Messi

For many years, UEFA (Europe) has been widely thought of as the pinnacle of soccer; home to the best players, the best international sides and the best club teams of any confederation.

To some extent, this is still true, but this year’s World Cup has revealed that there are some cracks in UEFA’s armor, specifically when it comes to style of play. UEFA teams typically keep to a more traditional approach, emphasizing a good defense complimented by a methodical offense.

This year, the approach championed by UEFA has been directly challenged by a new, more modern approach from another part of the world, developed in large part by the members of CONMEBOL (South America); building around specific players, emphasizing offense and keeping up the attack. This style of play has also become more and more popular at the club level, since it keeps fans on the edge of their seats and games exciting enough to sell tickets and keep the endorsements rolling.

I also want to mention that when I speak of UEFA’s style versus CONMEBOL’s style, we should keep in mind that these are just general archetypes, and that each team has its own unique take on them. At the same time, every team adheres to the same basic set of rules associated with the style they chose; UEFA-style demands balance and patience, while CONMEBOL-style needs attack and speed.

It should be noted that having an offense-oriented team built around a few superstars (such as Messi or Neymar) and basing game strategies around those stars seems to be a trend in not just CONMEBOL, but most of Latin America. Argentina does it, Brazil does it, Chile does it, and even Mexico does it.

The main problem that all these teams face is that when a key player is injured, that’s it; it’s game over. Brazil showed us this firsthand, when Neymar was hurt, by losing in historic fashion to Germany.

Embed from Getty Images

I am by no means saying that UEFA’s strategy is any better, since the Netherlands and Belgium have demonstrated what happens when a team using the traditional approach simply loses steam. I am just saying that in this year’s final, the fast-paced, attacking style of play found in Latin America is being put to the test against UEFA’s more traditional, defense-heavy approach.

It is quite possible that whichever style, UEFA or CONMEBOL/Latin American, wins this year may have a huge influence on the style that less-successful teams try to emulate in the near future. Every confederation has teams, both club and national, that haven’t found a winning strategy in a long time and are most certainly looking for new ideas outside the approaches that their confederation traditionally champions.

If Argentina wins, it is possible that teams from all over will begin to adopt the CONMEBOL approach more and more, but if Germany wins, UEFA will prove once again that tradition trumps all.

I hope you all had a great 4^th of July, and enjoyed the Quarterfinals this past weekend as much as I did. Now here we are; the clash of the titans!

Teams headed by Messi, Schweinsteiger, Neymar (previously), and Van Persie are all that’s left in what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most exciting World Cups in FIFA history. These upcoming matches will be unpredictable, and no less exciting than the previous rounds.

The semifinals also have a bigger theme than just superstar-led teams; UEFA versus CONMEBOL. These past few years, the debate has been raging over which confederation is better in terms of players and quality of national teams.

This year, we may be closer to settling that debate. If the Final is Brazil vs. Argentina or Germany vs. the Netherlands, then the debate is over; at least until the next World Cup. If one team from each confederation makes it, then this round may just a prologue to an even bigger moment in the ever-growing rivalry between UEFA and CONMEBOL.

Will CONMEBOL finally dethrone UEFA in either this round or the next, or will UEFA be able to hold on to its crown for 4 more years? No matter what happens, the results are bound to resonate long after the final whistle has blown, long after the final piece of confetti has fallen at the Maracana and long after the last foreign fan has left Brazil.

Brazil vs. Germany

Although Neymar may still technically captain Brazil, he is out for the rest of the tournament with a spinal fracture. This has huge implications for the Semifinals, and potentially the finals as Brazil has made Neymar a key part of their attacking game.

Embed from Getty Images

Germany, meanwhile, has all of its starters healthy and ready to take on the hosts. Ozil and Schweinsteiger remain strong, while Brazil has to rely on David Luiz to stop them and needs Hulk to take more responsibility up top against the formidable German defense.

That all being said, I still believe in Brazil. Even without Neymar and Tiago Silva, Brazil is a tough team to beat, and the home field advantage is still with them. Brazil has made it clear that there will never be another situation like what happened in 1950; where they, as World Cup hosts, lost in the Final to Uruguay.

Germany may be tough, but beating them is not impossible, especially by a team that has rallied around both a sense of duty to their injured teammate, and a determination to not let history repeat itself.

Winner– Brazil

Argentina vs. Netherlands

Argentina and the Netherlands are teams that have strong offenses, but the Oranje has the advantage over Argentina offensively. Argentina has often struggled to get that first goal, whereas the Netherlands has kept the goals coming, the previous game against Costa Rica notwithstanding.

In addition, the Oranje defense has been preforming better than their Argentine counterparts, meaning the Messi-led offense is likely to have trouble scoring while Van Persie and Robben score goal after goal.

Don’t be surprised, however, if Argentina suddenly rallies and keeps the score close for most of the game, or even if it goes into extra time, as neither team is to be taken lightly.

Argentina, despite its faults, remains a tough team to beat, and the Netherlands revealed their weaknesses to the world against Costa Rica. Argentina may be able to capitalize on a few of those weaknesses, but the Netherlands still remains a very complete team by any standard.

Winner– Netherlands