Let’s World Cup, shall we?

Photo credit: Homedust.com (Creative Commons license)

It’s been a long way.

In four years, an unnumbered amount of situations in my life are subjected to change, but not my emotions upon the World Cup’s arrival. I can assure you that I don’t remember the last time a colossal amount of excitement invaded my system.

I’m not being hyperbolic. This our biggest holiday; bigger than any Christmas, summer break, birthday, wedding anniversary, Hanukah, Eid Al-Sitr, Eastern, Mother’s Day, etc.; it’s everything combined, but taken to a lunacy level.

It’s time to stop the countdown and enjoy the event that unites more people than any other in the history of the humankind. Let’s World Cup.

My favorites
Four of the 32 national teams have a world-class roster of 23 players. They can replace every player with another one of the same capacity and quality. They can figure out how to respond in case their main protagonists are absent or have a decline in their game.

Those national teams are France, Spain, Brazil and Germany.

France
The 2016 Euros showed that France has a brilliant generation of players, and if we analyze it from a business perspective, French players dominate the market. Their presence is in the most prominent leagues, making them stellar assets. Elite clubs are targeting French talent.

Les Bleus have a roster full of variations and perfect game chemistry. They develop a fast game with Dembélé and Mbappé as wings, with a magic touch of Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba; everyone is protected by Kanté, the best defensive midfielder in modern football.

France has a fantastic backline with Umtiti and Varane as central defenders, while Sidibé acts as a right back that incorporates into the attack. Lucas Hernandez on the left side balances the excessive attacking efforts of France in defense.

The World Cup is the perfect scenario for Les Bleus to reaffirm that they have the best talent in the market.

Germany
Gary Lineker couldn’t have explained it any better when he said, “Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.”

The glorious history of soccer and the combination of a veteran generation with a new roster of “all-terrain” and technical players make them a more dangerous squad than four years ago.

However, Die Mannschaft has something unprecedented in the offensive line. Germany had generations of old-fashioned strikers, center forwards that acted as a post every time they played behind the goal and were used as the main attacking reference.

This “nine” striker is a finisher and proficient in front of the goal. Rummenigge, Voëller, Klinsmann, Klose, Gomez — everyone represented a different generation, but a very similar style. Now Timo Werner breaks the stereotype of the classic German striker into the perfect example of the modern offensive footballer.

Werner creates his game action. He can do damage even if he’s 50 yards away from the goal; his speed and physical strength are game changers.

Germany became predictable during the 2016 European Cup. Götze (as a fake striker) and Gomez (as a center forward) struggled when a tight defensive line surrounded them. Werner doesn’t need to be facing the net, and he can take several roles by getting out of position, something he does naturally.

The 2017 Confederations Cup was clear proof that Die Mannschaft became more dynamic and lethal.

Spain
If anything could illustrate a symphony by not using a musical comparison, Spain is the perfect example.

La Roja is methodical; it might be the only squad of the tournament that cares about the means to accomplish the ends. It’s impossible to ignore Spain after a decade of European and world success as a national team squad and in international club tournaments.

They might not be the fastest squad, but they represent a structured football based on frontal ball possession. Moving their pieces into the attack, Spain looks like a predator; they suffocate teams by incorporating most of their assets into the offense. By having possession outside of the box, they create spaces that only people with the imagination of Iniesta, Silva, Koke and Isco can see and take advantage of.

Spain can adapt to every possible tactical scenario. They generally play with a 4-3-3 using Busquets as a shield, giving freedom to Jordi Alba and Carvajal to incorporate into the offense. That transforms the left and right backs into attacking wings.

In case the 4-3-3 doesn’t work, they can modify to a 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1 or 5-3-2. Spain has the luxury to sacrifice the talent of Silva or Iniesta to send Asencio higher to provide more of a speed threat — or to line up Aspas instead of Costa by wanting a false nine instead of a nominal center forward.

Brazil
The days of joy came back to the Brazilian squad. After 2002, Brazil didn’t convince their fans, the press and world until the last CONMEBOL qualifiers.

La Canarinha acquired 75 percent of the points available during the World Cup qualifiers (41 of 53), winning the region with a 10-point advantage. They were the first team to qualify for Russia.

Brazil improved massively in the execution of their game. Coutinho, Gabriel Jesus and Paulinho have been important acting as Neymar’s associates — something that in 2014 Neymar didn’t have — to help keep all the weight off his shoulders.

Even if some of the names in the midfield are similar, at that time they were not accepted in the soccer elite. But in four years, significant details can change.

Brazil found in Casemiro the perfect balance: a guy who understands how to recover, distribute and end a play when it’s necessary without risking a red card. And his substitute, Fernandinho, has the same qualities.

The addition of Jesus has been the most important one; it was challenging to watch center forwards that didn’t fill the shoes of Ronaldo. A modern striker, Jesus is a generator of space. He can carry the ball and run into the back of the defensive line.

In case Jesus, Neymar and Coutinho don’t connect, which I don’t think that will happen due to the level of their game, there are also Roberto Firmino, Douglas Costa and Taison as solutions.

The jogo bonito is back. And with the broadest roster that I can remember.

No more waiting, ladies and gentlemen, the World Cup is here and now.

Follow Luis on Twitter: @LFulloa.

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