Such a shame

Uruguay were eliminated from the world cup by Columbia in absence of arguably their best player. Luis Suarez was banned from all football related activities for four months by FIFA one day before the round of sixteen match. This Uruguayan side is not the force it was in the previous world cup with the core of the side remaining unchanged and having declined in the last four years. The most obvious example is Diego Forlan, their best player in the last world cup who is now in the twilight of his career. The midfield and the attack often looks disjointed with a huge burden on the shoulders of Edison Cavani to link the two in addition to his man marking duties. He is so engrossed in the link up play that he often needs someone upfront to provide the finishing touch. Suarez played that role brilliantly, most notably in the game against England. On his day, Suarez is unstoppable and capable of producing cracks in even the strongest of defensive walls but the negative aspects of his personality have always stolen the limelight from his stellar footballing performances.

This is neither the first time that he has been in trouble for his antics on the pitch nor the first time he has sunk his teeth into an opponent. His CV includes racial abuse and wrongfully denying a nation a deserved spot in world cup semi finals. Many have dismissed his handling of a Ghana corner during the last world cup with a winning at all cost mentality excuse but do those same supporters also agree on chomping down opponents qualifying as 'winning mentality'. Liverpool's players and manager supported him when he was banned for racially abusing Patrice Evra and also stood by him when he bit Branislav Ivanovic. A couple of days ago, his Uruguayan teammates were trying to brush this incident under the carpet and describing him as a media target due to his tarnished image. But can anyone disagree on how he has earned that image. Was he a media target on all of these occasions:

1.

2.

3.

Suarez surely is a world class footballer who can win matches on his own, but is that reason enough to lend support to a serial offender who has practiced every form of anti-sportsmanship. Once is a mistake, twice coincidence but three times. Seriously?

The fall from grace

Spain not only became the first team to go out of the world cup but also the first champions to be beaten in the first two matches at the subsequent world cup. Nobody expected such a turnaround in their fortunes. Although it can be argued that the Spanish had become a little complacent from the their recent successes but the nature of their downfall was unimaginable.

But in all fairness, this result was more of a brilliant Chilean performance rather than a pale Spanish one. Chile looked to utilize the Dutch approach in their 5-1 drubbing of the Spanish some days ago. They played a similar formation with three at the back and pressed and harried Spain in midfield. The Spanish were simply unable to cope up with the high tempo set by their opponents. Vidal led the line and pressed Busquets high up while Diaz generally looked after Silva. But it was the goal scorer Charles Aranguiz who was the star of the show. He gave Xabi Alonso a torrid time throughout the first half. Alonso, generally a consistent performer for Spain couldn't come to terms with the pace of the game and looked out of sorts. He conceded possession for the opener as well as the free kick which resulted in the second. Del Bosque had to substitute him for Koke at half time to put him out of his misery.

Once behind the Spanish just couldn't come up with a response. They had hoped to have sealed up the passage to the next round by this stage and here they were fighting against getting humiliated twice in five days. Iniesta was the most disappointing of the lot. Trusted as the chief creator of the side in the absence of Xavi he simply couldn't provide the spark from the midfield and didn't seem like the player of a couple of years ago. Spain often appeared a broken team with the front line appearing isolated form the rest of the team. The introduction of Koke did help them dominate in the opening stages of the second half and they had a great chance to pull one back but it was spurned by Busquets. But that was about all Spain could come up with.

Del Bosque appeared flummoxed by the situation unfolding in front of him. It was something Spain haven't witnessed before, at least not in his tenure. He had appeared to have given up midway through the second half, probably already thinking about his speech at the subsequent press conferences rather than planing to get back in the match. His decision to leave out Xavi from the starting 11 in the aftermath of the crushing defeat by the Dutch was strange to say the least. Without Xavi, Spain could never fully assert their possessional authority on the contest.

Another point worth highlighting is Del Bosque's love for Fernando Torres. Despite being in miserable form ever since his move to Chelsea, Torres is way ahead in the the pecking order for Spain. And despite his horrendous miss in the last game, Torres was introduced to replace Diego Costa with Mata and Fabregas still on the bench. At least he should have been sent on to supplement Costa, who still was Spain's best bet to get a goal. In the end, Spain went out without a fight and and era of Spanish dominance on world football ended with a whimper.

Another english defeat

England suffered yet another world cup. This team always appears lesser than the sum of its parts. Though Hodgson's team selection was brave with four outright attackers, it seemed rather strange. Sterling was played in the number 10 position instead of Rooney to presumably mark Pirlo, but De Rossi was playing as Italy's deepest midfielder instead of Pirlo. Hodgson could have reverted Rooney back to his favoured central role but chose not to.

Rooney once was revered as a selfless forward who does more running than most of his teammates but his defensive discipline has considerably declined over the years. He is now considered more of a defensive liability nowadays. Questions over his defensive work even caused Alex Ferguson to drop him from the starting 11 in the crucial Champions League match against Real Madrid last year, preferring 39 years old Ryan Giggs instead. Here, although he was given a position by Hodgson to reduce his defensive duties but he actually had far more responsibility on the left.

Antonio Candreva, the Italian right winger varied his positioning throughout the game. Coming into central positions from the flank and exploiting the space behind Gerrard, he took along Leighton Baines with him. This opened up space for the Italian right back Darmian to run into and Rooney failed to track him properly throughout the first half. Marchisio opened the scoring with a stunning goal after a Pirlo dummy following a corner. He had four players and the goalkeeper between him and the goal but managed to beat them all with a perfectly placed drive. Although Darmian's attacking intent was threatening, it helped England back into the game. He was caught in an advanced position when an Italian passing move broke down and Rooney exploited the space in behind to assist for the equalizer.

Hodgson even made his wide players switch flanks after the break but Welbeck didn't perform much better either and an unattended Darmian passed to Candreva who crossed for Balotelli to score the winner. Balotelli could have added another minutes later from another right wing cross and Pirlo hit the frame of the goal with a brilliantly taken free kick. Although Italy deserved to win from the balance of play, Hodgson's could have done better with his substitutions when England were chasing the game. Although Barkley for Welbeck made sense, he had a tall targetman (Rickie Lambert) on the bench and didn't opt to play him. As Italy dropped deep, England were always gonna rely on crosses to get back in the game. If chasing a game against a deep defence with plenty of crosses coming in is not the right time to play your tall central striker than I don't know what is. 

Besides, what does 35 years old Frank Lampard bring to this squad. In case Gerrard is unavailable Lampard can't take his place. One cannot expect him to last for the full 90 minutes and certainly not to run the midfield with the all-action Henderson or the just-fit Wilshere. Michael Carrick would have been a much better option. Decisions.....

Down goes the Spanish armada

Yesterday's 5-1 demolition of Spain was long due. Ever since they first won Euro 2008, Spain has been on an astonishing winning run. The major credit should go to Pep Guardiola who instituted the short passing game into the Barcelona side. Spanish national team merely adopted that style along with the high tempo pressing, another Guardiola trademark. This combination of short passing and intense pressing to win back the ball as quickly as possible ensured their possessional dominance. Spain's plethora of talented midfielders also helped the cause. Of course they rode their luck too on occasions but mostly by keeping it tight at the back and holding onto the ball, they just passed the opposition out of the game.

But like all good things, Spain's dominance of world football also had to come to an end. Teams gradually learned how to play against Spain and adapted accordingly. Holland came close in the last world cup final and had it not been for Robben's missed chances, history may well have been written differently. Croatia and Portugal were also successful in stifling Spain at Euro 2012 but were denied harshly towards the end. But one could always feel Spain's luck were bound to run out at some point or the other.

Yesterday was the day it finally happened. Robben more than made up for his misses last time around and his goals coupled with Persie's well taken efforts were enough to embarrass the World champions. Spain could have gone 2-0 up when Silva missed a one on one with the Holland keeper and moments later the Dutch had equalized. Holland kept it tight between the lines, played a high defensive line and pressed Spanish midfielders denying them time on the ball to play the attackers in. Although the plan nearly backfired when Diego Costa got through on couple on occasions (involving the penalty incident) and also when Silva got his chance, but Holland nevertheless kept enough pressure on the ball to choke out such chances.

The Spanish too were playing a high defensive line and didn't press as much as their opponents which eventually led to their downfall. Three of Holland's five goals including the first two came from ball being played behind the defence. Van Persie and Robben took their chances well and finished the game with two goals each. Spain's response though to going behind was baffling. Substituting Diego Costa for Fernando Torres was something which only Del Bosque can explain. Torres however did not disappoint by deciding to dribble instead of shooting the ball in an empty net, thus living upto the high standards he had previously set. Towards the end Holland could have added more to the scoreline but the match eventually ended at 5-1.

The Spanish are unaccustomed to losing let alone a thrashing like this but have to snap out of it and focus on the next game if they hope to progress out of the group. They probably will have to face Brazil in the round of 16 now as they will most certainly finish the group in the second place. All is not lost though but they should contemplate on the way ahead and put this result behind them as quickly as possible. Afterall, evolution is the key to survival.

WC2014 - The Contenders

1. BRAZIL

The hosts Brazil are the favourites to lift the cup on the 14th of July specially after their comfortable Confederations cup win last year. Luiz Felipe Scolari (the world cup winning coach from 2002) has lifted the Brazilian team from the mess they were under his predecessor Mano Menezes and made turned them into and efficient and organised footballing powerhouse since his appointment, some 18 months ago.

The shape and identity of the side will be the same from their Confederations Cup lineup. Julio Cesar is in goal, protected by an extremely quick back four. Captain Thiago Silva and his soon to be PSG teammate David Luiz have a good understanding and are good on the ball too. The rampaging full backs, Dani Alves and Marcelo are probably the best in the competition and like to get forward on every opportunity. Ahead of them are two holders Luiz Gustavo, who is more defence minded and Paulinho, who is more of a box to box midfielder and makes clever runs into goal scoring positions. The star of side and biggest goal threat, Neymar will play on the left flank with Hulk on the Right and Oscar between the duo. Oscar provides the balance and creativity to the side as well as defends for Neymar or Hulk whenever one of them is in an advanced position. The role of the targetman Fred is to hold up the ball and create space for Neymar and Hulk, both of whom tend to cut inside and shoot.

Although, this is an entirely different squad from 2010 but the approach of the side remains the same. At the Confederations Cup last year, Brazil were ahead at half time and full time for five matches in a row. Set up to play on the counter, how Brazil will chase games after going behind against good opposition remains to be seen. Do they have a Plan B or will the story of four years ago be repeated (Brazil were leading the game against Holland, suddenly lost two goals and were unable to get back in the match).

Formation : 4-2-3-1
Key Player : Oscar
Super Subs : Willian, Hernanes, Bernard
Strengths : Home support and great team chemistry
Weaknesses : Too much pressure on the team to win the cup and lack of Plan B

2. SPAIN

Coach Vicente del Bosque has won World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012 with this Spain team building upon their Euro 2008 success. Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona provide the core of the national team although both had an underwhelming campaign this season despite Real's tenth Champions League win. But the emergence of striker Diego Costa is a major bonus considering the rapid decline of regular forwards David Villa and Fernando Torres. 

Captain Iker Casillas should start in goal despite been the backup option at Real Madrid for nearly one and a half seasons now. Center back pairing of Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique retain their places from Euro 2012. The left back should be Jordi Alba despite Cesar Azpilicueta's recent heroics for Chelsea in that position. The right back spot is up for grabs but Athletico Madrid's Juanfran appears in front of Azpilicueta to fill in. Spain's continued dominance of world football can be attributed to their riches of talent in the midfield department. No other nation in the world can boast of names like Xavi, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets, David Silva, Juan Mata, Cesc Fabregas, Santi Carzola and the list goes on. The first four are sure starters with Xavi slightly advanced in the number 10 role and Iniesta tucked in on the left flank. Iniesta's narrowness is a key feature of their gameplan which allows possessional dominance in the center as well as space down the left flank for Alba to make his surging runs. The identity of the striker remains uncertain with Cesc Fabregas featuring against top sides in a false 9 role lately and the doubts over the fitness of Diego Costa. On the right flank David Silva should start ahead of Pedro.

Spain has continued their relentless short passing gameplan for years now. Their possessional dominance combined with a tight defence has has seen them ease through major competitions. Although they can be accused of over playing at times but Del Bosque generally makes clever substitution towards the later stages of matches to provide directness to the side against tiring defences. The coach values team spirit and shows great loyalty towards his players as indicated by his continued selection of a certain Chelsea forward.

Formation : 4-2-3-1 (lopsided)
Key Player : Iniesta
Super Subs : Pedro, Diego Costa (if not starters); Juan Mata
Strengths : Unprecedented ball dominance and relentless passing
Weaknesses : Other teams are accustomed with their gameplan now, less pressing compared to when at their peak

3. GERMANY

The German coach Joachim Low has been with this side for almost ten years now, first as assistant and then as coach after the the 2006 World Cup. He promoted the European U-21 Cup winning youngsters (Ozil, Khedira, Neuer, Boateng) to the senior team during the last world cup with great success and has a talented bunch of attacking options this time around too. But the loss of Marco Reus due to injury just last week was a major blow as he was in sensational goal scoring form for Borussia Dortmund in the second half of the campaign and considering that Low has selected just one traditional striker - 36 years old Miroslav Klose.

The starting XI consists of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, arguably the best in the world. Captain Philipp Lahm can play excellently at both right and left back but prefers to play on the right. So the left back slot will probably be filled by Jerome Boateng since the other option Durm is inexperienced at this level. Boateng can also play at center back also but Per Mertesacker and Matt Hummels will probably start in those positions. Bastian Schweinsteiger will surely start in central midfield if fully fit otherwise backup option Toni Kroos can fill his boots easily. Sami Khedira, who recovered from long term injury just in time to make the squad will partner Schweinsteiger in the middle and provide physicality to the side in addition to clever runs inside the penalty box. Further up, Ozil will start in his preferred number 10 role flanked by Thomas Muller on the right. The left midfield slot is up for grabs after Reus's injury with both Andre Schurrle and Lukas Podolski vying to fill in. Veteran Klose with 14 World Cup goals will be eyeing the striker's role but Low has recently preferred Mario Gotze in a false 9 role. Klose will probably feature against week opposition to bang in the goals and Gotze against stronger sides to help retain possession.

Germany played a pure counter attacking game throughout the 2010 World Cup but has developed a more possession based game since then. They remain dangerous on the break however and can topple any opposition on their day. But the fact that they have reached upto the semi final stage of last four major tournaments but failed to go all the way remains their major short coming as they tend to peak early and run out of steam in the crucial matches.

Formation : 4-2-3-1
Key Player : Gotze
Super Subs : Andre Schurrle, Toni Kroos (if not starters); Julian Draxler
Strengths : Pacey attackers and devastating counter attack
Weaknesses : Tends to under-perform in important fixtures

The cup of sorrows

Finally, the wait is almost over. The footballing stars will finally shun their club partisanships and fierce rivalries and hoist the national colors. Amid fresh corruption charges against several former and current FIFA officials, the World Cup is just hours away. Despite the fact that international football tournaments are rather slow and sparse than their club counterparts, they certainly aren't behind in terms of entertainment and action. But the unpredictability and the national pride that comes with international football is what I think is the USP of this event.

I remember getting all excited about the World Cup when I used to be a kid. Before the onset of the current internet age, scanning the sports pages of local newspaper used to be the primary source of gathering information regarding the event. I used to read about the historic moments, solve all the trivia questions and make cutouts from the newspaper of my favourite players and the tournament schedule. Being a football crazed kid in a nation which ranks 154th in the world, I always wondered what it would have felt when your country is actually playing at the World Cup. The agony, tension, excitement and nervousness among other surges of emotions over the course of those ninety minutes are somethings I can only imagine.

Thus, being a follower of the religion that is football, my heart goes to the fans in Brazil who will not be able to witness the action first hand despite the tournament being played in their own backyard. Nearly a quarter of a million people have been displaced in the cruelest kind of gentrification project - one that is killing their dreams. A boy who spends the better part of his day with a football and idolizes his national footballing heroes will be left stranded on the streets while some bloke who couldn't tell what an offside is will be occupying the VIP section. A game of football mostly ends with heartbreak for one segment of the fans but many have already felt that even before a ball is kicked. Brazil's politicians are wishing for a World Cup win to pacify the anger and unrest among the population but whether avarice rather than passion can drive the sport forward in the country remains to be seen.