World Cup Best XI After Group Stage

Here is our second edition of the World Cup Best XI, and this one comes right after the end of the group stages. Once again, so that I can fit as many top players as possible into the starting lineup, I will allow myself a small bit of leniency with the positions.

Guillermo Ochoa, Mexico, Goalkeeper - Ochoa features in the starting XI once again, as he had another brilliant game against Croatia, following two huge performances against Brazil and Cameroon. Ochoa's reflexes and decision-making have been absolutely superb thus far and Mexico will need him to stay at top form if they are going to slip past the Netherlands.

Serge Aurier, Ivory Coast, Right Back - The only person to make this XI from a team who has been eliminated, Aurier has not been incredible so far, but other right backs have been so underwhelming that there are almost no other options. Aurier had two assists in his first game against Japan, but was kept quiet against Colombia and Greece, although he still put in solid defensive performances.

Kenneth Omeruo, Nigeria, Center Back - Omeruo, like Aurier, is a beneficiary of the fact that there have been very few impressive defenders so far in the tournament. Omeruo has led a surprisingly fantastic Nigeria back line, shutting down Iran and then Bosnia (he man-marked Edin Dzeko for much of the game). Though he struggled at times to contain Lionel Messi and the Argentinian attack, his talent was still able to shine through a couple times, as he made several outstanding tackles and clearances.

Johan Djourou, Switzerland, Center Back - After France demolished Switzerland in their second group game, the Swiss back line looked as if they were in shambles. However, Djourou helped them regain form against Honduras, and he looked like the man who we saw in the Swiss opener against Ecuador. Excluding the game against France, Djourou has been undoubtedly the best center back in the tournament.

Daley Blind, The Netherlands, Left Back - Once again, there haven't been too many defenders that have impressed so far in the World Cup, but Blind has probably been the best of all of them. After dominating in the Netherlands' first game against Spain, Blind struggled a bit against Australia, but then was back to top form against Chile.

Arjen Robben, The Netherlands, Right Midfield - Arjen Robben has been, without a doubt, the best player in this World Cup so far. He has tallied three goals and an assist, all of which have been vital to the Netherlands' dominant performances in Group B. Robben's speed, dribbling, and shooting are all fantastic, but the most remarkable thing about Robben's game is that everybody knows that he can only go left but he continues to succeed in doing it.

James Rodriguez, Colombia, Center Midfield - Everybody knew J-Rod was good, but nobody knew he was this good. Rodriguez has three goals and two assists for Colombia and is the main reason why the team has been so incredibly impressive. Rodriguez just moved to Monaco for about 45 million dollars, but his transfer stock has to be rising even more with his performances in this World Cup.

Neymar, Brazil, Left Midfield - Neymar was left off of our previous XI because, even though he was scoring goals, he wasn't having the consistent effect on matches that we expect out of him. Well, in his last game against Cameroon, Neymar finally showed off all of his talents with a dominant performance all over the pitch and was rewarded with two goals.

Thomas Muller, Germany, Striker - Questions were being asked about the German striker position before the World Cup started, but Muller, who is not a natural striker, has really dominated the role for Germany. With four goals already this year, Muller now has 9 total World Cup goals and is on pace to become the greatest World Cup scorer of all time.

Lionel Messi, Argentina, Striker - Does anybody still think that Messi isn't the best player in the world? The last thing that Messi had to do was to perform for Argentina at the biggest stage, and he has certainly done that so far, with an impressive total of four goals. He wasn't in our last starting XI because he wasn't dominating every facet of the game like he should (much like Neymar) but in his most recent game against Nigeria, Messi showed us why many consider him to be the best.

World Cup Group A Update

In Group A, each of Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, and Cameroon has played just one game, with Brazil beating Croatia 3-1 and Mexico beating Cameroon 1-0. It may only be a small sample size but these two games have told us a lot about each of the teams:

What We Noticed With Brazil - Brazil looked lethargic and not nearly creative enough in their first game against Croatia. With the exception of Oscar, nobody, not even Neymar, seemed at the races. Sure, Neymar scored two goals, but one was a scuffed effort that the keeper should have saved and the other was on a penalty that was awarded after an egregious dive by Fred. This sort of play should be enough to get Brazil to get through the group stages but it may not be enough in the next round against stiffer competition.

Brazil's Best Player - Oscar, Attacking Midfielder - Was energetic and creative throughout the game. Ended the game with an assist and a beautiful toe-poke goal.

Brazil's Worst Player - Dani Alves, Right Back - Pushed way too far up the right side leaving tons of space for Croatia to explore. Was responsible for the space on Croatia's first goal as well as numerous other chances for Croatia.

What We Noticed With Croatia - Honestly, I was a bit underwhelmed by Croatia in their game against Brazil. The reality is, they probably deserved at least a tie if not for the abysmal refereeing, but that was not because they played so well but because Brazil played so bad. Modric and Rakticic played decently in the midfield, but I expected a bit more, and Olic was fantastic in the space behind Dani Alves, but it was clear that they were missing Mario Mandzukic up front. They will look for a much better result when Mandzukic returns against Cameroon.

Croatia's Best Player - Ivica Olic, Striker - Sent in the ball that ended in an own goal and generally enjoyed himself down the left flank.

Croatia's Worst Player - Stipe Pletikosa, Goalkeeper - Had a horrible afternoon that he will want to forget. Should have probably saved each of the three goals, even the penalty, which he got both hands on before pushing it into his own net.

What We Noticed With Mexico - Mexico were the most impressive team in group A through the first set of games. Though they aren't nearly physical enough, they have more than enough creativity to make up for that lack of physicality, and their creativity was on display against Cameroon. The scoreline should have read more than 1-0, as two Giovani Dos Santos goals were wrongly called offsides and Mexico hardly ever found themselves defending. Their entire team looked very strong and they could definitely challenge Croatia for that second advancing spot in Group A.

Mexico's Best Player - Giovani Dos Santos, Winger - Should have had two goals, both of which were wrongly called back for offsides. Also had the original shot which Oribe Peralta cleaned up.

Mexico's Worst Player - Andres Guardado, Outside Midfielder - One of the few Mexican players with European experience but was fairly unimpressive today, giving the ball away several times in the midfield.

What We Noticed With Cameroon - I was very disappointed with Cameroon's performance versus Mexico. Cameroon arguably have more talented players than Mexico, who have very few players that play in Europe, while Cameroon have more than a few, including Stephan M'Bia, Alex Song, and Samuel Eto'o. However, they failed to have hardly any possession in the final third and their defense didn't impress either. In the f

inal ten or twenty minutes the game opened up a bit and Cameroon finally started to make a few chances, but it was far too little far too late.

Cameroon's Best Player - Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Left Back - Was the best performer of the Cameroon back line and also pushed forward well, which nobody else on Cameroon seemed to do.

Cameroon's Worst Player - Enoh, Central Midfielder - One of Cameroon's several European players, but looked pretty invisible against Mexico except when conceding fouls, which he did a lot.

World Cup Group Predictions: Group A

First Team To Advance: Brazil
Second Team To Advance: Croatia
Teams Heading Home: Mexico, Cameroon

I don't think anybody doubts that Brazil will exit this group in first place, especially considering they will have the home-field advantage. Though they have not looked incredible in friendlies, when they have played to their potential, Brazil look nearly unstoppable, as evidenced by their recent 4 - 0 thrashing of Panama. Meanwhile, the battle for second place in Group A is much more interesting, with Cameroon, Mexico, and Croatia all being formidable teams. Cameroon certainly have the firepower upfront, with the experienced Samuel Eto'o and Ligue 1 second-leading goalscorer Vincent Aboubakar, and they have a decent back-four, but they are fairly weak in the midfield, which could be a fatal flaw against dominant midfield teams such as Brazil and Croatia. Mexico also are an intriguing outfit, as they are a historically solid team, but have failed to impress this year, especially in their recent friendly losses to Bosnia and Portugal. Finally, Croatia are extremely well endowed up front, with Mandzukic providing goals from the striker position and Modric and Rakitic dominating possession in the midfield, and, despite their minor deficiencies at the back, they should be able to ride their attack out of this group. My pick for the leading goalscorer of the group is Brazil's Neymar, but Croatia's Mario Mandzukic won't be far behind. Additionally, I expect Croatia's Luka Modric to lead the group in assists. Outside of Brazil, who are nearly locks to move on to the next round, this group becomes a very even and exciting battle for the second advancing spot.