Very happy with the draw. We avoided more difficult first/second seed pairings like Germany-Turkey, Italy-Serbia, Holland-Sweden, Spain-Czech Republic and Portugal-Denmark, while also avoiding the better lower seeds, such as Belgium and Albania. On paper at least, it's kind in comparison to the other groups.
Russia, having failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, can be flakey during qualifying campaigns. They certainly don't have the consistency of a France, Germany or Italy, who seem to cruise through qualifying without necessarily playing well. However, they have enough good players to beat anyone, particularly in Moscow, and they have a few very promising youngsters, including Dzagoev. A plus for us is that Hiddink probably won't be there come September. A minus is that the Ruskies will probably be doubly determined to reach the finals, having lost out this year. They're certainly beatable in Lansdowne Road, though.
Slovakia were very impressive in qualifying, dropping only eight points. They were quite workmanlike and ordinary when we played them in 2007, but they've added a bit of flair since then in Weiss and Hamsik. They've been playing well, but the question remains if they can maintain that form over two campaigns. Most small countries do suffer 'second campaign syndrome' (think of us after 2002) for whatever reason, and hopefully Trap will have them figured out after the World Cup. On paper, they're at about the same level as Bulgaria. 4 points is achievable.
Macedonia will be a difficult away trip, but I saw Scotland beat them last September, and they didn't look up to much. A lot like Montenegro, except for Jovetic, read Pandev. We should be disappointed if we don't take six points off them, as I expect Russia to do so.
The only problem with Armenia is the long trip. We should give beat them comfortably if we're not too jet-lagged in Yerevan. As for Andorra, well at least we have a couple of 'easy' competitive games for a change.
Overall, it's a group we can win. A lot will depend on injuries, and the possibility of Slovakia and Russia dropping points against the weaker teams. We need Trap to fill out the squad a bit, and be more adventurous in the home games. We got away with dropping six points at home in the last campaign - we will need to take maximum points at Lansdowne this time. We can't afford to drop more than 8 points overall.
