YEARS GONE by, Brazil approached every fixture unleashing a deadly virus codenamed The Three Rs. From Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Robinho down to Romario and others, the names always gave defenders chills and spills. Not anymore. Today, all hopes lie on the tiny and frustrated shoulders of Neymar. There is no R in Scolari’s attacking force anymore. The Barcelona forward will be supported by Hulk, the Brazilian version of Emily Heskey any day, and Fred, the Fluminense forward with a deadly poaching instinct reminiscent of Filipo Inzhagi and Ruud van Nistelrooy. The problem is that there is no more glamour in the Samba set up and every opponent they face will fancy their chances for a draw. Not least, Croatia, in the opening fixture. The Croats might not have the figure of Boban or Davo Suker anymore, but in Ivica Olic (Wolfsburg), Brazilian-born Eduardo (Shakhtar Donetsk) and Nikica Jelavic (Hull City), the ammo is enough to match the Samba attacking prowess. Mario Mandzukic (Bayern Munich) is suspended for the opener. With midfields that are balanced on both sides, the teams will have to rely on defenders to win this opener. Thiago Silva, David Luiz and co. cannot afford any room for errors. Yet the expectations weighing on them as hosts tilts the tide negatively. And, like Diego Maradona says, the World Cup has come too soon for Neymar after his move to Europe and an indifferent season. The Brazilian is also nursing niggling ankle injury from club season that has reared itself in Brazil. The Samba Boys would still have enough ammo to outclass Croatia even without Neymar, but not when the Croats approach the fixture with nothing to lose. As long as Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura does not fall for the simulation from the Samba, this game is wide open. Croatia have their chance as long as their defence forgets the idea of respecting one’s host.
