World Cup 2014: Examining How Well Tuesday’s UEFA Qualifiers Will Do in Brazil

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: November 20, 2013

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Portugal, France, Croatia and Greece earned a spot in the 2014 World Cup with aggregate wins in their UEFA playoffs. Now that they're locked in, it's a good time to examine how they might fare.

Although the World Cup is still months away, you can look at each team and have at least an initial idea of how they might perform. Most managers have got something close to their best lineups, and it's not as if they can go and make a big transfer to improve the side. They can only work with what they've got.

Then again, who could've predicted the Netherlands' collapse at the 2012 European Championship after their runner-up finish at the 2010 World Cup and peerless qualification?

Sometimes, crazy stuff happens. For the most part, though, it's business as usual, and the same top teams end up meeting in the later stages of the tournament.

So let's go ahead and take a look at the fortunes for the four European teams that advanced to the World Cup on Tuesday night.

 

Portugal



Although Cristiano Ronaldo can carry Portugal against a team like Sweden, can he do it against Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Italy, etc? That is the biggest question regarding Portugal's chances at the World Cup.

Sure there could be some improvement between now and next summer, but it's unlikely the side that you see in Brazil will be wildly different from the side fans have seen the last three or four years. So much of the country's fortunes hinge on the performance of Ronaldo.

He's one of the best players in the world, but against tough, organized defenses, you need more than that.

For now, this looks like a very good side that are not quite at the level it takes to win the World Cup. Unless they get another "Group of Death," Portugal would appear a lock to make it to the knockout rounds.

However, when they meet another world power, they could be in tro...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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