Runners and riders

The semi-finals of the FIFA (ptooey) World Cup (yay) are about to start.  My preferences of the four heavyweights left in the competition to win it are: Brazil, The Netherlands, Argentina and Germany.  Brazil, arguably the weakest of the four, especially with the injury to Neymar, face off against arguably the strongest team in the Germans tonight.
I support Brazil primarily because the team that gave so much to the world of football, winning the Jules Rimet trophy five times in other countries deserves to have a home triumph.  Until Spain in 2010 it was the only winner who did not have a home tournament to cherish in which they were triumphant.  Uruguay went down early to great sighs of relief that the 1950 'Miracle of the Maracana' would not be repeated when Uruguay beat them in a match that handed the trophy to Brazil's southern neighbours but that was only enough to catch their breath.  Tough matches against first Chile and Colombia have been navigated but at some cost.  Neymar's fractured vertebrae as the result of a knee to the back will leave him in much the same way as Jimmy Greaves if Brazil win the tournament - a bemused onlooker.  Even with Neymar, this Brazil side was the weakest since 1990 when they went out in the second round.  Then again Neymar may have been cramping their style as 'the talisman' - Colombia seemed rejuvenated when their main striker Radamel Falcao was ruled out with injury before the World Cup began.  Maybe Brazil will play more holistically rather than 'pass it to Neymar'.  By a quirk of scheduling, Brazil has not played in Rio de Janeiro at the Maracana all this tournament and will not do so if they do not reach the final and what an irony that would be.  Maybe it's an incentive to the Brazilian squad but it's an onerous one.
The Netherlands are my second choice as they have been to three World Cup finals and lost all three of them.  It's their turn now though.  Louis van Gaal is a mercurial coach who deserves a World Cup on his CV.  His incredible, ballsy decision to replace his no. 1 goalkeeper with Tim Krul, Newcastle United's custodian between the sticks, for the penalty shoot-out against Costa Rica, paid off - fortune favours the brave.  The annihilation of Spain in the first group game still exudes an aura of charisma attaching to this Dutch team.
The Argentine cause is third on my list, principally because of Messi.  At the past two World Cups, the eyes of his nation were upon him but he could not drag his teammates beyond the quarter-finals.  Now they are in the semis for the first time in a quarter of a century, a staggering stat for one of the all-time heavyweights.  If Argentina win it, then people can say Messi has 'realised his destiny' and move on to talking about something more interesting.  There is also something of a moral crusade with the recent death of Alfredo di Stéfano.  He may have switched nationality and played for Spain but he was Argentinian-born.  Before di Stéfano was taken ill, Maradonna listed himself (naturally), Messi and di Stéfano as the greatest of all Argentinian players.  Tellingly, di Stéfano never won a World Cup and Maradonna may have been crafting an 'out' for Messi, who like di Stéfano has won a fair few European Cups.
Fourth are the Germans or the Federal Republic of Germany as they are and always have been through each of their World Cup triumphs (we just called them 'West Germans' because it was easier).  I have no great desire to see the Germans march on to the trophy, though I expect they will.  It would be nice to see Joachim Löw win something at this level as 'Jogi Bear' is undoubtedly one of the good guys in sport.  Also, it would emasculate the Italian crowing at being the most successful European side at the World Cup if the Germans were to join them on their tally of four trophies.  But these reasons, compelling in their own right, do not surpass the claims of others, especially as the Germans have become blasé about reaching semi-finals, a consistency envied not only by England.
So, with the match about to begin, all I can say is "Go Brazil!"