Coral’s worst World Cup XI

Left back: Benoit Assou-Ekotto (Cameroon)
Speaking of going head-to-head, this Indomitable Lion committed the cardinal sin of turning on his own teammate. Afforded no protection by Benjamin Moukandjo in a crunch clash with Croatia, Assou-Ekotto saw his own frustrations boil over. Cameroon conceded nine goals, the joint most of any competing nation.

Leighton Baines, no longer pushed by the consistent competition provided by Ashley Cole in recent years, flopped in a England shirt too. He was exposed horribly in the opening loss to Italy, and young Luke Shaw, who signed for Manchester United, will be breathing down his neck.

Defensive midfield: Alex Song (Cameroon)
What better way to help your country than hitting an opposition player in the back? Song made Mario Mandzukic a victim of his frustration, instead of focusing on providing support to the Cameroon attack.

Greece’s Kostas Katsouranis also saw red during the group stage, not knowing when to stop tackling. No guile from midfield was once again a major failing of the Euro 2004 winners, and these ageing legs have a limited future at best at international level.

Deep-lying playmaker: Steven Gerrard (England)
England expects, but Gerrard failed to deliver. So much more was needed from the Three Lions skipper, who was found wanting at this elite level. Like Katsouranis above, he is on borrowed time as an international force, and could yet walk away from it after reflecting on his dismal displays in Brazil.

Spain metronome Xavi Hernandez is also in this ‘seen better days’ category. The Barcelona pass-master has retired from international football, recognising his legs are gone. That explained La Roja’s demise.

Central midfield: Wilson Palacios (Honduras)
If anyone was more deserving of a red card, it was Palacios. His first half display against France would’ve tested the patience of referees from bygone eras. Palacios’ clash with Paul Pogba could easily have seen both men sent off, but bookings were deemed sufficient. Marching orders followed anyway and the hostile Hondurans’ performances were typified by this player.

Sulley Muntari pushes Palacios close for inclusion, but for breaches of discipline off the field. A reported altercation with a Ghanaian FA official is not the way to go about getting your World Cup business.

Box-to-box role: Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast)
After a 20-goal-plus Premier League campaign for title winners Manchester City, an awful lot was expected of Yaya Toure. His displays for the Ivory Coast, however, were lethargic and lacking the customary power we saw week in, week out during the club campaign.

Brazil’s Paulinho was another box-to-box player that simply failed to live up to his billing. Like so many of the Samba Boys squad that Scolari stuck by so steadfastly, his performances compared to those of the successful Confederations Cup tournament last summer were way below par.

Striker: Diego Costa (Spain)
A Brazilian-turned-Spaniard was supposed to be an interesting subplot for this tournament. Costa choked big time in the country of his birth, however, and was roundly booed whenever he touched the ball by watching locals. It just didn’t work and he failed to fit into La Roja’s style.

Portugal’s entire strikeforce were similarly found wanting and, like Costa, clearly lacking match fitness. Paulo Bento went through front men like nobody’s business. Cristiano Ronaldo needed to give so much more, because the main centre forwards lacked mobility.

Striker: Fred (Brazil)
Nobody’s movement was poorer than that of Fred, though. Top scorer at the Confederations Cup, he toiled, and that is no exaggeration, ploughing a lone furrow up front for Brazil. Home fans turned on him, like Costa, but the Fluminense target man chose to retire from international football after the World Cup.

Gonzalo Higuain flopped in similar fashion. He netted just once all tournament, as Fred did, and spurned several chances in a tense final, which Argentina ultimately lost. Failing to even hit the target, when one-on-one with Manuel Neuer, sealed his spot as a reserve in our worst XI.