Organisation » letting the ball get a little deeper

The 2014 FIFA World Cup draw took place in Brazil on Friday, as the 32 qualified teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Some quick thoughts on what it means for the tournament next summer: 1. Brazil were favourites going into the draw - and they still are As host nation, Brazil did not need to qualify for the World Cup. That is sometimes regarded as a disadvantage, as the host nation does not play any competitive games leading up to the tournament, and instead relies on a series of friendly games for their preparation. I dont believe that this will affect Brazil one bit. They have been impressive in 2013, winning their last six exhibition games by a cumulative score of 20-2. They comprehensively won the Confederations Cup in the summer, defeating reigning world and European champions, Spain 3-0 in the final. In total, Brazil lost just two of their 19 games played in 2013; a 2-1 loss to England to start the year, and a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Switzerland in August. They have a wealth of talent to choose from, with players like Ramires, Oscar, Paulinho, Thiago Silva and Hulk all likely to be relied upon. But the player that everyone is looking at to steal the show in Brazil next summer is Neymar, the 21-year old superstar who was voted the best player at this years Confederations Cup. Next summers World Cup could be his tournament to decide. 2. South American teams will dominate This is the fifth time the World Cup will be played in South America. The previous four tournaments have all been won by South American nations. Uruguay lifted the first World Cup in 1930, then again in 1950; Brazil claimed victory in 1962, and Argentina took home the trophy in 1978. There is plenty of evidence to support the idea that this trend will continue. The qualification process in CONMEBOL is an arduous one; 16 games played over a two-year period ensures that only the best teams reach the finals. The experience gained by those nations - getting used to the climate, conditions, travel and logistics - is invaluable, not to mention the competitiveness of the qualifying games themselves. Do not underestimate the effects of the weather conditions and travel distances, either. It will be very hot and humid in some of the Brazilian venues, something that the northern European countries do not prefer. The midday kickoff times for many games will simply add to their discomfort. And the travel between venues as teams progress in the tournament just adds another obstacle for teams to overcome. 3. England is not a legitimate contender This might seem like common sense to anyone who follows the world game, but it is worth repeating every four years. England will not win the World Cup - and they wont even come close. Regardless of the players selected and regardless of the form of the team heading into the tournament, there is always an unrealistic expectation from England fans that this could be the year that England will claim its first World Cup victory since 1966. Well, it isnt going to happen. In fact, England will do well to get out of their group. Drawn in Group D with Uruguay, Costa Rica and Italy, it is not an unreasonable scenario to see England going home after the group stage. Uruguay boast two of the best strikers in the world in Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, and despite having to qualify through the playoffs, they will be favourites to win the group. Italy will be a difficult opponent for England, who lack the individual creativity to break down the Italians traditional strong defensive unit. In Mario Balotelli and Giuseppe Rossi, the Italians have offensive talents that will be difficult for England to contain, so I make the Italians favourites to pip England and reach the knockout stage. 4. Group of Death is a tired cliché Every four years, fans and pundits alike revel in discussing which is the Group of Death, the most difficult from which to reach the knockout stage. Do we really need to do this? Every group is difficult. Every team has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. Even minnows like Iran and Algeria will not simply roll over and accept defeat at the hands of their more illustrious opponents (remember New Zealand in 2010?) The coaching staff of each team, regardless of their relative strengths or weaknesses, will meticulously prepare their teams to ensure that they are capable of achieving their objective in each game. That being said, there are some interesting matchups. Many people were quick to point out the strength of Group G, with Germany, Portugal, Ghana and the United States, but for me, Group B is far more interesting. Defending world and European champions Spain are the seeded team, with the Netherlands, Chile and Australia rounding out the group. Do not be surprised to see Chile finish ahead of the Netherlands. Alexis Sanchez is a fabulous attacking talent, and Arturo Vidal is one of the most complete box-to-box midfielders in the world. The Chile vs Netherlands game will decide which of the two nations accompanies Spain into the knockout stage. 5. Winners and losers There are always teams that come out of the draw with a figurative smile on their face, while others are left to curse their bad luck. Here are the winners: Brazil - Group A shouldnt pose a problem for the favourites, and they will cruise through in first place. Argentina - The seeded team in Group F will face Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran and Nigeria. Again, expect comfortable passage to the knockout phase. Belgium - Many people see Belgium as a dark horse in the World Cup, and given that they face Algeria, Russia and Korea Republic, theyve been given a fairly gentle introduction in the group stage. Here are the losers: Australia - It couldnt get much worse for the Aussies, who face defending champs Spain, the always difficult Dutch and the attacking flair of Chile in Group B. It will be three and out for Australia. England - While England should get the better of Costa Rica, they have two extremely difficult games against Uruguay and Italy - not to mention the weight of expectation that is always heaped on their shoulders. If England are to make it to the knockout phase, they will have to perform above their capabilities. United States - Three very different opponents in Group G; the efficient Germans, the powerful Ghanaians, and the brilliance of arguably the worlds best player, Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portuguese team. 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Rose scored 23 points in his return from a five-game absence due to back pain, and Chicago hung on to beat the struggling Atlanta Hawks 90-79 on Monday. Air Max 270 Pas Cher Homme . -- Nick Bjugstad snapped out of his scoring slump and spoiled Drew MacIntyres first NHL start.ARLINGTON, Texas – By the time the Blue Jays leave town after Sundays game, the Rangers will have seen enough of Anthony Gose. His speed has created runs for Toronto and prevented runs for Texas in this series. "Hes really good," said outfield coach Tim Leiper. "He just covers a lot of ground. Hes into the game. You watch him, too, hes hungry. Hes come up here with something to prove." In Friday nights 2-0 win, the Blue Jays were stifled by Rangers ace Yu Darvish for seven innings. In the eighth, Erik Kratz surprised third baseman Adrian Beltre by laying down a leadoff bunt single. Gose followed with a drag bunt down the first base line, beating out a bang-bang play at the bag. One out later, Gose scored from first on a Melky Cabrera double, tearing around the bases. In Saturday nights 4-2 win, with the game tied 1-1 in the seventh, Gose led off with an opposite field double. He stole third and with one out, scored on a Cabrera chopper to Beltre. Gose was going the moment he saw Cabreras ball wasnt hit hard and Beltre, one of the games best defensive third baseman, didnt attempt a play at the plate. Mark Buehrle was the beneficiary of the run on Saturday but when asked about Goses offence, he quickly changed the subject. "I dont even want to talk about the scoring runs, I want to talk about the defence," said Buehrle. "Hes been out there the last couple of days, balls have been hit and this isnt a knock against Colby (Rasmus) because hes pretty fast but there were some balls hit in the gap and youre like, Damn, thats a double and then all of sudden, here comes Gose catching the ball." Gose has made two standout catches this series, both on Friday night. He robbed Mitch Moreland of extra bases in the left-centerfield gap, crashing into the wall on the run as he hauled in the ball. He went into right-centerfield to take away at least a double, likely a triple, from speedster Leonys Martin. "He made those look somewhat easy but off the bat, you dont think theyre going to get caught," said Leiper. Goses speed is one reason hes an elite defender. "Theres plenty of guys with speed and obviously hes got above average speed for anybody," said Leiper. "It comes down to he gets the jumps. For guys who are slower and they definitely need the foootwork to make up for their lack of speed, hes got both.ddddddddddddquot; Theres another reason, one his coach appreciates just as much: Gose has impressed Leiper with his interest in pre-game preparation. Its not always noticeable, unseen on TV and likely not a fans focus while watching a game live, but Leiper notices the results pitch by pitch. "Its subtle but, for me, Im so one-dimensional now, Im just focused on what hes doing and how hes moving and where these guys are," said Leiper. "To watch him take charge with the other two outfielders, too, its impressive to watch. Hes got a good feel for the position." Pillar is Goses Platoon Partner Right-handed hitting Kevin Pillar will start in centrefield against left-handed pitchers during Colby Rasmus absence with a hamstring injury. Anthony Gose, a left-handed bat, will start against right-handers. Pillars first big league experience, late last season, was a struggle. He feels better now, knowing his role is defined. "I definitely think, knowing what your role is, whether its platooning or playing everyday, but having some sort of conversation with the manager, and knowing what your role is going to be is comforting," said Pillar. Pillar picked up his first two big league hits of 2014 in Saturday nights victory. Hes 2-for-11 during his brief stint with Toronto. He was off to a great start at Triple-A Buffalo, hitting .305/.344/.461, which included an 18-game hitting streak. The book on Pillar is off-speed, typically breaking sliders, down and away. Hell continue to be pitched that way, especially with two strikes, until he shows he can lay off. "I think its more mental than anything," said Pillar. "Mechanically, its trying to simplify a little bit, letting the ball travel a little deeper before I make a decision to swing. My second at-bat last night, I fouled off a lot of pitches, letting the ball get deep and thats a testament to staying with my approach, letting the ball get a little deeper, allowing myself to see the pitch before I swing. I think last year, part of it was trying to do too much, trying to get hits, not really seeing the ball out of the hand and this year I promised myself I wouldnt try to get hits, I would try to get good pitches to hit, and thats allowed me to lay off pitches down and away." ' ' '