So, here we are, the World Cup curtain is about to rise and the honour of setting the show on the road falls to Scotland who play reigning champions Brazil at the Stade de France in Paris this evening.
Neutral observers might feel that the Scots will be overrun, but given this is the first game and that all the pressure is on the Brazilians, this could be more a war of attrition than a comprehensive Brazilian victory.
Scotland are probably a better prepared side than most observers credit, while their manager, Craig Brown, is a great student of international football. Their warm-up to France 98 has been low key, uncomplicated and very thorough. For example, Brown began his training with a week of physical preparation with no games, an invaluable time when the players can get to know one another again without the pressure of feeling their room-mate might be a rival for a team place.
This preparation fits in with this side's ethos: Scotland did not qualify for these finals thanks to outstanding individual brilliance but much more because of the squad's willingness to play for one another. Curiously, Brown seems to have been able to turn the fact that Scotland have no big names to his side's advantage, laying the emphasis on togetherness and team work. Mind you, players like midfielders John Collins and Paul Lambert, as well as central defensive linchpin Colin Hendry, are all men who are comfortable playing at the highest level. It is the consistency of performance that these three bring to the side, the fact that they are very much the backbone of the team, that Brown relies on and builds on.
While Scotland are always difficult to play against because of their physical presence, they tend to lack a genuine goalscorer. Gordon Durie, Kevin Gallacher and Darren Jackson are the three players vying for two places up front. Yet, even the most ardent Scottish fan would never compare any one of this trio to great Scottish strikers of the past such as Dennis Law or Kenny Dalglish.
Brown is unusual by the standards of British coaches in that he has a huge knowledge of and interest in the non-British game. He is a coach who works hard at his craft, watches a lot of different teams, either on video or in the flesh, and tries to keep informed on all the most recent developments in Europe and beyond.
In that context, his decision to play Scotland's final warm-up friendlies away - a 2-2 draw with Colombia and a 0-0 draw with the USA - came as no surprise. He knows only too well that playing that type of friendly at home gives you a false sense of confidence and has little bearing on how your side will perform in a major competition played away from home.
But, what about Brazil? They are, of course, the World Champions and everybody's favourites, and they also possess some of the best individual talents in world soccer: Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos, Edmundo, Giovanni, et al. However, in contrast to what I feel has been an excellent Scottish preparation, Brazil's seems to leave much to be desired.
Even though they played many friendlies, far more than all their major rivals, theirs does not seem to be a happy camp. The great unanswered question about the team set-up concerns the relationship between the coach, Mario Zagallo (66), and his unwanted deputy, former star Zico. It remains to be seen what effect reported tensions arising out of this relationship will have on the team.
The Brazilians are, of course, under huge pressure. The nation expects its team to win the competition and to do so playing beautiful football. Another factor concerns this opening game. If the favourite is going to have problems, they may well come on the opening night. Even a side like Brazil can suffer from first night nerves. Having said all of that, though, I feel they will have too much all-round ability for Scotland. Brazil have so many players capable of deciding the match single-handedly, even when the team may not be playing especially well, that I expect them to win.
We should bear in mind just how defensive coach Zagallo can be. When people mention Brazil, there is a tendency to think in terms of open, free-flowing soccer with plenty of goals. That is simply not the case with Zagallo, so don't expect Brazil to win 6-0. Scotland's front men will be asked to chase defenders, midfielders will be told to track back all the time and stay with runners like Giovanni and Leonardo, and generally Scotland's game plan will be a case of "When not in possession, be in position".
(In an interview with Paddy Agnew)
