Brazil showed on Thursday what they're capable of. I say they're still beatable, especially with the long-ball game. But what the Samba Boys showed in the game against Japan is that they're made of stuff that marks champions. When an opponent kicks them down (or scores a goal because the boys in yellow got careless) they'll jump right back up and at their foes with a vicious, savage and sustained (though typically flamboyant) assault that will leave the opposing team stunned.

The Japanese seemed like they were going to stop and applaud at every instance of a fabulously crafted move that resulted in another hair-breadth save from Kawaguci. The ball-movement was beyond sublime and, despite below-par games from Ronaldinho and Robinho and the absence of 5 key players from the pitch, Brazil could have scored on any side in the world on form.

The flanks are offensively fabulous. Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Cicinho and even Gilberto Silva, give Brazil options on the flanks that any team would snap up without thought, even England. Cicinho is younger and faster than Cafu on the right but he’ll never be as good at ball-delivery as the 36-year-old looking for his 3^rd titled, and second as captain. Carlos doesn’t posses the speed he once used to but he makes up for that with strength and sheer grit.

In central midfield, any team that can put a player of the caliber, class and talent of Juninho on the bench must have an over-abundance of those qualities. Ze Roberto and Emerson provide the kind of solid defensive midfield that fits precisely into Brazil’s game-plan which means the most powerful leg in football gets a game only when the two are rested.

Ronaldinho and Kaka as a pair of roaming, attacking midfielders can only be compared with Lampard and Gerrard for England. And I’d take the Brazilians on my team any day of the weak, and twice on Sundays, please.

Robinho is quick, young and ubër-talented. Adriano is close. Ronaldo, protruding gut and all, is still one of the best in the world at putting the ball in the net. He proved as much on Thursday. My concern is that, after declaring that he would prove his doubters wrong and scoring the two goals to do just that (while missing at least 3 chances that he would have buried in goal two years ago), he’s also proven that he was playing below his capabilities for the first two games. He’s shown to the world that he can turn his game on when he wants, but he’s also shown that he just wasn’t interested or committed earlier. However, this is Brazil and Ronaldo is Jesus.

Now for the real story here.

The Champs showed weakness, chinks in the armour, which can easily be exploited by a European opponent. As mentioned earlier, the long-ball is a threat. The longish ball that resulted in the Japanese goal is a welcome sight for the likes of England and Germany. England specially, with the ball-skills of Rooney and the height of Crouch coupled with the right boot of Player No.7, will have enjoyed that goal — possibly more than the Japanese themselves. Germany has the air-borne Klose looking to add to his tally of four and avenge his loss of the Golden Boot in ’02 to the Great Fat One.

Messrs Cole and Cole are also looking to run ragged a certain man on the Brazilian team sporting the blue arm-band.

Bigger, stronger and more talented European teams—France, Spain, Italy and Portugal can never be discounted—will be looking to exploit these chinks. Brazil will see repeated attacks from both flanks which, even if they don’t result in goals, will tire out the aging full-backs, Cafu and Carlos. Piercing balls from strong midfields will penetrate through the holes that are created when Emerson and Ze Roberto run to help out Cafu. And Dida continues to do a passable impersonation of Oliver Kahn from ’02—he stops everything without catching anything. Sooner or later, a poaching striker will pounce.

I see the talent, I see the skill, I see the brilliance. I also see too many weaknesses. But what do I know?!


P.S. – The reason there’s no mention of Argentina in this post is that the work of art that is the Argentine team can beat anyone, not just Brazil.