The World Cup group stages are over, three-quarters of the games have been played and half of the teams are on their way home. Plenty of big names are leaving the tournament having failed to live up to expectations and a few more have been given a second chance to impress after their underwhelming displays. We look at XI who will not look back fondly on the first 48 games of the tournament.
David de Gea, Spain
The Manchester United goalkeeper hasn’t replicated his club form for his country since usurping Iker Casillas as Spain No1 and he had a terrible start to the World Cup. While his error against Portugal – and the fact he didn’t make a single save in a game where Spain conceded three goals – ultimately meant little, with La Roja topping Group B, but David de Gea does not look himself and reports suggest he may be dropped for the last-16 game against Russia. Rating: 5.59
Jérôme Boateng, Germany
Jérôme Boateng came into the tournament with serious fitness concerns and he was not helped by his midfielders, but he was truly awful against Sweden. The red card for a second bookable offense was saved him from making more mistakes in a lackluster performance – and saved him from experiencing a fateful defeat to South Korea. Rating: 6.40
Kalidou Koulibaly, Senegal
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Kalidou Koulibaly, the man known as “K2”, is revered at Napoli for his ability to play out from the back and his strength in the air at both ends of the pitch, but he didn’t show any of that at the World Cup. His pass accuracy dropped from 91.2% in Serie A to 77.9% and his long-ball accuracy fell from 53.3% to 35.7%. He seemed to strike fear in the hearts of his own fans. The center-back scored five goals in Serie A last season but he did not manage a single attempt at goal in Russia. Rating: 6.46
Sergio Ramos, Spain
Unlike Koulibaly, Sergio Ramos’ distribution from the back was typically strong during the group stage, but he looked suspect defensively in a Spain team that conceded five goals. One of those goals came after the Real Madrid captain had a moment of miscommunication with Andrés Iniesta against Morocco, with the defender at fault as Khalid Boutaïb opened the scoring. He will need to improve if he is to pick up the World Cup in the same summer that he lifted the Champions League trophy. Rating: 6.57
Bernardo Silva, Portugal
Having been hauled off in matches against Spain and Morocco, Bernardo Silva lost his place for the final group game and it remains to be seen whether he will regain it for the knockout phase. The Manchester City player did not produce a single goal, shot, assist or key pass during the group stage. He was also wasteful in possession, completing just 38 of 51 pass attempts (71.7%) in 148 minutes of action. Rating: 6.36
Mohamed Elneny, Egypt
In the absence of a fully fit Mohamed Salah, Egypt needed to be resolute defensively and hope the other standout players in the squad would give them a chance of progressing. Mohamed Elneny needed to step up but the Arsenal player was often overrun in midfield. While he kept the ball well enough, the 25-year-old didn’t break up attacks, completing just two tackles in three games as the Pharaohs crashed out without no points. Rating: 6.09
Piotr Zielinski, Poland
With a host of scouts from Europe’s biggest clubs reportedly casting an eye over Piotr Zielinski this summer, the Napoli midfielder had a chance to impress. He didn’t take it. He was in the side to provide ammunition to the forwards, most notably Robert Lewandowski, but the 24-year-old created just two chances in 259 minutes and his overall pass accuracy was a very modest 79.1%. Rating: 6.41
Ángel Di María, Argentina
Having enjoyed a strong second half to the season at Paris Saint-Germain, Ángel Di María would have been hoping to carry some form into the World Cup but he was anonymous in his two appearances. With one shot, one dribble and two key passes, the winger lacked an impact in the final third and relinquished possession on a consistent basis, completing just 76.4% of his passes. Rating: 6.40
Ousmane Dembélé, France
After a frustrating debut season at Barcelona, Ousmane Dembélé’s path into the France team seemed to open up when Dimitri Payet picked up an injury before the tournament. Sadly, the 21-year-old has been an ineffective replacement for Payet, one of the stars of Euro 2016. Dembélé had more of an impact from the bench in 15 minutes against Peru than in either of his two starts. He has shown little of his ability to beat defenders and provide for his fellow forwards, completing just two dribbles and two key passes in 164 minutes. Rating: 6.47
Robert Lewandowski, Poland
Given his incredible record in qualifying – he was the top scorer in Europe with 16 goals – Robert Lewandowski has been toothless during the group stages of the last two major international tournaments. He did not score until the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, a feat he will not be able to repeat this time around. The Bayern Munich striker mustered nine shots in Russia without scoring, hitting the target with just three of them. Rating: 6.43
Timo Werner, Germany
The one real concern for Germany before the tournament was their lack of a real goalscorer to lead the line. Those fears were realized in Russia. Many backed Timo Werner to fill the golden boots of Miroslav Klose but he will have to wait another four years, having carried little threat in the box at this tournament off the back of what was a modest season at club level. Without a goal from seven shots, he looked stronger when moved out wide against Sweden, but still underwhelmed as Germany were the big casualty of the group stage. Rating: 6.30
(The Guardian)
