Colombia: World Cup's dark horses?

In the 1990′s, Colombia were considered a rising superpower in world football. That period still remains the most glorious period of Colombian football, even though the nation’s best result in the World Cup during those times was reaching the second round in 1990 World Cup held in Italy. The South American nation’s best moment was when they beat double World Champions Argentina 5-0 at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires. A lasting memory from that match is when Argentine fans actually applauded the Colombians after the final whistle, thus creating a unique rivalry between the two nations. The rivalry is unique because it was born more out of mutual respect than of total animosity.

The good days didn’t last, however. Colombia failed to qualify for the World Cups held in 2002, 2006 and 2010. Many believed that the nation’s so-called golden days were just a phase. However, Colombia managed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup with a 3-3 draw over Chile, thus bringing an end to a 16-year long hiatus from world football’s biggest stage. And while it’s too early to say Colombia are once again a rising superpower in football, one can question how well the team will do in Brazil and what should be the expectations from this particular bunch of players.

While the Colombians aren’t exactly filled with plenty of star players like Brazil or Argentina, they do have a team that is more than caoabale of holding their own against any opposition. They do, however, possess a few top quality players. In Radamel Falcao, they have arguably one of the best (if not the best) striker in the world. Jackson Martinez, who is currently a star at Porto, is another good striker they have in their ranks. They also have some talented young players such as James Rodriguez, Luis Muriel, Juan Fernando Quintero, Stefan Medina and Santiago Arias coming through the ranks. The biggest headache for manager Jose Pekerman is how exactly he should use all these players in a way that will benefit both the team as well as the individual players. However, it’s the type of headache any manager would be happy to have.

Colombia certainly wouldn’t go down as favourites for winning the tournament, not by a long shot. But they will definitely take some beating as they play some good football and have game-changers within their ranks. The fact that they will be playing in Brazil means they will have plenty of fans who will make the trip to watch the nation. The fact that they will be used to the type of atmosphere that can be generated by South American crowds will give them an advantage over almost any European team they will come up against.

Los Cafeteros will not have too much pressure on them despite the fact that they’re qualifying for the World Cup after a long time, mainly because no one would be expecting them to win the tournament. Nevertheless, the fact that they play good football means they won’t make life easy for their opponents and they are definitely not there just to make up the numbers. They will definitely be one of the better teams to watch come the 2014 World Cup.