The worst thing that could have happened to Brazil, did. In their own World Cup, in their own yard, their best player - the player many of the fans wanted to see play in the 2010 World Cup - gets injured and is out of the tournament. He doesn't only get injured - he breaks his back. A fracture in his back is the result of a Columbian player lunging into him with his knee. No one wanted to see this, as Neymar was playing well, alongside other tournament standouts Messi and Robben. Brazil has been criticized for not playing to their full potential. They were depending too much on Neymar. Hulk wasn't playing to his potential; Fred wasn't playing to his potential; Oscar wasn't playing to his potential and on and on. They were pushing one player, hoping everything would come together with just him. However, in a strange twist a fate, the driven, fanatical base of Brazilian fans might not be as crushed if they are not crowned champions. They can say, "Our best player was hurt. He was victim of a cheap shot." This is true. This also takes some of the immense pressure off the players. With Neymar, they were expected to win the whole thing. Without Neymar, they have less expectations and less pressure. Winning can take a backseat as one of their own suffered a serious, potentially career ending, injury. Now they can play for Neymar, but if they fall short the fan base and their egos will not be destroyed as they would have been with Neymar at full strength.
On top of this their captain and leader of the defense, Thiago Silva will not play in the semi-final against Germany, after acquiring his second yellow card in the tournament. Things look bleak for Brazil against the Germans. Other players can step, as Brazil always has a plethora of talent, however, this current group has been criticized for only having one star (Neymar). Usually, in past years, there were a handful of standout players, such as the 2002 World Cup in Japan-Korea, as Brazil fielded a team with Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo. To get past Germany, the unlikely hero might end up being Fred.
On top of this their captain and leader of the defense, Thiago Silva will not play in the semi-final against Germany, after acquiring his second yellow card in the tournament. Things look bleak for Brazil against the Germans. Other players can step, as Brazil always has a plethora of talent, however, this current group has been criticized for only having one star (Neymar). Usually, in past years, there were a handful of standout players, such as the 2002 World Cup in Japan-Korea, as Brazil fielded a team with Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo. To get past Germany, the unlikely hero might end up being Fred.
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