Brazil crumbles at the first sign of adversity. Think of Brazil as England 2.0 --group of stars, not a team. The opposite is Mexico--finally started playing well when they built a team and added the stars where necessary. This was a long coming wake up to the lazy and corrupt Brazilian Federation that skill is not everything. A good team is comprised of players with skill PLUS grit, steel, determination and intelligence. Brazil thought it could show up, put on the yellow shirt, and the crowd would carry them. Wrong ! Epic fail by the experienced coach who should have known better. And I use the word epic without hyperbole...
Germany basically has incorporated the Spanish tiki taka but with better athletes and better wide and direct play. Does not mean they will win Sunday because this Argentine coach knows that defense wins championships and Germany can't play keep away as well as Spain circa 2008-12. But it's fascinating to watch. .....One day the USA will be in a World Cup final. Hope I'm still alive because it's an incredible achievement ......The ultimate improv