Rematch

As unpopular as this may be, I really rather enjoyed the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it was my favourite to date. It took a while to get going certainly and the final was disturbingly physical but that it came down to the two biggest sides never to have won it was such a tantalising prospect and they're about to go at it again.  Hopefully this time will be more about the football on display rather than the body count.

It's a strange journey that both Spain and Holland have found themselves on in the four years that have passed since the final in Johannesburg.  Even stranger when you consider that since then Spain have won a tournament in the meantime and yet don't have quite the same aura of invincibility despite that. The feeling -certainly in this country - is that the tiki-taka style of football is somewhat limited and has been found out in recent years for lack of a "plan b". That kind of thinking for me is naïve at best, outright jealousy at worst.  The conditions will play a part no doubt but it could work in their favour. Can't imagine how hard it would be to chase the ball around in the Brazilian heat if Spain keep the ball like they can.

As for their opponents, I've always quite liked the Dutch. Incredibly gifted technically but for one reason or another never quite able to break through when it really mattered.  If it was any kind of surprise for them to get to the final last time, this time I could be an outright miracle. Having only dropped two points in qualifying, I find it strange how pessimistic I am regarding their chances and I'd love to be proven wrong. This might not be the game to judge them on but will no doubt be a spectacle. Winning tonight won't make up for defeat in South Africa, but it would be the dream start to Brazil 2014.

Ready To Go

I'm too old now to feel that same kind of anticipation on Christmas morning.  That expectant joy which would make sleep almost impossible has given way now that innocence has faded and cynicism taken hold.  There's a small flicker of it - a burning ember not yet extinguished - that can be felt on the opening day of each season but even that comes weighed down.  Such are the stakes that come with club football, everything feels a little too important to simply sit back and enjoy.  Which is exactly what the World Cup is all about.

This will be my fifth tournament.  It would be six - just about - had I been bitten by the bug in 1994 by my fascination with football was still embryonic and would take another couple of years to fully develop. All of them are very unique in my mind, even if the details of some of the earlier ones aren't exactly crystal clear.

Due to the duration between World Cups, they arrive at such distinct periods and as such act as the perfect catalyst, allowing a sound or a picture to take me back in time.  The process of creating those personal moments in the next month or so is something that I can't wait to begin. Whatever happens in Brazil and whichever nation rejoices in writing a new chapter in history, I will have my own story running parallel. The wait is all but over.

Brazil

When learning about the beautiful game there are things that are passed on directly and that which does not even need to be said.  As a child of the nineties, Brazil were the full stop at the end of any sentence to do with international football.  Their side was a virtual world eleven, brimming with flair and attacking talent.  As such, I couldn't stand them.

Unlike the more functional Germany and Italy sides, their cavalier approach which warmed them to so many never quite sat right with my younger self.  It felt unfair to be that talented and successful.  Defending was a side of the game that I have always identified with, partly down to lacking the kind of technical ability that came far too naturally for them.  Jealousy aside, I'd always had a thing for flawed genius.  You can have all the talents in the world but it somehow meant more to me if the biggest obstacle to to overcome was within.  Part of that is perhaps why I always preferred Maradona to Pele.  

Ronaldinho was such a fascinating player to watch because he was arguably the first truly great player I had the benefit of seeing on a regular basis.  He is also an incredible enigma given that his medal collection should be enough to substantiate his claims to have been one of the best of his generation and yet there is this sense of wasted potential that seems hard to shake.  

My attitude toward them has improved dramatically as I've gotten older.  France proved that they were mortal and then Spain  took over their mantle on the world stage.  The weight of expectation on a team to regain their crown, not just to win but to accomplish that in a certain style may be too much for them but it will certainly be fascinating to watch as the tournament progresses.   That romantic notion of Brazil which I turned my back on for so long is now something I'm willing to buy into.