The FIFA World Cup is among us again.
Three years and 11 months after Spain defeated Holland in a rather grueling final in Johannesburg, South Africa, a match in which the Dutch abandoned total football for a more aggressive approach, the world's focus is now on Brazil, the country, the football, the legend.
And it all begins tonight with the hosts, five-time World Cup winner, Brazil.
Let's face it, they are a nation who most football fans consider their neutral choice and are generally recognised as the home of the beautiful game.
A resounding Confederations Cup victory over Spain last year has given the Selecao a far bigger confidence boost than expected, and Luiz Felipe Scolari will be charged with leading his men to a victory on home soil.
Brazil as a nation still looks to that fateful World Cup final of 1950 as a national tragedy. The day they lost to South American rivals Uruguay in front of almost 200,000 fans in the Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro.
With political instability and corruption (not the first for a host nation, and certainly not the last) leading to mass protests in the streets of Rio De Janeiro, among other cities, the Brazilian people need this win for some sort of joy in what has been a tumultuous few years.
The Brazilian government needs this victory for a semblance of respite from constant criticism in the media and within her nation.
There is no guarantee the protests will subside during this tournament (and with the growth of social media and international scrutiny, it could provide a perfect platform for even more exposure of shady dealings), but there are similarities to Argentina and its military junta as they hosted the World Cup in 1978.
In Buenos Aires, nothing less than winning the World Cup would do for the generals.
For Brazil, however, a win may not be enough to stop the dominoes from falling.
The Brazilian people will support their samba boys, regardless - football is life for them, and their passion for the sport is a societal cornerstone.
On the football side of things, all the pressure will be on Neymar, the prodigious winger who has disappointed some with his debut season in Barcelona.
Being one of the most marketed footballers in the world, he will be no stranger to bright lights, but the pressure of leading a host nation in any international competition is a big task.
Their versatility in midfield will be key, as their lack of a truly world class striker will require goals to come from elsewhere, consistently.
The opening match sees Brazil taking on Croatia (4am, tomorrow morning, Astro Channel 821/841).
It will be a tricky tie for the Brazilians.
The Croatians may lack defensive specialists in midfield, but the agility and movement of Luka Modric provides a huge counter-attacking threat to a team missing Mario Mandzukic, the result of a silly red card in a previous international.
Mandzukic's power and aggression would have allowed Croatia to set the tempo, possession being a comfortable style for them.
Expect the Croatians to be ultra-defensive and play on the counter-attack, with the probability of Ivica Olic as the lone ranger upfront. However, Nikica Jelavic with his physicality could be another option, and expect both forwards to have a role to play in the attacking third.
All eyes will be on Modric and how much influence he can exert in the attacking third while Ivan Rakitic will make play from a slightly deeper position, Modric's agility and positional sense being superior thus allowing him to close down space in midfield.
The Brazilians will not settle for anything less than a convincing win, the price that is on their heads, being the hottest favourites in a sporting event since the term "hot favourite" was coined.
The Eastern European's knack for discipline and hard work is what we expect from Croatia but, and it is a big but, being Croatia, they are combustible, so a spectacular display or a spectacular implosion could equally happen.
Final thoughts: Brazil to win. – June 12, 2014.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
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