Match Focus: 5 Talking Points from Brazil's 7-1 Loss to Germany

A nation is in shock. The people of Brazil, a country in which social and economic problems have taken something of a backseat to the main event that is a World Cup in the home of football, have been overwhelmed by hosting the biggest football tournament on the planet. There was, before Neymar's competition-ending injury at least, an unrelenting confidence in the five-time champions' chances of making it six. Although the loss of their star man before the game will have at least to some degree prepared fans for failure, nobody would have foreseen the 7-1 mauling they suffered to Germany last night.

Now, as the dust starts to settle - and, hopefully, the country continues to enjoy the spectacle of a World Cup Final - decisions and changes need to be made in terms of the national football setup, while for Germany, the chance of a first title since Euro 96 beckons. What a significant result it was.

Confederations Cup hangover

Brazil won the Confederations Cup in their own country only last year with a team identical to that which started their first game of this year's World Cup. A lack of competitive fixtures and the manner of their 3-0 win over Spain clouded manager Luiz Felipe Scolari's views of his team. His assertion before the competition that Paulinho would certainly start at the World Cup hinted that he had not even entertained the possibility of change, when in fact an indifferent season at Tottenham, in which the midfielder obtained an average rating of just 6.87, should have convinced him pre-tournament - rather than during - that Fernandinho (7.38) was more deserving of a start. That competition, a year ago, was simply not ample preparation for Scolari or his squad.

Brazil's strikers

Possibly the most glaring problem with any team at this World Cup was the lack of quality in the number 9 position for the hosts. Fred, (relatively) prolific with Fluminense and joint top scorer at last summer's Confederations Cup, led the line again and it was hoped that he could, against the odds, provide the team's necessary firepower. His performances were blunt throughout the tournament, though; he managed just 1 goal - a simple header against Cameroon - from 12 attempts, and completed only 71 passes in 6 appearances. That's just 11.8 passes per game. And that's including kick-offs (which he took more than 1 of in some games). The hope for a striker that isn't scoring goals would be that they would bring others into play, but Fred made only 3 key passes all tournament for the team who, at the time of writing, have had more shots than any other side. His backup, failed Everton and Manchester City striker Jô, with 0 goals and 40% pass completion, fared no better. A football mad country of nearly 200 million people has to produce a striker of better quality in the next four years.

Vast difference in goalkeeper quality

While Julio César was picking the ball out of his net seven times, Manuel Neuer was staking his claim to the competition's Golden Glove and Golden Ball awards. Brazil actually had 4 more shots last night than the German's, yet Neuer was unfazed. He had 59 touches of the ball - the sixth most amongst Germany's players - as he came charging off his line time and again to sweep up behind behind his team's high line. Meanwhile, a better goalkeeper than César would have pushed away or held onto Miroslav Klose's first effort, and certainly would have been up quicker for his second attempt, from which he scored. César arguably could have also done better with André Schürrle's fiercely hit second goal. He wasn't given much help by his defence but César is clearly some way past his best.

David Luiz

In paying Chelsea a reported £50m for David Luiz, Paris Saint Germain were probably hoping to anticipate an impressive World Cup for the Brazilian. A couple of mistakes aside, prior to last night he did indeed look like a defender capable of fulfilling the expectations that come with that kind of fee. However, with the responsibility of the captaincy against Germany, Luiz crumbled more so than any other player around him. He was rash both with and without the ball, attempting 20 long balls when Brazil often needed to retain possession and build from deep, whilst also committing 3 fouls, plus dishing out few flailing elbows that went unnoticed and could have seen him sent off. Alongside Thiago Silva he is - usually - a rock, but as we've seen for Chelsea so many times previously, he can be a complete liability without the right partner.

Can Germany now win the World Cup?

Every big team has had a wobble at this World Cup (none more catastrophically than Brazil and Spain), but Germany had the strength of character to recover from their near loss to Ghana, both in the match itself and after. Now, having seen off Brazil, they enter their first World Cup final since 2002 full of confidence and stand a huge chance of becoming the first European team to be victorious on South American soil. Thomas Müller is a constant threat both creatively and in front of goal, and his tally of 5 goals and 3 assists is bettered by no other player at the tournament. 36-year-old Miroslav Klose has become the highest goalscorer in World Cup history, though that record stands real chance of being beaten by 24-year-old Müller at some point in the future.

Germany have found their stride, and this brilliant group of players, who have threatened to become legendary but never followed through with a trophy for the national team, could well end that drought on Sunday. Whoever they face, they will not fear, and world champion status will be theirs if they can replicate their ruthless semi-final performance.

What are your main observations from Germany's mauling of Brazil? Can Brazil recover? Let us know in the comments below