Joe Montemurro: Why getting a 'Group of Death' isn't so bad

Arsenal Women's head coach Joe Montemurro believes that drawing a tough group for the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2019 is not such a bad thing.

When it comes to draws for a World Cup, usually everyone wants to avoid the ‘Group of Death’.

But if you want to win a World Cup, you have to beat the best.

I believe it’s better to have a difficult group, so you can plan accordingly for the rest of the tournament.

If you get through a tough group, then you know you are primed for the knockout stages.

A World Cup is basically one-off games after another, so coming out of a difficult group gives you the confidence to go forward.

The Westfield Matildas are a great team, but any great team needs confidence to go all the way. And beating the best teams will provide that confidence and build on it the further they go.

With the likelihood of being in Pot 1, you do avoid a few of the favourites, but a World Cup is full of surprises.

It’s always difficult to pick the favourites, especially with more and more nations raising their levels.

However, I believe with a European tournament, the Europeans nations are going to be tough to beat.

Whatever the case, it promises to be one of the best World Cups yet.

READ: When and how to watch the FIFA Women's World Cup draw on Sunday