Brazil swept past Spain in the Confederations Cup, but Spain for a long time have lacked a bit of a creative spark with which they could have punished Brazil at the back. Brazil leave defensive gaps and in knockout tournament, this can lead to disaster. Maybe Germany won’t be as forgiving as Spain when Low’s team counter attack with that furious pace we’ve seen in recent times.
Germany are currently a very generous 5/1 at bwin sport, and a lot depends on how they cope with the heat. It’d be a real treat to see Germany and Brazil attacking with full gusto in the final.
The World Cup probably comes too soon for England. They still play in a bit of a 4-4-2 straightjacket; sound in defense but too rigid in attack. They do have an abundance of pace and good physical presence and it’d be nice to see Roy Hodgson make them into a bit of a wildcard by using players like Barkley and Carroll, supplemented by the speed merchants.
England are around 33/1; just about the longest World Cup betting odds in modern times for a World Cup win - but with Townsend established on the wing and Rooney due a good tournament – who knows?
The wise money at sites like Bwin might be on South American teams like Argentina or even Colombia. Argentina are highly fancied because they might not play a decent side until the semis, and they don’t have far to travel.
(Photo by @Doug88888 via Flickr)