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FIFA World Cup 2022 Four key players from Group E

By Anubhav Kaushal Modified 21 Sep 2022 Follow Us Comment Share FC Augsburg v FC Bayern München - Bundesliga The FIFA World Cup is almost upon us, and Group E can be tricky to predict. The World Cup this year will be held in November and December because it is being hosted in Qatar. A summer World Cup in the Middle East would be unrealistic given the warm temperatures in the region. Domestic club football will take a break during this period. Group E has Spain, Germany, Japan and Costa Rica. All four teams have done well in past editions of the competition. In a tricky group like this, even a third-place finish could be crucial in getting a place in the playoffs. Let's take a look at one key player from each country who will be the focal point for their team.

#1 Thiago Alcantara - Spain

Fulham FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League The Spanish national team has several talented players in their squad. Alvaro Morata, Sergio Busquets and Cesar Azpilicueta, along with others, form an experienced group of players. There are youngsters like Pedri and Gavi but the glue that holds everyone together is Thiago Alcantara. UEFA Champions League@ChampionsLeagueThiago Alcántara effortlessly running the show for Liverpool against Ajax ?

@Thiago6 @LFC #UCL116891028Thiago Alcántara effortlessly running the show for Liverpool against Ajax ?@Thiago6 @LFC #UCL https://t.co/mwTr5L8RSV Thiago has enjoyed a great career playing for Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and now Liverpool. Currently, 31, his industrious displays in midfield during his prime have left him injury prone. Spain will hope Thiago is fit by November as his range of passing and intuition makes the team tick. Spain will be one of the favorites to progress through the group, but Thiago will help boost those chances.

#2 Bryan Ruiz - Costa Rica

Costa Rica v New Zealand - 2022 FIFA World Cup Playoff Premier League audiences will be familiar with Bryan Ruiz after his brief stint at Fulham. Now 37 years old, Ruiz plays as an attacking midfielder these days. Ruiz has scored 29 goals in 143 appearances for Costa Rica. He is still a consistent performer for his current team LD Alajuelense in Costa Rica. CBS Sports Golazo @CBSSportsGolazoCosta Rica scored twice but their comeback started with the legend Bryan Ruiz 8212Costa Rica scored twice but their comeback started with the legend Bryan Ruiz https://t.co/0LvnyKPsgz Bryan Oviedo and Joel Campbell, along with others, will stand out for fans as they form an experienced contingent in this Costa Rican squad. Costa Rica tend to do well in World Cups, but they find themselves in one of the toughest groups. On paper, they probably have the weakest squad out of the four teams. Progress past the group stages will be heavily dependent on the experience of Ruiz and others.

#3 Thomas Muller - Germany - Group favourites

FC Bayern München v VfB Stuttgart - Bundesliga Thomas Müller is 33 years old and has scored 44 goals in 116 appearances for the German national team. As Müller has aged, he has dropped deeper into a second striker role and is more likely to give assists than goals. Germany are one of the favorites to win the World Cup, given the plethora of talent at their disposal. Sportskeeda Football@skworldfootball11× Bundesliga Champion
8× German Super Cup
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2× FIFA Club World Cup
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Happy Birthday to unarguably one of the best German attacking players to ever play the game, Thomas Muller! ?18111× Bundesliga Champion 8× German Super Cup 6× DFB-Pokal 2× Champions League 2× UEFA Super Cup 2× FIFA Club World Cup 1× FIFA World Cup- 2014Happy Birthday to unarguably one of the best German attacking players to ever play the game, Thomas Muller! ? https://t.co/qHGALrCSCL Timo Werner, Ilkay Gündogan, Antonio Rudiger and Joshua Kimmich are just some of the names that will dominate the starting 11. Müller is a veteran in this team and will play a similar role to that of Miroslav Klose in World Cups. The German national team is known for its mentality and ruthlessness, and Müller, along with Manuel Neuer, will be key for Germany.

#4 Takumi Minamino - Japan

Southampton v AS Monaco - Pre-Season Friendly There has been an influx of young Japanese talent in European football in recent years. Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda, Maya Yoshida and Yuto Nagatomo used to fly the flag for Japan in Europe. The latter two are still active. Takumi Minamino is now 27 years old and is Japan's top scorer with 17 goals. The talent in Japan's team is evenly spread, but Minamino is the most dynamic player of them all. Liverpool FC News@LivEchoLFCFormer Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino opened his goalscoring account for his new club this afternoon. #LFC

liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football…29310Former Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino opened his goalscoring account for his new club this afternoon. #LFCliverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football… https://t.co/1pk4cqqrRB Japan always tend to do well in the World Cup and are liked by neutrals because they play an exciting brand of football. Minamino, who recently signed for AS Monaco from Liverpool, will hope to lead a talented group of players in the world cup. Japan can cause an upset and even finish above Spain or Germany. Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Gautam Aggarwal × Feedback Thank You! Be the first one to comment Follow Us Share Show More Comments GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout No Results Found Get the free App now Manage notifications Popular ‍ Sports (30+) CricketCricket HomeScheduleT20 World CupT20 warm upIND vs SAENG vs PAKAUS vs ENGLegends LeagueECS T10 CroatiaWBBL 2022ECC T10SMAT 2022Bukhatir LeagueNZ T20 Tri-SeriesWomen's Asia Cup 2022ECT10 FootballFootball HomeNewslettersSK Experts ScheduleEPLNations LeagueLa LigaLigue 1Champions LeagueFIFA WCMLS Bundesliga Serie A WWEWWE HomeNewslettersRumor RoundupRAWSmackDownResultsRosterChampionsWWE Crown Jewel 2022PPV ScheduleAEW EsportsEsports HomeMinecraftOverwatch 2RobloxGenshin ImpactFortniteGTAStreamersFree FirePUBGValorantBGMIPop CultureAnimeGaming TechWiki Guides TennisTennis HomeTennis calendarTennis Results TodayATP RankingsWTA RankingsRoger FedererRafael NadalNovak DjokovicSerena Williams MMAMMA HomeUFC NewsONE ChampionshipUFC Fight NightScheduleRankingsResultsUFC Fights TonightONE Championship ResultsONE Championship ScheduleONE Championship Rankings KabaddiKabaddi HomePKL 2022PKL SchedulePKL Points TableKabaddi Rules WikiWiki HomeMinecraft WikiNaruto WikiTikTok WikiYoutube WikiGTA WikiTerraria WikiOne Piece Wiki MoreSportsBasketballIndian FootballNFLMinecraftFormula 1NascarPop CultureCollege FootballHockeyGolfAthleticsBadmintonGymnasticsWrestlingSwimmingTennisShootingBoxingArcheryWinter SportsRobloxFree PicksSkateboardingKho KhoLifestyle LINKS About Us Write For Us Policies Editorial Standards Journalism Awards Fact Check Affiliate Program Careers CSR Privacy Policy Contact Us Edition: English हिन्दी