Colombia
Group : C with Ivory Coast, Greece and Japan
Current Fifa Ranking : 4th with 1200 points
World Cup Appearances : 1962, 1990, 1994, 1998
Best Achievement : reaching the last of 16 after losing to Cameroon in 1990
Head Coach : Jose Pekerman
Captain : Mario Yepes
Led by Jose Pekerman, Colombia find themselves in a rather positive group, with a plethora of attacking talent making them a force to be reckoned with. The head coach often utilised traditional attacking formations during the qualifiers such as the 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 formations, which worked wonders considering Colombia’s attack and midfield options, leading them to 2nd place after Argentina after garnering 30 points in 16 games.
Colombia are in Group C and will come up against the Ivory Coast, Greece and Alberto Zaccheroni’s Japan. Their opposition will include Ivory Coast heroes Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, Japan’s midfield duo of Keizuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa as well as Greece’s in form striker Mitroglu. The weltering weather conditions in Brazil is another plus, having played several qualifiers in the Caribbean port of Barranquilla.
The team’s main threat , AS Monaco starlet Radamel Falcao, has predatory football instincts which are able to compete with any defence. He also has an amazing understanding with club teammate James Rodriguez, who is unstoppable when making the team tick. With Inter Milan’s Fredy Guarin, Porto’s Jackson Martinez and Fiorentina’s Juan Manuel Cuadrado also in the mix, one cannot deny that Colombia boast one of the most exciting attacking combinations. Team captain Yepes is will probably enjoy his last tournament at the age of 38, whilst Napoli duo Pablo Armero and Juan Camilo Zuniga as well as AC Milan’s Cristian Zapata further solidify what is already a decent backline.
Having analysed Colombia’s strengths, one can arrive to the conclusion that the country will top their group with a very high chance of Falcao finishing as the group’s top scorer. Whether they will advance further in the knockouts will strictly depend on the outcome of other groups, as their lack of experience after the group stages may end up proving decisive against the big dogs of the tournament.