World Cup Predictions: Football’s Coming Home?

With the greatest sporting tournament kicking off today, here are my World Cup predictions for the summer.

“It’s coming home!” I’ve got England going all the way, while I think heavyweights like Portugal and Brazil could fall short of expectations.

France and Spain are rightly among the favorites; they’re loaded with talent. But Spain’s injury concerns and France’s (potential issues) with attacking chemistry and defensive vulnerabilities give me pause.

Those are my early calls. Agree? Disagree? Who do you have lifting the trophy? 👀🏆

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey everyone, with the World Cup just around the corner, I thought I'd give you guys my thoughts on what teams are gonna do well and what teams are not. Starting off with I don't think Spain is gonna win it and they're the clear favorites right now. I don't think France is gonna win this World Cup. I don't think Portugal's gonna win it. I don't think Brazil is gonna do well. I can't see them getting past around 32. That is actually a shock for a lot of people given the historical performance of the country and the talent level they continue to produce year in, year out. But I just I see them underperforming this season. I think the US actually can do better than most people think. I think I see them going past around 16 and you know into the quarterfinals. I think they got a solid group of guys, you know, being at home obviously comes with pressure, but I think it comes with an opportunity to like play really well and play hard. For my predictions for the World Cup, I think England's actually gonna win this one. I think when you look at the team as a whole, like it's the most balanced looking at defensive midfielders and then forward. I know you know the likes of Saka and Rashford, Gorin haven't had the best of seasons. But when you have a guy like Harry Kane up top, I think you have a good shot. And then I think team chemistry is gonna be important. I think the reason Argentina won the last World Cup wasn't because they were the most talented team in the World Cup, it was because that team was bought in. Those guys absolutely love and adore Messi, and they were willing to die for him, right? So when you combine that team cohesion with the Messi X factor, like that you guys you would imagine, it's a recipe for success, and that's what ended up happening. And my issues with Spain is that Laminal, who's the best player, is currently out with an injury. And going forward, there's gonna be an over-reliance on him. And you know, with those fitness questions, if the other's Nico Williams, friend Torres, if those guys can't really step up and Lamin is injured, or they get three or four guys on him, then you know the attack can be shut down. I also have questions about Roderick, right? He was the best player in the Euros when they won it uh several years back, and just coming back from major injuries, and he hasn't looked the same with City. So the spine is not as good as it was back with the Euros, the front line with Yamine, arguably the best player in the world right now, is looking shaky with that injury. And so, as much as you know, I think they're a super talented team, they have the experience, right? Good experience between young and old. They won the Euros, like they have a lot going for them. I think the issues around Yameen going forward and then Raji in the midfield are gonna be problems for them, and that's why I don't see them winning this World Cup with friends. They have the best talent, like in terms of attacking power, right? You got Mbappe, you got Uzma Dembele, you got Jericho, you got Olise, you know, super, super talented attackers who can win you the games. My question is around the defensive vulnerabilities, and I think the games I've seen them play recently, they've kind of struggled to play out of the back, and they are vulnerable to high press. You know, I think in in a major tournament like the World Cup, you need to be sound defensively. And I don't get a lot of confidence from that France defensive prowess, and then also the team chemistry dynamic I mentioned earlier. I think the last two World Cups where France went to the finals, it was very clear that you know Mbappe was a top dog, one of the best players in the world, if arguably not the best in the world. But this year, he's done well. He's done really well. Madrid hasn't done well, but he's done well individually. You can make the argument that the likes of Olysse or Uzmant Mbele are the top dog of that team. And so I don't know what those guys I think they don't have as speck of an ego as Mbappe, but I just think team chemistry dynamic, they might struggle a little bit there, even though they have the best attack in the world. No questions. Nobody comes close to them in terms of just pure talent. I think you know, talent's one thing, but be able to play together and to play really well together and to have that buy-in is super important. I just think France might, for the first time in a while, struggle with that. I just think it's gonna be hard. They made the finals of the last two World Cups, right? They won in 2018, they went to the final, lost PKs, Argentina in 2022 in Qatar. So to go to the World Cup final a third time, I think would be kind of hard given it's a major tournament, and there's a lot of teams that want to win it. Portugal, right? I think Portugal, you know, a big Ronaldo fan, would love nothing more than for him to go away and retire with the World Cup. I think he deserves it. He's been carrying that nation for decades. This is probably the best team they've had in the longest time since Ronaldo's been there. The problem is back to the chemistry aspect of the game, right? Should Ronaldo be starting? That's a legitimate question. And he wants it so bad, and I think sometimes, when the games I've seen, he's been selfish at times. He's not gonna contribute as much defensively as somebody like Gonzalo Ramos would. And you know, his link up and build up play might not be as good. But again, he's Ronaldo. He's the best goal scorer in the world, arguably, right, with Messi. And so do you start him? He wants to start, he expects to start, and if he doesn't, that's gonna be a problem. Or do you have a better chance of having him coming off the bench, right? And would he be willing to take that? Those dynamics around Ronaldo's role and his ability to produce at the same level he's done over the past two decades is the question mark for me, and why I don't think Portugal is gonna do well. And then with the US, right? I think they got a solid group, probably the most talented team the US has ever had, playing in home turf, you know, a good balance of guys who have experience and the guys who are younger, right? And so my question with the US around uh defensive Burnville, the games I've seen him play, they've just been super open. They're solid going forward. You know, Balogun is a top, top striker and he's done well this season. Uh so I expect him to do well. But if they're gonna start with Reem in the back, like he's the most technical, most talented center back we have, the most experience we have. But I just have concerns around his legs and his ability to keep up with really fast forward. But I think overall, I think you guys can do really well. I see him going past the round 16 and into the quarterfinals. But yeah, summary, I think England's gonna win it. They have a pretty solid team. I know people were going crazy when Tuco left out a number of world-class players like Palmer, Folden, etc. But those guys, one, haven't performed that well this season. And two, you need to have the buy-in from everybody else, right? You can't have guys that could be starters on the bench, you know, because then that leads to like you know, friction in the team. Like guys can be moaning and complaining. But if you have a core, you know, I think Tuco mentioned this he has like 13 to 14 players that he thinks could start. When you have that whole group, and then there's guys that come in like Madwake, who understand the approach to be in this World Cup, I'm gonna come on for 10-15 minutes and I'm gonna give my best and help the team. Like that goes a long way than somebody might be like a fold in or a farmer who feels they should be starting. And so when you have a solid team defensively, you're good in midfield. You have obviously not as good going forward, but when you have Harry Kane who is scoring goals left and right, and then you have Tuco, I think that's a recipe for success. And I think being sound defensively, having a good coach that can adjust and change tactics when needed against different opponents, and then having a world-class striker like Harry Kane, not to mention they haven't won a major trophy in 1966 or something like that. So it's been a long, long time, and they've come close. They went to the Eurofinals, Hurricane Messi PK, and then the last World Cup, and he's now winning trophies with his club team. So I I think I was a betting man, I would definitely be betting on England to win this World Cup. Let me know what you guys think. That's my take, and yeah, we'll see how it plays out.

SPEAKER_00 6:39

Thanks for taking the time out of your day to listen and support this podcast. It is very much appreciated. Please follow the show if you don't already do so. The show can be found on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and the rest of the other major platforms. As always, be kind to yourself and be kind to others. Much love. This show is produced by Yakawalk, and original music by Scott Holmes.