The spanish soccer team was framed in group E for the next World Cup in Qatar 2022, a league that will successively face the national teams of Costa Rica, Germany and Japan.
The two European teams start as favorites to win the Double bed that give access to the round of 16 of the tournament. However, the Asian and the Central American will fight to stand up and take away some of the privileged positions.
We review, one by one, the strengths and weaknesses of Spain’s three rivals in the group stage
Costa Rica
Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez (COL)
Captain: Bryan Ruiz
Players with time in LaLiga: Óscar Duarte (Espanyol, Levante), Celso Borges (Deportivo), Patrick Sequeira (Celta, Lugo), Keylor Navas (Albacete, Levante, Real Madrid) and Joel Campbell (Betis, Villarreal)
Game scheme: 4-3-2-1
eleven type: Navas-Calvo, Duarte, Waston, Oviedo-Torres, Borges, Tejeda-Benette, Venegas-Campbell
Strengths: Defensive solidity, speed of the wings, ease for the counterattack.
weaknesses: Little international experience, players in minor leagues.
Germany
Coach: Hansi Flick
Captain: Manuel Neuer
Players with time in LaLiga: Ter Stegen (Barcelona), Rudiger (Real Madrid)
Game scheme: 4-4-2 o 3-5-2
eleven type: Neuer – Henrichs, Rüdiger, Süle, Kehrer – Goretzka, Gündogan, Kimmich, Müller – Werner, Havertz
Strengths: Security, order, experience, control of the game with and without the ball.
weaknesses: Absence of Kroos, less contrasted defense than in previous tournaments.
Japan
Coach: Hajime Moriyasu
Captain: Maya Yoshida
Players with time in LaLiga: Gaku Shibasaki (Tenerife, Getafe, Deportivo, Leganés), Take Kubo (Real Madrid, Mallorca, Villarreal, Getafe, Real Sociedad), Kento Hashimoto (Huesca) and Takashi Inui (Eibar, Betis, Alavés)
Game scheme: 4-3-3
eleven type: Gonda – Yamane, Tomiyasu, Yoshida, Nagatomo – Endo, Tanaka, Morita – Minamino, Furuhashi, Ito
Strengths: Speed, counterattack, quality on the wings and inside.
weaknesses: Lack of forcefulness in the areas (neither solvent goalkeeper nor consolidated scorer).
