World Cup 2014 Preview – Brazil

The host nation is up next in our series of World Cup Previews... Brazil.

Brazil have plenty of skilled players, so getting outclassed from a talent perspective simply won't happen with this squad. Brazilian striker Neymar is next in the long line of exceptional Brazilian soccer stars, following the likes of Pele, Romario, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho. This sensational superstar has just recently been added to the Spanish superpower club Barcelona, and it looks like this young man is only getting better each and every match. Speed, quickness, ball skills, and field awareness make Neymar one of the best players in the world. His only weakness, it seems, is his youth; with him having just turned 22 years of age.

This team is absolutely loaded with talent, and naming all of the "key" players may not be impossible, but it is rather time consuming and I would need a few more Brazilian Previews to mention them all. However, there should be no forgetting about the rest of the Brazilian strikers, such as Fred, Hulk, and Jo, all of whom are top-tier strikers in their respective leagues.

Although there are fantastic strikers, the midfield is where this team flourishes. Chelsea FC star Oscar is a terror on the outside, and Luiz Gustavo is the soccer version of a quarterback for the Brazilians. Gustavo is a central midfielder who may not be the fastest or strongest, but the presence of his sheer talent and leadership in the middle of the pitch gives this team an advantage in the midfield over just about every other team on the planet.

Brazilian soccer has been criticized over the past few years for not playing "the beautiful game" like Brazil has always played it: smooth, flashy, confident, and proud of their carefree Brazilian heritage. However, this team seems to be gelling together and seems to be playing a "more Brazilian" style of soccer (which, if you have little to no knowledge of the game, the Brazilian style of soccer is the paradigm that every other country tries to catch up to).

My prediction: Brazil is in Group A (as is the case with every host nation) with Cameroon, Croatia, and Mexico. They should have no problems with any of these teams, finishing with a perfect 9 points to advance them to the knockout round.