After 56 matches of unpredictable upsets, dramatic last-minute goals and enjoyable chaos, the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup begin this Friday. Eight teams remain in the competition, each eyeing a chance to go head-to-head for the Jules Rimet Trophy on December 18. Each matchup ahead is full of potential, so let us delve into the games to come.
Netherlands v. Argentina
Conventional wisdom suggests that the Dutch have flattered to deceive thus far. Their journey through Group A was far from convincing, with strong performances from midfielder Frenkie de Jong and forward Cody Gakpo painting over cracks in the team’s ability to control games and its inconsistency in attack. They largely found their footing against the United States, ultimately outclassing fierce but inferior opposition. Still, their greatest test by some margin awaits them in the quarterfinals.
Argentina looked similarly shaky in their first matches, with a shocking defeat to unfancied Saudi Arabia in their opener snapping a 36-game unbeaten streak. Individual brilliance from Lionel Messi and rising talent Enzo Fernández bailed the team out against Mexico, and while they later ran riot against Poland and ground out a victory against Australia in the round of 16, neither scoreline was impressive.
The Dutch tend to defend with five at the back, long the preferred system of veteran manager Louis van Gaal, and look to counterattack against opposition with pace and finishing. Headlined by the imposing Virgil van Dijk, the Netherlands have one of the strongest center-back contingencies at the World Cup, a peculiar situation for a country whose sides are historically well-known for attacking flair. Perhaps the side’s biggest surprise has been at right wing-back: Denzel Dumfries has been one of the standout performers of the tournament, tormenting the United States’ left flank while picking up a goal and two assists. Even goalkeeper Andries Noppert has been one of the feel-good stories of the World Cup, having lit up the tournament despite having no experience with the national side and only becoming a starting goalkeeper last year at the age of 27.
The Argentinians have been tactically unsteady at times, but generally look to wrest control of the midfield with their emerging trio of Fernández, Rodrigo de Paul and Alexis Mac Allister. While not as flashy as previous midfields, the tenacity and energy that these three bring (in addition to the more reserved Leandro Paredes) shields their rock-solid defensive pairing in Nicolás Otamendi and Cristian Romero. But the gem of this Argentina side, as he has been for the past dozen years is Messi. While the aging legend may have lost a half-step of pace, his ball control, passing range and finishing ability still remain nearly beyond belief. With forward Julian Álvarez staking his claim for a spot in the lineup alongside his boyhood hero and veteran Ángel Di María waiting in the wings, this Argentina side is not only dangerous, but remarkably well-balanced too.
This game could realistically go either way, but I am marginally backing Argentina to pull a out narrow 2–1 victory in Lusail. Their individual quality gives them an edge over the well-organized Dutch, and after an early hitch, Messi and co. are finding their form.
Croatia v. Brazil
While several of the core players of the Croatian side that finished as runners-up in 2018 remain on this year’s squad, their team this World Cup is not what it was four years ago. The one team they have beaten within regulation time was a vastly outmatched Canada, and they only managed to sneak by a fearless Japan team on penalties.
Brazil, on the other hand, appears to be the strongest side in the tournament after a series of dominating attacking performances (only slightly dented by a loss to Cameroon in a match where manager Tite rested many of his best players). Swelling in star player Neymar’s ankle caused him to miss the final two group stage matches, but he has returned to a threatening attacking unit that has overrun many a side.
The Croatians play in a balanced 4–3–3, much like in the last tournament. Much of the backbone of their press-resistant midfield has endured; 37-year-old Luka Modrić miraculously remains one of the best technical midfielders in the world in his advancing years, and his partners-in-crime Marcelo Brozović and Mateo Kovačić are as strong as ever. While fellow veteran Ivan Perišić provides a keen edge to their front three, 27-old Joško Gvardiol has taken the world by storm, providing commanding performances at the back alongside old-timer Dejan Lovren. Goalie Dominik Livaković has similarly impressed in net, particularly in the penalty shootout against Japan where he made three saves.
Brazil’s attacking front is making all the headlines as of late, but the team’s greatest strength lies in its balance. Defensive midfielder Casemiro, known for his remarkable ability to intercept opposition passes, has operated alongside a rotating cast of midfielders behind the Seleção’s fearsome front three or four. Neymar, whose versatility in goalscoring, dribbling and chance creation allow him to torment defense after defense, leads this vaunted attack. In-form forward Richarlison and ebullient left-winger Vinícius Júnior help maintain fluidity and omnipresent danger. When opposition have finally managed to advance on Brazil’s defense, they have been met with the imperious center-back duo of Thiago Silva and Marquinhos, with world-class shot-stopper Alisson waiting in net. No wonder so many considered them the pre-tournament favorites.
Brazil are admittedly weak at full-back due to injuries and a lack of depth, but Croatia’s tricky wide players (e.g. Perišić) will struggle to match the force and flair of their opposite numbers in attack. I predict that this match will be a well-fought encounter, but that Brazil will manage to squeak out a victory.
England v. France
Germany’s early elimination and the English team’s strength across all areas of the pitch make my skeptical assessment of their tournament chances in the preview piece I wrote look very foolish indeed. With the exception of their match against the United States, where the Americans played their counterparts off the pitch and were unlucky not to win, the Three Lions have systematically dismantled their opponents’ defenses and looked unexpectedly strong at the back.
Pre-tournament rumors of discontent in the French camp have also been laid to rest, and several injuries to key players have barely slowed them down. With attacking venom in spades and a spate of players turning in key performance after key performance, this France side looks more and more like real contenders to become the first repeat World Cup champions since Brazil in 1962.
England tends to start matches slowly, then grow into the game after wearing their opponents down. Their midfield constants, defensive distributor Declan Rice and teenage sensation Jude Bellingham, exerted control over most of the side’s matches, often combining with either the offensive Mason Mount or the more contemplative Jordan Henderson to provide a steady framework for the English offensive line. Harry Kane’s propensity to drop deep and receive passes make him both one of the team’s most dangerous goalscorers and creators, and a slew of menacing wide options — irrepressible winger Bukayo Saka, slick forward Raheem Sterling, tricky all-rounder Phil Foden and rapid goal threat Marcus Rashford — strike fear into the hearts of their opposition. The biggest revelation for the Three Lions, however, has been center-back Harry Maguire. Internationally maligned for his well-publicized bad form at Manchester United, the imposing defender has seized his chance at the World Cup and dominated every match so far with his incredible aerial skills and ability to read the game.
France’s game plan similarly revolves around wearing out their opposition by backing off in defense, goading the other team into overcommitting offensively, then pulling off devastating counterattacks. These tactics have helped 23-year-old Kylian Mbappé, a safe future choice for the world’s best player, become the 2022 tournament’s top scorer thus far with five goals. Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud help complete a lethal front three — Griezmann has linked midfield and attack with terrifying precision, and Giroud’s goal against Poland made him France’s all-time top goalscorer — despite decent-at-best club form is unsurprising. The best players in France’s current generation all show up for the national team, regardless of their form suggesting otherwise. Outside of their blazing left-back Theo Hernandez and mercurial midfielder Adrien Rabiot, few French players have individually impressed (or needed to); the success of Les Blues as a unit relies not upon consistent individual brilliance, but on solid individual performances all around.
While France has a slightly stronger squad, I believe that England will pull off a tight victory in this game, mainly due to a fortuitous tactical matchup. Neither side will look to apply much pressure in the opening stages, but constant defending is generally more physically demanding than constant possession, and the Three Lions may wear down the French midfield enough to seize control in the second half and grind out a victory. I would not be surprised, however, if France’s incisiveness on the attack proves to be England’s undoing.
Morocco v. Portugal
Most people did not give Morocco much of a chance of advancing through the group stage (let alone making the quarterfinals) but Walid Regragui’s fearless side have been supremely unfazed by doubted. They finished on top of Group F unbeaten, helping to dump out Belgium’s Golden Generation on their final bite at the cherry. A cagey yet dramatic 0–0 affair with Spain ended with victory on penalties, with goalkeeper Yassine Bounou’s heroics sending the Atlas Lions into unknown territory for an Arab nation: three matches away from being World Cup champions.
Many onlookers dismissed Portugal too. Despite having one of the most talented squads on paper, Portuguese fans have long expressed their distaste for the negative tactics of manager Fernando Santos; the declining form of and media whirlwind around an aging Cristiano Ronaldo, making (almost certainly) his final bow on the greatest of international stages, have also been unwelcome distractions for a side drawn into one of the most evenly matched groups in Qatar. However, assured performances against Ghana and Uruguay assuaged the doubts of supporters, and a 6–1 demolition of Switzerland in the round of 16 indicate that Santos and his enormously gifted side might just be the real deal.
Morocco like to channel attacks down the right-hand side of the pitch, and with good reason: their two strongest players operate along that flank. The world-class Achraf Hakimi plays at right-back, but wields the attacking prowess of a winger. Hakimi’s advances open up space for Hakim Ziyech, the side’s creative heartbeat, to get on the ball in dangerous pockets of space. Recently returned from the Morocco side after being frozen out under the previous manager, Ziyech’s wand of a left foot often targets forwards such as Youssef En-Nesyri in open play and crosses for imposing defenders such as Romain Saïss on set pieces. Saïss and Nayif Aguerd form a sturdy wall in front of keeper Bounou, with aggressive full-backs Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui at their sides; excellent midfield engine Sofyan Amrabat is equally adept at breaking up attacks before they reach the Moroccan defense and at linking defense and attack in tight spaces.
The Portuguese usually play cautiously — even against inferior opposition — with defensive options in midfield often taking precedence over attacking ones. However, at this edition of the World Cup, they have opted for a slightly more free-flowing style, which has paid significant dividends thus far. Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes have been two of the most impressive midfielders at the tournament, often combining in the final third to great effect. Silva’s creativity and ball control allow him to spray passes all over the pitch, and Fernandes’s surging runs and deft movements have tormented opposing defenders from deep. Raphaël Guerreiro and João Cancelo are among the most offensively-minded fullbacks here — matched, ironically, by those of Morocco — and their width provides plenty of service for the Portuguese forward line. Gonçalo Ramos’s tormenting of the Swiss defense will likely earn him a starting spot, and both the creative antics of João Félix and the incisive running of Rafael Leão are solid arguments for the inclusion of each. Ronaldo will likely remain on the bench, as he did for 70 minutes against Switzerland. The legendary forward’s massive ego and thirst for goals and playing time have made him an unwieldy player in his twilight years, but one suspects that a World Cup trophy would be one of the only things in the world for which he would put his pride aside.
After their dominant dispatching of the Swiss, Portugal will rightfully go into this matchup as favorites. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that Morocco could pull off another upset and become Africa’s first representative in a World Cup semifinal; rarely do teams manage both tactical discipline and consummate talent with the efficiency of this year’s Atlas Lions. In any case, the attacking instincts of each side should make this game among the most exciting of the tournament.