contest. Additionally, they were comprehensively beaten by Brazil in the Confederations Cup. Should they address some concerns in attack and at the back where Pique can be a huge liability at times, they could go on to retain the title. Many feel that they will, their track record is excellent in recent tournaments and they always click when it matters most, Del Bosque is an efficient manager who works within a sytem that is able to bring out the best in his players. With Spain it is a complete team performance that defines them
Germany: Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski
Die Mannschaft on paper looks like the World Champions. Top to bottom the team screams efficiency. They are also the most consistent team in tournaments having reached the semi final stage of the Euros and World Cups with relative ease but have choked when it mattered the most. Germany's problems are similar to that of Spain with the strike force being woefully inadequate. Per Mertesacker was a rock at the heart of the Arsenal defence and was vital in the FA Cup win. Mesut Ozil will be seen as key for Germany with his creative prowess expected to come to the fore. Lukas Podolski may be asked to play at the top if injury hits Klose. They are in the tournament's Group of Death with Portugal, Ghana and the USA. None of these teams are easy to play and Germany will have to be at their very best to live up to their favourites tag. The question is does Germany have what it takes to beat the hoodoo? Their midfield is talented but again with no output upfront for all the creative input they too could suffer a similar fate to Spain. Klose at 35 still scores the goals but to rely on him to deliver is a tall order. Will the specialists in reaching the semi-finals take it two steps further to deliver a fourth crown? Only time will tell.
England: Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain
The Three Lions have been placed in an extremely tough group themselves and they will play their games in the sauna that is Manaus. Nobody even expects them to qualify from the group stages. The team is young and vibrant but the manager has less than inspirational tactics and the back four is as leaky as a ship riddled with holes. To make matters worse their only exciting player: The Ox sustained possible ligament damage which may rule him out of the tournament. Jack Wilshere himself is a bit of an enigma. When on song he can drive any team forward but in recent times he has a penchant to go down very easily when accosted by an opposition player. His injury record is also quite sketchy and both players had a very stop start season due to those injuries. Wilshere did however play a crucial role in the FA Cup victory at Wembley and Hodgson will be hoping that he is able to replicate his 2011 Arsenal form in the tournament. As for England they look like a team without a plan. They have been less than impressive in the last two friendlies. Suarez, Balotelli and Cavani must be licking their lips in anticipation of facing that weak Terry-less English defence. It would take a miracle for England to lift the World Cup.
Belgium: Thomas Vermaelen
The Red Devils are everybody's pick as the dark horses for the tournament. By far one of the most complete sides that has good depth in every department a semi-final position may not be a bridge too far for them. Vermaelen hasn't featured very prominently for Arsenal this season but when called upon he has done a good job at both centre-back and left-back. With most of the Belgian squad plying their trade in the Premier League most people know how potent Belgium could be. This team has been derived from a very carefully laid plan by the Belgian FA following a series of successive failures at the international level. Such a shakeup from the junior level has paid rich dividends as you have a fluid team with a great understanding of each other. Wilmots has a rich talent pool to choose from and should he guide the team in the right fashion we could witness the birth of a new world order in International football.
South Korea and Costa Rica: Park Chu Young and Joel Campbell
Park has since been released by Arsenal and his club career has nearly faded into mediocrity. Korea as such haven't really reached the heady heights of World Cup 2002 to reach the semi-finals albeit in cotroversial circumstances. Joel Campbell had an amazing season for Olympiacos and would be hoping to carry that form into the national team as well.
In conclusion there are many contenders but there can be only one king. Purely due to their big tournament temperament and experienced manager the Gunner that would most likely be heading back to The Emirates with a winners medal would be Santi Cazorla