That got me thinking. The FIFA World Cup. In Brazil. In Rio. Played at the Maracana. The Copacabana Beach. It will be a sea of yellow! Caipirinhas to go along with it. Now, how could anyone resist?!
So, back to business and the greatest sporting event the world has, or will ever witness. Many will still have in their memory, the classic hit put together by Ricky Martin in France 98, 'The Cup of Life.' Hits which have followed, have not quite 'cut the mustard' at least in my book, though 'Celebrate the Day' in 2006 was not all that bad.
Now that we've talked about the 'mood-lifting' theme songs, who will actually go on to life the golden prize that almost every footballer envisions about? Could anyone get past the hosts, Brazil? It might be tough to knock them off at their own turf. What about their fellow South Americans Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay and Chile? Do any of the 3 have even a glimmer of hope of making it beyond the quarters? Then there are the mighty Europeans, from the Germans and Dutch, to the team from Sicily in Italy, and the English and their fish & chips? I might receive brickbats for not naming the defending champions in La Roja, where is Spain in all of this? Turned into Spanish Paella? Will they be able to defend their crown and put themselves up there in the reckoning to be the best national side ever (beating that 70's World Cup-winning Brazilians)? Can an African side be able to do a Senegal? Hear ye, hear ye, Cote de'Ivoire and Ghana? Last but by no means least, can anyone confidently rule out the mecurial Belgians and their composed unit of warriors?
Let's take it one step at a time.
Brazil, in the minds of many, are favourites, what with being the hosts and having won a handful of trophies, along with last year's Condeferations Cup. In order for them to win it, the structure of the team has to be set in such a way to get the best out of Neymar and Hulk, with Oscar pulling the strings in midfield. Defensively though, this team is supremely magnificent in my honest opinion. One would be hard-pressed to find a better centre-half pairing in the remaining 31 teams. The weakness of this team, comes right at the top, with Fred seemingly first choice for Luiz Felipe Scolari, a man no stranger to the World Cup. Oh what they would do to have Diego Costa leading the line!
The graphic below, based on a study done by 'The Economist' from matches played onwards of 1993 till today. And trust me, the person who came up with this research stated very clearly, that a whole load of scientific methods was involved in the number crunching.
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But is it a foregone conclusion? One thing's for sure, World Cup's are anything but certain.
Spain's Matadors can reverse the idea of the winner being concluded before the first whistle. But can they actually do it again? Bear in mind that the crux of this team lies quite a bit with the club sides in La Liga, with Atletico, Real and Barcelona forming a huge chunk of this squad. Catalonia still has the largest representatives, but can the 'tiki-taka' conquer world football once more? If that system is not played to perfection, it's effectiveness can be called into question. Just take a peek at the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich this season in the Champions League, and contrast that with Real and Atletico's style of play. The 'pressing from the front', so to speak, has reaped more rewards this time around in club football, and I opine that could be the case too in the World Cup. Spain can become a tad predictable, and they do not possess the vital tool of pace in their squad, with only Pedro and El Nino being the quickest among all. Jesus Navas not being selected could come back to haunt them.
Chances of Die Mannschaft will be discussed concurrently with that of the Dutch. German football is at the top at this point in time, even better than that of the Spanish. When one thinks of Germany, German efficiency comes to mind, with the likes of Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Mertesacker and Manuel Neuer forming the spine of this very magnificent team, this lot could go the distance. How Mesut Ozil, Mario Gotze and Lars Bender perform could prove the deciding factor here, and similar to the Brazilians, the lack of a top-class forward could be the reason they do not make it.
The Dutch meanwhile, have some potential to take a crack at this tournament, but it all depends on which Robin van Persie turns up. If he displays the unpredictability and eminent class of his first season at Old Trafford, they could be ones to watch out for. Defensively very suspect, and that could be their downfall.
Portugal and the Argentinians. Ronaldo against Messi comes to mind. The El-Clasico. As teams, Lionel's party has to have the upper hand here. With the quartet of Angel Di Maria, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Messi buzzing around them, the men from Buenos Aires have on paper, the best attack in the tournament. I still think though, they need a Maradona-esque from their talisman moment for La Albicelestes to lift the Golden Prize. The Portuguese though, are a different kettle of fish, or footballers. Ronaldo has a lot to do to just get his team out of the group stage, with them facing Ghana and Die Mannschaft in the process. Pepe and Bruno Alves might be able to hold the team together, and it will also depend on whether Joao Moutinho and Raul Meireles can thread through-balls in for CR7 to lethally finish off. I'd rank them as outsiders in this one.
A team who loves Spaghetti and Pizza has got to do somewhat well, don't you think? That's where the Italians come in. The nucleus of this team is actually close to being ideal, with an orchestrator in Pirlo making many others dance to the tune of his feet. If the Mario Balotelli of Euro2012 turn up for this party (without fireworks of course), this bunch headed by Senor Cesare Prandelli could actually surprise many, and even give the English a wake-up call.
Hodgson's men are the pretenders here, and nothing more. If the English boss goes for his tried and trusted players in people like Frank Lampard, and ignores trying to ignite fire in this team, by playing the little magician in Raheem Sterling, complemented with fabulous talents like that of Barkley and Chamberlain, not forgetting Lallana, then England will not even make it out of the group stages. Buck that trend however, and allow the free rein for Gerrard to be the mastermind, with Sturridge at the tip of the English frontline, then, maybe, just maybe, they could make decent headway. Quarter finals at best.
I have on purpose, left out the dark horses in this one, and they hail from none other than the place where fine chocolates and sugary sweet, syrupy waffles are made. It's been a long time coming for the Belgians. Look around their team, and it oozes with nothing but class. Players with finesse, able to be individualistic and also play with pizzazz as a team, brings about a hybrid structure which can shake the footballing world. Ladies and gentlemen, beware of this Belgian team. This group is here to stay, and barring any mishaps, could take the favourites all the way in Rio. A terrifying strikeforce with Romelu Lukaku heading their weaponry, and with Hazard, Dembele, Mirallas roaming around him, they could unleash a full force upon all comers. Rock solid defence in Premier League winner, Vincent Kompany, and Vermaelen alongside him with Thibaut Courtois between the sticks, do not for one moment, doubt the capability of this team.
Now with all that has been said, I would have to put a disclaimer of not being liable for any bets placed on teams which I've singled out, please do so on your own accord. The betting scene is rife with shocking discoveries just last week by the New York Times in a two-part series, here and here. It entails on how Malaysia and Singapore are hubs for the Asian, and the larger world for this most utmost ridiculous betting scene, where matches including those in World Cups, have been fixed, with referees, match officials, players and even managers being bribed. Do read it if you have extra time, as it provides a detailed account of these occurrences.
So, let's then wait for things to kickoff in Rio. Matches will be covered here, as well as previews to future matches on a daily basis. Do stay tuned to 'Beyond Limits', as we see where Rio takes us.
Cheers!
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