WE here are excited about the World Cup final – the anticipation of seeing Germany after their 7-1 thumping of Brazil or Lionel Messi perhaps establish himself as the best player to ever grace the game is building.
As sad as it will be when Brazil 2014 draws to a close on Sunday night, it’s difficult to contain one’s excitement for the last game of football’s ultimate competition. With that in mind, we have compiled four key matchups that will take place at the Maracana . . .
Manuel Neuer v Sergio Romero It’s remarkable to think Sergio Romero made only three appearances for Monaco in Ligue 1 last season, one of them as a substitute.
Yet in six World Cup matches, the 27-year-old has conceded just three goals and of all goalkeepers to have made at least three appearances in Brazil, he has the best save success (88,9%). However, his credentials will be put to the test against a rampant Germany outfit. Die Mannschaft have scored the most goals (17) at the World Cup and Romero is expected to have to add to the 16 saves he has made.
At the other end, Manuel Neuer is set to take his place in the Germany goal once more and confirm his position as the best goalkeeper in the world. While Neuer has conceded more goals (four) than Romero, Joachim Low’s libero has lived up to expectations, coming off his line to rob the opposition of possession more times (19) than any other goalkeeper at the World Cup.
Only Tim Howard (27) has made more saves than Neuer (23) in Brazil, while of all shotstoppers to make three or more appearances at the tournament, the Germany No 1 has the best pass accuracy (75%), accentuating his importance to Low’s team.
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Both will come up against prolific front men in the form of Thomas Muller and Messi – more on those two later – as they strive to see their respective team lift the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro, and it will be a real test of nerves to see who comes out on top.
Mats Hummels v Ezequiel Garay Argentina’s defence was lambasted heading into the World Cup, but with just three goals conceded so far, Ezequiel Garay has been a huge factor behind their success. Zenit Saint Petersburg’s new signing has played every minute of La Albiceleste’s World Cup campaign and has succeeded in nullifying Josip Drmic, Eden Hazard and Robin van Persie, to name three.
Garay has made the most clearances (59) of every player at the tournament, highlighting his ability to be in the right place at the right time to relieve any danger on the Argentina goal.
Having been partnered with both Federico Fernandez and Martin Demichelis, he’s shown an impressive level of consistency despite a lack of continuity at the back and his WhoScored.com rating (7,44) reinforces the quality of his performances in Brazil so far.
However, his displays in defence have been eclipsed somewhat by Mats Hummels. The Dortmund ace has bagged two goals at the World Cup, the second proving to be the winner for Germany in their 1-0 quarter-final victory against France. The 25-year-old is averaging more interceptions per game (1,4) than any of his international teammates, so they will be hopeful he can be at his imperious best for today’s final after he was withdrawn from action at the interval of Germany’s thumping of Brazil.
Only Dutch duo Stefan de Vrij (7,76) and Ron Vlaar (7,70) have a better WhoScored.com rating than Hummels (7,66) of every centre-back to make at least three appearances at the World Cup, and he needs to replicate his form against Argentina if Germany are to win the competition. However, only Asamoah Gyan (seven) has had more headed attempts on goal than Garay (six), so Hummels must be on top of his game if he is to get the better of his defensive counterpart from set pieces today. The same could be said when the Germans are doing the attacking, though.
Toni Kroos v Javier Mascherano Having been linked with a move to Manchester United, reports now suggest Real Madrid will sign Toni Kroos this summer. After turning down a new contract with Bayern Munich, the 24-year-old has shown exactly what the Bundesliga champions will be missing once he departs the Allianz Arena.
His WhoScored.com rating against Brazil (9,84) was the best of every player to play in the semi-finals, with his assist for Muller’s opener setting the tone in Germany’s 7-1 win. With a WhoScored.com strength of “passing”, Kroos has exhibited this facet of his game with aplomb – only teammate Mesut Ozil (144) has completed more successful final-third passes at the competition than Kroos (136).
The midfielder has completed the most passes in the opposition half (304), while also playing the most forward passes (154).
Evidently, cutting off the supply to the attackers will be crucial if Argentina are to lift the World Cup, and the player tasked with limiting Kroos’ influence is expected to be Javier Mascherano. If anyone can run off a head injury, it’s “El Jefecito,” having played the full 120 minutes in Argentina’s penalty shootout win over Netherlands, despite suffering a clash of heads with Georginio Wijnaldum. Mascherano has been hugely influential in the heart of the Argentine midfield, stamping his authority in their progression to the final.
The 30-year-old has made the most tackles (28) at the World Cup, and he must utilise this weapon to give Argentina the edge in midfield today. However, when in possession, Mascherano is more than capable of finding a teammate, with his Barcelona roots shining through when needs must. He has made the most accurate passes (460) at Brazil 2014, a figure that Kroos (454) comes closest to matching.
He is more than capable of winning the ball in midfield, instigating attacks in the process. The midfield battle between Mascherano and Kroos could well decide who wins the 2014 World Cup.
Thomas Muller v Lionel Messi Muller enjoys scoring at the World Cup; that goes without saying. His opener against Brazil brought him to 10 goals overall in the competition, and his goal-scoring return suggests he will break the all-time record of 16 goals set by teammate Miroslav Klose. Only James Rodriguez (six) has netted more times than Muller (five) at Brazil 2014, and he will be aiming to leapfrog the Colombian in the scoring charts against Argentina.
The gangly attacker has contributed to the most goals (eight: five goals and three assists) at the tournament, and chances are Germany will look to him to provide the scoring and creative threat in the final. No player has created more clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities (four) than Muller, so Argentina will need to keep tabs on the 24-year-old to maintain their impressive defensive record.
La Albiceleste, though, have a potent attacking threat of their own in the form of Messi. The Argentina captain is WhoScored.com’s highest-rated player (8,77) and has been awarded our man of the match award in four of his six appearances to date. With four goals to his name, Messi still has the opportunity to leapfrog both Muller and Rodriguez to the Golden Boot, provided he nets at least two and outscores the former today.
Messi has played the most key passes (21) and has completed the most successful dribbles (39) at the World Cup, so Germany must be wary of his attacking influence for Argentina. Netherlands proved they could stop the 27-year-old on Wednesday night, and Die Mannschaft must be as defensively resolute if they are to deny the best player in the world from captaining his country to glory.
– ESPNFC
