World Cup 2022 Group A
GROUP A
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
| Netherlands | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| Senegal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| Ecuador | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Qatar | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
Sean O'Conor
[Team Jersey Images © Soccerphile]
Qatar
Qatar enter their home World Cup with most watchers expecting a swift elimination.
The first-time qualifiers are fancied to match South Africa's group stage exit as hosts in 2010 but will be buoyed by the excitement of hosting as well as their 2019 Asian Cup triumph, which punctured much of the sniping.
No-one can fault their trying. To prepare for their hosting, Qatar took part in the Copa America, Gold Cup and even (as friendlies) UEFA World Cup qualifiers. From a starting point of 112th in the world rankings when awarded the tournament 12 years ago, the Annabi (Maroons) have risen to 50th on the eve of it.
They have also played no less than 20 matches this year, including losses to Croatia U23 and Linfield. But they have won their last four games, all against CONCACAF opponents, which will give them some confidence going into the cauldron of Group A.
The Annabi will certainly need a tight defence and goalkeeper Saad Al-Sheeb to be on top form as their first round opponents pack a lot of firepower.
But coach Felix Sanchez has taught his men to attack and press when possible and shift from a packed defence to a five-man midfield when in possession.
Sanchez, a former Barcelona youth coach, has been working at Qatar's famous Aspire academy since 2006, coached their U19 and U23 teams before taking over the national team in 2017. His prolonged commitment to the Qatari cause meant there was no need to parachute in a higher-profile manager for 2022.
The Catalan connection continues with a large tranche of the team coming from Al Sadd, who were coached by Xavi until last year, followed by Spaniards Javi Gracia and Juan Manuel Lillo, as Qatar has striven to tap into Iberian know-how.
On the minus side there is a very small player pool (the nation's native population is only 380,000) and the defence has not proven itself against top-level opposition.
The defence can react slowly and the midfield leave holes. A 2-0 defeat to modest Canada in September laid their shortcomings bare while famous wins over Japan and South Korea in 2019 slipped further into history.
Striker Almoez Ali bagged nine at that Asian Cup triumph, a tournament record, which remains the Maroons' finest hour. He was also top scorer at the 2021 Gold Cup, where the invitees made the last four and lost their semi-final only 1-0.
Ali and strike partner Akram Afif, backed by skipper Hassan Al-Haydos and midfield schemer Abdulaziz Hatem behind them are key, and they must draw on the host nation's fervour to be ambitious in attack. But the side's lowly ranking and relative lack of football experience points to a baptism of fire, even if they are at home.
All the squad play in Qatar and have been in camp since June, so there will be no shortage of team spirit. FIFA's hosting decision and the nation itself have come under relentless criticism off the field so the team will feel some responsibility to show a good side of Qatar on it.
United they will stand or fall.
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Qatar Kit 1 |
Qatar Kit 2 |
Qatar v Ecuador - 20th November (Al Bayt)
Qatar v Senegal - 25th November
Qatar v Netherlands - 29th November
Coach
Coach: Felix Sanchez
Record
Best World Cup: First appearance in 2022
Formation
5-3-2
Men to watch
Almoez Ali - on a crazy quest to score in four separate international competitions (after the 2019 Asian Cup and Copa America and 2021 Gold Cup), the 26 year-old Sudanese-born striker will become his country's record goalscorer if he scores a brace at the finals. He has had spells in the Austrian and Spanish second tiers.
Akram Afif - a roving attacker, the 25 year-old is the creative hub in the final third, dovetailing nicely with the penalty box predator Ali. After failing to hold down places at Sporting Gijon and Eupen he returned to Al Sadd in 2018.
The captain and the player with the most caps, Hassan Al-Haydos has been the jewel in the Qatari crown long before their rise under the guidance of Félix Sánchez.
The hosts are rated 500/1 to lift the trophy and 11/2 to get out the group, which looks an extremely tall order.
How they qualified
Host nation.
On the sidelines
Al Duhail midfielder Abdullah Al-Ahrak misses the finals with a torn ACL.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Saad Al-Sheeb (Al-Sadd), Meshaal Barsham (Al-Sadd), Yousef Hassan (Al-Gharafa)
Defenders: Pedro Miguel (Al-Sadd), Musaab Khidir (Al-Sadd), Tarek Salman (Al-Sadd), Bassam Al-Rawi (Al-Duhail), Boualem Khoukhi (Al-Sadd), Abdelkarim Hassan (Al-Sadd), Ismaeel Mohammad (Al-Duhail), Homam Ahmed (Al-Gharafa), Jassem Gaber (Al-Arabi)
Midfielders: Ali Asad (Al-Sadd), Assim Modibo (Al-Duhail), Mohammed Waad (Al-Sadd), Salem Al-Hajri (Al-Sadd), Moustafa Tarek (Al-Sadd), Karim Boudiaf (Al-Duhail), Abdelaziz Hatim (Al-Rayyan)
Strikers: Naif Alhadhrami (Al-Rayyan), Ahmed Alaaeldin (Al-Gharafa), Hassan Al-Haydos (Al-Sadd), Khalid Muneer (Al-Wakrah), Akram Afif (Al-Sadd), Almoez Ali (Al-Duhail), Mohamed Muntari (Al-Duhail)
Ecuador
El Tri are back for their fourth World Cup finals with modest expectations and hopeful of springing an upset.
After missing out on Russia 2018, in the qualifying campaign for Qatar they announced they were back in business with a memorable 6-1 thumping of neighbours Colombia in Quito two years ago.
But after a flying start they stumbled over the line with a loss and three draws in their final four games to barely grab CONMEBOL's last automatic ticket to the finals.
Argentine coach Gustavo Alfaro has brought many of the 2019 U-20 South American championship-winning side through to the full national team and after Ecuador's three draws and a loss in the 2021 Copa America, bolstered a faltering defence with Santos Laguna's Felix Torres, which proved decisive.
Alfaro has continued Ecuador's counter-attacking style, which relies on strong running and fast breaks after absorbing attacks in compact blocks: Transition is their middle name.
Brighton full back Pervis Estupinan typifies this approach, using his physical presence to halt incursions before roaring up the left flank and popping up in goalscoring positions.
Centre backs Piero Hincapie and Torres are both good on the ball, while the centre is anchored by Augsburg's Carlos Gruezo, allowing Brighton's Moses Caicedo and Talleres' Alan Franco to burst forward.
2014 veteran and the country's record scorer Enner Valencia is still up front, but goal-grabbing duties have largely passed to Cruz Azul marksman Michael Estrada, who bagged half a dozen in qualifying and whose pace and height will threaten in Qatar.
The duo, like teammates Gonzalo Plata and brothers Renato and Romario Ibarra, typify the side's fast and muscular attack, with plenty of supersub pace on the bench.
On the other hand, the squad is the youngest of the five CONMEBOL qualifiers and accrued 40 cards in qualifying, showing they lack some big-match experience.
And after a promising campaign, Ecuador failed to score against both Japan and Saudi Arabia in September's warm-up games. In fact they have only netted twice in their last five - notching 1-0 wins against Nigeria and Cape Verde. Fans pray the goal drought is over and they are keeping their powder dry for Qatar.
The soccer-loving nation of 18 million is excited to return to El Mundial and breathed a sigh of relief when an 11th-hour challenge to defender Byron Castillo's eligibility at the Court of Arbitration for Sport was dismissed on the 9th of November.
CAS confirmed Peru and Chile's appeal but effectively ruled it would have meant too much upheaval to throw Ecuador out two weeks before the World Cup kicks off.
Group A is tough, with the first hurdle a tournament opener against the host nation more difficult than it appears on paper. But a win against Qatar and El Tri will face the Dutch with confidence.
Their final group game against Senegal looks like their D-Day and for a country who have only done it once before, just reaching the knockout stages will be seen back home as a triumph.
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Ecuador Kit 1
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Ecuador Kit 2
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Ecuador v Qatar Nov 20th (Al Khor)
Ecuador v Netherlands Nov 25th (Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan)
Ecuador v Senegal Nov 29th (Al Rayyan)
Coach
Gustavo Alfaro
Record
Best World Cup: Round of 16 in 2006 in Germany.
Formation
4-3-3
Men to watch
Moses Caicedo - Niño Moi (Kid Moi) is the highest-rated Ecuadorian player going into the World Cup. The Brighton midfielder is the beating heart of the side, a box to box metronome gaining rave reviews in the Premier League, and still only 21. Expect his value to soar post-tournament.
Angel Mena - aged 34 there might not be any big-money move in the offing but the Leon midfielder should catch the eye with his intelligent passes and runs. A left-footer who plays on the right, he also pops up invisibly in the box, as he reads the game so well. Alfaro rates him as one of the most intelligent players he has known.
250/1 to win the World Cup, 6/1 to win Group A and 11/8 to qualify for the second round. They blew hot and cold in qualifying but have a good shot at making it out of the group. Beating their record of reaching the Round of 16 looks unlikely as England may await then.
How they qualified
Ecuador finished fourth in CONMEBOL qualifiers, bagging the last automatic berth.
On the sidelines
Monterrey winger Joao Rojas will miss the tournament with an ACL tear, while the coach is sweating on centre-back Robert Arboleda and winger Ayrton Preciado, Ecuador's top scorer at last year's Copa America.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Moises Ramirez (Independiente del Valle), Alexander Dominguez (LDU Quito), Hernan Galindez (Aucas)
Defenders: Piero Hincapie (Bayer Leverkusen), Robert Arboleda (Sao Paulo), Pervis Estupinan (Brighton), Angelo Preciado (Genk), Jackson Porozo (Troyes), Xavier Arreaga (Seattle Sounders), Diego Palacios (Los Angeles FC), Felix Torres (Santos Laguna), William Pacho (Royal Antwerp)
Midfielders: Carlos Gruezo (FC Augsburgo), Jose Cifuente (Los Angeles FC), Alan Franco (Talleres), Moises Caicedo (Brighton), Angel Mena (Club Leon), Jeremy Sarmiento (Brighton), Jhegson Méndez (Los Angeles FC), Ayrton Preciado (Santos Laguna), Gonzalo Plata (Real Valladolid), 22. Romario Ibarra (Santos Laguna)
Strikers: Djorkaeff Reasco (Newell's Old Boys), Kevin Rodriguez (Imbabura), Michael Estrada (Cruz Azul), Enner Valencia (Fenerbahce)
Senegal
The Lions of Teranga arrive as African champions and were poised to make the sort of seismic impact Cameroon did at Italia '90 and Ghana almost made at South Africa 2010.
Until that is, a hammer blow arrived on the 18th of November with the news that talisman Sadio Mané will miss the World Cup after undergoing knee surgery following an injury playing for Bayern earlier this month.
Mané was the side's undoubted jewel, a world-class striker who has carried on in Munich where he left off at Liverpool. His absence leaves a hole on the left of the attack coach Aliou Cisse must hastily fill. Watford's Ismaila Sarr will raid from the right, but Cisse can choose from a quartet of strikers to replace Mané and someone to play No.9.
The most likely choice for the latter will be Salernitana's Boulaye Dia, but Sheffield United's Iliman nDiaye, Marseille's Bamba Dieng and Alanyaspor's Famara Diédhiou will vie to replace Mané.
Senegal find themselves in a tough group with Ecuador and the Dutch jostling for the top two spots. Although the Lions won the Africa Cup of Nations last year, they failed to fire in the first round, scoring only once in three matches; a sluggish beginning they cannot afford in Qatar.
Senegal take plenty of shots from distance too and are bound to take some chances. Even without Mané they have some firepower up front.
But for all the eyes on the forwards, Senegal's strength is in defence, marshalled by captain Kalidou Koulibaly in the middle and Chelsea teammate Edouard Mendy in goal.
Nullifying Mohamed Salah in the AFCON final and World Cup playoff proved their mettle. They do not gegenpress on the whole but rather sit tight and win possession back in their own third by blocking passes.
Completing the French-born back four is RB Leipzig's Abdou Diallo in central defence, Milan's Fode Ballo-Toure at left back and Real Betis' Youssouf Sabaly on the right.
The manager Aliou Cisse is a former defender himself and true to his nickname of 'El Tactico', has spoken of reshaping the 4-4-2 he used with success in the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon into a less expansive 3-5-2 in Qatar, wary as he is of the improved calibre of opposition.
This sounds wise and there is any criticism of Cisse it is that he has perfected the art of not conceding to the exclusion of mining his talented offensive third's riches.
Midfielders Idrissa Gueye, Nampalys Mendy and Cheikhou Kouyaté are classically African footballers - muscular, strong runners, charged with disrupting opposition attacks and feeding their speedy forwards. But they are all over 30 and not at their peak, while the younger midfielders - Tottenham's Pape Matar Sarr (20), Monaco's Krépin DIatta (23) and Marseille's Papa Gueye (23) are not as trusted by the manager.
CAF nations have traditionally fractious dressing rooms and trigger-happy associations, so the loyalty and patience Senegal has shown Cisse is refreshing, and is paying dividends.
The 46 year-old was their skipper at the 2002 World Cup and has been national team manager for seven years, storing up a well of respect for bouncing back from first round elimination in Russia to continental finalists a year later and last year, finally champions.
Facing the Dutch in their first game is akin to another cup final, but a probable win over Qatar should set them up nicely for a do-or-die final clash with Ecuador.
The loss of Mané though is huge.
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Senegal Kit 1
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Senegal Kit 2
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Senegal v Netherlands Nov 21st (Al Thumama)
Senegal v Qatar Nov 25th (Al Thumama)
Senegal v Ecuador Nov 29th (Khalifa International Stadium)
Coach
Aliou Cisse
Record
Best World Cup: Quarter Final 2002
Formation
4-3-3 or 4-4-2
Men to watch
Ismaïla Sarr - With Mané's late exit, the onus falls upon the Watford 24 year-old to run at defences and win set pieces. 29 goals in 105 games for club and 10 in 48 for country are decent returns for a winger. His long legs will be doing a lot of running in Qatar.
Kalidou Koulibaly - Mane's alter ego at the back, the Chelsea man is in charge of keeping Senegal's backline unbreached. A real rock on his day, his eight years at Napoli marked him out as a commanding central defender, strong in the tackle, but also a key conductor of attacks with long passes out of defence. His only weakness is he is often a card risk.
Senegal are 125/1 to win the World Cup and 5/6 to make it out of Group A. They have the form and players to make the quarter finals in Qatar. If the cards fall for them they could even break Africa's duck and be the continent's first World Cup semi-finalist.
How they qualified
Senegalbeat Egypt on penalties after a 1-1 draw on aggregate in CAF's Third Round.
On the sidelines
Bayern winger Bouna Sarr's knee surgery keeps him out of action until after the tournament.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Seny Dieng (Queens Park Rangers), Alfred Gomis (Rennes), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)
Defenders: Fode Ballo-Toure (AC Milan), Pape Abdou Cisse (Olympiakos), Abdou Diallo (RB Leipzig), Ismail Jakobs (Monaco), Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Formose Mendy (Amiens), Youssouf Sabaly (Real Betis)
Midfielders: Pathe Ciss (Rayo Vallecano), Krepin Diatta (Monaco), Idrissa Gana Gueye (Everton), Pape Gueye (Marseille), Cheikhou Kouyate (Nottingham Forest), Mamadou Loum Ndiaye (Reading), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City), Moustapha Name (Pafos), Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur)
Strikers: Boulaye Dia (Salernitana), Famara Diedhiou (Alanyaspor), Bamba Dieng (Marseille), Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal), Sadio Mane* (Bayern Munich), Iliman Ndiaye (Sheffield United), Ismaila Sarr (Watford) *Sadio Mane has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury
Netherlands
After missing the boat to Russia four years ago, the best football nation never to have lifted the ultimate prize return to the World Cup in fine form.
It is a delight to see Louis Van Gaal enjoying his managerial afterlife at the age of 71. At the helm of Oranje for the third time, 22 years after his first stint in the job, he remains as unpredictable and blunt as ever, handing Ajax's Remko Passveer his debut at the age of 38 and calling the choice of Qatar as hosts "ridiculous" and FIFA's justification "bullshit."
The old Dutch master only took charge in June of last year but made a sudden impact, notching five wins and a draw out of six World Cup qualifiers, blending youth and experience quite seamlessly.
This year the orange juice has kept flowing with six wins and two draws, the pick of which was a 4-1 away win over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League.
Whatever their shortcomings - the lack of a dominant goalkeeper or key performers enjoying limited playing time at club level, the Dutch arrive at the World Cup in high spirits.
Jasper Cillessen should keep goal despite the late arrival of Passveer, with Virgil Van Dijk ruling the box ahead of him and the energetic Jurrien Timber and Nathan Ake as wing backs.
Van Dijk has been oddly out of sorts for Liverpool this season but remains the defensive keystone and a set-piece protagonist. Bayern's Matthijs de Ligt, the squad's highest valued member, is not best-suited to this formation so is unlikely to feature.
Van Gaal cannot play his preferred 4-3-3 because the Dutch, for once, lack two good wingers, so he will field Memphis and probably Steven Bergwijn in front of a trident of Steven Berghuis, Frenkie De Jong and Davy Klaassen, the last two of whom are also struggling at club level. De Jong is the leader and orchestrator of the side when on song.
An alternative is to field Club Brugge's Noa Lang on the left wing. Lang, 23, has a bad boy reputation but since debuting for Oranje last year has shown some dazzling ball skills and a hunger to attack. Without a right-sided counterweight, he is more likely to be an impact sub.
Other striking options include ex-Tottenham striker Vincent Janssen or the PSV pair of Luuk de Jong and Cody Gakpo, while many hope Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners gets a look-in for his exquisite long-range passing.
Van Gaal admits his side is top-heavy but forward favouritism has certainly brought goals.
Finding weaknesses is not easy but in Euro 2020 the Dutch were outmuscled by the Czech Republic having sailed through the first round. The club form of anchorman Van Dijk is also a concern.
Both Ecuador and Senegal have physical prowess and pace which could expose Dutch deficiencies, although Qatar should prove easy meat in their final game and the Netherlands have not lost a World Cup group game since 1994.
We shall soon discover whether the clockwork Oranje will tick. They enter the fray with a gentle fanfare on the back of a 15-game unbeaten streak and the traditionally fractious Dutch dressing room seems a thing of the past.
Van Gaal's swansong should be a sweet one.
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Netherlands Kit 1
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Netherlands Kit 2
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Netherlands v Senegal Nov 21st (Al Thumama)
Netherlands v Ecuador Nov 25th (Khalifa)
Netherlands v Qatar Nov 29th (Al Bayt)
Coach
Louis Van Gaal
Record
Best World Cup: Final 1974 and 2010, losing to Germany and Spain.
Formation
3-5-2 / 5-3-2
Men to watch
Memphis Depay - despite his club woes, the 28-year-old scored 12 in qualifying to place him eight goals behind Robin Van Persie's Dutch record. He plays like a schoolboy who loves taking free kicks and dribbling through defences before shooting. The only mystery is how Van Gaal failed to get the best out of him at Old Trafford from 2015-2017.
Frenkie De Jong - hailed as the great new Dutch talent not long ago, the 25-year-old has recently slipped down the pecking order at Barcelona and been embroiled in transfer talk, but in an orange jersey he thrives and in Van Gaal has a coach he can trust. At his best he is a complete midfielder and one of Holland's holy trinity along with Van Dijk and Memphis.
The Netherlands are 14/1 to lift the trophy and 4/7 to win their group. They look certs to make the knockout stages and in a fairly open tournament could reach the last four. Their way ahead could hinge on avoiding England in the round of 16.
How they qualified
The Dutch won Group G, with seven wins, two draws and one defeat, ending with a goal difference of +25.
On the sidelines
Georginio Wijnaldum misses out after breaking his shin on loan at Roma. Ex-Ajax and Valencia goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen was surprisingly omitted at the last minute and Bayern youngster Ryan Gravenberch was also left at home.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Justin Bijlow (Feyenoord), Andries Noppert (Heerenveen), Remko Pasveer (Ajax)
Defenders: Nathan Ake (Manchester City), Daley Blind (Ajax), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen), Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich), Tyrell Malacia (Manchester United), Jurrien Timber (Ajax), Stefan de Vrij (Inter Milan)
Midfielders: Steven Berghuis (Ajax), Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Davy Klaassen (Ajax), Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta), Marten de Roon (Atalanta), Xavi Simons (PSV Eindhoven), Kenneth Taylor (Ajax)
Strikers: Steven Bergwijn (Ajax), Memphis Depay (Barcelona), Cody Gakpo (PSV), Vincent Janssen (Antwerp), Luuk de Jong (PSV), Noah Lang (Club Brugge), Wout Weghorst (Besiktas)