Five lessons learnt from the 2013 Confederations Cup

Neymar lifts the trophy with his team-mates following their victory at the end of the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 Final against Spain at Maracana on June 30, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Getty Images)

The Confederations Cup 2013 proved to be a competitive event that did more than be a dress-rehearsal to the World Cup. It satiated a bit of the thirst of football deprived fans and dished some memorable clashes at the business end of the tournament.

Brazil’s success elevated the tournament’s popularity to a great extent and many neutrals would have enjoyed watching Spain crumble after six years of absolute domination.

The success of the competition has heightened the expectation around 2014 World Cup, when 32 of the world’s greatest teams from all corners of the world will assemble to stake a claim for the most desirable prize in the arena of sport.

Till then we can ponder upon some lessons that we learnt from the Confederations Cup and will come in handy when we return next year:

Brazilian police scatter a protest in front of Maracana stadium during the game of the Confederation Cup between Mexico and Italy on June 30, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Getty Images)

5. Brazil, as hosts, need to plug some holes

The competition was threatened by the protests that erupted in the streets of Brazil as people expressed their anger against the national government for putting in a large amount of money to host the World Cup.

While the sentiment of the people should be respected, football will suffer if such circumstances arise in 2014. It helped the cause of the competition that the home team went all the way at the event and deflected attention as protests metamorphosed into celebrations on the night of the final.

However, that might not be the case in 2014. All six venues were well prepared, though just in time, and had sporting crowds. We will be hoping that the atmosphere in Brazil in 2014 is one of celebration.

Italy’s national football team poses for pictures after defeating Uruguay 3-2 in the penalty shoot-out of their FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 third-place football match, at the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador, on June 30, 2013. (Getty Images)

4. Italy will be strong next year

Cesare Prandelli would have liked to be at the finals considering they had the upper hand over Spain for most part of the 120 minutes of the semi-final but they can be satisfied with a bronze at this competition given the circumstances they were in.

The Italians would not have enjoyed the heat and humidity of Brazil and acclimatizing in time would have been a challenge in itself. They were plagued by injury problems and that proved to be a crucial factor.

Italy looked unsure against Mexico but they scraped through and had played a good game against Brazil. They had a huge hand in the battering that Spain received at the hands of Brazil in the final as they added to the mental and physical fatigue of the world champions.

Furthermore, they gave Brazil a tactical template to work with when exploiting Spain’s possession football. They have a number of personnel who proved their critics wrong with improved performances at the event.

Emmanuele Giaccherini and Antonio Candreva blossomed in the latter part of the tournament whereas Mattia De Sciglio proved that he has the potential to become one of the better full-backs in international football.

Neymar celebrates with fans at the end of the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 Final between Brazil and Spain at Maracana on June 30, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Getty Images)

3. Neymar is not overrated

The prodigy proved his critics wrong by winning golden-ball at the competition as he played a huge part in Brazil’s triumph. He had not been able to perform at the same level for the national side as he did at his club Santos as he was rather average at the Copa America 2011 and the Olympics.

The pressure mounted after his high-profile transfer to Barcelona but he answered his critics with flamboyance. His two stunning volleys in two consecutive games helped Brazil up the ante as they derived inspiration from the multitudes of fans that cheered for them throughout the competition.

He now heads to spend a critical year at the Camp Nou where he will grow a lot more and become a greater asset for Selecao for next year’s World Cup.

Andres Iniesta of Spain looks on with his team-mates at half-time during the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 Final between Brazil and Spain at Maracana on June 30, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Getty Images)

2. Spain are beatable

Brazil ended Spain 29-match unbeaten run at competitive international matches but more than the manner of the defeat spelled a definite end to their absolute domination of world football. It was an attack on their philosophy of football as they crumbled under the relentless pressure of Brazil’s midfield.

They could not monopolise the possession and were attacked on the flanks. Alvaro Arbeloa and Jordi Alba struggled to cope with their defensive duties. However, they cannot be ruled out from making a strong return next year especially once they restore the double pivot with Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets.

Luiz Felipe Scolari head coach of Brazil is congratulated by fans after the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 Final match between Brazil and Spain at Maracana on June 30, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Getty Images)

1. Brazil are stronger than we thought

Luiz Felipe Scolari took over this side seven months ago and the pace at which he worked his team seemed to indicate that this team was pretty much a work in progress. They were not playing competitive games in the capacity of the host nation and that is always a drawback.

The 2-0 win over France prior to the competition turned the tide of results to an extent but it was the motivation of being part of a cup-competition on home soil that seemed to energize the team. The team does not match up to the great sides of the past with the likes of Rivaldo, Ronaldo and the young Ronaldinho but it has a quality of its own.

David Luiz was stunning throughout this competition. A mindless tackle aside, he played a huge role with that goal-line clearance in the final. He makes a good pairing with Thiago Silva at the back, while Fred was the unsung hero of the whole tournament.

Paulinho and Luiz Gustavo did well throughout the competition but they need to build a greater understanding as a pair. Marcelo and Dani Alves are a huge threat offensively but they leave a lot of space behind them to be exploited.

These are just some improvements they can make to boost their already strong status as contenders.