Confederations Cup'13

by Divyam Arora

Who says that dreams don't come true? Dante's did. And No, i'm not making a reference to Dante's Inferno or the poem. The night before Brazil's match against Italy, Dante dreamed that he'd score a goal in the upcoming match. He even bought 60 tickets to the game for his family. Little did he know that it was actually gonna happen. No, it wasn't a great goal but a goal nonetheless for a player who isn't even assured of a starting spot in his side. It was a magical moment in the Brazil international's career who won it all with FC Hollywood in the previous season. Now, the only question that remains to be seen is, Will Brazil's dreams come true as well?

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.

While these two teams are the giants in the competition, It's not all Brazil & Spain. Uruguay possesses a huge threat to both these nations. The reason why I don't mention Italy here is that they have key players missing for their semifinal clash against Spain. Balotelli said that he'd been waiting for a year to avenge their Euro'12 loss to Spain and it's a shame that he's gonna miss the clash. And given the impact he has had on the Azzurri they are dearly gonna miss him. While thats not even it, even Pirlo & Montolivo are also doubtful and Abate has already been ruled for rest of the tournament. Yeah, They might as well start preparing for the third spot match now. They stand very little chance against a mighty Spain. But nonetheless, its gonna be a good watch keeping in mind the winning mentality & character Azzurri displayed in the recent edition of Euros. The players those who might come in like El Shaarawy or Giovinco might excite a few as well. I think Uruguay stand a better chance than Italy at the moment. And they probably have the best front three. Suarez, Cavani & Forlan can destroy any team on their day let alone defending all three together. Suarez boasts a 100% conversion rate thus far in the cup and recently became Uruguay's top all time scorer moving one ahead of Diego Forlan. Though the midfield & defence are the areas where they are a bit lightweight. They do not possesses a good playmaker and seem to rely on their wings for creating attacks. All these teams have some weaknesses but have portrayed immense quality. And as the tournament approaches the business end the mental strength and character are gonna come into play. And that might yet be the deciding factor.

The stage is set for an amazing knockout phase of the tournament. With these teams you can never say who runs out as the winner. I'll go on and say Brazil are my favourites. I think they might just notch it in a Brazil Vs Spain Final. Fancy Uruguay to claim the third spot. So, go on and picks your favourites for the cup and enjoy the rest of Confederations Cup'13.

The only thing that is beyond my wildest dreams is that Fernando Torres might yet again win the Golden Boot. Got you thinking, didn't I?


Picture Reference / Picture Reference