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Group C - Colombia - Greece - Ivory Coast - Japan
Colombia
The Manager: José Pékerman
- Star Player: Radamel Falcao
- Position: Striker
- Age: 28
- Team: AS Monaco
- Why? A fit Falcao is the best striker in the world. Before his injury hit first season with Monaco, his all-round goalscoring exploits were sensational. His finishing with both feet and sensational striking from the angle are two obvious qualities. However, Radamel's heading and intelligence off the ball will be the match winning traits if Colombia are to reproduce the success of the 1990's.
- One to Watch: Juan Guillermo Cuadrado
- Position: Right Winger
- Age: 25
- Team: Fiorentina
- Why? This pacey and dynamic winger scored 11 goals in 31 Serie A games this season. He's finally had a settled club season in Italy and there is no doubt that he is a game changer when in possession. Great technique and decent turn of pace, the flamboyant Cuadrado could be the key provider for the clinical Falcao up top.
- Wildcard: Teófilo Gutiérrez
- Position: Centre Forward
- Age: 28
- Team: River Plate
- Why? Second top scorer behind Falcao in this World Cup Qualifying for Colombia. Gutiérrez has formed a formidable partnership with the Monaco hit-man. What makes him a wildcard though is that if Falcao doesn’t gain fitness in time, José Pékerman may opt to partner Jackson Martinez and Carlos Baca instead.
Goalkeepers: David Ospina (Nice), Faryd Mondragon (Deportivo Cali), Camilo Vargas (Independiente Santa Fe).
Defenders: Mario Yepes (AC Milan), Cristian Zapata (AC Milan), Pablo Armero (West Ham, on loan from Napoli), Camilo Zuniga (Napoli), Aquivaldo Mosquera (Club America), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven), Luis Amaranto Perea (Cruz Azul), Eder Alvarez Balanta (River Plate), Carlos Valdes (San Lorenzo).
Midfielders: Fredy Guarin (Inter Milan), Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina), Victor Ibarbo (Cagliari), James Rodriguez (Monaco), Abel Aguilar (Toulouse), Juan Fernando Quintero (Porto), Carlos Sanchez (Elche), Macnelly Torres (Al Shabab), Aldo Leao Ramirez (Morelia), Edwin Valencia (Fluminense), Alexander Mejia (Atletico Nacional), Elkin Soto (Mainz).
Forwards: Radamel Falcao (Monaco), Luis Fernando Muriel (Udinese), Jackson Martinez (Porto), Carlos Bacca (Sevilla), Adrian Ramos (Hertha Berlin), Teofilo Gutierrez (River Plate).
Fun Fact: If Faryd Mondragon appears in Brazil, he will over take Cameroon's Roger Milla as the tournaments oldest ever player (42 years and 39 days old).
Greece
The Manager: Fernando Santos
- Star Player: Kostas Mitroglou
- Position: Striker
- Age: 26
- Team: Fulham
- Why? Despite his injury plagued and troubled £12m move to the relegated Fulham, Mitroglou will be vital for this defensive minded team to grab goals. 5 goals in qualifying and 17 in 19 games for Olypiakos up until the turn of the year is a top quality return. It remains to be seen if he can produce this kind of prolific striking in front of goal in the group stages.
- One to Watch: Sokratis Papastathopoulos
- Position: Centre back
- Age: 25
- Team: Borussia Dortmund
- Why? He was at the heart of the defence which only conceded 4 goals in the qualifying stage. With the team being built around the classy Sokratis, the rest of the backline must perform if Greece wants to make another historic tournament run
- Wildcard: Orestis Karnezis
- Position: Goalkeeper
- Age: 28
- Team: Granada CF
- Why? Karnezis started all 10 qualifying games for Greece and only conceded 4 goals, but his loan move to Granada left him on the bench looking for game time. April 12 is a date he won’t forget though. Barcelona had 29 shots on target and Karnezis's goal managed to remain intact after his heroic clean sheet. Granada won 1-0 and pretty much cost Barca the league.
Goalkeepers: Orestis Karnezis (Granada), Panagiotis Glykos (PAOK), Stefanos Kapino (Panathinaikos).
Defenders: Kostas Manolas, Giannis Maniatis, Jose Holebas (all Olympiakos), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund), Giorgios Tzavellas (PAOK), Loukas Vyntra (Levante), Vasilis Torosidis (Roma), Vangelis Moras (Verona).
Midfielders: Alexandros Tziolis (Kayserispor), Andreas Samaris (Olympiakos), Kostas Katsouranis (PAOK), Giorgos Karagounis (Fulham), Panagiotis Tachtsidis (Torino), Ioannis Fetfatzidis (Genoa), Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Bologna), Panagiotis Kone (Bologna).
Forwards: Dimitris Salpingidis (PAOK), Giorgios Samaras (Celtic), Konstantinos Mitroglou (Fulham), Theofanis Gekas (Konyaspor).
Fun Fact: Man City paid £6m for Samaras in 2006. That was money well spent...
Ivory Coast
- Star Player: Yaya Touré
- Position: Central Attacking Midfielder
- Age: 31
- Team: Manchester City
- Why? Touré seems to be getting faster and stronger with age and at 31 he is playing the best football of his career. He seems to have no weaknesses to his central midfield game, just strolling to success week in week out with Man City. However, will all the shenanigans with his agent and Birthday cake banter effect his performances?
- One to Watch: Serge Aurier
- Position: Full back
- Age: 21
- Team: Toulouse
- Why? A textbook modern day full-back who loves to get forward and is capable of delivering inch perfect crosses for Drogba and co. This highly rated defender is being heavily linked with Arsenal, his boyhood club, after Sagna’s departure.
- Wildcard: Gervinho
- Position: Winger
- Age: 26
- Team: AS Roma
- Why? 'A maverick', 'clown', 'rubbish'. All words previously used to describe Gervinho at Arsenal. Now at Roma he has found form and looks a very decent footballer. His performances in The African Nation's Cup for Les Éléphants were different class. His dribbling was accurate and looked to have a intelligent brain inside that oddly shaped head of his.
Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren), Sylvain Gbohouo (Sewe Sport), Ali Sangare Badra (Asec Mimosas), Sayouba Sande (Stabaek).
Defenders: Kolo Toure (Liverpool), Sol Bamba (Trabzonspor), Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor), Serge Aurier (Toulouse), Arthur Boka (Stuttgart), Benjamin Angoua (Valenciennes), Ousmane Viera Diarrassouba (Caykur Rizespor), Constant Djakpa (Frankfurt), Brice Dja Djedje (Marseille), Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro (Toulouse).
Midfielders: Yaya Toure (Manchester City), Cheick Tiote (Newcastle), Serey Die (Basel), Max Gradel (Saint Etienne), Diomande Ismael (Saint Etienne), Didier Ya Konan (Hannover), Mathis Bolly (Dusseldorf).
Forwards: Gervinho (Roma), Didier Drogba (Galatasaray), Salomon Kalou (Lille), Wilfried Bony (Swansea), Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow), Lacina Traore (Everton, on loan from Monaco), Giovanni Sio (Basel).
Fun Fact: The mum’s of the players at the team’s core meet up regularly for an awesome feast and fun. They are called the Elephant Mother’s Club. Absentee’s must formally excuse themselves.
Japan
The Manager: Alberto Zaccheroni
- Star Player: Keisuke Honda
- Position: Central Attacking Midfielder
- Age: 27
- Team: AC Milan
- Why? After being deployed as a striker in the last World Cup, Honda will be relishing his chance to prove himself on the world stage in his favoured 'number 10' role this time around. An expert set-piece taker who can also unlock defences with fine intricate passes. Honda will be crucial to Japan’s hopes of advancing out of a tough group. Cue any type of motoring/zooming/engine jokes from Mark Lawrenson...
- One to Watch: Shinji Okazaki
- Position: Forward
- Age: 28
- Team: 1. FSV Mainz 05
- Why? After failing as a winger for Stuttgart, Okazaki moved to Mainz 05 at the start of the 13/14 season. He was deployed as a striker and flourished, scoring 15 goals in 33 games helping his club to clinch a Europa League spot for next season. Okazaki though, is still deployed as a winger for Japan but will most certainly come up with a vital goal if needed.
- Wildcard: Yasuhito Endō
- Position: Central Midfielder
- Age: 34
- Team: Gamba Osaka
- Why? Endō divides opinion amongst fans in Japan. Undoubtedly a legend and the most capped Japanese player ever, he is still preferred over younger talent by manager Zaccheroni. A pass master who is trusted with possession and dictating the tempo of the game. There are question marks over Endō and how he will deal with the more muscular midfield's of Ivory Coast, Greece and Colombia.
Defenders: Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo), Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Masahiko Inoha (Jubilo Iwata), Atsuto Uchida (Schalke 04), Hiroki Sakai (Hannover 96), Gotoku Sakai (VfB Stuttgart).
Midfielders: Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Keisuke Honda (AC Milan), Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United), Makoto Hasebe (FC Nuremberg), Hiroshi Kiyotake (FC Nuremberg), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Toshihiro Aoyama (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Manabu Saito (Yokohama F. Marinos).
Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Mainz), Yoichiro Kakitani (Cerezo Osaka), Yuya Osako (TSV Munich 1860), Yoshito Okubo (Kawasaki Frontale).
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