The 2014 World Cup for Football, or soccer, if you prefer.

I'll say this straight up front, I'm betting quite a large amount of money on Brazil to win the 2014 World Cup. My reasons, I hear you ask?

Well, first of all, Brazil will be in their own country with their own fans. Secondly, they have the best centre-back pairing in the world(Thiago Silva and David Luiz, or Dante). Brazil has never really been known for its outstanding defense, but Thiago Silva is the captain, and possibly the best defender on Earth. Thirdly, the rest of the Brazilian team is full of superstars. Oscar, Neymar, Pedro and Hulk to name but four. And fourthly, they play better than any other team in the world at the present time. They beat the reigning World Cup winners, Spain, in the Confederations Cup earlier this year. Spain was untouchable during the last World Cup, and Brazil beat them comfortably in the Confed's Cup.

So, who else has a chance at next year's World Cup? Well, the Belgian team looks very, very promising. They have a pretty dismal record in all World Cup competitions, but now, their team is filled with superstars like Benteke, Vertonghen, Mirallas, Dembele and a few others with silly names like that.

England? Well, England have ALWAYS had a very experienced and highly skilled team, but for various reasons, they've not been able to win a World Cup since 1966! They will most likely not win, but it'll be incredibly dramatic and fun to watch the England team next year. Even more fun will be watching the semi-deluded English public follow their team to the bitter end.

Spain? I don't really fancy the Spanish team to do very well. I'm a bit biased because I don't particularly like the way the Spanish team plays football. They play very effectively, but their style doesn't interest me as much as the fast counter-attacking, long passing style of play. Spain will probably do quite well, maybe even reach the semi-finals, but I wouldn't count on them winning.



Germany? I think Germany will do very, very well. I'd expect them to make it to the semi-finals, at least. They have always been a powerhouse in world football, and their current team looks like of their best ever. Cold, clinical and efficient is the German way, and their football team exemplifies this in its barest essence. Germany will do well in next year's World Cup, as they always do!






Italy? I've always thoroughly enjoyed the way the Italian team plays. They are ROCK SOLID in defense, and they counter-attack with blinding speed and skill. But, their current team has undergone immense changes. They no longer play in the "Catennacio" style. Catennacio means door bolt. The catennacio style emphasized a near impenetrable defense, and then would rely on skillful players to score the goals. One goal would be enough in the catennacio style, because the defense would simply not allow opponent goals to be scored. Anyway, Italy no longer plays with this very unique, they now play in a more midfield orientated style. Midfield domination is the key part of the current Italian team's style. And luckily, they have several of the world's best midfield players. So, Italy should do well in the World Cup, and I hope they do, because I really like the way they play.

There you have it. If you have any thoughts on other teams that might stand a good chance in the 2014 World Cup, let me know in the comments.

Cheers,

Andrew.