Complaints About The Quality Of Saudi Arabia And Other World Cup Minnows Are Misguided

Complaints About The Quality Of Saudi Arabia And Other World Cup Minnows Are Misguided
13:55, 19 Jun 2018

The opening game of a World Cup tends to be tight and cagey, with few chances offered up. Both sides are still working each other out, and keen not to give too much away. In fact, four successive tournaments, from 1966 to 1978, saw the first match end in a goalless draw.

There was no such problem this time around as Russia eviscerated Saudi Arabia, although the contest was much closer than the scoreline suggested. Juan Antonio Pizzi’s side saw far more of the ball than their opponents but took too many risks in possession and paid the price for their expansive approach.

Following that 5-0 defeat, many observers commented that Saudi Arabia's performance was indicative of a lack of strength in depth amongst the smaller nations. Some questioned how the Netherlands, Italy, Chile and the USA amongst others could miss out while they qualified.

These complaints are unfair and misguided. The reason why supposedly more talented teams didn't reach the World Cup has nothing to do with Saudi Arabia. They had ample opportunity to make it through a forgiving qualification process yet failed to do so. The fault is entirely theirs and supporters complaining about it after the event smacks of nothing more than sour grapes and an unearned sense of entitlement.

The Netherlands might have a number of household names, albeit far fewer than in previous generations, but after ten games they finished third in their group behind France and Sweden. The table doesn’t lie and having lost twice to France, and once to Bulgaria, they simply didn’t do enough to qualify. Those who finished above them had better and more cohesive teams.

The story is the same for all those who have been left to watch on from afar. The USA finished fifth out of a group of just six teams, winning only three of their ten matches. No matter how they get on in their first ever World Cup, Panama deserve to be there instead. With vastly inferior resources, both in terms of infrastructure and playing staff, they succeeded where the USA couldn’t.

In many ways, the presence of a team like Panama is what the World Cup is all about. They’ve earned their place like everyone else and the nationwide celebrations that greeted their qualification demonstrated the power of football as a unifying force. It was the sort of shared euphoria that, correctly harnessed, could provide the basis for long-term change. This unheralded group of players have set a new benchmark for others to emulate.

Each side brings something different to the World Cup and plenty of minnows learn to hold their own over time. The only way they can hope to do that is through hard-won tournament experience. As Iceland demonstrated on Saturday, when successfully shackling Argentina, their performance at Euro 2016 was far from a fluke.

The same goes for Iran, Costa Rica and the rest. You underestimate the smaller nations at your peril. Saudi Arabia might still be a way off that standard but showed far more attacking intent and technical quality than at previous tournaments. Far from a poor side, a reluctance to recognise their own limitations was arguably the biggest problem. But lessons have hopefully been learned.

The argument over whether World Cup entry should be expanded further, with 48 countries set to compete in 2026, is an entirely separate and unrelated point. There are valid criticisms that such a change will simply dilute quality too far, as well as rendering the qualification process an unwieldy and rather pointless exercise as fewer teams are knocked out.

Regardless of that being the case, Saudi Arabia and others made it to Russia on merit and the World Cup is about more than just the best players and teams. It's a truly global tournament that strives to reflect that through its very composition. Something absolutely essential to the experience would be lost if only the biggest European and South American sides made it through. Those that don't only have themselves to blame.

x
Suggested Searches:
The Sportsman
Manchester United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Premier League
Sportsman HQ
72-76 Cross St
Manchester M2 4JG
We will not ask you to provide any personal information when using The Sportsman website. You may see advertisement banners on the site, and if you choose to visit those websites, you will accept the terms and conditions and privacy policy applicable to those websites. The link below directs you to our Group Privacy Policy, and our Data Protection Officer can be contacted by email at: [email protected]

All original material is Copyright © 2019 by The Sportsman Communications Ltd.
Other material is copyright their respective owners.