After rounding off Group G with Panama, we turn our attention to the final group of the World Cup, with Colombia the first to fall under the microscope.
Colombia won the hearts of the neutrals four years ago in Brazil only to crash out at the quarter-final stage at the hosts’ expense. Their route to Russia wasn’t a walk in the park, however, with the South American outfit finishing fourth in CONMEBOL after a 1-1 draw with Peru in the final round of fixtures, which meant they avoided a playoff to guarantee their place at the 2018 World Cup.
Jose Pekerman has been at the Colombia helm since January 2012 and the World Cup could be his final tournament as La Tricolor boss with his contract running until after Russia 2018. The experienced manager was dealt a blow this weekend with the news that left-back Frank Fabra will miss out after he sustained an ACL injury in training, but Colombia must not allow his absence to affect them too much in arguably one of the most unpredictable groups at the World Cup.
Drawn alongside Poland, Senegal and Japan, it remains to be seen who’ll secure their spot in the next round of the World Cup, though Japan are expected to finish bottom in Group H. Fortunately for Colombia, their creator-in-chief comes into the World Cup on the back of a stunning season for Bayern Munich. James Rodriguez earned a better WhoScored.com rating (7.63) than any other player in Germany’s top tier as he ended the campaign strongly following a stuttering start to life in Munich after his arrival from Real Madrid.
A return of 3.5 key passes per 90 was not only more than any other Bundesliga player last season, but reinforces a statistically calculated WhoScored.com strength of ‘key passes’. Colombia will be hoping Rodriguez can replicate his performances from four years ago and they should be confident of progressing to the quarter-finals, with the winner of Group H up against the runner-up from Group G, which is likely to be one of Belgium or England.
The chance to link up again with Falcao in the final third means Colombia are a difficult proposition for any side in Russia, but they need to be wary about being caught short at the back. Fortunately, in Davinson Sanchez, Pekerman has at his disposal one of the finest young centre-backs in the game. The 21-year-old excelled in his debut campaign at Tottenham and is expected to start for Colombia this summer.
A return of 60.2 passes per game was one of the better returns in the Premier League last season and this ball playing ability will be crucial for a Colombia side that aims to turn defence into attack at the drop of a hat. Sanchez was vital for a Spurs side that secured a Champions League finish and they’ll look to the young centre-back to transfer his good club form to the international stage this summer as Colombia look to make a lasting impact this summer.
