World Cup 2022 Group B Preview

England enter the tournament in desperate form, having been relegated to League B of the UEFA Nations League. In a group comprising Italy, Germany and Hungary, England drew three and lost three of their six matches. Indeed, in the first five matches, they had only scored one goal and conceded seven. The final match proved better; a 3-3 draw with Germany at Wembley where the match twisted and turned, and the English came back from 2-0 down to lead 3-2. However, preparation for Qatar could be better, where England travel with several injuries to important players. Still, they can do well in this section. The first match against Iran represents a difficult test, with the Iranians keen to do well in the Middle East and likely to have a decent segment of the crowd. England tend to play cautiously and conservatively, so they will be happy to get over the line and record a victory. If they can win the match, they then go into a middle match with the United States. There is much history here, both sporting and political. The USA could prove a difficult opponent, but England will look to neutralise the American wide players and win the match. If they go into the final match against Wales with four to six points, they will know that a victory will probably assure first place in the group. Wales are playing in their first World Cup since 1958, but England will be confident of defeating them in a ‘Battle of Britain’.

Middle eastern nation Iran come to Qatar in mixed form, having won two, drawn one, and lost two of their previous five matches. However, one of those victories was over a solid South American nation and fellow qualifiers, Uruguay. Defeats to Algeria and South Korea will not have helped confidence levels. Still, Iran do have two pre-tournament friendlies scheduled versus Nicaragua and Tunisia to experiment with tactics and personnel and possibly build some momentum heading into the competition. The first match against England looks difficult for Iran on paper. Still, as stated above, England have had some recent struggles and weaknesses. Iran will first and foremost look to be organised, as is their coach’s philosophy. Then they will seek to use their creative players to get in behind what is likely to be an English back three. They will be more than happy if they can take a point here. In the second match against Wales, Iran might have to take a few more risks, mainly if the game against England has not gone well. They have the technical players to get something against a Welsh team whose best players are ageing, out of form or playing through injury. If they can get to the United States match with one, two or three points, Iran will know that they are still in contention to progress. The political backdrop to this match could aid the Iranians’ motivation, and they will be extremely keen to defeat the Americans. If they can keep things tight and hit on the counter, they might find some success.

The United States also enter the competition in mixed form, having won two, drawn three, and lost one of their previous six matches. The defeat came in Germany against fellow qualifiers Japan. They have, however, collected four points in their first two matches of the CONCACAF Nations League, decimating Grenada and drawing with El Salvador. There was also an impressive victory against Morocco in Ohio in June. Their first match is against Wales. They will know they have to try to win this, as Wales is shaping up to be the weakest team in the group, with the struggles mentioned above for their key players. They will have to beware of Wales’ physical threat, but the States have pace in behind and decent technical players, so they will try to win the match. As stated, the second match against England is political and historical, and both teams will want to get one over on each other. The Americans have the attackers to trouble England’s backline. If they can attain a point, they will be relatively happy, particularly if they have got something against Wales. The final match against Iran is extremely politically charged. As stated, the Americans will be up against a motivated Iranian team. It promises to be an even encounter that might be decided by one goal in either direction. The USA will be hoping they are the ones to emerge victorious. If the group goes well, the USA will expect to finish at least second and potentially first.

Wales come into their first World Cup for 64 years in troubling form, with five defeats in their last seven matches. However, their solitary win was the play-off match for the tournament against troubled Ukraine in Cardiff. There have been five losses out of six in the UEFA Nations League, with their only point coming at home to Belgium. They only scored six and conceded eleven throughout their campaign, relegating them to League B. In Qatar, they do have the advantage of playing all three of their matches in the same stadium. In their first match against the United States, it might well be a war of attrition, with both teams cancelling each other out with their pacey players in behind. However, as stated, most of Wales’ key players come into the tournament with doubts over their participation, so it will be interesting to see how this first match goes. Suppose they can attain a point or even three. In that case, they will go into the Iran match buoyed, knowing that a victory could put them in a great position before the match against England. Iran tend to play cautiously but, as stated, might be willing to take a few more risks in this middle match, depending on how their opener goes. This situation may play into Wales’ threat on the counter. Wales will hope to go into the final match against neighbours England with at least four points. Still, if the first two matches have not gone according to plan, stranger things have happened at the World Cup than Wales beating England. England potentially resting players for the round of sixteen if they have already attained maximum points from their first two matches may also play into their hands. Either way, the ‘Battle of Britain’ promises to be emotional, and Wales will hope to upset the applecart.