So, will they win the Confederations Cup or will Spain run away with the prize once again? Well, That remains to be seen. For a country with expectations so huge that anything less than being the champions is considered a failure, its gonna be a mighty task upstaging the likes of Spain, Uruguay or even Italy. One thing is for sure, they need it the most. Given their country's economic turmoil and the protests going on throughout Brazil it would count as a major relief for the fans. People worship the game in Brazil and passion for the game is unparalleled.
Brazil have an excellent chance given their squad. The quality and depth of the squad just amazes me. Players like Dante, Lucas Moura & Hernanes are warming the bench whilst Ramires, Coutinho & Rafael haven't even been called up for the cup! The first team is just oozing with quality and flair. Well, you might say that it is case with every Brazil team. But the team that went for the 2010 World Cup was miles behind this team. Their defence was too old and slow and midfield & attack were a no match. The Neymars, Oscars & Hulks have just lit up the competition with their flamboyance. Attack is the name of the game for Brazil. Though this Brazilian flair can be taken advantage of as their defence is known to crack open at crucial times. While, so far they have been good at it, conceding only two in 3 games. If you look at just the individuals, I'd say this Brazil are best team on the planet at present. But that's not how football works, It's a team sport and that's exactly why Spain have been so successful and even Italy have performed so well in the recent years. Spain have showcased the team effort brilliantly in the recent FIFA competitions. They have perfected tiki-taka and rotated the squad to good effect. Statistics show that they have completed a whopping 8.7 passes per minute in this edition of the Confederations Cup way ahead of second placed Brazil who could only manage 4.9 passes. Umm, Brilliant! I guess thats all one could say. A lot of the credit goes to Barcelona for that. But given Barcelona's poor season according to their expectations we can be in for a bit of surprise here. The players are now starting to grow old and as we saw are susceptible to pace. For all their amazing defensive records and the fact they haven't conceded a single goal in the knockout phases of any major tournament under Del Bosque, they might find it very hard against Brazil. Though their main weakness lies in attack, the loss of form for their strikers is a major concern. The fact that Casillas has been left at the bench by Mourinho throughout the season is also disturbing for the Spanish fans.