Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com

World Cup 2014 draw: England in a sweat over Italy and Uruguay
John Terry can have the longevity of Ryan Giggs, says José Mourinho
Football in brief
Motherwell 0-5 Celtic | Scottish Premiership match report
Manchester City in dark over keeper Costel Pantilimon's future
Selling Andy Carroll gave Luiz Suárez his chance, says Brendan Rodgers
Distin: Everton can finish top four
Ferdinand questions Moyes
'Pressure is nothing that scares me'
Socceroos' World Cup 2014 opponents profiled
Newcastle aim to exploit pressure on Manchester United, says Alan Pardew
World Cup: Socceroos face Spain and Holland in group of death
World Cup draw 2014: View from Germany
World Cup draw 2014: View from Brazil
World Cup draw 2014: View from Argentina
World Cup draw: Italy's Cesare Prandelli 'not worried' about England
World Cup 2014: England drawn in group of uncontrollable perspiration
England rue luck of draw and face sweltering challenge at World Cup | Daniel Taylor
World Cup 2014 draw: live webchat
World Cup 2014 draw: View from Spain
Spain and Holland in 'group of death'
World Cup 2014: England to kick off 'group of death' in the jungle
World Cup 2014 draw: England's group opponents
Brazil 2014: England draw tough opponents – and a tougher climate
West Brom v Norwich City: Squad sheets

World Cup 2014 draw: England in a sweat over Italy and Uruguay

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST

• Roy Hodgson's team face heat of Amazon jungle in first match
• 'It's not the group we would have picked … it's very tough'

Roy Hodgson on Friday struggled to put a brave face on a World Cup draw that paired England in a group with Italy and Uruguay, and involved a trip to the heat of the Amazon jungle.

The manager had said before the draw that he hoped to avoid the heat of Manaus, prompting an angry response from the city's mayor, but England have been drawn to open their campaign there against Italy on 14 June. They will then return to their base camp in Rio before facing Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani and their Uruguay team-mates in São Paulo on 19 June and a final group match against Costa Rica on 24 June in Belo Horizonte, the city in which they lost to the USA in 1950.

Costa Rica and Italy officials immediately dubbed it "the Group of Death", while the FA chairman, Greg Dyke, was seen jokingly drawing his hand across his throat following the draw. Hodgson said: "I think it's going to be very tough. If that is what the group is being named, you'd think it's our presence in it that contributes to that. People are not going to be rubbing their hands with joy because they've got to play England."

Italy's manager, Cesare Prandelli, said he was "not worried" by what he called a difficult group but emphasised it was important that Fifa change its rules to allow players to stop for a water break in Manuas, where temperature regularly reaches 33C in June. That idea was backed by Hodgson. A spokeswoman for the Italian FA said: "It's a nightmare. It might be a good story for the tournament but not in any other way. We're going to have to be able to drink on the pitch, it's a serious risk of dehydration for the players."

Hodgson said that the prospect of coming up against familiar rivals filled him with excitement as well as foreboding, despite the fact England have never beaten any of their group stage opponents in tournament football. "[Luis] Suárez is a top-class player and I came up against [Edinson] Cavani with Liverpool [against Napoli] and I rate him highly too, just as a I rate [Mario] Balotelli and [Andrea] Pirlo and lots of other players," he said, "but I'd like to think that we've got one or two players in our team as well. I was asked by Italian TV about how we would block Balotelli and Pirlo but maybe they'll have to start thinking about how they'll block [Steven] Gerrard and [Wayne] Rooney."

Hodgson attempted to take heart from the fact that the other teams in the group were concerned about facing England. "I can't deny that it's not the group we would have plucked out for ourselves. I'm glad they [other managers] do all the nominating of names for the type of group it is. I'll just call it Group D."

If England qualify, they will face a team from Group C – made up of Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan – in the second round. European broadcasters are unlikely to be happy about the prospect of England's opening match kicking off at 2am BST.

There was speculation that they may lobby to have it moved to an earlier kick-off time or even switched with the other opening match in Group D, Uruguay v Costa Rica, which would mean England's game moving to Fortaleza. A Fifa spokeswoman dismissed the idea as "nonsense", while Hodgson said he would resist any attempt to move the fixture to an earlier kick-off because of the heat.

As England camp attempted to look for positives, they said that at least they would not have to abandon their plan to base the team in Rio de Janeiro – because their second and third matches involved short hops of less than an hour. "My fear wasn't one long trip, which most teams are going to have to do, my fear was having to move the base camp if all our games had been in the north. We've been lucky in that respect," Hodgson said.

The hosts will kick off the World Cup against Croatia in São Paulo on 12 June and will also face Mexico and Cameroon. The holders, Spain, were drawn in a tough group with Holland, Chile and Australia.

But France, who benefited from a last-minute rule change, drew the easiest group on paper alongside Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras.

Owen Gibson

John Terry can have the longevity of Ryan Giggs, says José Mourinho

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST

• Chelsea defender could stay at the club beyond the summer
• 'John's self-esteem had been affected. He felt pain of doubts'

José Mourinho has suggested John Terry has a future at Stamford Bridge beyond the expiry of his contract next summer and believes the defender may have a similar longevity to Ryan Giggs or Javier Zanetti, 40.

Terry, who turns 33 on Saturday, is set to start his 15th Premier League game of the season at Stoke City after form and fitness issues limited him to only 14 appearances in the division last term. The centre-half scored on his 400th top-flight outing last weekend and has regained the authority and confidence of old, benefiting from regular breaks during the various international windows over the autumn.

Mourinho has already conceded that Terry's self-esteem took a battering last year and, while no talks are scheduled as yet over extending Terry's stay at the club, the manager suggested the defender could remain beyond the summer.

"At this age, it's a thing of going year after year," said Mourinho when asked about Terry's capability of emulating Giggs, who turned 40 last week. "At this age, sometimes players reach a level of stability where they become the same. I look at Zanetti in 2008 and Zanetti in 2012, and he was the same. These guys have to enjoy the moment and play with the same ambition.

"They can't be worried about contracts, or time left on their contract, or one more pound or less pound in their contract, but enjoy it to the last day. When they play this way, it's no problem.

"John's self-esteem had been affected last season. He was a bit affected. I think he felt, in a quiet way, the pain of doubts about him. So I told him I'm not here to help him. I'm not here to give him anything he doesn't deserve. But I said: 'I believe if you work really hard from day one, I think you have a chance to play more than you did last season.' I was far from thinking he'd play the first 14 matches consecutively, but he's doing well, working and behaving well, and I'm pleased with him."

Terry is likely to be rested for next week's visit of Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League, a game where Ashley Cole is expected to return to the first team.

Chelsea are wary of the threat that awaits at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday even if the challenge at Stoke is perceived as very different these days.

"At a certain moment, clubs also have to care about a style of play," said Mourinho when asked about Stoke under Mark Hughes. "They also have to care about the way you sell your product. They did well to change a philosophy that was giving points but was not giving a future. They're a little different now. Not so much. They play better football but they keep many things from the past. I don't think they are too different but they're still difficult, that's for sure."

Dominic Fifield

Football in brief

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST

• Mark Sampson lands job as head coach of England Women
• Sampson replaces the sacked Hope Powell

Women's football

Mark Sampson has been appointed as the head coach of the England Women's team. The 31-year-old has signed a four-year deal and moves to the national setup after a five-year spell as the manager of Bristol Academy in the Women's Super League. Sampson replaces Hope Powell, who was sacked in August following a group-stage exit at the European Championship, bringing an end to her a 15-year reign.

"I'm very proud and honoured to be offered the opportunity by the FA to manage the England senior team," Sampson said. "Women's football in England is in a fantastic place right now, with the growth and development of the game in the last few years, and I am ready to give everything I have to build a team that every English supporter can be proud of."

England are top of Group Six in their qualifying campaign for the 2015 World Cup, with four wins out of four and no goals conceded under the caretaker management of Brent Hills.

Paris Saint-Germain

Ezequiel Lavezzi has not ruled out a move away from the big-spending French club. The striker has struggled to break into the PSG team behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani. The 28-year-old, who signed from Napoli for €30m in July 2012, has been linked with moves to Arsenal and Tottenham, and Lavezzi admits he is uncertain over what the future holds. "I do not know. A player never knows exactly all these things," Lavezzi told Le Parisien. "What I can tell you is that I will do everything to change my situation in Paris because I did not give my best shot and I do not want this to continue."

West Ham United

Sam Allardyce will resist any temptation to throw Andy Carroll back in to his side, despite the striker's return to training. Carroll has not featured for West Ham since he became the club's record signing in the summer, with a troublesome heel keeping the £15m man on the sidelines. "We will get him back as quick as we possibly can but my position is to take a sensible view," Allardyce said. "We are in a difficult position at the minute but I can't panic into putting Andy in too quickly."

Motherwell 0-5 Celtic | Scottish Premiership match report

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 02:53 PM PST

By the looks of things Neil Lennon need not have worried about his Celtic players losing their appetite for domestic football after going out of Europe.

In two matches since their elimination Celtic have scored 12 goals without reply. This stroll in Lanarkshire maintained Celtic's unbeaten record in the Scottish top flight and strengthened their already unassailable position at the summit.

Wednesday night's meeting with Barcelona may matter for nothing except Celtic pride but they will at least head to the Camp Nou in upbeat mood. If there is a frustration for Lennon, it may well be that his team waited until the Champions League had already got the better of them before displaying their finest form of this season.

Celtic's brisk opening had hinted at the kind of early goal glut which had demolished Hearts in the Scottish Cup five days earlier. Mikael Lustig stung the palms of Gunnar Nielsen in the Motherwell goal and Anthony Stokes watched his free-kick spilled by the keeper.

Celtic should have been awarded a penalty after 20 minutes but the referee, Steven McLean, waved away claims after a blatant Stevie Hammell handball. Scottish football's demise has occurred at a slower rate only than its standards of officiating.

Lustig was again wasteful when heading an Emilio Izaguirre cross over but by the 25th minute Celtic's tempo had dropped. Motherwell must take an element of credit for that but Fraser Forster in the Celtic goal was little more than a paid extra in this affair. That had not changed by full-time.

A breakthrough for Lennon's men was to arrive before the interval. Kris Commons, who his manager must wish had replicated his domestic form in Europe this season, showed ingenuity to back-heel an Anthony Stokes cross beyond Nielsen. Motherwell's Keith Lasley was so furious at what he perceived was a foul on him by Commons in the lead-up to the goal that he was booked for his protests.

Celtic, too, have cause to be aggrieved – with a section of their own supporters. Smoke bombs and pyrotechnics were in evidence in the away end of Fir Park before kick-off with another smoke bomb thrown on to the pitch after Commons' goal. Celtic have already been deeply embarrassed by fans who displayed political banners before the Champions League meeting with Milan. That incident has prompted a Uefa charge against the club.

Scotland's football authorities are a decidedly softer lot but Celtic are entitled to question why fans continue to disregard both the club's pleas and safety in the misguided belief that they are creating atmosphere.

Jubilation was once again the order of the day from the visiting contingent within 10 minutes of the restart. It was simple stuff which doubled the Celtic lead, Charlie Mulgrew's corner being met by the head of Efe Ambrose. The goal completed a day of joy for Ambrose, who had celebrated the birth of his baby daughter earlier on Friday.

Only a point-blank Nielsen stop prevented Scott Brown scoring a third moments later, with Motherwell apparently unable to offer anything by way of a response. This campaign has many furlongs left to run but it may take some time for Motherwell to recover from last weekend's shock Scottish Cup defeat by Albion Rovers.

The Finland international Teemu Pukki toiled here, as emphasised by a basic chance 25 minutes from time which he scooped clean over Nielsen's crossbar.

Unlike Pukki, Commons has a clinical touch. The Englishman knocked home at close range after Nielsen could only parry an Izaguirre shot straight into his path. It was a fifth strike in two games for Commons.

Stokes claimed No4. Pukki was the architect after a run and cross from the right flank. Stokes accepted a pass at the back post, with Nielsen this time stranded.

The same was the case for No5. The substitute Bahrudin Atajic was sent through by a clever Stokes pass. The young striker displayed admirable composure to lob Nielsen, complete Motherwell's misery and emphasise Celtic's domestic strength.

Ewan Murray

Manchester City in dark over keeper Costel Pantilimon's future

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 02:30 PM PST

• Manuel Pellegrini admits Pantilimon could leave in summer
• No1's decision depends on keeping Joe Hart out of team

Manuel Pellegrini has admitted that Costel Pantilimon's long-term future at Manchester City may depend on whether the goalkeeper continues to be chosen ahead of Joe Hart.

Pantilimon has become the first choice goalkeeper under Pellegrini following Hart's loss of form, with the England No1 having been stood down since the 2-1 defeat at Chelsea in late October.

Pantilimon's deal expires at the end of the season. Yet after he admitted before May's FA Cup final that he wanted to depart, Pellegrini conceded there is no guarantee Pantilimon will remain at the club. "Maybe it doesn't just depend on us. He wanted to go at the beginning of the year. He wanted to go to another club where he could play more. We will talk with him and decide," he said.

Asked if Pantilimon would be more minded to stay if the manager continued to pick him, Pellegrini said: "If he continues with his good performances then maybe. He's a very good goalkeeper and he's playing very well."

City have not yet opened discussions over a new deal. "It's not an issue we are talking about at this moment," Pellegrini said, "but he is doing very well and we will see afterwards about that."

After Vincent Kompany came through all of Wednesday's 3-2 win at West Bromwich Albion, his first full game since early October due to a thigh injury, Pellegrini will assess if he can start at Southampton on Saturday. "Vincent is OK, we'll see if he can play two matches in less than three days. David Silva [who has a calf problem] we hope on Monday if he is ready," the manager said.

Pellegrini confirmed that when Kompany had fully recovered the central defender will be selected as much as possible. "All the games are very important. The moment he is fit he will play as often as he can," Pellegrini said.

Jamie Jackson

Selling Andy Carroll gave Luiz Suárez his chance, says Brendan Rodgers

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 02:30 PM PST

• Playing with a big target man would have hindered Suárez
• Liverpool's new style has exploited striker's qualities

Brendan Rodgers has identified his decision to offload Andy Carroll as a major factor in Luis Suárez's improvement as a goalscorer at Liverpool.

On Saturday Liverpool will host West Ham United, the injured Carroll's present club, with Suárez looking to continue the form that has produced a remarkable 25 goals in his last 24 league appearances and which Anfield officials hope to reward with a new contract. Liverpool want to improve his current deal, that has two and a half years remaining, and avoid another summer of uncertainty over the striker next year.

The 26-year-old's output has improved significantly since Rodgers arrived at Anfield and his four goals against Norwich City in midweek made him the Premier League's leading goalscorer this term, despite only returning from suspension on 25 September. Rodgers believes making Suárez the focal point of Liverpool's attack at the expense of Carroll marked the turning point for the Uruguay international.

He said: "What we try to do here is create the environment for the elite player and he is an elite player. I had to make a call last year by letting Andy Carroll go out and create a situation where we could get the benefit out of Luis's talent. But he still had to perform and he has done that tremendously well. It was maybe said that he needed a lot of chances to score goals before but his goals record was still fairly good. Now it is an opportunity and it's a goal."

Carroll joined West Ham on an initial season-long loan last season before Liverpool took a £20m hit for their £35m record signing to join Sam Allardyce's team on a permanent basis in the summer.

The Liverpool manager explained: "My thinking was that if Luis is playing with a big guy he is playing off the second ball, and his anticipation skills are very good. But I just felt that wouldn't benefit him because when you play with a big target man it is hard not to make that the focal point of your team. Everything has to be set up around the big guy and sometimes you get sucked into going more direct and my history as a coach is not to work that way.

"Removing that means you have to connect your game better though the lines. Possession is not good enough on its own, you have to penetrate. With a player like Luis, who is always on the move in between spaces and in behind, that serves him best. He can drift all over the back line, he spins on the shoulder, he has got that freedom, and then other players go in and take the place. He's not one of them ones, when you look at the goals that he has scored in my time, there has not been too many that have been from whipped-in crosses, which to be fair big Andy was brilliant at. The style has exploited his qualities."

Andy Hunter

Distin: Everton can finish top four

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 02:30 PM PST

Distin is enjoying high-flying Everton's new ball-playing style and is hoping to stay at Goodison Park for another season

Sylvain Distin's thoughts are turning towards the Champions League after Everton answered their manager's call to shed a "damage-limitation" mentality and won at Old Trafford for the first time in 21 years but he recoils from the suggestion this season's breakthrough is psychological. Change has come in the feet, not in the mind, according to the 35-year-old, and it has not been easy.

"We have never started a game in the four years I have been here thinking: 'It's OK if we lose this one'," says the Everton defender. "We have always felt we could compete. It's just that the football is a bit different now and we feel we can compete not just through motivation but on the pitch. Everyone knew there would be a change because we have a different manager and it would take time to adapt. Maybe what people didn't expect was that it would happen so quickly."

Roberto Martínez achieved at the first time of asking what eluded David Moyes for 11 years as Everton manager in winning at Manchester United on Wednesday. it is another stern examination, Arsenal away, where Everton again never won under Moyes and which was also the scene of Martínez's relegation with Wigan Athletic last season.

"I still think it was wrong to have the FA Cup final before the final two games of the league," the Everton manager said on Friday. "In any football career you will get highs and lows but you never get them so close to each other. You don't know how to prepare yourself for those emotions."

Everton fans revelled in their former manager's misery at Old Trafford but Distin does not dismiss Moyes's influence on the squad or buy into the theory that Martínez has transformed confidence through the force of his own upbeat personality. "The manager's lucky we have such an amazing dressing room," he says. "We have great players and any manager would find it easy to motivate this team."

He does credit Martínez's intensive work on the training ground and the Spaniard's passing philosophy with allowing Everton to go "eye-to-eye" – the manager's words – with the wealthy elite of the Premier League. "We just focus on us, no matter who we play," Distin says. "That's the message the manager is trying to give us. Whether we're against the top or the bottom teams we have our style, it's about us first."

Distin turns 36 shortly and has welcomed the introduction of a new style at the veteran stage of his career. "It's been great to have a bit of diversity. I have always been more old school, more focused on the defensive side, and now I'm one of those making the game because everything starts from the back. It's different but I enjoy it, although maybe if it had gone badly I'd be sitting here with a different view."

The adaptation was not straightforward. The former Newcastle United, Manchester City and Portsmouth player says: "For me it was harder. As a defender it sometimes feels strange because it's based on possession, a lot of passing, which starts from the back. It's only been 14 games and I am still adapting. We are still learning together.

"I wasn't sceptical about the changes at the start, it was more a question of myself and how I would adapt, but I have to adapt, it's not a question of if I can. We can all pass the ball, some better than others, and I know I have never been a Zidane, but I also know I can adapt and that's one of my strengths."

Distin represents another of Moyes' outstanding purchases for Everton, a £5m signing from the fire-sale at Portsmouth in 2009 who has improved and now hopes to extend his contract before it expires next summer. "It seems like the club wants me to stay so I am sure we will find a solution." The defender wanted to leave England three months after his arrival on loan at Newcastle in 2001 but has now made more Premier League appearances than any other overseas outfield player.

"I'm enjoying, that's all I know" is his explanation for staying. "And at my age you have different aims to when you are 23 or 25, when all you think of is your next move to the next big club and playing for your country. Now I just take it game by game and want to stay fit and I enjoy it a lot more. There is probably less pressure because you don't expect anything. I don't expect to play for my country, don't expect to play for a massive club like Real Madrid tomorrow. You just feel a lot more relaxed and that lets you play your football more."

As for where Everton might finish in Martínez's debut season, Distin says: "We are starting to believe it's possible to finish in the top four now but, honestly, we have never started a season thinking it's OK to finish fifth, sixth or seventh. We have always believed it's possible but now mathematically we are starting to believe it's more possible."

Andy Hunter

Ferdinand questions Moyes

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 02:30 PM PST

• Manchester United defender dislikes late naming of team
• Selection uncertainty turns Ferdinand into a 'madman'

Rio Ferdinand has questioned David Moyes's policy of selecting the Manchester United team close to kick-off, with the defender claiming it can turn him into a "madman" wondering if he has been chosen.

The 34-year-old suggested that Sir Alex Ferguson's policy of naming his XI well before the match made it easier for players to build the requisite intensity on match day.

"This manager's a bit different in that he doesn't name the team beforehand. You don't really get to know the team," Ferdinand told BT Sport. "The old manager used to give you a little bit of an idea if you'd be playing and stuff.

"When you know you're playing, the intensity goes up a little bit more on match day. That's what you need to try to make sure you're doing, even if you don't know you'll be playing – to try to get to that intensity you'd be at when you know you're playing.

"It's hard. It's hard to do that mentally because you spend a lot of nervous energy thinking: 'Am I playing' or 'Am I not playing?' and you're just going round in circles in your head and turning into a madman."

Yet Moyes denied this should be the case. "It would be the same for every player if that was the case because I would think that a lot of the teams do that. But that happened to me and I never felt that way," the manager said. "We do it in different ways. Sometimes we name it, sometimes we name it late on. I think sometimes a lot of managers leave it so the press don't get the teams too early."

United host Newcastle in Saturday's early kick-off standing 12 points behind the leaders, Arsenal, and five points from a Champions League berth. Moyes does not feel that qualification for next season's European Cup is in doubt. "We are totally focused on winning against Newcastle and climbing the table and, if we do that, we can start looking at what's next," he said.

Despite Wednesday's 1-0 defeat to Everton at Old Trafford which drew scrutiny of Moyes's management, he is confident that, after Ferguson's retirement, fans comprehend the situation at the club. "I think Manchester United supporters understand fully that it was always going to be transitional and that it will be a bumpy road at times. There is a bigger picture here and we are looking at that as well. I am the manager of Manchester United and I think it was always going to be a bit like that [bumpy]. It would have been the case if it was anyone else because it is a changeover period. We have the next game coming up against Newcastle United and we will try to do something about it."

Asked the reasons for the champions' uneven form, he said: "It is just because we are a bit inconsistent in our play. We haven't quite had our rhythm where we have a regularity of what we are going to get. There have been signs, and if we had won you would have said we are on a great run. We have been on a good run – not a great one but a good one."

Wayne Rooney is suspended for Newcastle's visit and Robin van Persie's groin problem makes him a doubt, meaning Moyes could be without his two key players, who have scored 18 goals between them.

The manager stated he would be guided by the Dutchman with regard to his ability to face Newcastle. "We listen to the senior players. We hear what they are saying, how they feel over their fitness," he said.

Moyes will move in the January transfer window if the right player is available, saying that a new addition would give the club a lift.

Of Michael Carrick's long-awaited recovery from his achilles injury, Moyes said: "He is getting closer but it will probably be around another three weeks."

The manager has no plans for Marouane Fellaini to have surgery soon on his wrist. "We have no plans for the operation just now," Moyes said. "He needs it and when the moment comes, [if] there is a suspension and an injury, that would be the time to drop him out for the operation.

Jamie Jackson

'Pressure is nothing that scares me'

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 02:30 PM PST

Arsenal's artist-in-residence is relaxed about the expectations heaped on his shoulders both at the Emirates and with Germany

Mesut Özil has a couple of things resting on his shoulders. As the signing who obliterated the Arsenal transfer record in September, he is the symbol of a new era, the primary reason why the club and its supporters have dared to believe that things can be different this season. Eight years without a trophy have weighed heavily.

But club responsibility pales. The 25-year-old is a symbol of the new Germany, the nation's most exciting player, and he is prominent among the reasons why they expect to win the World Cup next summer. The eight tournament failures since Euro 96 have weighed heavily.

Özil's mind is clear. His demeanour is supremely relaxed. The shiny black studs in each of his ears represent the only visible trappings of his A-list fame and it is tempting to wonder whether anything can fluster him.

"I have played for Real Madrid, which is such a big club and where the pressure is so huge because you have to go and, really, win absolutely every game," he says. "There is no game where people don't expect you to win. So, having played there for three years, pressure is nothing that would scare me. That's why I don't really feel the pressure."

Özil shrugs and smiles boyishly. "The second thing is that what I do on a daily basis is what I love. I love playing football. So I go out to play football and I don't really feel pressure. Of course there are some days when things just don't work out as well as they do on other days but that doesn't have anything to do with pressure."

Some people have described Özil as shy but he does not come across like that. He answers in German – one of his three languages, together with Turkish and Spanish – yet he understands the questions in English and he does not wait for the interpreter. His English is better than he likes to let on but it is a big step to begin using it in interviews.

Özil is not demonstrative. He is quiet, devout, humble. Ivan Gazidis, the Arsenal chief executive, tells the story of when Özil first arrived and insisted on being taken around the offices at the Emirates to meet every member of staff.

There is a steel to him, an inner-belief that has underpinned his rise from Gelsenkirchen street footballer to card-carrying superstar and it comes to the fore when he talks of his ambition. The World Cup draw, Özil suggests, was little more than a sideshow because Germany plan to beat the very best and so the order of their opponents was largely irrelevant. They have Portugal, Ghana and the US in Group G. And nor does he blanche at talking up Arsenal's potential to win the title.

"We are going to Brazil with the aim of winning the tournament," he says. "We will have to play some good teams anyway so if we play them early on or later, it doesn't really matter. We have to beat them all."

Özil is asked how he might feel about facing England and there is the only flash of confusion when he does not get the predictable joke about penalty shoot-outs. In Özil's defence, when he has faced England in competitive matches, the Germans have not needed penalties. He was part of the team who routed England 4-1 in Bloemfontein at the 2010 World Cup while, in 2009, he first cantered into the English nation's consciousness when he orchestrated the 4-0 dismantling of Stuart Pearce's under-21s in the European Championship final.

"Anybody can miss a penalty," Özil says, and he did so recently in the Champions League against Marseille. It was not costly, and it allowed Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, to joke about how England's World Cup preparations had been boosted. Özil smiled at that.

The interpreter clarifies the question. "Ah, I know that we are a bogey opponent for England," Özil says, "but, from my side, I can just say that it doesn't really matter too much."

Championship talk has seemed off-limits at Arsenal, despite their encouraging form and the four-point lead they have opened at the top of the Premier League. Everyone at the club has been burned by previous lapses and Özil highlights the need to tread warily, to see danger at every turn in a division where shock results have lost their capacity to shock.

Özil can see what is bubbling at Arsenal, he can feel the momentum and he knows what is possible. The burgeoning optimism does battle with the cliched yet necessary disclaimers in his assessment. "We are definitely on a good path and we have the potential to win the title, even if it is a bit too early to comment on this," Özil says. "We want to continue developing our game. We have the potential to win the league but we will have to see.

"What I can say at the moment is that our confidence is very high and we are very strong. You can see that whoever comes from off the bench, that player just works in the team. There is no loss of quality when people come from off the bench.

"The team has to work well as a team and this is what is working at the moment, this is what is making me confident. Everything is really perfect right now. We have some very talented players and this is why I think we can achieve something great. We have to develop further to achieve this but we can achieve it."

Özil knows what it takes to buck trends and emerge triumphant over a gruelling season. He helped José Mourinho's Madrid break Barcelona's dominance and win the Spanish title in 2012 with 100 points; a monument to sustained mental toughness as much as technical quality. Özil's other career honours have been the 2011 Copa del Rey with Madrid and the 2009 German Cup with Werder Bremen, when he scored the winner in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.

Özil's confidence is based, in no small measure, on the Wenger factor. It was the manager who sweet-talked him (in German) into swapping Madrid for Arsenal on the eve of the transfer deadline and it is Wenger who has given him the platform to express himself.

Wenger knows how to handle artists, and Özil has responded to the faith that has been placed in him. He needs this, he thrives on it, and it was obvious that it had gone under Carlo Ancelotti at Madrid, even if the decision to sell him for £42.5m drew an incredulous response from many of the club's players. Wenger had tried to sign Özil before the player left his first club, Schalke, for Bremen in 2008 and, again, when he departed Bremen for Madrid in 2010. At last, he has his man.

"I had long conversations with Wenger before I joined Real and that's how I got to know about Arsenal, and the way that they like to sign talented players who can move the ball well," Özil says. "That's really important for me. In the end, I did decide to go to Real and I had three wonderful years there. I had a great manager in José Mourinho, who really helped me. He was always there when I needed him.

"I'm really proud to be here now and the most important thing was the trust that the boss put in me. He convinced me to sign and I could not be any happier to be here. This has really been the perfect step for me. Wenger is one of the best managers. This is why we are so successful and why we are on a good path."

Özil already feels like a hero to Arsenal supporters, even though other players have had better seasons so far, namely Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud and Per Mertesacker. After an explosive start, Özil has been quiet at times but his impact has arguably transcended his performances. His arrival destroyed the damaging perception that Wenger would never spend the truly big money and it has also lifted a squad who, like the fans, had craved a statement signing.

Özil is a rarity who is liked by all supporters, largely because of the fantasy in his game, the purity and smoothness of his touch. He can conjure moments that make the efforts of others seem futile. He has even made the umlaut cool. There is nothing negative about him, nothing nasty. He has helped unlock something at Arsenal and his relish for the challenge is plain.

"It's been quite tough because there are so many competitions that we play in," he says. "As we say in Germany, there are 'English weeks'. You just have games, on and on and on, but on the other hand I'm really happy to have these possibilities to prove myself.

"I'm a person who prefers to play games rather than train. I don't know how it will be to play over Christmas and the new year, as I'm used to having the winter break; one or even two weeks off but I'm looking forward to it.

"The game is more physical than I am used to but for an offensive player, it is very interesting to play in such great atmospheres. At every ground, the atmosphere is just phenomenal. I also have to say that the fans here are very fair.

"The Premier League is the best league in the world, it's so strong. The smaller teams love to try their chances against the big ones and this is why the game goes back and forth. That can be strenuous, tough on you and your body but I really love it."

Özil has settled in London, helped by Arsenal's German bloc – Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Serge Gnabry – and a particularly focused search for accommodation. "I took one week where I really went house-hunting … I looked at quite a few and we have found one. I am not the type who wants to stay in a hotel because we travel so much."

He has also found mosques. Özil's Islamic faith is fundamental to him and it is one of the reasons why this third-generation Turk has been promoted as a prime example of successful integration within German society. "I pray almost every day and you can see that I pray on the pitch. I pray in the dressing room. That is just part of my life."

Özil talks affectionately about the "Arsenal family" and it goes beyond the walls of the dressing room and into the local community. He visited a project this week that is funded by the Arsenal Foundation, and which uses football as a therapy to help victims of torture. The visit came before the club's charity match-day against Everton on Sunday when Wenger and the squad will donate a day's wages to fund more projects that help transform the lives of young people.

It is quite a moment for these men to enjoy a kick-around with Özil; they have survived unspeakable horrors before arriving in the UK and are attempting to rebuild their lives. It is easy to marvel at football's power, as Özil treats the audience to his technique inside the court and the session takes him back to the days when he would play in something similar as a boy.

"It was called the monkey cage," Özil says, "and the surface was much rougher than this one. There were stones and rocks so it really hurt when you fell down. The good thing with these cages is that the ball never goes out and so the game goes on and on. It did teach me something and, most of the time, I played against older kids so that shaped me, too. When I go back now and I see the little kids, they remind me of when I was just a small boy."

Özil's desire has remained the constant. "I am a very calm person outside of the pitch, as you might have noticed. I am not very loud. I am a family person and I savour life. I am very grateful for what I have but when I enter the pitch I am a different personality. I am not as calm and I am a bit louder. I know what I want."

Over the remainder of the season, Özil intends to grab it.

Arsenal's match against Everton is dedicated to The Arsenal Foundation. Arsène Wenger and the first-team squad will donate a day's wages to support a variety of projects that reach young people to transform lives. www.arsenal.com/thearsenalfoundation

David Hytner

Socceroos' World Cup 2014 opponents profiled

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 02:11 PM PST

John Duerden: Australia have been handed one of the toughest draws imaginable, and their opponents include the two finalists from South Africa 2010

John Duerden

Newcastle aim to exploit pressure on Manchester United, says Alan Pardew

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 02:00 PM PST

• 'Man United can still win the league,' says Pardew
• 'Gap between elite and other Premier teams narrowing'

Alan Pardew believes David Moyes and his players should not wave white flags and surrender Manchester United's defence title quite yet.

Pardew's Newcastle United side visit Old Trafford on Saturday two places and one point ahead of a ninth-positioned Moyes ensemble that was badly bruised by Wednesday's 1-0 home defeat to Everton.

"Manchester United can still win the league," argued Pardew. "It's a long way back for them but they've proved many times over that they're a team who improve as the season goes on.

"It was obviously going to be difficult for David to follow someone like Sir Alex Ferguson and the aura that the man had. But he's trying to find his feet, he's displaying a lot of dignity and I think he's doing a reasonable job.

"Pressure comes with the territory at Old Trafford and I hope we can capitalise on the pressure they're under. It's great to be at those clubs with all the many assets they have in terms of the size and quality of the squad but you've got to win every game you play. It's a little bit different to the agenda I have here or Roberto Martínez has at Everton. It's tougher. Managing Newcastle is tough but in a different way."

Indeed Pardew believes the gap between the Premier League's elite and the rest has narrowed slightly this season. "I think the tactical awareness of the managers and coaching has got better (lower down the Premier League)," said Newcastle's manager. "There's not as much fear as there once was when you play the top teams. You can always end up getting a proper drubbing but most teams are really trying to have a go and that makes for some terrific games.

"The influx of so many international players from around the world and the market being so big means we're all attracting good players and it's making it slightly more difficult (for the top teams).

"Arsenal or Manchester City look the title favourites to me but Manchester City have been beaten a few times. Arsenal have been the most consistent side and they will try to keep going through this second third of the season when we're going to find out [which] teams [are] challenging for the Champions League and the Europa League. I'd like to think we could be in there."

A win at Old Trafford would help. "It would mean a lot," acknowledged Pardew. "We've beaten Chelsea and Tottenham already so to also beat Manchester United would set the tone and say a little bit about my team. I've heard Newcastle's last win at Old Trafford was in 1972 but you want to try and tip over the big teams."

Louise Taylor

World Cup: Socceroos face Spain and Holland in group of death

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 01:36 PM PST

Ange Postecoglou says writing off his team is 'logical' after they were drawn against Spain and Holland at the World Cup

World Cup draw 2014: View from Germany

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 01:26 PM PST

Joachim Löw's reunion with Jürgen Klinsmann, the USA manager, is the biggest talking point – not Cristiano Ronaldo

Pelé had reportedly refused to participate in the draw, for fear of picking out tricky opponents for hosts Brazil. Lothar Matthäus, who acted as one of the "draw fairies", as Bild would have it, naturally had no such qualms.

Yes, there was the usual media talk about a "Todesgruppe" (Group of Death) in the buildup, but it all felt a little forced this time around.

The prevailing mood, unlike that before 2006 and 2010 – when poor friendly results and the injury of Michael Ballack, respectively, had seen Fussballdeutschland fearing an ignominious, early exit – was one of relaxed confidence. "I don't have sleepless nights worrying about a difficult group," the Germany manager Joachim Löw had said on Thursday.

The 53-year-old didn't seem too perturbed after the Costa do Sauípe ceremony either, despite Bild's insistence that Germany had landed a "Hammergruppe" – a pretty tough nut to crack. "Now we know who we play against and where," he said coolly, before stressing his team's need to blank out all distractions like "noise", "hot weather" and the "clocks ticking differently in South America". The sporting director Oliver Bierhoff added that all opponents were beatable and said "there was no need to be unsatisfied: we are favourites".

As far as the opposition goes, it's a rare case of Cristiano Ronaldo taking only second billing. The reunion of Löw and his mentor Jürgen Klinsmann, the USA manager, will provide the biggest talking point over the next six months. The former was the latter's assistant at the 2006 World Cup, and they still had a "very close relationship", Löw admitted.

"It's very special to have him in the same group. Of course, we can't talk about certain things anymore." Klinsmann, for his part, told the German media that the draw "couldn't have been more difficult" and that Group G was a "crazy group", but also radiated characteristic optimism. "We believe we can advance," he said.

While there's a recognition that Portugal will make life difficult in the opener in Salvador, German wins in the last two Euros provide a degree of confidence. It'll be widely noted in the coming months that Cristiano Ronaldo had spoken of his wish to avoid Löw team before the draw.

The match v Ghana, finally, is a repeat of the Boateng brothers' duel from 2010, when Germany won 1-0, thanks to a Mesut Özil goal. "Brother, it's time again," tweeted the Ghanaian international Kevin-Prince Boateng at his sibling Jérôme Boateng [Bayern], who turns out for the other side.

Raphael Honigstein

World Cup draw 2014: View from Brazil

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 12:56 PM PST

The hosts' draw in Group A could have been much worse but Mexico are a team that has caused them nightmares in the past

It could have been much worse of course. Brazil find themselves in a group with Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon.

Two of these teams immediately stand out as tricky opponents: Cameroon will not be fazed by the weather conditions and spurred on by the opportunity to claim another famous opening-day scalp – just as they did against Argentina in Italia 90 – as they face the hosts in São Paulo on 12 June while Mexico have been Brazil's biggest nightmare in the last 15 years, having beaten the Seleçao at a Confederations Cup final (1999) and famously denying Neymar and co the chance to win gold at the 2012 Olympics.

Having been comfortably upstaged by Belgium in the European qualifiers, Croatia reached the World Cup after seeing off Iceland in the play-offs. They are not as dangerous as they were 10 or 15 years ago, but it will be quite a moment for one of their forwards, the former Arsenal forward Eduardo, born in Rio de Janeiro and whose debut for Croatia was against Brazil in 2005.

Cameroon, funnily enough, also bring bad memories for Brazilians. In the Sydney Olympics, a side which included Ronaldinho among others, were knocked out by the Africans, a result that led to the sacking of the then manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo. In World Cups, they met in 1994, with Brazil cantering to a 3-0 win.

Mexico are the team Brazilians may feel the most uneasy about. They do not seem to fear the Seleçao and have had decent results lately after a terrible start to their qualifying campaign, although they were poor as they lost to Brazil in the recent Confederations Cup.

Given all the factors, including the promise of roaring home support and a young team that has gelled and lost some of the nervousness shown in their first matches since Luiz Felipe Scolari took over, Brazil should have a safe passage to the second round.

The problem is that even a first-place spot might still mean they could face Spain or Holland in the last 16. Brazilians will have to pay a lot of attention to what actually takes place in Group B. So there is enough excitement for the 200 million "football managers'' in the country to get busy with for the next six months. And that is probably the only thing we can say for certain after yesterday's draw.

Fernando Duarte

World Cup draw 2014: View from Argentina

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 12:53 PM PST

South American giants breathe a sigh of relief after the draw sees them face Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran and Nigeria

Argentinians breathed a huge sigh of relief after a kind draw added to the already vibrant optimism here in Buenos Aires regarding the national team's chances for the 2014 World Cup.

"It's been a positive draw," said the Argentina coach, Alejandro Sabella. "We know Bosnia because we played against them recently. I know less about Iran and as for Nigeria, we know them because we've played them in a few World Cups, they are very strong physically."

Argentina's first match on 15 June in Rio de Janeiro will be against Bosnia and Herzegovina, whom they defeated in the United States last month, winning 2-0. They will also be confident of winning their matches against Iran and Nigeria, having beaten the latter team in all of their three World Cup games (1994, 2002 and 2010).

"I'm glad there's no complicated rival," was the immediate reaction of the well-known TV sports commentator Guillermo Poggi while the internet edition of the Buenos Aires daily La Nación ran a headline saying: "Argentina got lucky".

Alejandro Mancuso, a former international and a good friend of Diego Maradona admitted that it was "a very favourable draw" while others took it for granted that Argentina would win their group, such as the journalist Rodis Recalt who tweeted: "We're already in the second rounds. He even added: "We're champions."

Nonetheless, the Group F "curse" did not go unnoticed. "No team from the Group F has ever won a World Cup," commented La Nación ominously as it assessed the significance of the group for Argentina's chances. But the group does have the advantage that matches will be played at stadiums around the team's base in Belo Horizonte.

Argentinians on Friday credited some "divine intervention" by the Argentinian-born pope – an ardent football fan – for what they see as a lucky draw. "The pope prayed for this group, no doubt," tweeted Marcelo Larraquy, author of a biography of Francis.

"If one Argentinian did this in Brazil, imagine what 23 can do," says a World Cup advert by the Argentinian TV sports channel TyC, over footage of pope Francis speaking before a crowd of three million people during his papal visit to Rio de Janeiro in July.

Argentinians always reserve their most ominous thoughts for the hosts, Brazil, a traditional rival. "Argentina can't have to wait any longer for another title," the former national team coach Carlos Bilardo said in a recent interview, looking back at the last Argentina World Cup victory in 1986.

Uki Goni

World Cup draw: Italy's Cesare Prandelli 'not worried' about England

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 12:29 PM PST

• Italy coach confident about group game against England
• 'Costa Rica the most difficult opponent. We don't know them'

The Italy coach, Cesare Prandelli, has said he is "not worried" after being drawn with England, Uruguay and Costa Rica in World Cup Group D .

Italy, who beat England the only time the two countries have faced each other in a World Cup, in 1990, will kick off their campaign against Roy Hodgson's side on 14 June in Manaus. "I am not worried," said the Italian. "It is a difficult group but we will come prepared."

The 56-year-old, who took over the national side after the disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign, added that the humid conditions in Manaus was a concern.

"The conditions will be a problem but at least we may have the advantage [over England and Costa Rica] of having played in the Confederations Cup last summer. It will be important to have 23 players at the highest physical level to pick from."

He added: "I would have been worried, at least from a media point of view, if we had got an easy draw. But we have to have a good mind-set. The World Cup is a joy to be part of. Our objective? To get out of the group. The most difficult opponent? Costa Rica, because we don't know them.

"Our target is to win every match we can. If we had drawn three not very good teams everybody would have thought we were favourites, but with a big team like England or Uruguay we have to suffer. We remember the match against England in the Euros. We played a fantastic match but England is now a different team, a more technical team.

"In any case, England v Italy is the most fascinating match you can imagine in a town like Manaus."

Marcus Christenson

World Cup 2014: England drawn in group of uncontrollable perspiration

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 12:24 PM PST

Not quite the group of death, but for Roy Hodgson it was the most amusingly self-fulfilling and horribly sweat-soaked draw

Oh, England. Looking back on it now, one thing seems certain. From the moment Roy Hodgson announced that the one place England wanted to avoid in the draw for the next summer's World Cup in Brazil was the distant Amazonian city of Manaus, England were always – always – going end up being sent to play there.

And so it came to pass, as the World Cup draw ceremony, enacted with a familiar glaze of slightly awkward operetta in the high-end resort complex of Costa do Sauípe, placed England in a group also containing Italy (four-time winners) Uruguay (semi-finalists last time out) and Costa Rica, minnow-ish enough to qualify as hauntingly embarrassing in defeat, but also good enough to inflict on England's tremulous, perspiring Northern Europeans some terrible agonies next summer.

If Group D does not quite qualify as that familiar draw staple the Group Of Death, there are two good reasons. First, Group B, containing Spain, Holland, Chile and whipping boys Australia looks mouthwateringly high-grade. And secondly, England's group – a little perspective here – has got England in it. It is at best the Group of Semi-Terminal Prognosis. Or more realistically, the Group of Uncontrollable Perspiration, with England due to play their first match against Italy in Manaus on 14 June at 2am UK time and finishing things up with a final game against Costa Rica in – of all places – Belo Horizonte, scene of their greatest ever World Cup humiliation, the 1-0 defeat to the part-timers of the USA. That result was initially reported as a 10-0 victory in many UK newspapers, who simply assumed the scoreline was a telegraphic error. What could possibly go wrong?

Even before the draw, England's manager had already been pre-vilified by the mayor of Manaus, who announced on Thursday, "We hope to get a better team and a coach who is more sensible and polite", after Hodgson, who has never been to the Amazon had voiced some rather mild concerns about the 80% humidity.

"I'm still very optimistic about the whole affair," Hodgson said shortly after the draw had been made, looking, as is his habit, beset with gloom-laden foreboding.

England's well-travelled, multilingual, pleasantly gnarled manager generally looks agreeably at home overseas. In a break from the traditional scowling sense of unease, Hodgson tends to look chipper and alert, like a capable expat uncle in a safari suit, owner perhaps of a plantation-style timeshare apartment next to a golf course. Here though it was hard to disguise a sense of brave-facing for the cameras as Hodgson first contemplated playing the two nations who won the first four World Cups ever played, before going on to muse, gloomily, on the additional terrors of facing Costa Rica.

England aside, this was a gloriously tantalising prelude to next summer's main event, already one of the more giddily anticipated World Cups of modern times. The draw itself was the usual affair of plinths and pots and balls, garnished with the usual waxwork museum of celebrities international and local. The draw itself was hosted by Fernanda Lima, anchor of the TV news show Fantastico and Rodrigo Hilbert, previously the winner of Danca dos Famosos, Brazil's version of Strictly Come Dancing.

In spite of which, this like all draws was a slightly tortuous spectacle. Two days in the build-up, and with the ball-masters for the occasion, among them England's own Geoff Hurst, stood sober-suited behind their draw pots, like nightclub bouncers tending to a noticeably superior brand of footballing urinal, the draw itself finally kicked into gear – albeit slightly marred by the annoying conversational dynamic between Fifa's draw-master Jerome Valcke and the skimpily dressed Lima, who hung theatrically on every even technical detail, ditzing it up and generally playing glamorously dumb.

And so the groups came stumbling, blinking into the light, from their pots. Brazil, Spain, Colombia and Uruguay were first out – a Hispanic flush that dictates that Spain and Brazil, hosts and holders, can't play each other until the final. Ghana and Germany were drawn together in another high-grade group, offering a chance for the Boateng brothers, Kevin and Jerome to play against each, a potential World cup first.

And then there it was for Roy and England – not quite the nightmare draw, but certainly the most amusingly self-fulfilling, gloriously inclement and horribly sweat-soaked. It all kicks off Manaus, a tropical hub on two rivers with a name that means "mother of the gods". Indeed, perhaps these were the exact words FA chairman Greg Dyke was caught whispering to Hodgson, just after the draw, and performed a jovial slitting gesture across his own throat.

Barney Ronay

England rue luck of draw and face sweltering challenge at World Cup | Daniel Taylor

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 12:23 PM PST

If Group D is not quite the Group of Death, Roy Hodgson's team will do well to make the second round in Brazil next year

The last time we were here it was marked the next morning with a now infamous front-page splash of "E-A-S-Y", which was certainly one way of letting us know that England had been drawn against Algeria, Slovenia and – this being the Sun – the Yanks. Fabio Capello's team hardly made it look easy and, four years on, at least nobody should be getting too carried away about England's chances this time.

England's is not quite the Group of Death. Group B deserves that tag bearing in mind it starts with Spain and Holland re-enacting the last World Cup final and also features Australia and a Chile side that have just given Roy Hodgson's side a lesson in the art of how to take care of a football.

Yet Group D is still probably as treacherous as anything Hodgson could have dared imagine. Even ignoring for one moment the fact that England's opening game will be in Manaus, the place Hodgson had admitted he was dreading, or that Luis Suárez and Uruguay are formidable opponents, there is still the memory of what happened when his side played Italy in the Euro 2012 quarter-finals.

Uefa's official website described England at the time as "outclassed". The team had 25% of possession in extra-time. Their best passing combination? Joe Hart's long goalkicks to Andy Carroll, a 60th-minute substitute. That came off 15 times in total, which was more than James Milner, with 13, passed it to anyone.

That was certainly a sobering experience in Kiev, watching Andrea Pirlo put together more passes, 117, than England's entire midfield. Italy had 815 in total compared with England's 320. The shot-count was 35-9, with 20 on target for Italy, one more than England managed in their four games throughout the tournament. And who could forget that moment in the penalty shoot-out as Hart eyeballed Pirlo, pulled faces, stuck out his tongue and shouted rude words? Pirlo talked later about wanting to put this modern-day Grobbelaar in his place. "Mo gli e faccio er cucchiaio," Pirlo said. "Now I give him 'the spoon'." His chip – the "Panenka" – was an exquisite put-down.

Hodgson could certainly be forgiven for thinking his luck was out when he looks further down the draw and sees that France, squeezing in through the play-offs and the lowest-ranked of the unseeded teams, have been given Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras.

Manaus, in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, has 58% to 99% humidity in June and is the furthest distance from England's base in Rio. It means an eight-hour round trip and, even with a 9pm kick-off local time (2am BST), the average temperatures will be somewhere around 32C.

Italy, of course, will have to encounter the same issues – not least taking malaria tablets – but Hodgson could not have been clearer in the build-up: it was Manaus, he said, he wanted to avoid, rather than Brazil, Argentina or any of the other favourites to win the tournament.

There is also the fact that England have never beaten Italy, the four-times champions, in a major competition. The same applies to England's record against Uruguay and Hodgson, undoubtedly, would have preferred to break up the two more difficult games rather than facing Costa Rica as the final act of the group.

These things are always easy to say in hindsight but how England might come to regret not playing with greater fluency or adventure when they met Ukraine in September and fought out that prosaic 0-0 draw in Kiev. A win would have meant England were seeded and perhaps avoided that short, sharp shock when the little piece of paper was unravelled and it became clear that Sir Geoff Hurst had pulled out their name, just when the travelling contingent from the Football Association least wanted to hear it. Hodgson kept his head down and jotted something into his book but, to his right, the Football Association's general secretary, Alex Horne, could be seen shaking his head, laughing. It was the laughter of someone who had fallen off the pavement and was trying to pretend it did not hurt. To their left, the chairman, Greg Dyke, also appeared to see the funny side with his throat-slitting gesture.

And yet, in another sense it is a wonderful draw in terms of the excitement it brings. Group D is full of sub-plots and there will be no shortage of intrigue, or possible controversies, when it means encountering Mario Balotelli and Suárez within the first week of the tournament.How those two would love to help steer England out of the tournament. "I'm pretty sure he will want to put a spoke in England's wheels," Hodgson said. Close. Suárez will want to slash their tyres.

Italy did not lose a single game in qualifying, winning their group by six points. Uruguay needed a play-off but made light work of Jordan, thrashing them 5-0 in Amman in the first leg before a goalless draw in the return. Edinson Cavani can terrorise defences in his own right but Suárez scored even more goals in qualifying than Lionel Messi. When the sides meet in São Paulo, England will be confronted by two of the most dangerous strikers in the competition.

Costa Rica should be less formidable opponents when Bryan Ruiz, the Fulham player, is regarded as their talisman. Yet they did win all five of their qualifying games at home, including Mexico and the USA. It is outside Costa Rica where they tend to struggle, taking only two points from their five away fixtures in qualifying. They also lost 1-0 in a friendly in Australia in their last match but their position, 31st, in Fifa's world rankings is considerably higher than any of England's opponents in qualifying bar the 18th-placed Ukraine. Bryan Oviedo, the Everton player who scored their winning goal at Manchester United on Wednesday, is another familiar name.

England cannot be alone, however, in thinking they have been dealt a harsh blow before a ball has even been kicked. Group G also stands out, bearing in mind it puts Germany against Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo. USA were the third team to be drawn out, which means one of the authentic Germany legends, Jürgen Klinsmann, trying to find a way past his own country.

Brazil can be relatively satisfied after being paired against Croatia in the opening game of the tournament, with Mexico and Cameroon presenting what looks like a relatively straightforward group. Argentina should have no qualms either about Group F when the opposition will be Nigeria, Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina, whereas Colombia will start as strong favourites in Group C, also featuring Ivory Coast, Japan and Greece.

That, incidentally, is the group that would provide England's opponents in the first knockout round, though for now nobody should really be thinking that far ahead. To get out of Group D would have to be considered a major feat in itself. Suárez, Balotelli and sweltering temperatures and humidity in the jungle – it will be anything but easy.

Daniel Taylor

World Cup 2014 draw: live webchat

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 12:11 PM PST

Our tactics guru Michael Cox will be online from 6pm to answer your questions about next summer's tournament in Brazil

Michael Cox

World Cup 2014 draw: View from Spain

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 12:08 PM PST

World Cup holders to face 2010 runners-up Holland but Vicente del Bosque insists he is more worried about Chile

So we meet again. Spain will begin the 2014 World Cup the way that they ended the 2010 World Cup: against Holland. If the initial reaction was surprisingly pessimistic, the memory of what happened in Johannesburg should help resolve that problem. It is true that Spain did not want to see Holland standing before them but imagine how Arjen Robben will feel next time he stands before Iker Casillas.

The former Spain coach José Antonio Camacho said that a repeat of the 2010 final somehow "devalued" the competition but Vicente del Bosque was more measured: "I had a feeling we would get Holland." He was more explicit in admitting that he would have preferred to have avoided Chile, whom he described as "without doubt one of the hardest opponents we could get; amongst the strongest sides in South America".

Even before the ball came out of pot two, commentators on Cuatro, the Spanish TV channel broadcasting the draw, said they did not want Chile. But Chile it was. Del Bosque would probably have preferred to avoid Holland too but here it was not so clear-cut: no one wanted Italy, Portugal, England or France either.

There was a certain bitterness in the Spanish popular and media reaction towards France about the 'ease' of their group, which contrasted with their own. Only Australia are considered simple opponents: the assumption is that this will be a three-team battle for two places.

The good news is that they face Australia in the last game. Although Spain have avoided the worst of the heat and should now be able to stick to their pre-draw plans to base themselves in Curitibia, Chile and Holland represent tough opponents. For the most part the draw was met with a kind of cautious pessimism. "Nobody said it would be easy," tweeted Gerard Piqué.

Del Bosque too said it would be complicated. But when, inevitably, he was asked if it was the Group of Death, he replied: "No. The group with Italy, Uruguay and England is hard too." More worrying is the fact thatif Spain finish second, they are likely to face Brazil in the next round. "We have to try to win the group," Del Bosque said.

Still at least Spain avoided facing the best team at the World Cup: Spain. As one newspaper claimed on Friday morning, no one should forget that Spain are the "bogey man".

Sid Lowe

Spain and Holland in 'group of death'

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 11:53 AM PST

• Group B opener will be rematch of 2010 World Cup final
• Chile and Australia also drawn in tough group

Spain, Holland, Chile and Australia will form the latest World Cup "group of death", with the opening game of Group B a rematch of the 2010 final.

Spain became world champions for the first time by defeating Holland in South Africa in a bad-tempered match remembered as much for the violent approach of the Dutch as Andrés Iniesta's extra-time winner.

Vicent del Bosque's La Roja, who are also the double European champions, and Louis van Gaal's Oranje, kick off the group in Salvador on 13 June at 8pm BST.

Spain, as the only nation to claim three consecutive major tournaments – and with an array of talent who include Iniesta, Xavi, David Silva, Álvaro Negredo, Sergio Busquets and Iker Cassillas – will be favourites to top the group, though in Robin van Persie Holland have the leading scorer during the qualifying phase for European nations, with 11 goals.

Holland have never won the World Cup – they lost the 1974 and 1978 finals – and Chile's best performance was third at their own tournament in 1962. Roy Hodgson's England understand the threat Chile can carry after being beaten 2-0 at Wembley last month with Alexis Sánchez, scoring both goals.

The 24-year-old Barcelona forward has scored 22 goals in 64 international appearances, he won last season's La Liga with the Catalan club, and his Chile team-mates include Swansea City's Gary Medel and Wigan Athletic's Jean Beausejour. Managed by the Argentinian Jorge Luis Sampaoli, Chile begin by playing Australia on 13 June in Cuiabá.

Tim Cahill, Lucas Neill and Marco Bresciano are the stand-out names of the Socceroos, who are to compete in only a fourth World Cup, having emerged from the group once before – in Germany in 2006, where they lost to the eventual champions, Italy.

Beyond Group B, England fans will hardly describe their section as the Group of Life. While Roy Hodgson will somehow have to plot a route past Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica if his side are to emerge from Group D, Group G – Germany, Ghana, the USA and Portugal – and Group A – Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, and Cameroon – also look tough.

A so-called "group of death" appeared in the very first World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay. Then, Group 1 featured Argentina, Chile, France and Mexico from which only the winners would progress. Argentina did so by defeating their South American neighbours Chile, 3-1, in the final game.

In Spain in 1982 Brazil, Argentina and Italy were the three nations in a second-phase group from which the latter emerged, having beaten the two South American countries. Italy's 3-2 win over Brazil, after twice going behind and featuring a Paolo Rossi hat-trick, remains among the greatest of all World Cup matches.

Jamie Jackson

World Cup 2014: England to kick off 'group of death' in the jungle

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 11:46 AM PST

Roy Hodgson faces difficult course in thousand-mile odyssey around Brazil to play Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica

Greg Dyke, the Football Association chairman, was caught on camera jokingly drawing his finger across his neck after England were drawn in a "group of death" for next summer's World Cup.

Roy Hodgson, who once nearly quit football to become a travel agent, will now have to plot a difficult course around Brazil in a group that will involve an odyssey of thousands of miles for players and fans, and matches against Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica.

England will kick off in the heat of the Amazonian jungle in Manaus, where they will play Italy in their opening match on 14 June at 2am UK time. UK broadcasters are unlikely to be pleased. Nor will the mayor of Manaus, deep in the heart of the rainforest. He had responded to Hodgson's pre-draw verdict that he would rather avoid the heat of his city by saying England would not be welcome.

From there, England will go on to play Luis Suárez and Uruguay in São Paulo on 19 June, followed by Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte on 24 June in what is likely to be a must-win fixture. The Costa Ricans and Italians immediately dubbed group D the "group of death". Sir Geoff Hurst, the 1966 World Cup hero who played a key role in the draw, joked on Twitter that he might not be allowed home.

"It is going to be quite difficult to put a positive spin on the quality of our opponents. Even Costa Rica might be the least known but they are a very strong team," said Hodgson. "I am still very positive about the whole affair."

Fewer than 10,000 England fans are expected to travel to Brazil for the once-in-a-lifetime experience of following a World Cup in the home of the beautiful game, owing to the high cost of hotel rooms and flights. But for those dreaming of sun, samba and a fanatical home support that will demand that Luiz Felipe Scolari's team claim their sixth World Cup, the detailed planning can begin for a tournament Fifa president Sepp Blatter promised would be "the greatest of all time".

The hosts will kick off the World Cup against Croatia on 12 June in São Paulo and will also face Mexico and Cameroon. Holders Spain were also drawn in a tough group with the Netherlands, Chile and Australia.

The draw took place in a cavernous temporary tented hall in a five-star beach resort in Bahia, 76km from Salvador on the north-east coast of the vast country.

Three thousand guests and members of the media, the obligatory armies of blazer-clad Fifa functionaries and friendly volunteers flooded the venue, while delegations from the 32 teams who had qualified awaited their fate. The remote location had the effect of keeping away potential protesters after the Confederations Cup dry run saw more than 1m Brazilians take to the streets to protest against underinvestment in public services at a time when £2bn is being spent on new stadiums.

In a two-hour show Blatter appeared alongside the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, and paid tribute to Nelson Mandela, describing him as "the greatest humanist in the world" and calling on Brazilians to rally behind the tournament – "please come together, join everybody because it's the game for you".

The runup to to the draw has been overshadowed by delays to the construction of some of the stadiums, most seriously at the São Paulo venue that will host the World Cup opener on 12 June.

Owen Gibson

World Cup 2014 draw: England's group opponents

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 11:43 AM PST

Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica will provide a stern test for Roy Hodgson's team, who start in the heat of the Amazon jungle

Uruguay

Given the manner in which Luis Suárez is illuminating the Premier League and the waves being made across the Channel by Edinson Cavani at Paris St-Germain, Uruguay were one of the sides England would privately have dreaded as group opponents.

La Celeste had excelled in finished fourth in South Africa and went on to claim the Copa América a year later, even if a dismal 2012 – two points from a possible 18 – left them struggling in qualification. Indeed, it took a play-off won handsomely against Jordan to reach Brazil.

Oscar Tabárez's side are streetwise, strong and boast thrilling quality throughout their lineup, from the goalkeeper Fernando Muslera to the centre-half Diego Lugano (vastly experienced with 91 caps if, as yet, under-used at West Bromwich Albion this season) to the emerging Abel Hernández of Palermo.

Concentrating merely on the threat posed by Suárez and Cavani would be risky. They will relish exploiting South American conditions against two European sides, and it is not outlandish for them to aspire to emulate their triumph in this tournament in 1950, when they beat the hosts in the final at the Maracana.

Key player Luis Suárez

The Liverpool striker propelled this team through qualification, with 11 goals in his 14 appearances. One need only see how devastating he has been this season to realise stopping him is easier said than done. He might have a point or two to prove to the Football Association, as well.

Italy

At least England know what to expect from the Azzurri: a masterclass in the retention of possession, orchestrated by Andrea Pirlo in his quarterback role; a stingy defence most likely forged at Juventus; and a maverick forward capable of brilliance and lunacy in equal measures. Memories of Kiev at Euro 2012 flood back, and quite how England will seek to wrest the ball back from Cesare Prandelli's team in the steamy humidity of Manaus is a mystery. Italy were unbeaten as they topped their qualifying group ahead of Denmark and the Czech Republic and can call on a fine blend of experience – from Gianluigi Buffon to Daniele De Rossi – and youth, with Mario Balotelli the obvious focus, Paris St Germain's Marco Verratti a star in the making and the likes of Andrea Ranocchia and Stephan El Shaarawy already players of pedigree.

Key player Mario Balotelli

Capable of scorching allcomers when the mood takes him, though it is his unpredictability that perhaps marks him out as dangerous. Germany had not anticipated the brilliance of his semi-final display at Euro 2012, and yet this is still a young player prone to tantrums and, as against the Czechs in qualification, disciplinary issues. Whatever happens, he will be entertaining.

Costa Rica

The Costa Ricans would appear to be the section's weakest link given that they have never progressed beyond the last 16 at the finals though they retain the ability to shock and in these conditions, will be awkward opposition. Jorge Luis Pinto, their Colombian coach, is a shrewd organiser with experience gained at 15 clubs over a 30-year career. Los Ticos may be ranked 31 in the world but they conceded only seven times in qualification, the stingiest in their group, with Levante's Keylor Navas outstanding in goal. Yet there is also attacking talent with which to operate. Bryan Ruiz, the captain, is known well enough in the Premier League and may produce more of a threat away from the helter-skelter of the English game. Everton's spare left-back Bryan Oviedo has been making headlines of his own this week, too. Another forward, Joel Campbell, is on Arsenal's books but has never qualified for a work permit. And that, potentially, is Costa Rica's real threat. "They are the most difficult team for us because we don't know them," acknowledged Prandelli. Hodgson might normally agree.

Key player Bryan Ruiz

Only ever treats the Premier League to flashes of his undoubted class but with more time on the ball than he is granted at Fulham he may showcase his abilities more readily. His form as a playmaker wreaked havoc in qualifying and he orchestrates the attacking approach.

Dominic Fifield

Brazil 2014: England draw tough opponents – and a tougher climate

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 11:31 AM PST

The first match will be played in Manaus, where temperatures are usually above 30C and the humidity saps strength

Forget about the opponents. What about the venues? When the England team run out on 14 June in Manaus to play their first match in Brazil 2014 (at 1am UK time, you note), they may find it is not just 11 Italians they are up against.

June is the dry season in Manaus, which is something to be thankful for, but temperatures persist above 30C and the humidity is sticky at best, steamy and sapping at worst. Roy Hodgson made it clear before the draw that this jungle city, one of the remotest on Earth, was a place he wanted to avoid. "The tropical nature of Manaus is the problem. I'm not an expert on the venue but I'm just mouthing what everybody has been saying to me. Manaus is the place ideally to avoid," Hodgson said.

The feeling is mutual. The city's mayor, Arthur Virgílio Neto, responded curtly. "We Amazonians would also prefer it if England did not come here," he said in a statement. "We will be hoping for a better draw of a team with more sensitive, cultured and educated technicians." Alas, most teams in world football would disappoint him on that score.

Matheus Augusto, a fan of the local Nacional team, said the England team would suffer because Manaus will be the hottest of all of Brazil's 12 host cities.

"It's really hot sometimes: 38–40C. Principally, the Europeans are going to suffer. It's going to be really hard for them. They're not used to heat like this," he predicted.

But he played down the likelihood of England being a target of local hostility.

"I think the mayor misunderstood Hodgson's comments. He's being criticised a lot for this. When England come, it will be fine," he said. "Everyone wants to avoid Manaus, so it's OK, it's really hot here. I'm not offended, it's normal."

Located in one of the planet's last great wildernesses, Manaus is doubly isolated: first by the confluence of the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões, then by a sea of green forest that stretches close to 600 miles on all sides. The electric storms that buffet Manaus sometimes overload the local grid and burn out computers, air conditioners and fridges. Rainy-season downpours can turn a building site into a swimming pool. The equatorial sunlight is so intense that it can bleach coloured plastic seating.

Getting to the centre of the Amazon will also require a 1,700 mile journey, but once fans are there, Manaus will be one of the most exotic and locations that the England team and its fans have ever visited. For the more intrepid who need to while away the hours before kick-off, there are boat rides down the world's greatest river and the chance to swim with pink dolphins.

Other attractions include the 19th century Manaus Opera House and the city's annual festival, Boi-Bumbá, a rumbustuous combination of indigenous and immigrant styles of music and dancing.

But visitors will need to take mosquito repellent and ensure they are vaccinated against yellow fever.

Indeed, Manaus is hardly a hotbed of football culture – Nacional are lucky to draw 3,000 supporters. The 43,000-seater stadium being built for Brazil 2014 is likely to sit empty once the World Cup carnival has moved on.

The venue should be ready in time. Arena da Amazônia is due for completion shortly and the Brazilian authorities say it is back on schedule after delays earlier this year. The complex steel-lattice design, which is ostensibly modelled on a traditional hand-woven basket, looks remarkably similar to the "bird's nest" Olympic stadium in Beijing.

All 6,700 tonnes of metal had to be smelted in Portugal, shipped across the Atlantic and then down through the Amazon to Manaus.

Once the team is done with the Brazilian interior, another long five-hour flight awaits footballers and fans to get back to the cooler, more southerly region, and matches in São Paulo against Uruguay and in Brazil's third city, Belo Horizonte against Costa Rica.

By the end of the first round, England will already have clocked up 4,300 miles and fans will already have spent several thousand pounds, depending on whether they have opted for the expensive or the fairly expensive accommodation option.

If England progress further, the coastal cities of Rio de Janeiro or Recife await. The interior is left behind. A long way behind.

Jonathan Watts

West Brom v Norwich City: Squad sheets

Posted: 06 Dec 2013 11:28 AM PST

After Luis Suárez's four-goal festival at Anfield made it 22 goals shipped in their last five away games, Norwich would have rather had a home fixture. Chris Hughton will be hoping his side can replicate the performance that saw them beat West Brom 4-0 in May. The home side have not won in their last four league games so will be looking for three points on Saturday. Jimmy Norval

Kick-off Saturday 3pm

Venue The Hawthorns

Last season West Brom 2 Norwich 1

Referee M Clattenburg

This season G9, Y42, R0, 3.2 cards per game

Odds H 5-6 A 4-1 D 14-5

West Bromwich Albion

Subs from Daniels, Gera, Jones, Sessègnon, Anichebe, Popov, Vydra, Dawson, Berahino, Rosenberg, Dorrans, Tamas, Sinclair

Doubtful None

Injured Foster (foot, 14 Dec), Anelka (groin, 14 Dec)

Suspended Olsson (one match)

Form LLDDWL

Discipline Y26 R0

Leading scorer Long 3

Norwich City

Subs from Whittaker, Becchio, Nash, Murphy, Garrido, Hoolahan, Johnson, Van Wolfswinkel

Doubtful Van Wolfswinkel

Injured Snodgrass (ankle, 26 Dec), Pilkington (hamstring, 11 Jan), Tettey (ankle, Feb), Bunn (ankle, unknown), E Bennett (knee, unknown)

Suspended None

Form LWLWLD

Discipline Y15 R0

Leading scorers Fer, Hooper, Howson 2

Saturday, 7 December 2013