The Fever is Here!

It's finally here! The greatest tournament on the face of the earth has arrived!! No I'm not talking about the ADAA Dodgeball tournament in Las Vegas. I'm talking about the FIFA World Cup! This is an event that happens every four years and brings nations together like no other tournament. Man, people have been counting down the days on facebook since JANUARY. Ya I'm excited for it but not THAT excited. I don't jerk off to the thought of the world cup like some people might. But to each there own. Moving on... So there has been a lot of talk about who will win the world cup this year. Of course there are the usual suspect. People claiming Brazil will win or the Italy will repeat. Those are teams that are always mentioned when asking people who they think will win. Well, I too have predictions and decided to share them with you all. So for your reading pleasures here are my thoughts on the teams this year. These are the four teams that I either feel have a good chance or that i constantly hear people saying will win. Let's start with the defending champions...

Italy: So four years ago Italy played some great defensive soccer and proved that defense wins games.. and the world cup. I'll be honest and say I did not expect Italy to make it past the round of 16 let alone the world cup but they did and I was thoroughly impressed. They played some brilliant soccer and bested a surprising France team to win the tournament. This time around I once again have my doubts. There are a lot of familiar names on the roster that played key roles in the last world cup like Buffon, Cannavaro, and Pirlo to name a few. The thing that I find concerning is that this is FOUR years later meaning players that may have been in their late 20's are now in their early 30's and I think it will be hard for them to keep up with teams that have young rising stars. Also, I feel Italy has had a problem with their strikers. I don't feel Italy has had a solid striker since Totti and Del Piero. Italy will definitely make it out of the group stage but once they hit the knock out stages they will find a lot of difficulty. If they repeat I will be THOROUGHLY impressed by this Italy. Remember, only Italy and Brazil have won the world cup back to back, so you never know..

Brazil: The team that is on everybody's tongue. Ask anybody that knows anything about soccer which teams they think have a solid chance of winning the tournament and for sure Brazil will be mentioned. Brazil has won the most world cups and is tied with Germany for the most world cup appearances. There are a lot of people who are doubting this Brazil squad because of the lack of big names. Names such as Ronaldhino, Roberto Carlos, and others that have been a part of Brazil's success are absent this year from the roster which lead people to believe Brazil has lost their touch. What people don't realize is that the eat, sleep and BREATH soccer in Brazil. They may be lacking the big names but this Brazilian squad has so much talent and depth. With Julio Ceasar in net, Kaka manning the mid, and Robinho up top, this squad is definitely in it to win it. After Brazil's poor showing at the last world cup expect them to be hungry and do some serious damage this time around..

Spain: The most under-achieving team. Spain has always had a brilliant squad but have always failed when it counted the most. Up until 2008 Spain has never won a world cup or a euro cup and were a major let down. They finally got that monkey off their backs by winning the euro cup in 2008 and proving to Europe and the world that they are the real deal. This world cup squad boasts some of the greatest talent in the world. In the back there is Puyol, who may be aging but is backed up by Sergio Ramos and Pique. The mid is being held down by players such as Cesc Fabregas and Xavi while up top Fernando Torres and David Villa will take care of the goal scoring. Top that all off with Iker Casillas in net and you have a team that will have no problem winning their group and going real far in this tournament. Expect Spain to make some real damage this time around and prove they are the best squad in the world..

Germany: After loosing 2-0 to Italy in the semi's on home soil last world cup, expect Germany to be HUNGRIER than ever. After teams like Brazil and Spain were eliminated from contention, Germany was arguably the best team left in the tournament. However, two injury time goals by Italy ended their dreams of a world cup on home soil. Germany has always had a strong squad and this year is no different. An injury to Ballack has left him off the squad for the tournament but expect players like Podolski and Schweinsteiger to step it up and get many touches. These players have enough talent to make it feel as if Ballack was never gone. Expect Klose to score many goals and with Lahm in the back, this Germany squad is a serious contender..

Sooooo my prediction.. In a perfect world I would LOVE to see a Brazil vs Spain final. These two teams have great squads and a final with them two in it would be amazing with Spain winning it 2-1. I think the big surprise of the tournament will be Argentina. They had a poor qualifying and barely made it but I think they'll fair well and go deep into the tournament.

Ya this is a long post and I PROMISE they will not all be this long. I just wanted to get my predictions out there. Let me know what you think and what your predictions are.