1. Spain’s Early Exit
They arrived in Brazil as the World Cup
Champions but left with their reputation well and truly in tatters. Spain were
without doubt the underachievers at this year’s tournament, after being
thrashed 5-1 by the Netherlands in their opening game they tamely surrendered
their crown in a 2-0 defeat to Chile and become the first team to be eliminated
from the tournament. For all their possession the Spanish lacked a cutting edge
upfront, lead striker Diego Costa looked a shadow of player who lead Atletico
to the Champions League final last May while the often reliable duo Xavi and
Andres Inesta failed to have a huge impact from midfield. The Dutch took
advantage of Spain’s weak defence, slicing through at every opportunity,
goalkeeper and Captain Iker Casillas was also guilty of a number of errors as
Spain failed to reach the knockout stage
2. Manchester United In Safe Hands With Van
Gaal
Coming into the tournament the Netherlands
were a bit of an unknown quantity, runners up four years ago but left
embarrassed after losing all three group games at Euro 2012. The question was
could manager Louis Van Gaal, the man set to take over at Manchester United for
the new Premier League season, get the best out of a talented group of players
which included the likes of Arjan Robben and Robin Van Persie. The short
answer- yes he could. Tactically the Dutch were as good as anyone in Brazil,
Van Gaal’s 5-3-2 formation not only made his side difficult to beat but also
exploited the talents of his key players. On the way to respectable semi-final
Van Gaal made several big decisions, not least to change his goalkeeper Jasper
Cillessen with Newcastle’s Tim Krul seconds before a penalty shootout which
they then went on to win. United fans can at least be reassured that Van Gaal’s
strong personality will not allow him to be overawed in the dressing room at
Old Trafford.
3. England Show Promise, But Lack Killer Punch
The expectations of England were supposed
to be low but that doesn’t make up for what was a disappointing tournament.
There were few complaints about Roy Hodgson’s 23 man squad which brimmed with
young, exciting players but after three group games they left with no wins to
their name. Admittedly the margins were fine and the 2-1 defeats against both
Italy and Uruguay could have easily been different if England had been a little
more clinical in front of goal. There were promising signs as the likes of Raheem
Sterling and Ross Barkley demonstrated why they have been labelled as England’s
next generation, but in the end it was the familiar faces of Mario Ballotelli
and Luis Suarez who capitalised on England’s defensive lapses to pin them to
the bottom of group D.
4. Suarez Madness Yet Still Worth The Money
Technically he is one of the greatest
players of all time but the legacy of Luis Suarez may not be one he is proud to
remember. After almost single-handedly sinking England in game two the
Uruguayan talisman soon found himself back in the headlines for all the wrong
reasons when he appeared to bite Italian captain Giorgio Chiellini, not for the
first time in his career. His actions resulted in a four month ban from FIFA
meaning Suarez won’t be able to play competitive football until October.
Nevertheless that didn’t stop Barcelona splashing out £75 million to sign the
striker from Liverpool a few weeks later one can only wonder how many chances
he will get.
5. Keepers Become Stars
One of the features of this year’s World
Cup was some of the extraordinary saves and performances from the goalkeepers.
Germany’s Manual Neuer deservingly won the golden glove award after keeping
four clean sheets and only conceding four goals as the Germans stormed to the
title. But it wasn’t just Neuer who was making a name for himself between the
posts; Guillermo Ochoa of Mexico, Keyler Navas of Costa Rica and USA keeper Tim
Howard were among many who pulled off some dazzling saves for the cameras and
won’t be short of interest in this Summer’s transfer market.
6. Costa Rica Shock Us All
When Costa Rica were drawn in the same
group as Uruguay, England and Italy no one gave them a chance. However not only
did they escape one of the tournaments toughest groups, but topped it with a
game to spare. Manager Jorge Luis Pinto wasn’t blessed with big names like
Messi or Ronaldo; instead he had a squad of players who were prepared to play
their hearts out for their country. Tactically the Costa Ricans were well
drilled and only conceded two goals in five matches with defenders Júnior Díaz
and Giancarlo González particularly catching the eye. Captain Bryan Ruiz and
Arsenal’s Joel Campbell were also well praised up front, but this was a story of
every man playing their part in a run which saw Costa Rica shock the world by
reaching the quarter final stage where they were narrowly beaten in a penalty
shoot-out by the Dutch
7. Rodriguez -The New Star Of World Football
His goals were incredible, his celebrations
just as good, the classy exuberance of James Rodriguez will live long in the
memory of football fans across the world. His Colombia side had style but it
was Rodriguez who made them tick scoring at least once in each of his country’s
five games. After scoring six goals overall, one more than Germany’s Thomas
Müller, Rodriguez received the Golden Boot award for being the top scorer at
the tournament, while many voted his exceptional volley against Uruguay in the
last 16 the best of the competition.
8. Brazil Capitulate In Their Own Backyard
It was known before the tournament that
Brazil’s squad wasn’t the strongest in the country’s decorated football
history. Yet the hosts still believed. Thanks to their vibrant fans and goals
from the poster boy-superstar Neymar the Brazilian’s finished top of Group A
before scraping past Chile and Colombia to set up a semi-final with Germany.
That was where the dream unravelled. Neymar was ruled out for the rest of the
competition with a broken back while Brazil’s centre back and Captain Thiago
Silva was suspended after being booked in the quarter final. In their absence
the German’s tore the nation apart capitalising on Brazil’s defensive frailties
to humiliate them 7-1 leaving the scar of the country’s heaviest ever defeat.
Upfront Brazil offered little to repel the German onslaught and it was a
similar story in the third place play-off as the hosts were once again blown
away in a 3-0 defeat to the Netherlands which only added to their misery.
9. Messi Magic Fizzles Out In The Final
There are times when words simply can’t
describe the talents of Lionel Messi and yet (in an Argentina shirt) there will
still be questions asked of him. How can he be the world’s greatest player
without a World Cup winner’s medal his critics will ask? But this was a
tournament where his doubters were almost silenced. On paper his Argentina
looked the part but in reality Messi was the one who was pulling them through. In the group stages his last minute winner
against Iran and exquisite free kick in a 3-2 victory over Nigeria were acts of
genius. However as the completion developed and the opposition became tougher the
Argentines had to rely on their solid defence on their route to the final. The
stage was set for Messi to write yet another page in football’s illustrious
history book but on the night it just didn’t happen for him. He received a
small consolation when he was awarded the Golden ball for being the best player
at the tournament, it was clear that Argentina couldn’t have reached the final
without him.
10. Germany The Best ‘Team’ Won
Argentina had Messi, Portugal Ronaldo but Germany had a team. They were
young, ruthless and had a hunger to win, so don’t be surprised if their still
around in another four years’ time. Their success was far from out of the blue
and has been sculpted ever since Joachim Löw became head coach back in 2006.
The majority of the squad who lifted the trophy in the Maracana on finals day
had grown up together and been nurtured through a calculated German youth set
up. Their work was clear to see and out of the 32 teams the Germans were easily
the most complete, their robust midfield which frequently contained the trio of
Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira was the star attraction.
Not only did they demolish Brazil in the semi-final they humiliated them and by
all accounts handed out a footballing lesson. In Thomas Muller they had a goal
scorer; in Miroslav Klose they had a record breaker as his two goals in the
competition moved him up to sixteen World Cup goals one more then the previous
record held by Brazil’s Ronaldo. Some questioned their lack of pace in defence but
in their seven games on route to the crown the only conceded four goals and in
the final the German backline was pivotal. For 120 minutes they neutralised the
Argentina attack lead by Lionel Messi before substitute Mario Gotze struck an
extra time winner to become the worthy champions. My Team Of The Tournament
4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper : Manuel Neuer - Germany
Right Back : Philipp Lahm - Germany
Centre Back : Ron Vlaar - Netherlands
Centre Back : Mats Hummels - Germany
Left Back : Daley Blind - Netherlands
Centre Midfield : Javier Mascherano - Argentina
Centre Midfield : Bastian Schweinsteiger - Germany
Attacking Midfield : Neymar - Brazil
Attacking Midfield : James Rodriguez - Colombia
Attacking Midfield : Lionel Messi - Argentina
Striker : Thomas Muller - Germany
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