Luka Modric is very good at keep-ball.
Croatia will need Modric tonight, I think.
Because they’ll be riding the whirlwind.
This game could be just like last summer’s Confederation Cup Final, when Brazil blew away a burned-out Spain and walked it by 3-0.
The Brazilian team will sing the national anthem passionately, the stadium will become a boiling gold volcano, and they could race around at 100mph and score in the first three minutes.
Led by Modric’s Real Madrid teammate Marcelo, a rugged left back, Brazil will play with tempo and hit Neymar with some long diagonals to use his pace.
One on one, Neymar is lightning.
He’s better in a team playing power football rather than tika-taka.
Fred isn’t a great footballer but he’s a good finisher who fits into the forceful style that Scolari wants to play.
Hulk has thunder in his left boot but I’ve never rated him.
Big Phil’s teams are physical and maybe his most typical player is Paulinho, the Spurs midfielder who hasn’t caught the eye much this season. He’s been saving it for tonight.
Paulinho can’t glide as gracefully as Kaka or invent new flicks like Ronaldinho, so you might not notice him till he scores. He’s a bit like Ramires, a gritty skirmisher who plays to orders and occasionally glides into scoring positions. Paulinho sneaks into the box for shots, pops up headers and volleys at the far post.
Oscar is another tidy midfielder who keeps making the right decisions.
If you’re a footballer in Scolari’s squad, 2014 could be the biggest year of your life.
There’s a mistake in David Luiz, as we know, but he’s a spectacular gladiator I love. World Cups are made for big players like him to seize the moment and score a goal we’ll see for the next 30 years.
Coach Niko Kovac was born in Berlin and admits a German fondness for discipline.
Will he park the bus? Maybe. He’s expected to use twin playmakers Modric and Rakitic in deeper roles, with Inter Milan youngster Kovacic playing just behind Olic or Eduardo.
But Kovac, 42, has only been in charge of the seniors for five games, after Igor Stimac resigned.
Croatia finished second in the group and lost twice to Scotland!
My best guess?
Brazil will batter Croatia tonight.
Is Big Phil Scolari the best tournament coach in the world?
I think so.
But his Portugal lost at home to Greece in the 2004 Euro Final.
12th June 2014