Sidharth Bhatia

The clash of the titans, Brazil vs Spain in the 9th Confederations Cup proved to be a damp squib. It was not champagne football all the way but the triumph of an athletic, determined team over a jaded side. Most of Spain’s players have not had a summer break since 2011 and the effects of hectic club schedules, aligned with the international calendar, are taking a toll.

Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has created a cohesive Brazilian squad, who remained positive despite the massive burden of expectations and pressure of performing in home conditions before adoring, but demanding fans.
The performances in the semi-final and final showed that Brazil can be like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. They did not disintegrate when Uruguay adopted rough tactics in the semi-final. Instead Brazil relished the scrap, fought tenaciously to win 2-1. In the final they played instinctive, attacking, fast-paced football to outrun Spain.
They used the template of high-pressing, high-energy games adopted by both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in their successful Uefa Champions League semi-final against Spanish oppositions Barcelona and Real Madrid. The pace and commitment of Paulinho, Luis Gustavo, Hulk and Fred thwarted the fluency of the Spanish midfield and prevented them from controlling the tempo of the match.
It is the decisive manner of the win over Spain, which will make Brazil a team be feared in the 2014 World Cup.
The victory has also bolstered national pride especially at a time of social unrest outside the stadiums.
This Brazilian team have youth on their side. Their oldest outfield player is right back Dani Alves, who is just 30 years old. However after this emphatic Confederations Cup win, the pressure on this young Brazilian team will increase enormously.
Above all Scolari is to be complimented for making Neymar a team player as well retaining his individual skills. Previously the talented Neymar tended to be wayward, individualistic and often faded from games if tackled hard. The final showed the changed Neymar. His dummy which led to Fred’s third goal was a perfect example of team spirit. In the past, Neymar would have trapped the ball and tried a solo dash past the defenders. Neymar also took the most number of shots on goal (16), besides overtaking Spanish midfield maestro Andres Iniesta with the maximum solo forays (22 compared with Iniesta’s 18).
Spain’s biggest worry is the over reliance on Iniesta who made 57 appearances for club and country in 2012-13. Also coach Vicente del Bosque has to sort out his attacking options soon. Both Fernando Torres and David Villa are no more potent and reliable strikers. Also Alvaro Arbeloa was exposed as right back and Gerard Pique has got slow.
In the 2012-13 season, Spain’s winning percentage from competitive games has dipped to 60 per cent after being 78, 100, 91 and 91 in the respective international campaigns prior to that. This is a wake-up call that change is needed.
Del Bosque has just a year to decide how many talented young players like Michu, Thiago Alcantara, Isco and Asier Illaramendi should he include in his World Cup squad next year.
To maintain dominance with their short-passing, combination play Spain need younger and fresher players.