Ok, so I'm back and I'm ready to tell you all about the matches this afternoon that I will be keeping an eye on, even if I won't be able to watch all of them.
France v Brasil
13 years ago, these two teams played on this very pitch before Ricky Martin and 75,000 spectators and witnessed Zinedine Zidane (El Maestro to you ) give the Brasilians a lesson in Joga Bonito. Prior to that year, and maybe even prior that day, Ronaldo (now referred to as Fat Ronaldo) reigned supreme as the worlds greatest footballer. But that day was to be rued by Zizou and his majestic headed goals. Since then, French football has gone steadily downhill, finally coming to an embarrassing crash this summer in South Africa.
I personally witnessed the French ineptitude at the Cup and can say that coach Laurent Blanc's primary objective must be finding a playmaker. Raymond Domenech did not read the tea leaves correctly and poorly positioned his creative players in Yoann Gourcuff and Franck Ribery. The Bayern man will not play today but the former Bordeaux colleagues will look to find a way to bring out Gourcuff's effectiveness at unlocking defenses. This is a big game for France as they need to show that they are capable of consistent performances. France have the talent but mentally they have been a mess. Nico Anelka?
Ironically enough, Manu Menezes himself is looking for the perfect playmaker. He is going younger and younger each friendly, this time omitting big name players such as Kaka, Lucio and Maicon. In his search for a "10", the ex-Corinthians boss will take a serious look at fellow paulistano Hernanes, whose pace and malice have helped Lazio to aspire towards a Champions League birth this year. I continue to feel that two other youngsters plying their trade in Sao Paolo are the future of the Selecao. In Neymar and Ganso, Menezes has his 9 and 10, respectively. Neymar is currently lighting up the scoreboard in the CONCACAF sub-20, not to mention desired by every club in the world while Ganso impressed tremendously in his international bout.
Prediction: This game is much more important for France as they are playing before a demanding home crowd in Paris. They usually play well at the Stade de France but Brasil's current strength is in their defense and midfield. I don't see the likes of Gourcuff and Malouda getting it done against Dani Alves, David Luiz and Julio Cesar.
Brasil 2 - France 1
Germany v Italy
Deutschland versus Italia, Die Mannschaft versus Gli Azzuri, youthful exuberance versus old farts. Since Italy's 2006 semi-final victory over the Germans on their own soil, the four-time World Cup winners have aged gracelessly. Don't get me wrong, their special brand of boring, negative, overly-theatrical cattenacio still presides throughout the boot, its just that the goons required to implement that "stragegy" are now too busy playing shuffleboard. (Do Italian senior citizens play bingo?)
Even in the face of stagnancy, Italian coaches resist playing younger players. It happens so pervasively at the club level, the best Italian players often ask for transfers in search of minutes. One young man on the Italy roster today who exemplifies this anti-youth trend is Sebastian Giovinco. Last season, his young legs warmed the bench for Juventus; this season on loan with Parma he has 5 goals, 2 of which were daggered right into the sides of his former club. Coach Cesare Prandelli has taken notice and included the 24 year old along with age mate Giuseppe Rossi of Villarreal.
And then there is Germany. This nation is at the cutting edge of football, consistently producing world-class talents who are ready to shine before other nations would even consider them (read this). This past World Cup, the "old men" of the Mannschaft were Per Mertesacker, Bastian Schweinstiger and Philip Lahm - all players who cut their teeth with the national team before the age of 21. On today's roster, Yogi Lowe has called up Mario Gotze, the 18 year old wunderkind of Borussia Dortmund. It just so happens that this match is being played at Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park where Gotze's teammates Mats Hummels, Marcel Schmelzer, Sven Bender and Kevin Grosskreutz (average age 22) will hope to impress their home fans.
Prediction: Germany has not forgotten what Italy did to them on this pitch and will be primed and ready with the likes of Mesut Ozil (love), Thomas Muller and the ageless Miroslav Klose (exception to the rule) ready to test the returning Gigi Buffon. Italy's attack always looks strong, however, they will be short of service as their midfield will be overrun by the constant pressure from Khedira and Schweini. I like Germany to get rolling early and never look back.
Germany 3 - Italy 0
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