TEAM PREVIEW: FRANCE

France - "Les Bleus"

Overview: Brimming with raw talents which often stuff the bras of the world’s sexiest clubs, France only limped to the World Cup as one of the last teams past the post. They finally woke up in the last game of their playoffs against a convincing and deserving Ukraine to nip into the competition.

Many French pundits including Bixente Lizarazu on his radio show question whether this is actually good for their team, and believe that skipping a World Cup would bring about some much needed humility and self-reflection to this notoriously underperforming team.

Or is raw talent and a half-decent coach actually enough?

The Objective: Well, its France, Samir Nasri or Karim Benzema (among others) think that if they didn’t have the whole team in tow they would win it easily. Their objectives will be the Quarter Finals, and a performance to restore their respect as a national team. They will however, be underestimating what is actually a tough group.

Population: 66 million citoyen, of which 300 speak another language except French. Mais pourquoi?

Ethnic Groups: Everything but French really

Registered Football Players: 1,794,940… 4^th in the World. The French league system is massive and goes down to the smallest villages and country road intersections (Yes Lens fans I am talking about you)

Registered Football Clubs: 20,062

Most Successful Clubs: AS Saint-Étienne (one of the greatest teams on the planet I say objectively) has 10 league titles and is the most successful club domestically. They are followed by Olympique Marseille, Nantes, Monaco, Lyon, Reims and Bordeaux. Sorry Swedish fans, PSG is barely in the top 10, dwarfed by the likes of Lille or Nice.

All Time Top Scorer: Thierry Henry scored 51 in 123 outings, but Michel Platini the current boss of UEFA has a better average with 41 in 72.

World Cup Performance: 1998 champignons, 2006 runners up, 3^rd place in 1986 and 1958 and 4^th place in 1982.

54 games played, 25 wins, 11 draws, 18 losses. 96 goals scored, and 68 conceded.

Continental Performance:  1984 and 2000 European champignons. 1996 semi-finalists and 1960 4^th.

Noteworthy: 1984 Olympic Gold and 1900 Silver.

How they get their calories: Fat mixed with duck all drowned in good wine, in which you can dip your baguettes, and a nice cup of tripe for desert.

Most French persons will inform you that their country in fact invented cooking, but the by-product is usually so good you don’t argue, if only to avoid indigestion.

The national beer:  Wine.

Or else,

Kronenburg 1664 from the East of France is like a light Belgian-style Pils.

Pelforth is another biggie, and I find it a bit creamier.

Jenlain also covers large swaths of territory in terms of availability and taste.

For a deeper, unfiltered, fuller taste the traditional cervoise should be opted for.

From the anthem:

They really got this one right, if the team members sing (many don’t) La Marseillaise with the crowd it actually inspires them to play good football for the first couple of minutes.

This is rich, just impossible to select the best of it… but here goes:

What! Foreign cohorts

Would make the law in our homes!

Tremble, tyrants and you traitors

The shame of all parties,

Tremble! Your parricidal schemes

Will finally receive their reward! (repeat)

Everyone is a soldier to combat you

If they fall, our young heroes,

The earth will produce new ones,

Ready to fight against you!

How to blend in with the fans:

Talk about actually not liking football because France is not good anymore, when France was good football was great!

Then you can say that you ended up in Brazil by accident, and that actually it’s terrible what Hollande is doing with these taxes because it means you had to go to Brazil instead of the French coast this summer. You will fit right in!

The stereotype:

I think the word comes from French. Arrogance, coarseness, gruffness, existentialism, and very talented football players most of whom end up playing for Arsenal.

What their neighbours know:

That actually, France is as multi-culti as any country in the world, and a great place to plug through an underpaid life and revel in past glories that the significance of is vague.

How they qualified:

Barely, losing to the Ukrainians 2-0 in Kiev and staging a fantastic 3-0 comeback victory in Paris.

The sad: 

The constant squabbling of the team! Patrice Evra, Samir Nasri, Ribery, Mexes, Toulalan and many, many other player have had major outbursts in the press against others. The harmony of this team is as fragile as possible.

The happy joy joy: The partying went on and on and on in 1998, the country really celebrated their much deserved (albeit home) win that year, and football was well loved by everyone French.

An overview: France on paper are capable of almost anything. The actually translation of that is rare, despite an enormous squad depth and quality. Didier Deschamps managed to find the mix of talent, team mentality and work ethic for a couple of games at least, before it all started falling apart again.

France get high ratings in most of the departments of the fields, but its how it all fails to come together that has been the problem.

Team Strength: Power, talent, experience.

Team Weakness: Psychology, infighting, and frequent squad rotation. The defence is a bit raw, if talented.

The Goalkeeping Department: 8 - Hugo Lloris is an excellent goalkeeper, but has had a horrid season with Tottenham (many spurs fans would say he was one of the bright spots thought). His replacements are quality, both Mandanda of Marseille and Ruffier of ASSE are capable shot stoppers when called upon.

Defenders: 7.2 – France’s weakest department, not because they lack talent there, but because the backline has been very fluctuating in recent years under different coaches. The current set up plays very young players in the middle, Deschamps having opted to drop such veterans as Mexes or Rami (the first rightly so). The wingbacks are very good, Debuchy and Sagna leading a very talented pack.

The middle: 8.6 – not only Ribery, but Pogba, Cabaye, Valbuena, Griezman, France have a hell of a good midfield, balanced with strength, technique, speed and goal getting. I am not giving a very high rating because it has had some chinks in the mechanism, but when this group gets firing as for example in the friendly against Holland in March, they are truly world beaters.

The attack: 8 – some of the world’s most prized attacking assets play for France, as usual. Benzema, Remy, Giroud are not group to frown upon, but neither of the three has managed to win a permanent starting place in the team, and Karim Benzema only recently broke a very long goal drought with France. The replacement players are not much worse, but the fact that all three of these attackers fail to gel perfectly with the team means that the quality of the performances is unpredictable.

The coach: 

Didier Deschamps was nicknamed “the water carrier” by Cantona, but he was one of the 3 key players to help France to their 1990s success. He was essential at Juventus, and started his coaching career by getting the Italian giants out of Serie B.

Although controversial, he has actually had consistent success in his coaching, despite a difficult role at Marseille.

He has gotten very stern and serious, but seems to have the confidence of his players and public despite some shaky moments during their qualification campaign.

The Tactics:

Deschamps uses 4231 which, for your football geeks out there, the French pundits have thought a 433 as a better alternative. Some will say there is not much difference between the two, but I disagree.

Its Deschamps Italian pedigree that has him playing a more controlling game with 4231 over the direct 433 variant.

Everybody knows…. Franck Ribéry. The Bayern star was most expert’s World Player of the year of choice, having done more for his team that year than either Messi or Ronaldo. He also fired all cylinders against Ukraine in France and led his team’s route of the rivals. On the day he is one of the World’s best wingers, and France will need him to be that every day as only behind his best play does the French team manage to rally and hold together their delicate team fiber.

Should be more famous….  Yohan Cabaye is an outstanding central midfielder. After he left Lille the team had two bad seasons, after he left Newcastle for PSG this January the Geordies had one of their worst half seasons in a long time. His freekicks, long shots and long passes, and his sense of game tempo make him a 10 out of 10 in any coache’s book. He arrives late in the box and scores goals as well, and wins back his share of balls.

No one has heard off…  Eliaquim Mangala, except most of Europe’s top scouts these past two seasons. He is very likely to make the boat to Brazil as a central defender, and this powerful and intelligent defender’s future looks very promising and complete at 23. He has been a large part of the core of the successful Porto team this season, and looks set for a big move soon.

Unfulfilled talent:  At 27 most people seem to think he is 35 already, but Yoann Gourcuff is considered by many as a huge-talent-gone-burnout. He played fantastically with Bordeaux, but failed to settle at Lyon which paid a French record transfer fee for him and was largely blamed for the team’s hard times of late. His central playmaking is not really replaced in France, just left out in favour of more balanced players such as Pogba.

Still going…  Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna doesn’t look 31 but he is. I don’t see him as being as good as he used to be and would rather play Debuchy on his natural right side.

The heart of the team…. Matthieu Valbuena has the work rate of an Intel Processor. His performances in 2013 are largely seen as being the rally-call for France when Ribery and Benzema were firing blanks. He assists and scores, and the bigger the team the better he seems to play.

The goalscorer.... None really except for Ribery again, but it’s supposed to be Giroud or Benzema. The French team distributes their goals, but those 3 tend to get the majority.

The young star… None other than Paul Pogba. He played Marchisio out of his first team place at Juventus last season, and has looked nothing short of top world class this season. Ballwinning, playmaking, discipline, creativity, power and scoring stunning goals, Pogba looks to be a future World Player of the Year nothing short of it.

In bad form this season…. Laurent Koscielny has had some shockingly bad defensive outings for Arsenal this season including red cards, but Deschamps seems to be sticking with him.

In great form this season…. Paul Pogba has 7 goals and 6 assists for Juventus this season.

Recognized player not likely to feature… Milan’s Mexes, Man City’s Gael Clichy, PSG’s Jérémy Ménez, and even potentially the locker-room rebel Samir Nasri are set to be left at home. Patrice Evra is also an uncertainty having been way too outspojen in the French press this season. Toulalan is the player the French public most wanted to see return to the fold, but he refused. Lots of other talents like Hatem Ben Arfa will not be playing.

Candidate for discovery of the tournament…  Raphaël Varane the quiet no-nonsense Real Madrid defender seems to have gotten himself a starting spot with France, probably mainly because of personality to couple his decent if not spectacular skill set. He could end up playing really well given his rapidly rising stock and experience at the highest levels of club football, and he could end up being a household name after this cup.

The prospect of tomorrow… There are loads but Antoine Griezmann has been one of the La Liga left wing stars (although he can play on the right) with Real Sociedad, largely responsible for their Champions League runs and domestic success. He is a real talent, and although as much of a potential ego and firebrand as much of the rest of the French team, he seems set to squeeze Samir Nasri out of the team for Brazil, although that is not yet clear.

Worth mentioning: Both Oliver Giroud and Loïc Rémy live in the shadow of Benzema. They are however two personalities that could matter a lot for France, Giroud with discipline and personality and Rémy with his ability to change games with power, pace and injury time goals.

The core team: Lloris (GK) – Sagna, Varane, Sakho or Mangala or Koscielny, Evra or Debuchy (Def) – Cabaye, Valbuena, Ribery, Pogba, Matuidi (not mentioned but he is the new water carrier) (Mid) – Benzema, Giroud, Remy (Fwd)

Could still make the squad…  Nasri, Mavuba, Rami, Grenier, Gomis and a number of others, France always has reserves and loose cannons.

A great team moment:  The 3-0 versus Ukraine in Saint-Denis on November 19^th 2013 which saw certain disaster averted with decisive victory.

A legend:  Let’s not have a blog post about French Footy without mentioning Zinedine “Zizou” Zidane.

Group E: 

Honduras (June 15^th) – For any team this would be a great way to kick off a difficult tournament, with a team weaker on paper. But Honduras have the potential to surprise if taken lightly, with a good offensive-defensive balance. I still predict France to take this one, simply outrunning the Central Americans, but this game will set a keynote for France.

Switzerland (June 20^th) – A much tougher match than meets the eye against a much tougher opponent than evident. Switzerland are a lot better as a team than France is, and they are not short of quality, this could be an upset.

Ecuador (June 25^th) – Ecuador vs. France should be a very entertaining match, as the French will likely underestimate the underrated South Americans. But Ecuador has many of the strengths that France does, and could easily spring a surprise here.

Pre Tournament Friendlies:

France beat Holland 2-0 on March 5^th in Paris (Benzema, Matuidi)

Norway on May 27^th in Paris.

Paraguay on June 1^st in Nice.

Jamaica on June 8^th in the boonies (Villeneuve d’Ascq)

France are set for three bruisers, injuries not unlikely

Prognosis: France will surprise me and many others if they end up first in this group, I predict them to advance though but not easily. Then who knows how far they can go? France is a hard team to call.

TEAM PREVIEW: ECUADOR

ECUADOR - "La Tri"

Population: 15.2m
Ethnic Groups: 71.9% Mestizo, 7.4% Montubio, 7.2% Afro-Ecuadorian, 7% Andean Indian, 6.1% Euro-Ecuadorian.
Registered Football Players: 30,855



Registered Football Clubs: 201
Most Successful Clubs: Barcelona Sporting Club, El Nacional, Emelec, LDU Quito, Deportivo Quito, Aucas.

Barcelona were Libertadores finalists twice, and LDU won it in 2008. LDU Quito also won the Sudamericana in 2009 and were runners up in 2011.


All Time Top Scorer:
Ermen Benítez with 191 goals (1980 to 1995) who is also the father of late National Team star Christian Benitez.


World Cup Perfomance: 

2 participations (2002 and 2006), finnishing in the round of 16 in 2006 (ranked 12th overall).

Continental Perfomance: Copa America 4th place in 1993 and 1959.

How they get their calories:

Cuy – the widely available food that often shocks tourists in Ecuador is whole, grilled guniea pig known as “Cuy”. An inspiration in many “weird food” documentaries when you are served the thing you don’t know wether to eat it or hug it and repeat “I am sorry George.” Do you want to be facing a Cuy-eating defender?

Llapingacho – delicious. Typical of the mountain regions these potato (or sometimes sweet potato) cakes with a cheese filling are usually served with peanut sauce. Loads of carbs and a good deal of fat, mmmm.

Shrimp - You would not want to be a prawn frolicking in Ecuador’s beautiful surf water. As tempting as it sounds you are likely to go through a Forrest Gump list of ways to be eaten, often just in nice soup accompanied with Patacones (fried plantain slices).

Fruit – Mango, banana, papaya…. These words mean nothing to the Ecuadorian as all these plants are native to their country and come in dozens of daily varieties (like apples in Europe) including the least interesting variety, the export kind. Guanabana, naranjilla, maracuyá are fruits you should try at least once in your life. 

The national beer: Pilsener is a good honest people’s beer, and one of several brand’s available. The beer tends to be light and refreshing to fit the warm climate, and there are several widely available brands.

From the anthem:

 “Outraged your children on the yoke, Imposed by the arrogant Iberians, By their unjust and horrendous disgrace, Overcoming you fatally.”

In fact nearly every verse of the anthem is about how great the colonial Spaniards were.

 How to blend in with the fans:

 Tassles and feathers, lots of tassles and feathers. If you don’t have any of those in your closet, at least wear your funniest hat, you will fit in! Also Ecuadorian fans love to indigineous indian symbolism. Birds are in! Dressing up like a condor or pheonix or chicken will score you points!

Otherwise just don the yellow-blue-and-red and enjoy the unusual assortment of goods being sold in Ecuadorian stadiums, from pink watches to homemade cigarettes to tasty roadkill-stuffed-potato cakes, to beachfront property for $3.50.

 The stereotype:

Ecuador conjures many images to foreigners, and not many of these stereotypes correctly grasp the vast diversity of the country.

I picked on a non-Ecuador versed friend and he said: “They are typical Latinos, kind of like Venezuelans, and rather short.”

What their neighbours know:

Ecuador has managed to retain a massive amount of geo-ethnic diversity. Some regions of Ecuador, like San Lorenzo where so many of their best players originate from, are heavily dominated by Afro-Ecuadorians. The country has tropical regions where Spanish is not the primary language, and where Quechua dialects are the primary form of communication.

 Ecuador’s neighbours tend to know that they are getting a very mixed team, with exceptionally tall, strong, and fast players, as well as technical wizards with a low centre of gravity.

How they qualified:

After dominating the first half of the COMNEBOL campaign, they started dropping down the table, and came the shocking sudden death of legendary striker Chuco Benitez (a vital part of the attack really with his mobility). They recovered just enough to edge Uruguay to the last automatic qualifying spot.

They drew a lot of games away from home. But rarely lost at home, at high altitude in Quito.

The sad: 

The death of Christian “Chucho” Benítez on July 29th 2013. He (although Qatari’s are campaigning to dampen this information) failed to receive timely medical attention after complaining of severe abdominal pain. The former Birmingham striker (135 goals in 288 games during his career) then went into respiratory failure and died of Cardiac arrest in the Doha summer heat. The debate about negligence still rages.

The happy joy joy:

Well, after the golden generation of players that literally turned Ecuador back into a footballing contender became a bit to ripe, there is a new highly interesting young generation already making their mark internationally. Ohh, and relative political stability and a slight economic upturn by South American standards. 

An overview:

A real complete mix of strength and speed and experience, but with classic problems with raising their game to a tempo at which they pose could a great threat to other teams. Ecuador is a team which divides the offensive and defensive phases very completely.

Ecuador play hold, recover, and timed explosive run.

Team Strength: Just that, strength, many of the squad members are made of  pure granite and oak. Well that and very decent technique by universal standard coupled with heaps of international experience in the ranks.

A good mix of old and young, an established manager, a great ability to hit teams on the counterattack, and the fact that Ecuador is so often underrated.

Also, long-range shots tend to thump in for Ecuador, both flanks are equally strong, and the midfield is very talented and boasts a good blend of players.

Team Weakness: Consistency, more of individual players than of the whole team. Rueda has had to drop some stars before their peak because of this. Also, they can be tactically indisciplined.

The forward line is dependent on Caicedo, and he doesn’t always feel like shouldering the burden.

Lastly the team is prone to foul indiscipline, with both Noboa and Castillo seeing an impressive amount of red in the career.

The Goalkeeping Department: 8.0

Ecuador has an excellent pedigree of goalkeepers, although they are all rather eccentric and don’t export well. Banguera is currently first choice, a tank of a keeper with great pace off-the-line and excellent one-on-one problem solving. Despite all this, he is just edging Dominguez and even third choice keeper Bone to the starting spot. There are others, Ecuador’s keepers are all strong, experienced, used to dealing with lazy, undisciplined defences, and can be game-changing.

Defenders: 7.0

A whole point has to be dropped from the previous generation of Ivan Hurtado and Giovanny Espinoza. The current defense has talented youngsters and only one really tested center back in Guagua. Where the strength really lies is in the wingbacks who are an excellent and mobile platform with pace and technical skill.

The middle: 8.0

Ecuador’s midfield is often being underrated. Rojas is a real LIGA MX star in Mexico with his blistering pace and technique, Jefferson Montero is a consistent young prospect who is already making a mark. They are further supported by reliable ballwinners like Noboa and Castillo, and the experience and influence of Antonio Valencia, who despite many Anglo-centric analyses, is not the only player in the team.

The attack: 4.0

Ecuador has plenty of attacking talent, but its highly underachieving. Many players like Narciso Mina were supposed to step in and fill in for the absence of Benitez but the only competitive striker is Russian Premier League star Felipe Caicedo, although he scores regularly for the national team he has not been as prolific for his clubs, and now decided to move to the UAE which is not likely to help him overcome his own laziness prior to the World Cup.

The coach: 8.5

“El Profi” (Professor but sounds like prophet) Reinaldo Rueda will be 57 in April.

The Colombian former university professor is vastly experienced with national team setups having managed Colombia (at almost all levels of the international setup), Honduras (where he was given a free hand by the FA and is partly responsible for their current World Cup qualification), and now Ecuador. His club experience comes from the successful youth-based Deportivo Cali, Cortuluá, and Independent Medellin.

In Ecuador he found a really good match for his disciplined, direct 4-4-2 with do deep-lying midfielders (an anchor and a playmaker usually), exploiting the team’s natural physical and strengths to great effect with counter-attacks and direct, explosive play. He is also an excellent man-manager, something which was really tested after the sudden death last year of Christian Benitez, the country’s top scorer.

Capable, encouraging tactical and squad discipline, Rueda is a manager who’s team’s rarely under-perform, and if so, they really manage learn from their mistakes. He likes to clearly divide offensive and defensive responsibilities in his teams, and is known for his form-topping-based training approach.

He holds a M.A. from the University of Cologne in Germany, and will be facing his former squad of Honduras as well as underachievers France, and promising Switzerland in June.

You could sum-up the man as a European-style manager by South-American standards who is excellent at making the most of limited resources and improves team consistency.

The Tactics:

Ecuador has suffered from a lack of positioning discipline and 90 minute consistency in the past. Rueda plays a 4-4-2 with two defensive midfielders’ one anchor (usually the Isengardish Segundo Castillo) and one playmaker also capable of applying effective pressure in the offensive zone (Noboa is a shoe-in, and scores important goals). Ecuador’s tradition of speedy and technical players means there is a host of good wingers to choose from.

The two attackers system is more effective, because it combines a mobile advanced forward (very much in contention) with a target man (Caicedo is unchallenged as a starter). This can change to an attacking midfielder effectively creating a defensively rigid, offensively fluid 4-2-3-1.

The variation comes with the deployment of the second forward, and with how offensive Ecuador’s wing-backs are allowed to be on a given match-day. Ecuador you could say, play similar football to Borussia Dortmund, but with more conservative defensive duties.

Everybody knows…. Antonio Valencia. Although much more was expected of him when he was going to Manchester United, and he is associated with players that never managed to really make a consistent impact under Ferguson. Rumour has it Moyes wants him out. His biggest contribution comes with crossing and passing, and experience from the world class stage. He is not the dribbler and flair player that he seemed to be becoming when young.

Should be more famous…. Christian Noboa, a really versatile midfielder who has a great timing for arriving late in the box and scoring, but also is an excellent and intelligent presser and ball winner. Think of him as a South American Xavi. He has been a very important player in the Russian Premier League in recent years, scoring 34 goals from defensive/central midfield with Rubin Kazan and Dinamo Moscow.

No one has heard off… Juan Carlos Paredes. A fast, technical attacking right back who I love to watch, although he has yet to score for the national team in 34 appearances, he bags loads of goals in the Ecuadorian league from defence, 22 in the last couple of seasons. He should be making a higher profile move after this World Cup.

Unfulfilled talent: Joffre Guerrón, the battering ram of the LDU Quito offense that stormed the Libertadores trophy in 2008 and the Sudamericana in 2009. He travelled failing at various clubs and finally settled in China, where he managed 12 goals in 37 appearances. He is very unlikely to travel to this World Cup because at this level he is now a shadow of himself despite being only 28.

Still going… Segundo Castillo, literally “the second castle,” the Everton and Red Star Belgrade defensive midfielder is having a second honeymoon with himself at 31. Think Isengard and the White Hand, his game breaking is well complemented by a rapacious long shot and efficient passing.

Édison Méndez is only 34, but feels like 40, the skippy, talented PSV midfielder is an old man, although takes fantastic free-kicks and could still make the team in May.

The heart of the team…. Walter Ayoví, a highly underrated player. Working up and down the left flank, strong, technical, clinical, he contributes many assists, and often makes a game-changing play despite being 34. He is by far the most important Ecuador player, controlling the tempo and captaining his team to tactical discipline, which addresses their biggest deficit. He is one of several mobile long-range bombers in the Ecuador team.

The goalscorer.... Felipe Caicedo can be a powerful, explosive forward, but he gets stuck in frequent patches of immobility, and many fans in Russia believe him to be far slower than he actually is. After Basel he failed to impress in Manchester City despite being touted as the next great thing, and ended up in Russia via Levante and Malaga with a few goals here and there. He now plays in the UAE with Al-Jazira, something which could affect his June form.

He has a rapatious shot and a good first-touch technique which makes him comfortable with Ecuador as a lone attacker or target man, so comfortable that he has bagged 15 goals for the national team.

The young star… Jefferson Montero lit up the left wing for Levante and Betis in Spain. An integral part of Betis’s superb 2012-13 season, he did everything but score. Technical, and intelligent as a winger, he doesn’t dribble as much as time his runs to perfection, and contribute many assists. He finally started scoring in Mexico with Morelia this season with a non-modest 9 goals. He really links up well on the left with Ayoví. 

Candidate for discovery of the tournament… At 24 Joao Rojas is a dangerous and explosive player with excellent control at speed. He is starting to make a mark on Ecuador but something tells me there is a lot more to come out of him. He has already done so with Cruz Azul in Mexico



Recognized player not likely to feature… Franklin Salas (32), Paul Ambrosi (33), Giovanny Espinoza (36), Edison Mendez (34) are well known but all in doubt, the LDU Quito heroes and other members of the golden generation still playing but many have lost their peak form, and Rueda is unsentimental in his selection criteria. Mendez is still the most likely of the lot.

The prospect of tomorrow… Renato Ibarra is likely to make the team, as the zappy Vitesse winger is a great joker on the bench, and a great late-game sub for Antonio Valencia. He weaves, he dribbles, he cuts in, he hugs the line he scores, and all with exceptionally excellent technique. He can double as right defender, and watch this one as a major player of the future. Cristian Ramírez is an exciting young left back on the books with Dusseldorf, he might or might not make the team.

Worth mentioning: Frickson Erazo (25) is a superbly athletic central defender who will be making the trip. He is very fast and has good technique, although needs (and is very likely soon to get) experience in a better league context. Next year you are likely to see him featuring in an important league.

The core team: Banguera, Dominguez (GK) – Ayovi, Guagua, Erazo, Paredes (Def) – S.Castillo, Saritama, A.Valencia, Noboa, Montero, J.Rojas (Mid) – F.Caicedo (Att) Captains: Valencia and Ayovi.

Could still make the squad… Narciso Mina, a slow but clever and technical striker. This 1.72 meter short forward is one of those players that seems to be a lot better than he is when you watch him. He failed in Ukraine, he failed here, he failed there, but now suddenly he is scoring bags and bags of goals at club level, first in Ecuador (58 in 70 appearances) then in Mexico (7 in 30 but many from the bench at America). He is a space-finder with an excellent touch and finishing reflex.

Fidel Martinez an exciting attacking midfielder from Xolos Tijuana, Marlon de Jesus or Juan Anangono two powerful but sloppy forwards from the Mexican league and the MLS respectively, and Christian Suarez who is an exciting wide forward from the Ecuadorian league. Will be missed… Benitez went before his time, needless to say taking more than half of Ecuador’s final-third quality with him.

A great team moment: Lets go for a new moment to October 11th 2013, when Jefferson Montero goal beats direct qualification rivals Uruguay and all but books their tickets to Brazil.



A legend: Álex Aguinaga, the slow, perhaps overweight midfield magician was an exceptional player scoring 23 goals in 109 caps before his retirement in 2004.

The group:

France (June 25th) should have problems with Ecuador’s strength and counter attack, but the likes and Ribery and Cabaye can unnerve the inexperienced defence.

Honduras  (June 20th) should find “La Tri” as a bridge to far, especially facing a coach that knows all their strengths and weaknesses, and

Switzerland (June 15th) are exactly the type of team that Ecuador do not do well against.

Pre Tournament Friendlies:

Ecuador v. Australia (London) on March 5th 2014
Holland v. Ecuador (Amsterdam) on May 17th 2014
Mexico v. Ecuador (Texas) on May 31st 2014
Ecuador v. England (Miami) on June 4th 2014

Prognosis: The fixture order is important for Ecuador because they are playing a tough European defence first with Switzerland.

If I am squeezed for a prognosis I see Ecuador matching or improving on their best round of 16 performance due to the excellent standing of the team currently. They could also fall apart after a loss to Switzerland, and not have any momentum by the time they play Deschamp's France.


Note: I have little cut-outs of all the teams, and in a much cleaner format than FIFA I draw teams from a little Chinese lacquered box I have on my desk. Here is the ticket: