Where is all of the Disfunction in Group B Coming From?
While many teams have concerns and question marks entering the World Cup, no group in its entirety is as messy or complicated as Group B is. Consisting of England, USA, Wales, and Iran, every team in this group seems to be entering the World Cup on uneven footing, plagued by poor recent performances or questionable coaching decisions and distractions. It should make for an interesting round robin stage, to say the least. Here is an in-depth look at the biggest question-marks and red flags entering Qatar for the Group B competitors, as well as game-by-game predictions for this problematic group of four.
England – Missing two of their best players… And no, they aren’t injured
Surprisingly ranked as high as #5 in the world for the FIFA points system, England is by far the most complete and most skilled team in group B. That does not mean that they are without flaws, however. Earlier this year, England was condemned to Nations League relegation after losing to Italy, a team who failed to make the World Cup altogether. In addition to that, Coach Gareth Southgate has faced massive scrutiny for his roster decisions.
First and foremost, Southgate elected to not bring Fikayo Tomori to Qatar, who many people believed would not only make the team, but may even start next to John Stones in the heart of the English defense. Tomori has made the more successful tackles than all other English center-backs in Europe’s top five leagues since the beginning of last season. That evidently was not enough to earn his roster spot on Southgate’s team of 26.
Another key player missing from England is Brentford’s Ivan Toney. Despite being prolific in the Premier League this season and totaling more goals than both Marcus Rashford and Callum Wilson this season, as well as in 2021-2022, Southgate left fans scratching their heads as he was still left off of the roster. Toney would have been a great fit next to Harry Kane or as a spark-plug off of the bench for England. These two decisions definitely lower the upside of this team, but they should still be favored to win the group.
United States – Youth, inexperience, and no momentum
Likely the second most skilled team in Group B is the young and rising USA national team. While it is easy to be optimistic about this team that features Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest, Gio Reyna, Yunus Musah, Antonee Robinson, Tim Weah, and Brendan Aaronson, among others, there are also some red flags.
Much like Southgate, Gregg Berhalter, the USA head coach, also made a few jaw-dropping decisions by leaving players off of the team that helped the USA get through qualifiers, most notably Ricardo Pepi. After being loaned to FC Groningen, Pepi has been in great form, scoring seven goals and adding two assists. He is also one of the biggest factors as to why the USA qualified for the World Cup in the first place, racking up three goals and five assists in qualifying matches. These marks were good for the second-most goals on USA (behind only Christian Pulisic) and tied for the most assists (with Antonee Robinson).
USA also has the major red flag of being incredibly inexperienced and not having much momentum entering Qatar. The Unites States have an average player age of just 25.2, which is the second-youngest group behind only Ghana. The USA also enters the World Cup coming off of two very disappointing performances against Japan (0-2 loss) and Saudi Arabia (0-0 tie). Add this along with the fact that the red, white, and blue have struggled in road games all year, and the pessimism definitely starts to set in.
Wales – No, this is not the same Gareth Bale from 2018
Wales is a team that feels like the most consistent among these Group B contenders, with a nice mixture of young-high-potential stars and older veterans participating in their final World Cup. With the “old reliables” of Gareth Bale, Chris Gunter, and Wayne Hennessey (all of which have 100+ caps for Wales) paired with the younger generation of Brennan Johnson, Daniel James, and Neco Williams, among others, Wales will have a good balance across their lineup. With that being said, this Wales team still seems to have an over-reliance on Gareth Bale carrying the load.
Bale has always been a bit of a different beast when putting on the Welsh uniform, but do not be misguided, this is not the same Gareth Bale as in 2018. The now 33-year-old used to be world class and one of the most athletic scorers in the world. Since 2019, Bale has seen his playing-time and overall form fizzle out. In 2021-2022, his appearances were severely limited and he eventually left Real Madrid for good, following that season. In June 2022, LAFC did sign Bale to a 12-month contract, but even in the doldrums of the MLS, he was still mostly unused and only started two games for LAFC on their way to the Supporters’ Shield. This is not the same Gareth Bale of old. Gareth Bale is just old.
Iran – Old, odd decisions, and political distractions
Opposite of the United States, Iran brings the oldest collective team in the World Cup at an average age of 28.9 years old. Experience is great, but Iran also does not possess the same sort of upside as the USA or England. Their two strikers, Mehdri Taremi and Sardar Azmoun are definitely to be feared, but outside of that dynamic duo, Iran’s roster does not have much to offer.
Not only does their overall lack of talent beg questions to how they can keep up, but after a coaching change in late September, the odd decisions and distractions have increased. Their coach, Carlos Queiroz, elected to only reveal a 25-man team for the World Cup, opposed to bringing the allowed 26-man roster and he decided to uniquely bring four goalies for some reason, known to no one. Iran as a country is also going through a tense time with mass protests going on while the team has prepared for this World Cup. It will be very interesting to see how Iran manages this year after a fairly successful World Cup performance in 2018.
Final Game-by-Game Predictions and Standings
USA 2-0 Wales
England 3-1 Iran
Wales 1-1 Iran
England 1-0 USA
USA 2-0 Iran
Wales 1-1 England
1: England – 7 Points (+3 GD)
2: USA – 6 Points (+3 GD)
3: Wales – 2 Points (-2 GD)
4: Iran – 1 Point (-4 GD)