After winning last year’s Confederations Cup in style, Brazil will want to set the World Cup alight when the tournament kicks off in less than a week. Brazil have had a lack of competitive football in the lead up to the World Cup so they will come into the tournament with some nervousness, despite being favourites to lift the trophy once again.
The Brazilians will be relying on an electrifying atmosphere on their home turf to carry them through this tournament. They have been on good form as of late but they are still showing some inconsistencies. But that is like with all teams heading into the World Cup—they have pros and cons. Yes, perfect link…
Brazil’s World Cup Chances
PROS
Brazil are an incredibly talented side, just not in the traditional sense. The hosts have always been held in high regard thanks to their attacking style of yesteryear. When they last won the World Cup in 2002 (under current manager Luiz Felipe Scolari) they played a brand of defensive and aggressive football.
Their defence is loaded with talent and Scolari will probably start with Dani Alves, Dante, Thiago Silva and Marcelo at the back. Failing that they always have David Luiz, Maxwell, Henrique and Maicon to fall back on.
Scolari will probably set up in a 4-3-3 formation—the same formation which he used throughout the Confederations Cup. The team are used to playing with each other, especially the front three of Neymar, Hulk and Fred with the latter being supported by the other two on the wings. Fred may not be the greatest finisher in the world, but he is an essential tool in how Neymar performs.
CONS
Julio Cesar. Four years ago he was one of the best goalkeepers in the world and just became a Champions League winner with Inter Milan. Now, he is at Toronto FC. It’s not exactly a goalkeeper crisis that Brazil are suffering but the drop in Cesar’s level of competition is huge cause for concern.
The lack of attacking talent is highly noticeable too. While Scolari has to be respected by creating a good front three in Neymar, Hulk and Fred, the fact is if one gets injured there is only Jo and Bernard that can step up into attacking role. The fact that he left out PSG’s Lucas Moura could prove to be a costly decision. Moreover, Fred has recently just come back from injury and he will not be firing in all cylinders either.
POTENTIAL ROUTE TO THE FINAL
The minimum expectation for Brazil is nine points. They have a really easy group and three wins is a must and anything less could spell trouble later on. Croatia are going through a transitional phase after they changed manager due to a poor qualifying campaign. Mexico are not the team that they once were with very little talent on their squad and Cameroon have nothing going for them other than a reasonable defence.
Then the route gets a lot tougher. Facing the Netherlands or Chile in the last 16 (assuming Spain win Group B) will be a difficult challenge; especially the Netherlands as they managed to beat the Brazilians in the Quarter Final in the last World Cup.
The quarter finals could see a number of teams but England could be the most likely prospect (other teams could be Uruguay, Italy or Colombia). They should win that game. Then in the semis they are likely to face either Germany or France which could be a step too far for this Brazilian side. The Germans are definitely one of the favourites and possibly the only other European team, other than Spain, that could mount a big challenge for the title.
If they make it to the Maracana on July 13 then they are most likely to face the current world champions Spain or Argentina. And judging by what happened in the Confederation Cup Final last year, they could definitely demolish Spain again. Argentina, on the other hand, could be a pain in the backside for the Brazilians with a phenomenal attacking unit that can cause even the most solid of defences problems.
VERDICT
Brazil need to replicate their form and style shown in the Confederations Cup last summer if they are going to win the World Cup. Their route to the final is only made tougher by the prospect of facing the Netherlands (or Spain or Chile) in the last 16. Still they have the talent to progress far in this competition and they should be able to make the final—home advantage is key here.
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