Can Brazil go all the way?

Five- time winners Brazil have emerged as the bookies’ favourites to lift the World Cup 2014 trophy on home soil with 3-1 odds. They held the same odds before going into the draws. Argentina is next at 9-2, Germany is at 5-1, followed by the defending champions Spain at 7-1. However, the big question still remains as to whether they are capable of winning at home?

Well, they definitely have the statistics behind them. Every World Cup till date held in the Americas region has had a South American winner. Speaks volumes about the South American home advantage.

Uruguay (1930) : URUGUAY
Brazil (1950): URUGUAY
Chile (1962): BRAZIL
Argentina (1978): ARGENTINA
Mexico (1988): ARGENTINA
USA (1994): BRAZIL

Six months ago, I would have been one of the staunchest opponents if you said that Brazil will win the World Cup. But their squad then delivered on the international stage by winning the Confederations Cup, comprehensively outclassing the world champions Spain 3-0 in the final. One of main reasons for their turnaround was the coming of age of Neymar, who now has the burden of an entire nation on his tiny shoulders. Taking a look at their squad, it definitely looks like a promising one and better from last time around. Their squad has a lot of youth and excitement with the likes of David Luiz, Marcelo, Oscar, Neymar, Hulk etc. If we take a look at their World Cup group they are relatively better off with the likes of Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon and will even provide them good match practice if they were to advance further into the competition, as compared to continental rivals Argentina, who have a very easy group and are sure to face tougher opponents later on.

Another thing that has boosted the Brazilian team is the return of veteran manager “Big Phil” Scolari. Before his appointment, they were struggling to impress with results not going their way, but he has turned around the Brazilian team dramatically with his tactics and has led people to believe that an encore of 2002 is quite possible. Before the final against Spain in the Confederations Cup, Scolari emphatically played down Spain’s style of play by saying- “Beautiful football comes and goes. It’s the result that goes down in history.” He has adopted a high-pressing game and under his regime the true potential of the likes of Fred, Neymar, Oscar and Hulk have been revealed.

For the football fans who like their football with a hint of speculation, there was a simulation conducted by people at the popular football simulation game Football Manager. After doing some number crunching, they predicted that Brazil will win the World Cup for a sixth time by beating Spain in a repeat of the Confederations Cup finale. Brazilian fans will be salivating at the prospect of a sixth World Cup, that too at home. The general sentiment has been upbeat and footballing legend Pele pretty much summed it up when he predicted that the Selecao will reach the final of the 2014 World Cup. A subtle way of saying “I want Brazil to win!”, don’t you think?