Who were the disappointments of the World Cup group stage?
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(CNN) --
Since the start of the World Cup, soccer's traditional heavyweights have struggled.
Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina in what has been described as the biggest shock in the tournament's history.
The 2022 World Cup really started at that moment.
In the days that followed, Morocco beat world number 2 Belgium and Australia beat Denmark to secure their place in the round of 16 in Qatar.
However, the epitome of the unpredictable group stage came in Group E, in which Japan beat Germany and Spain to finish top of the group and Germany were sent off after struggling to beat Costa Rica.
The Samurai Blue even found time to lose to Costa Rica, who had been beaten 7-0 by Spain in their opener.
These are the rivals already defined in the round of 16 8:02
Over the years we have seen many surprises at the World Cup, but this year there have been more than most.
In fact, this World Cup is only the fourth edition in the tournament's 92-year history in which no team has won all of its group stage matches, and the first since 1994.
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So why have there been so many surprises at this year's tournament?
A World Cup like no other
This World Cup is unprecedented for many reasons.
It is the first to be held in the Middle East.
It is also the first to be held in the middle of the traditional European football calendar.
Due to FIFA's decision to move the World Cup from its usual date in July and August due to the temperature in Qatar during those months, most teams have had little more than a week to prepare for what is the main international soccer competition.
As a result, nations with players predominantly competing in their country thrived early on.
Saudi Arabia - without any player who practices their profession outside the country - and England were well organized from the start.
However, hosts Qatar, who also had all their players in the country, did not seem so organized, becoming the worst host nation in World Cup history in terms of results.
On the other hand, the teams with players in leagues from all corners of the planet had cohesion problems in the first matches.
Argentina seemed disjointed, Denmark lacked verve and Belgium seemed sleepy.
What is certain is that some of the bigger nations got off to a slow start, with teams missing the usual early summer overtime, after many leagues wrap up their seasons, to hone tactical organization and camaraderie.
Video: excesses in Belgium after World Cup defeat 0:55
Meanwhile, a lack of preparation time saw the players arrive in Qatar after almost four months of a grueling schedule, which for many included two games a week.
Players usually have almost a month to rest first, and then to physically prepare for the tournament, but this luxury didn't exist in this tournament.
This has led to a lack of explosiveness on the part of some of the stars we expected to light up the tournament, as well as injuries to many of those we expected to see on the world stage.
The general lack of fitness has placed an emphasis on the ability of selectors to successfully use substitutes.
The recent increase from three to five substitutions allowed to teams has contributed to the desire of selectors to change players and tactical systems whenever they want.
In Japan's victories over Germany and Spain, coach Hajime Moriyasu brought fresh faces to the team at precisely the right moment – when the opposition was tiring – to provide the necessary momentum for victory.
While the lack of preparation has been a problem for all 32 teams, it has been a leveling force for all, perhaps opening the door for some of those underdogs to compete with the traditional favorites.
matter of time
In the case of many of the top teams, you could correlate their shock defeats with current circumstances without taking anything away from the winning nations.
Argentina's loss to Saudi Arabia, in retrospect, seems rather a strange outcome.
Messi and company won their next two games and Saudi Arabia lost them.
In the case of Belgium, the age profile of the team - which had been dubbed the "golden generation" - led some to believe that their window had passed.
In fact, Red Devils star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said in an interview with The Guardian that his team had "no chance" of winning the title because the players are "too old".
Apparently De Bruyne's comments caused a division in the Belgium dressing room, but - whether because of that division or the flaws in the squad - he was ultimately proven right, as the European country was knocked out in the knockout phase. of groups.
In the case of Germany, their disappointing campaign is perhaps less surprising.
The aging of its stars—Thomas Müller, Manuel Neuer, and İlkay Gündoğan are all in their 30s—combined with a crop of young, inexperienced prospects—Jamal Musiala, Karim Adeyemi, Armel Bella-Kotchap, and Youssoufa Moukoko—has given rise to an uneven team.
Before each World Cup, a group is called a "group of death" due to its complex composition.
And in Group E, along with Japan, Spain and Costa Rica, Germany was framed in a difficult environment.
There is often talk that a World Cup has come too soon or too late for a team.
And in the case of Belgium and Germany, the results in Qatar may have shown that their roster was not best prepared for a tournament to be held in 2022.
The nature of the World Cup
Given the nature of the World Cup—teams brought together in a tournament from around the world—fans often see matchups they are not used to.
Ao Tanaka celebrates after scoring Japan's second goal against Spain.
(Kyodo News/Getty Images)
And the same can be said for players who, on their international teams, will be used to facing similar groups of players in their localized ranking systems.
But in a global World Cup, nationalities, regions and cultures mix in a huge melting pot of colour, noise and beautiful football.
In the 90 years of the World Cup's existence, this mix has led to amazing results.
It's part of the reason it's the pinnacle of world soccer: seeing the biggest soccer nations humiliated by teams they would normally expect to beat.
From the United States' victory over England in 1950 and North Korea's victory over Italy in 1966, to Senegal's victory over defending champions France in 2002, and Algeria's World Cup debut victory over Germany Occidental in 1982, the history of the World Cup is full of surprises.
Leveling the playing field?
Since the days when a nation's soccer knowledge was limited to not much beyond its borders, there has been a slow leveling of the playing field.
With more opportunities opening up outside the traditional soccer hotbeds of Europe and South America, more and more talented players are emerging from around the world, regardless of their provenance.
FIFA's head of world soccer development, Arsène Wenger, said the group stage "reflects the growing competitiveness of soccer."
"The result of the group stage shows how far more countries have acquired the tools to compete at the highest level," Wenger said.
"It is the result of better preparation and analysis of opponents, which is also a reflection of more equal access to technology. It is very much in line with FIFA's efforts to increase the competitiveness of football on a global scale."
Jamai Musiala of Germany reacts after missing a shot on November 23, 2022. (Credit: Matthew Ashton/AMA/Getty Images)
Yes, the European and South American teams continue to produce most of the best players in the world.
But long gone are the days when the group stages were easy to beat, with tougher tests generally.
It is likely that the cup will go to a European or a South American in Qatar, but who can guarantee that in the near future it will not be different?
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