As World Cup knockouts begin, Argentina, France & Spain look like frontrunners. Brazil & Germany haven’t hit their full stride. England, as usual, is flattering to deceive.
Heading into the first-ever round of 32 at a Fifa World Cup, we are starting to get a feel for who the true tournament favourites are.
The reigning champions, Argentina, have barely had to get out of first gear so far, mostly relying on their solid structure and the individual brilliance of Messi. No need to change a winning formula, right? France’s quest to become only the second team to reach three World Cup finals in a row has started positively, too. Didier Deschamps, long criticised for his conservative approach to international football (despite the positive results this has yielded), has taken the handbrake off, allowing the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué to all thrive together.
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