World Cup 2022 dark horses and disappointments – Louis van Gaal’s last dance? A step too far for Gareth Southgate?

Welcome to the Eurosport World Cup roundtable extravaganza! With the World Cup just a few weeks away we are getting together our European experts in order to get their thoughts on a variety of topics about the World Cup.

Over the coming weeks you will see predictions for top scorer in Qatar, surprise packages, and overall winner as we build up to the tournament.

We kick things off with our dark horses and who we think are going to be the biggest flops of the tournament. Let’s get right into it.

Eurosport UK – Serbia filled with gamechangers, France destined for disaster

Dark horse – Serbia

Serbia may be ranked 21 in the FIFA World Rankings at the moment but they seem ripe to cause a real shock and get through to the quarter-finals or even the semi-finals. During the qualifying period they won six and drew two of their eight matches and topped a group that included Portugal. They drew 2-2 at home against Portugal but secured a famous 2-1 win away in the final game of qualifying to top the group and secure their qualification.

It is a team filled with some excellent players such as Dusan Tadic, Filip Kostic, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Dusan Vlahovic, Nikola Milenkovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic; players who can change the game in a moment. I think like Croatia four years ago Serbia are going to be severely underestimated by a lot of teams and cause a few shocks.

Disappointment – France

With apologies to our French team here but all signs are pointing to absolute disaster for France. Kylian Mbappe is at war with his club team. Paul Pogba is at war with his knee and his brother. Didier Deschamps is at war with himself not to overthink things. It all seems perfectly set up for a massive shock for the defending champions.

I just have so many questions about this team and there are so many players who are either out of form or struggling with injury. France probably have the most talent available to them but I don’t trust them all to get along or for Deschamps to pick the right team/formation. Four years ago was an incredible achievement but I think this will be a messy end for DD and he will be swiftly replaced by ZZ.

Pete Sharland

Eurosport Germany – United Denmark can cause shock, pressure too much for Belgium?

Dark horse – Denmark

Denmark already surprised a lot of people at Euro 2020 (semi finalist), and in the qualifiers they came first in their group (nine wins, one defeat). Kasper Hjulmand’s team also did very well in the Nations League. In a group with France, Croatia and Austria, Denmark finished second, only one point behind group winner Croatia.

Denmark does not have any really big superstars in its team, but the team is very united and physically strong. Moreover, Hjulmand has managed to give the team an attractive gameplan, which is being implemented very well. In a group with France, Australia and Tunisia, progress is a must. Let’s see how far they go.

Disappointment – Belgium

As in every tournament in the past years, Belgium come in again as co-favourites for the title. Sure, Belgium has an outstanding team with players like Kevin de Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois, among others. Whether Romelu Lukaku will be fully fit is still up in the air.

It will be the last or penultimate chance for the much-cited “golden generation” of the Red Devils to finally win a major title. And it is precisely because of this pressure that Belgium could fail.

Dennis Melzer

Eurosport Italy – Louis van Gaal’s final masterpiece, a step too far for Southgate?

Dark horse – Netherlands

The last chance for Louis Van Gaal (from January 2023 the Dutch coach will be Ronald Koeman once more) could be the right one. The federation recalled him after dark years marked by exclusion from the 2018 World Cup with Danny Blind and Dick Advocaat at the helm, and elimination in the round of 16 of Euro 2020 with Frank de Boer. Van Gaal was the coach in the last World Cup where the Netherlands shone, in 2014, in which he got a very good third place ahead of hosts Brazil.

The Oranje have regained their magic since Van Gaal’s return to the bench. They are yet to lose: no defeats in 15 games. First place in the Nations League group saw them through to the final four. And they also secured first place also in the qualifying round for the World Cup, ahead of Turkey and Norway.

The team seems less strong than others on paper but the coach has managed to give a clear identity and as a result the Dutch play some very nice football. Virgil van Dijk is unique in his role, but the fate of the Netherlands will depend on Memphis Depay, who scored 12 goals in qualifying. If he recovers from his injury in time, the Netherlands will have a chance to reach the semi-finals again. Cody Gakpo may be the revelation of the tournament.

Disappointment – England

We apologise to our British colleagues but we think that England will be the disappointing surprise of the 2022 World Cup. After fourth place in Russia in 2018, a performance that had echoes of Italy 1990, we expected growth. And whilst the Three Lions reached the final of Euro 2020, where they lost in front of their fans, there has been little magic since. Even though they’ve won a few matches in the past 18 months they also showed plenty of problems. Gareth Southgate, who has been leading England since 2016 and who has brought the team back to the top, now looks like a lonely man and his team is no longer so united.

In 2022 only two wins, both in March, then six Nations League games to forget. Relegation to League B and a lot of confusion in the hierarchy. Many players from 2018 are still there, and they have added Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Mason Mount and Bukayo Saka. Great names, but the main weakness is Southgate, who is not in control of the situation. There are therefore no expectations to see the Three Lions match or better the result obtained in Russia. Group B is very simple, so it is likely an elimination in the quarter-finals, in the first clash with a top team.

Michele Neri

Eurosport France – Senegal have the players, injuries spell problems for France

Dark horse – Senegal

Can we even talk about a surprise with Senegal? With stars like Sadio Mane, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly, Senegal has many arguments that they can cause a shock. And the ‘Lions of Teranga’ are carried by their recent success in the Africa Cup of Nations 2022. For their third World Cup, Senegal has the means to become the first African team to go to the semi-finals. And why not a little more…

Disappointment – France

Expectations are enormous. But for some time now, Didier Deschamps’ team has been less attractive, both to watch and in terms of getting results. The change of defence with a move to a three has not been conclusive. And the injuries are a big worry. Without N’Golo Kante and with many physical problems for key players such as Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane, Les Bleus have too many uncertainties before such a tournament and could fall from the summit after the Euro disappointment.

Glenn Ceilier

Eurosport Spain – Suarez and Cavani’s last dance? France seem shaky

Dark horse – Uruguay

Uruguay are halfway between the historic generation of Diego Godin, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani and the new jewels such as Ronald Araujo, Fede Valverde and Darwin Nunez. The South American team has always been just a few steps away from appearing in the final stages of the past few World Cups. Perhaps this ‘last dance’ of the old glories pushed by new stars ends up placing Diego Alonso’s men close to success.

Disappointment – France

As some of our colleagues have mentioned, France may be a candidate to be the big disappointment. In another article (keep an eye out for that) we have dealt with the issue of the ‘champion’s curse’ that Italy, Germany, Spain or France itself have already suffered. Perhaps France will do so once more.

Despite having a team full of stars, the sporting and non-sporting noise around the team does not portend great successes for the current champions.

Jorge Ordas