Brazil 2014 - A final look at who is making the plane!

Quite a bit has changed with Swansea City since my last blog post on the players who may be making the World Cup in Brazil this year.

We've had training ground bust-ups, unexplained player absences, heavy losses and even heavier wins! Some players have been prolific - keeping the Swansea spirit alive - while others have been mere shells of their former selves.

With Swansea safe for another Premier League season, attentions are starting to turn to the World Cup which starts next month. And, for the last time, let's see who may be joining the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Pirlo and Rooney from the Swansea squad!

Michu

Spain

Michu has shot himself in the foot this season. He rightly earned his international debut last year, but since then he has been injured (not really his fault I guess...), moody and lacking the form that made him such a star last season. He has barely featured in Swansea's squad and I honestly don't believe he has done enough to warrant a place in Spain's World Cup squad - and I'm pretty sure most Swans fans would agree with me.

Likelihood: 3/10

Wilfried Bony

Ivory Coast

Wilfried Bony was a bit of a slow starter and initially split the Swans fans into two camps - those who liked him and those who weren't sure he was worth the money. However after the season he has had, he has more than proved his worth - in fact he's proved to be a bit of a bargain at £12million, having almost single-handedly kept Swansea in the Premier League. There is no reason in my eyes that he will miss out on the World Cup.

Likelihood: 10/10

Michel Vorm

Holland

Vorm hasn't had the best of seasons. He has looked tired and much less sharp than previous years - letting in goals that Angel Rangel would probably have saved. He has had his share of injury and his morale obviously dropped, but on his day he's still one of the best goalkeepers Holland has to offer and should be on the plane to Brazil, even if he doesn't make an appearance.

Likelihood: 7/10

Jonjo Shelvey

England

Jonjo Shelvey has proved to be a brilliant addition to Swansea this season. He's had his off days (as have the rest of the squad), but you can rarely question his effort and drive to succeed. He can score goals (just look at his jaw-dropping long-range shot from last weekend), he can pass and he will happily battle for the ball in the centre of the park. However, with the likes of Gerrard, Lampard and Milner in the running for the central midfielders, Shelvey still won't be a frontrunner. He hasn't featured in recent England squads, but he has played well at the Under-21 level and there is still time to change Hodgeson's mind!

Likelihood: 5/10

Roland Lamah

Belgium

Not much has changed with Lamah since we last discussed him. He made his senior international debut in 2009 but has played only 11 times since. The 26-year-old impressed earlier in the season (especially in the Europa League), but hasn't had much of a look in during Garry Monk's tenure. With Belgium definitely taking wingers such as Chelsea's Eden Hazard, Napoli's Dries Mertens and VfL Wolfsburg's Kevin De Bruyne it's unlikely Lamah will be on the plane for Brazil.

Likelihood: 2/10


If you're in the mood for a bet, check out a fine array of World Cup betting offers and enjoy the tournament!

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Brazil 2014 - "You're only here to watch a Swan!"

While it's constantly pissing down in Swansea, the prospect of the summer is absolutely wonderful at the moment. And although it seems a world away, June - and with it the 2014 World Cup in Brazil - will swing around in no time at all.

The summer may mean no Swansea City footballing action, but this year we may still see our favourite Swans players take to the field as we have an array of fine international talent in the squad.

It may be a little premature, but who cares? The World Cup is a big deal and I'm getting my thoughts in before everyone else!

So, from the Swans squad, who is likely to be travelling to Brazil?

Michu

Spain

Spain are again one of the favourites going into this tournament and with good reason - look at their squad! We all know Swansea's beloved Michu made his international debut last year, but has he done enough to warrant a place in the World Cup squad? At this stage of the season... probably not. This is mainly thanks to his injury, although even before the injury he seemed less groundbreaking than last year. And with the likes of Torres, Negredo and Villa battling for spaces (not to mention Spain's attacking midfielders) Michu will have his work cut out to impress in the next five months.

Likelihood: 5/10

Wilfried Bony

Ivory Coast

There's plenty of attacking talent in the Ivory Coast squad for Brazil, including Didier Drogba (their captain) and Roma's Gervinho, but they'd be stupid to leave Wilfried Bony in South Wales this summer! While he's been slow starting for the Swans, he's now knocking them in on a more regular basis. His strength in holding up the ball and his shot power alone should see him on the plane.

Likelihood: 9/10

Michel Vorm

Holland

Vorm - like Michu - has been blighted with injury this season (hasn't everyone in the Swans squad?), so he's not had as many chances to shine as he would like. But he's still likely to be heading to Brazil in the summer as he's one of the best goalkeepers Holland has to offer (possibly after number one choice Maarten Stekelenburg). Providing he stays injury free in the next few months and gets some more first team action with Swansea until May he should be in the squad.

Likelihood: 7/10

Ki Sung-Yeung

South Korea

As it stands, Swans fans are desperate to get Ki back to the club. However it seems neither Michael Laudrup nor Ki are keen for this to happen. Regardless, Ki is still a Swansea City player and he will be going to the finals in Brazil this year. The 24-year-old already has 55 caps for his country and is very likely to add another few this summer. Hopefully he'll be picked ahead of Cardiff's Kim Bo-Kyung!

Likelihood:  9/10

Jonjo Shelvey

England

This is a tough one. Shelvey has been a revelation for Swansea compared to his time at Liverpool and surely it has caught the attention of Roy Hodgson. Then again we know the mentality of the England management over recent years and because Swansea are not a 'big' club, their players are often overlooked - Nathan Dyer and Leon Britton to name two. And, with the likes of old hands Gerrard, Lampard and Milner in the running for the central midfielders, Shelvey won't be the frontrunner. However Shelvey has played well at England's Under-21 level so you never know.

Likelihood: 5/10

Roland Lamah

Belgium

He made his senior international debut in 2009 but has played only 11 times since. The 26-year-old has impressed during the limited game time he's had for the Swans (mainly in the Europa League), but he hasn't played enough to warrant an assumed place in the Belgian squad. With other wingers such as Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne it's unlikely he'll be first on the plane. Still, as with all the players on this list, you never know!

Likelihood: 4/10


Fast forward to the World Cup Final... Spain vs Holland. Penalty shootout. "Michu steps up against his Swansea City teammate Michel Vorm for the chance to win the final..."

We'll see!

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