Dress rehearsal for 2014 WC final? Maybe not...

Is this the final before the grand finale of the FIFA World Cup 2014? That’s what the world thinks of the match-up between Spain and Brazil in the final of the Confederations Cup at the Maracana Stadium in Rio on Sunday night. They could be right or wrong but perhaps this is the final people wanted to witness when the tournament started a fortnight back.

A battle between one of the most successful teams in the history of football against another that has wooed the world with its brand of flair. Both, at this level, have been kept apart from understanding each other’s strengths as a unit on a common platform as they haven’t faced each other in close to 15 years.

While they will have respect for each other’s achievements, they haven’t yet actually felt the fury of each other in a while. Spain in 1999 was more about talent than performance when it mattered. That, to me, is more a reason for this to be a good, competitive, tactical encounter.

Brazil have been their usual self – individual brilliance in the form of Neymar being fed by a strong midfield flanked by the powerful presence of the likes of Hulk. They haven’t conceded much and even when they did, thanks to a defence that seemed to panic against the Italians in their final group game, they followed the philosophy that’s earned them their stripes in history – we shall score one more than the opponent. In that sense, Scolari’s team should entertain the home crowd.

Spain’s case is interesting. They have been the team to beat in the past few years. Not many have actually managed to do that but a few, particularly one, has come close t o doing in the relatively recent past. If the Italians showed how to unsettle the Brazilians, they are the ones who showed how to stretch the usually compact Spaniards. In fact, three football matches over the past year between these two nations could hand us a cue as to how the near invincible Spain could actually be beaten.

Cesare Prandelli was the architect of an extremely entertaining 1-1 draw around the same time last year in the group stages of Euro. Three men in front of Buffon meant there was more creative depth to that midfield which stretched Spain vertically and horizontally. Next was the final where the Italians started with four men at the back. Injuries did affect a part of the script but Del Bosque’s strength of the full backs plus the creativity of Silva, Xavi and Iniesta was to the fore as Spain seemingly defeated Italy with ease.

The third and the final part of the thesis between these two nations was the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup a couple of evenings back. Injuries in the midfield and the absence of Balotelli meant Prandelli started with three men at the back, just the same way he started off the Euro campaign against the Spaniards.

After a nervy start, you could sense the Italians were able to stretch their opponents with the long balls first up and then Andrea Pirlo got into the game stretching the Spanish midfield horizontally. In a sense, this meant blunting the effects of Alba and company that were running riot in the earlier games.

In fact, over the last year, the Azzuris have shown the world, at different times, what and what not to do to be a successful unit against the Spaniards. They still might not have enough to show in terms of results but over ninety minutes in the semi-finals, they seemed to be the better team. That alone remains a reason for me to be convinced that this battle between Brazil and Spain need not necessarily be the curtain raiser for the final of the FIFA World cup in 2014 as a lot believe it to be. There are other teams that are constantly innovating and finding ways to blunt the force that is Spain.

So, while we can sit back and enjoy the dynamics behind the teams Scolari and Del Bosque put out on the eve of the Confederations Cup final, to term it a dress rehearsal of sorts for the 2014 FIFA World Cup final is a bit premature.

The writer is sports editor and senior presenter with Neo Sports.