Many view the Confederations Cup as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, the finals of which are held the following year in the same country.
This has brought the country of Brasil into focus, not only because of the beauty of that vast South American land mass, but the name of the country speaks volumes of the exquisite quality and artistry of the footballers who have been universally popular names.
But, like in more periods of our lives, there have been interesting changes made towards the image which may have shifted from Brasil, to Argentina, Spain, Italy, Germany and, to a lesser extent, England.
With just a few days to go, the experts have begun their assessments of these teams in order to determine which will turn up as winner of the tournament.
With the host country, Brasil, their neighbours Uruguay, and Spain among the contenders for the title, few will place a "sure bet" investment on any of the probable favourites.
Maybe the best way to reach your idea of the winner will be start the elimination process from group to group.
It will appear to me that Spain and Uruguay will be difficult to contend with by Nigeria and Tahiti. The Africans could be very strong on their day, especially when they are playing at home, where the weather pattern can have extraordinarily adverse effects of visiting teams.
But their away records have not been impressive and despite their extremely talented players at different times, their records do not reflect more than just moderate standards. Admittedly, the hot weather of the host country will have little effect on the Nigerians, but many who know them well may see the bright lights and flambuoyant lifestyle that is available to all, may provide temptations, which have attracted their attention in previous times. Self-discipline has sometimes proven to be their biggest enemy and while they may not appear to be a challenge to the more organised teams, they could spring surprises.
For my choice, I expect that Tahiti will be the whipping boys in the group and Nigeria is likely to battle for a place in the top two.
Spain and Uruguay are the favourites for this tournament.
Japan will be the fly in the ointment when it comes to commitment and well-organised play. If they are beaten, it simply means that their opponents are playing at their best. Normally, they will not match the skill of the Brasilians or the strategy and aggression of the Italians.
This leaves us with Brasil, maybe the most popular football country in the world and rightly so, taking into considerations the wonderful artistry which their players possess from era to era.
It may be interesting to remember the shortage of ultimate success which the Brasilians had failed to achieve at home.
However, I have great trust in the football knowledge and motivational ability of Carlos Alberto Parreira, the technical director, who is now the brain behind Louis Scolari, a partnership which appears to be compatible.
It would be senseless to ignore Spain, following their excellence over the past few years.
Admittedly, the old age syndrome has arrived for some and what we saw in 2006�2012 is now a slower, less intense group of players.
It is easy to recognise that Busquet, Pique, Xavi Hernandez, Alonso, to name a few, are not quite the same impact players as they were in South Africa and even at their clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid.
My focus is on Uruguay, if only because they love playing in South America, not only at home, but elsewhere in the continent. Surely Forlorn and Suarez will be major items and could well get support from the dogged defensive methods for which they are capable
I give the edge to Brasil, mainly because of the brilliant minds behind this young talent available.
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