Morning all, hope everyone's excited?! Just 33-odd hours until kick off (not that I'm counting) and I'm officially excited... obviously tempered by my distain for the giant, whorey, corporate pantomime that it's become... but that aside, I can't wait!
Anyone have any thoughts on the opening game? Brazil will be the overwhelming favourites, but I worry about them in this spotlight. Particularly as so much of the focus is on young Neymar, who's yet to truly produce whenever I've watched him. Undoubtedly, the talent radiates from him, but being asked to put it all together under these circumstances is a huge ask. His supporting cast don't suggest he's being surrounded by enough wiley, battle-hardened characters to get it done. Possession and experience win world cups.
Croatia. Having had a season ticket through all of Luka Modric's Tottenham career, I can ASSURE you, he is every bit as good as you've heard. An absolute magician. If he was Spanish or Brazilian, he'd be in the conversation for top-5 in the world. This is worth a read:
Real Madrid's Luka Modric: from Balkan warzone to the Bernabéu | Football | theguardian.com and true of many of the squad, so they have the mental fortitude to deal with the atmosphere... by the way, the 'rocky start' they speak of in the article is LONG forgotten. He was instrumental in Real winning the Champions League this year, and is one of the first names on the team sheet every week.
Having said all of that, while Modric is surrounded by a number of solid to good players, the Brazilians are the far more talented group, and should have too much for Croatia... just can't shake the feeling that we're about to see another France v Senegal opening game shocker a la WC2002.
Wouldn't be surprised by any outcome, but going with the gut and a 1-0 Croatia win for a massive upset to kick it all off.