Imperious Brazil are going through the gears
WITH England disgraced and back on home soil, it’s left a strange feeling here in South Africa – almost like you’ve been invited to a surprise party and someone forgot to tell the birthday boy. No-one can argue that England deserve to be in the final eight given the way they performed, so thoughts turn now to those who do, and their respective quarter-final matches, which get underway tomorrow.
Unsurprisingly, the overwhelming favourites are Brazil, who looked mightily impressive against Chile on Monday. They seemed to find a fourth, fifth, then sixth gear, and showed why it will take an outstanding performance to prevent them lifting the trophy for a sixth time.
That said, they will have to play well to beat a Dutch side, who are like the silent assassins in this tournament. I must admit, I questioned the solidity of their defence at the start of the tournament, but the likes of Johnny Heitinga, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg have put in some sterling displays.
Sure, they will need to be on their game against the Brazilians, but with Arjen Robben
back and Robin van Persie looking to prove a point, they are a dangerous proposition.
Similarly, Argentina, under Diego Maradona, left, have been a joy to watch. His attitude, enthusiasm and leadership has been mirrored by the team and they’ve won every game they’ve played as a result.
It was suggested that they would struggle against Germany in the quarter-final after their demolition of England, but I just think, with so many inexperienced players, it’s asking a lot of them to deal with the pressure in the latter stages of the competition.
Spain, however, have disappointed me. They rely too heavily on David Villa, while Fernando Torres looks to have caught the Wayne Rooney disease, clearly not as fit as we are led to believe, and almost over-affected by the pre-tournament hype.
The Spanish looked far more threatening when they brought on Joseba Llorente for Torres against Portugal on Tuesday night, and Vicente del Bosque has a big decision to make for Saturday night’s last-eight game with Paraguay.