World Cup 2014: 10 things we have learned from the festival of football in Brazil

As the World Cup final line-up is confirmed with Germany once again facing Argentina on the ultimate stage and after five weeks of breathtaking action, Sportsmail's ROB DRAPER looks back over what we have seen at Brazil 2014 to determine what we have learned from the greatest football show on Earth.


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1) Brazil have long since ceased to be the custodians of the beautiful game

We didn’t need the humiliation of the semi final to demonstrate that, though that result will forever be cited as the point at which Brazil lost its moral authority. The sterility of the opening games and the quarter-final against Colombia, when they set out to kick a team off the pitch, did as much damage. The last Brazil team that dazzled was in 2002, with Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Ironically it too was managed by Luiz Felipe Scolari. But, given a poorer generation of players, his cynicism simply looked brutish. Jogo Bonito has become an awful cliche which only has credibility in the minds of Nike executives who seemed to think that slick marketing and multi-million pound deals are all you need to sustain the 'brand.'

2) International football remains the peak of the game

This is sacrilege to the Premier League but the fact that it only assumes its supremacy every two years doesn't make it any less true. Note: it is not that the football is better than club football; it clearly isn't. But witness the receptions Colombia, Algeria and Costa Rica have received. Consider the fact that if Argentina win the World Cup, it will surpass anything Leo Messi has done for Barcelona. Only national teams have the power to evoke that kind of universal response from people. Clubs should not feel threatened by that. They're the lifeblood of the game once the carnival crowds depart. But the ultimate power and the glory still rests with those who achieve great things for their country.

3) Passion alone does not win you football matches

The debate between the supremacy of passion or cerebral tactics as a means to win football matches will rumble on. Essentially whichever side you’re on is a projection of your personality. Without passion, you don't get Luis Suarez's performance against England. Without tactical know-how, you don't get Costa Rica’s march through the tournament or Holland coming within a couple of penalty kicks to the final. There is a balance to be struck and most obviously Brazil got it painfully wrong when they opted to embrace the fervour of a nation and ended up overdosing on emotion, consumed by the Neymar frenzy. Passion overload brings witless football and Brazil's performance was a useful reminder.

Inspired: Luis Suarez returned from injury to produce an outstanding performance against England

4) Attacking football is here to stay

So Argentina and Holland did their best to buck the trend in last night’s semi-final. But the move towards positive football, initiated by Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund in Europe, has been given added impetus here by the most exciting South American teams in Chile and Colombia.  Counter attack can still work - Carlo Ancelotti delivered a masterclass against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final - but we live in an era where an awful lot of coaches choose to seize the initiative. And that just wasn’t the case ten years ago.

5) England players are still over-rated

England may not be quite as bad as their results here suggest. But even in this period of self-flagellation about how awful English football is, as a nation we still default into assuming that players that have done well for big clubs in the Premier League will be up to World Cup standard. One former leading European coach noted of the England team here: 'When it comes down to it, the first touch of most of their players is still short of the other top teams.’ That, and a lack of tactical nous and intelligence, ultimately holds back English players and until they are bothered enough about it to think about how they might improve, not much will change.

Early exit: England's Glen Johnson (left) and Jordan Henderson look dejected as they leave the field

6) FIFA is finished

We didn't really need the World Cup to tell us that. But the convergence of publicity at the FIFA Congress last month simply confirmed that it represents a broken model of governance. It looks like a 20th century institution still expecting that family patronage and old-school rules will get them by. The winds of change will blow away FIFA’s current corporate structure. Either it will fall to Sepp Blatter to introduce a whirlwind of reforms - stranger things have happened - after his inevitable re-election next year (which in itself demonstrates how rotten the organisation is); or sponsors will eventually unseat the tired old man of FIFA under pressure from US lawmakers.

7) Brazil shouldn’t have hosted the World Cup

Oh, it’s been fun, the best tournament in memory, largely because of the hospitality of the people, volunteers and staff and the rich football tradition here. In some ways you want Brazil to host every World Cup. It’s just you wouldn’t want the Brazilian government and the organising committee to be left in charge. The disparity between poverty on the streets and the billions lavished on stadia, such as the Brasilia National Stadium – currently under an audit committee investigation for suspicious over-pricing issues - and the Amazon Arena in Manaus, which have been built with state subsidies and which now serve no useful purpose is plain wrong. No country without a joined-up plan as to what the World Cup will do for its people should be permitted to host it. Still, Russia and Qatar up next, so don’t hold your breath.

Huge expense: Fans watch the Argentina vs Belgium quarter-final at the Brasilia National Stadium

8) Louis van Gaal is a little bit crazy

OK, so Ron Vlaar up for the first penalty is a risk too far. But otherwise the new Manchester United manager had a good tournament. It’s not just the Tim Krul substitution for the penalties against Costa Rica, which was a little shallow in all honesty. It's the switching to a back three just before the tournament when many consider the tactic outmoded and Johan Cruyff was telling all and sundry he was a dinosaur; and switching to a back four when it was all going wrong against Australia; and using 3-4-3 against Costa Rica. There are several ways to win a football match. Van Gaal seems determined to use all of them and, if he can, all in one match.

9) The world is still a big place

Technology and globalisation make it seem small as we're all better informed, Champions League football means there are less surprises than ever. It’s easy to think we know it all not just in England but in Europe. But some of the most interesting tacticians out here were Jorge Luis Pinto, Costa Rica’s Colombian coach, Jose Perkeman, Colombia’s Argentinian coach and Jorge Sampaoli, Chile’s Argentina coach. Even within Europe, there are players outside the Champions League. There is a world outside of the Premier League and the Champions League, though with the aggressive marketing of those two competitions, it’s easy to forget.

10) The Germans got it right

Yes, it’s getting boring. We all know: the blueprint after the failure in Euro 2000, the investment in youth football, the partnership with the Bundesliga clubs. England were abject in Euro 2000 and the FA decided to resolve the problem by spending £5million a year on whoever was the most attractive manager was on the market, while the Premier League nonchalantly kept counting its cash. It’s become a cliché but that doesn’t make it any less true: the Germans actually attended to the grass roots of their game and, funnily enough, they produce excellent footballers and a national team of which to be proud.

World Cup semi-final: Netherlands vs. Argentina.

This is another tough one to call, with both sides struggling to impress at times and becoming overly reliant on one individual. In Lionel Messi and Arjen Robben, Argentina and Netherlands have two of the best players in the world and they've certainly had to deliver to get their respective teams to this stage.

If this turns into another head-to-head shoot-out between the two left footers, then anything could happen.

But both managers will be hoping for an improvement from the rest of their squad if they are to make it through to the final.

And in the fit again Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain, Argentina arguably have more fire-power than the Netherlands even with injury doubts over Angel di Maria.

The Netherlands needed a dramatic penalty shootout to defeat Costa Rica in the quarter-finals, replacement stopper Tim Krul the hero after he came on to guide his country to the last four.

But it remains to be seen how much that has taken out of them going into Wednesday's game.

How do the two sides compare?

The Netherlands are yet to take home the world's greatest trophy while Argentina have wonit on two occasions.And if you look at the world rankings of the two respective sides, there's only one winner. Argentina are ranked at number five while the Netherlands are fifteenth.

	Netherlands	Argentina
Semi-final appearances	4	4
Semi-final wins	3	4
Number of World Cups	0	2
World Ranking	15	5

- Football Fever

5 things about the Netherlands vs Argentina showdown.

Argentina's midfielder Angel Di Maria (sitting) is given aid after an injury during a quarter-final football 

match between Argentina and Belgium in Brasilia on July 5, 2014

1. Midfielder Angel DI Maria is out. How will Argentina cope?  

While he is probably not the first Argentinian player whose name will roll off the lips of football fans, the absence of Angel di Maria to a thigh injury has given manager Alejandro Sabella a huge problem.

According to Fifa's player rankings, the Real Madrid midfielder actually outperformed his more illustrious team-mate Lionel Messi, with a rating of 9.46 as compared to the latter's 9.41.

Considering how the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero, who is expected to play some part in this match after returning from an injury to his left leg, have not performed to their true potential so far, Sabella will have to tinker with his squad to get the two-time world champions firing.

Legendary Dutch footballer Dennis Bergkamp.

2. Will we see a repeat of Dennis Bergkamp's 1998 magic ?

In the quarter-finals of World Cup 1998, the Netherlands were tied 1-1 with Argentina when Arsenal great Dennis Bergkamp broke La Albiceleste hearts in the dying stages with one of the best goals in the tournament's history.

Running into the right side of Argentina's penalty box, Bergkamp leapt to take down a long ball. As defender Roberto Ayala came charging in, he cooly flicked the ball past him before rifling a shot past goalkeeper Carlos Roa into the top of the net. 

With the likes of Messi and Arjen Roben set to take the field, we may be in store for yet another piece of individual brilliance.

Argentina's coach Alejandro Sabella (left) and Netherlands' coach Louis van Gaal will face many a tense moment during the second World Cup semi-final.

3. Who should we keep an eye for on the sidelines?

If ever a television producer decides to train a camera on a manager in a football game, the Netherlands vs Argentina semi-final clash will be a good time to do it.

It will be interesting to have an uninterrupted look at wily tactican Louis van Gaal and how he conjures up more tactical surprises like he did with cooling breaks against Mexico in the second round, and changing goalkeepers for the penalty shootout against Costa Rica in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, a constant view of Sabella may just provide some comic relief for viewers in case the match does not live up to expectations.

Sabella, who played for English sides Sheffield United and Leeds United between 1978 and 1981, had become an accidental online sensation after his backward fall in reaction to Higuain's shot hitting the crossbar against Belgium was turned into several hilarious memes.

Mexico's Paul Aguilar is issued a yellow card by referee Cuneyt Cakir of Turkey during their 2014 World Cup Group A soccer match against Brazil in Fortaleza on June 17.

4. Will there be a card-fest with no-nonsense Cuneyt Cakir the referee?

The man in the middle for this clash is 37-year-old Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir, who has developed a reputation of a card-wielding, no-nonsense official in this tournament.

In the two World Cup matches that he has officiated in so far – a 0-0 draw between Brazil and Mexico and a 1-1 draw against Algeria – Cakir has shown a total of nine yellow cards, averaging 4.5 cards per match.

That rate is higher than tournament's average of 2.8 cards after the quarter-finals.

With Netherlands a team with the third-highest number of fouls (91) in the tournament, Cakir may be in for a busy time.

A combination picture shows Argentina's forward Gonzalo Higuain playing the ball during a training session (left) and Netherlands' forward Robin van Persie controlling the ball. They are two players who will be watched during the second semi-final in Sao Paulo.

5. Will the match finish by regulation time?

Brace yourself for the possibility of this match going into extra-time.

With both sides totalling just five goals in their last two rounds of matches, the signs seem to be pointing towards a low-scoring game.

Unless Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain suddenly hits form, or the Dutch forward line of Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder stop being wasteful, it is likely that the match could become mired in a dour battle in midfield without any incisiveness in attack.

So prepare more coffee to stay up later in the early morning.

- Football Fever

Brazil Vs Germany: How Do They Compare?

Brazil and Germany are two of the most decorated teams in football, with eight World Cup titles between them. Both have their share of players among the all-time greats, and both entered this tournament being touted among the main favorites.

So even without the injured Neymar, Tuesday's semifinal in Belo Horizonte provides an intriguing matchup for any neutral fan, as Germany and Brazil play each other at the World Cup for the first time since the 2002 final.Here is a look at how the teams compare in 2014:

GOALKEEPERS

Manuel Neuer has been one of Germany's best players this tournament, especially in the knockout rounds. He bailed out Germany's erratic defense numerous times by rushing out to clear ball after ball in the second-round win over Algeria, and made key saves to deny Karim Benzema an equalizer for France in the quarterfinals. The Bayern Munich No. 1 has won just about everything at club level and is widely regarded as one of the top keepers in the world.

Julio Cesar used to have that reputation as well, but is arguably not quite the player he was during his best years at Inter Milan. He now plays for Toronto in Major League Soccer. He's been solid at this World Cup, however, where he has yet to concede more than one goal in a game. And the 34-year-old Cesar has come up big when Brazil needed him to, saving two penalties in the shootout against Chile in the second round.

Advantage: Germany

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DEFENSE:

Brazil has always been known for its attacking play, but this World Cup squad arguably has more impressive names in defense — especially now that star forward Neymar is ruled out. However, the team's best defender — captain Thiago Silva — is suspended for the semifinal, a big blow for the back four. But Brazil has a good replacement in Bayern Munich's Dante to put in alongside David Luiz, while coach Luiz Felipe Scolari will have to decide whether to put Barcelona's Dani Alves back in at right back or stick with Maicon, who was a surprise starter in the quarterfinals. Real Madrid's Marcelo should guard the left wing.

Germany's defense looked downright awful against Algeria, and coach Joachim Loew responded by dropping center back Per Mertesacker for the next game and moving captain Philip Lahm to his favorite position as right back instead of midfield. The changes worked, and Germany looked like its old solid self against France. With Mats Hummels back healthy to anchor the central defense — and even scoring the winning goal against France — the Germans have a reliable foundation in front of Neuer.

Advantage: Brazil

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MIDFIELD

Germany's midfield has been given a big boost by Bastian Schweinsteiger returning to full fitness after a knee injury. Playing alongside Sami Khedira, Schweinsteiger can control the pace of the game while also helping out defensively, giving Toni Kroos room to work as the team's main playmaker. While Mesut Ozil has had a fairly lackluster tournament so far, he's one of the world's best passers and could still prove crucial for Germany.
 

Brazil's midfield will likely have a new look for this game as Scolari is expected to replace Neymar with a midfielder — probably Willian. The Chelsea player has enough speed and skill to cause defenders trouble, but doesn't have the scoring ability of Neymar. Oscar, another Chelsea player, will also need to step up as a playmaker. Luiz Gustavo is back after a suspension, which should help shore things up defensively.

Advantage: Germany
 

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ATTACK

With Neymar in the team, the forward line was always a strength for Brazil. Without him, it's a glaring weakness. Fred has struggled badly as the team's center forward at the World Cup, scoring just one goal in five games. Hulk has looked lively throughout but has yet to score, while Jo has failed to make an impact when he's come on as a substitute.

Germany, meanwhile, has Thomas Mueller and Miroslav Klose as its main attacking options. Mueller has four goals so far in Brazil — one short of his tally in South Africa in 2010 — while the 36-year-old Klose has a chance to break the World Cup scoring record. Klose shares the record of 15 career goals with Brazil great Ronaldo, so the Brazilian defenders will probably be extra eager to shut him down. Germany also has better options off the bench, with Lukas Podolski and Mario Goetze to bring on.

Advantage: Germany

Barca accept Arsenal bid for Alexis

Barcelona accept Arsenal's €40m offer for Alexis

The Gunners are hopeful of wrapping up the signing of the in-demand Chile star ahead of Liverpool, Manchester United and Juventus, with further talks scheduled over the coming days.

Barcelona have accepted a bid of €40 million from Arsenal for Alexis Sanchez.

The Gunners will now try to wrap up the transfer of the in-demand forward with further talks in the next 48 hours aimed at convincing the player to choose a move to Emirates Stadium ahead of his other suitors.

Sources have told Goal that the financial package offered to Alexis has been agreed in principle by the player and his representatives.

Arsenal will attempt to clinch the signing by obtaining an official agreement from the Chile World Cup star, with the possibility growing that a deal could be finalised in the coming week.

The indications from the player's camp during negotiations are that he wants to move to Arsenal ahead of Manchester United, Liverpool and Juventus, who have all tabled offers to the Chilean.

The timing of the deal could depend upon Barcelona's pursuit of Luis Suarez, with the Catalan club unlikely to formally sanction for the 25-year-old departure until they have finalised the signing of the Liverpool forward, who is set to cost just over €88m.

Barcelona have accepted the offer, which matches their valuation, and agreed the structure of payments proposed by Arsenal.

Wenger has been busy attempting to convince Alexis, whose World Cup ended a week ago when Chile were eliminated on penalties by Brazil, that he should choose Arsenal ahead of the rival clubs competing for his signature.

Barca's sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta admitted last Tuesday that the Spanish giants are willing to cash in on the 25-year-old, who has been hotly pursued after a series of outstanding World Cup displays and a season in which his 21 goals were bettered at his club only by Lionel Messi. 

It was reported in May that Arsenal had sent a delegation to Madrid to hold talks with a mystery forward, who is understood to have been Alexis.

Wenger and his scouts believe the forward has the attributes to be developed into a centre-forward at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners' top priority this summer is to clinch the signing of an elite forward who can provide competition next season for Olivier Giroud, the only senior striker at the club.

- Football Fever

Breitner calls for Ozil axe: 'He's been going for a walk'

Breitner calls for Ozil axe: 'He's been going for a walk'

The former Germany full-back believes the Arsenal star has taken a lax attitude throughout the World Cup and should be dropped for the remainder of the tournament

Germany legend Paul Breitner has called upon Joachim Low to be bold and drop Mesut Ozil from his starting XI for the rest of the World Cup.

The Arsenal playmaker has started all of his side's games so far, scoring the deciding goal in the last-16 win over Algeria, but has been criticised for his performances.

Breitner believes the key to victory in the tournament is for every player to work hard and feels Ozil is yet to pull his weight.

"If [Low] is bold, he'll say: 'I will not play with only 10 people' and drop Mesut Ozil," he told TZ.

"That would be the next step for world titles and above all a big step for the good of the team. Nine men are torturing themselves for 90 minutes and he's going for a walk.

"That's not what you do at a World Cup."

Breitner also believes that the decision to deploy Philipp Lahm at full-back - with Jerome Boateng taking Per Mertesacker's play at the heart of defence - was the right one.

"He has seen what millions of fans have also seen - namely that we cannot continue with the defence from the previous games.

"We needed a solution and Philipp is not only world class in midfield, but also in defence. Jogi Low corrected his error of judgement."

Germany set up an enticing semi-final tie with Brazil by beating France in the last eight on Friday.

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Neymar ruled out of World Cup

(06 Jul 2014)

Brazil paid a heavy price for their 2-1 quarter-final defeat of Colombia in Fortaleza on Friday, with star man Neymar suffering a fractured vertebra that will cause him to miss the rest of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™. 

After being carried off in tears on a stretcher, Neymar was taken to the city’s Hospital Sao Carlos, where it was confirmed that his third vertebra had been broken. The news that neither his team nor his country wanted to hear was announced by the Brazil’s medical staff at the Estadio Castelao.

“Neymar had a scan, which confirmed he had fractured his third vertebra,” said Brazilian Football Association (CBF) doctor Rodrigo Lasmar. “In terms of the recovery process, it’s a fracture that heals quickly, but unfortunately he’ll be in no condition to play next week.”

Lasmar added: “It’s not serious in the sense that it requires surgery, but he’s in pain and he’ll need to immobilise it to recover. He’ll have to have it immobilised with a belt for a few weeks to be able to get back to full mobility.”

Neymar sustained the injury in the closing stages of the match, under a challenge from a Colombian defender. The sight of the stricken No10 being carried off and then taken to hospital for scans dampened the spirits of the Brazil fans as they celebrated their side’s qualification for the last four.

While the confirmation that Neymar’s tournament is over was greeted with dismay and sadness, his team-mates are already thinking about how to make up for his absence, Hulk among them. “It’s very sad news,” said the forward. “Nobody expected this.

“We are delighted with the win but sad about this news. It’s all very frustrating. Neymar really looks after himself. He was so excited about the World Cup and he’d helped us so much. We have to get over this and run even harder for him. We’re going to try and be the champions anyway and dedicate the title to him.”

Neymar has been one of A Seleção’s stand-out performers at the World Cup, scoring four goals, but will now have to watch from the sidelines when Brazil take on Germany in next Tuesday’s semi-final in Belo Horizonte.

- Football Fever