The third-place playoff is the game that nobody ever wants to contest with the teams still trying to get over semi-final disappointment. Yet, it has a history of entertaining fixtures. The tie between Brazil and the Netherlands still has something to offer: the Selecao are hoping to start on the road to redemption while the Oranje can end Louis van Gaal’s reign with a victory and leave the competition unbeaten.
Louis van Gaal’s antics:
Barring a third return to the national team set up, the third-place playoff will be van Gaal’s last game as Netherlands coach as he prepares to join Manchester United. Following the semi-final defeat to Argentina on penalties, van Gaal said the game for third place was meaningless and that he would rather not have to take part. As a result of this lack of interest, the Dutch squad could also see some interesting rotation with the Klaas-Jan Huntelaar likely to feature. Should goalkeeper Michel Vorm play, the Netherlands will have given playing time to every member of their 23-man squad.
However, as time went on the Dutch coach has started to take the fixture increasingly seriously and announced that it is now an objective to leave the tournament unbeaten. He said that he believes that his players will want to give their all in his final game and send him off on the back of a victory over the Brazilians.
Van Gaal has angered his counterpart Luiz Felipe Scolari by suggesting that FIFA had deliberately organised fixtures so that the hosts would have the easiest possible route to the final. He suggested that Brazil playing before everybody else gave them more time to rest and prepare ahead of their next fixture. Van Gaal insisted that this preferential treatment continues into the third-place game as the Brazilians have had an extra day to prepare:
“We have one day less than Brazil,” said van Gaal.
“We have to get into shape in two-and-a-half days, which physically is hard.”
Considering van Gaal’s reputation and the lesser stature of the fixture, it looks likely that he could be on characteristic good form in terms of touchline as the fixture means little to him and yet he has still managed to irritate Scolari by suggesting a FIFA bias towards Brazil.
Brazil’s fringe players:
Scolari will have to decide whether to offer those who played against Brazil a chance to redeem themselves or he could go with the fringe players and protect his regulars from further criticism by keeping them on the bench. It could be time for a national regeneration with the less experienced players taking over from the disgraced old guard Brazil’s forwards have been a notable weak spot for the Selecao throughout the tournament and criticism of Fred’s ability to lead the line came to a head in the semi-final. The Belo Horizonte crowd turned on the 30-year-old and made him the scapegoat. It is undeniable that Fred has been disappointing throughout the tournament but to blame the striker for the humiliation when the defence and midfield conceded seven is extremely harsh. Scolari may choose to spare Fred from having to re-enter the firing line and Jo may be preferred up front. Should Jo impress and score, it will likely lead to more questions of what could have been and to further criticism of Fred and Scolari’s faith in him.
The return of Thiago Silva:
The Paris Saint Germain defender had to watch on as a horrified spectator due to suspension during the Selecao’s 7-1 semi-final mauling against Germany. The 29-year-old was sorely missed as his replacement Dante failed to impress and his David Luiz was unable to step up in Silva’s absence with the armband on his shoulder and marshall the defence. Whilst the sight of Brazil conceding seven in Silva’s absence obviously proved his importance to the side, the former AC Milan man took personal responsibility for the humiliation.
“I wasn’t on the pitch, but I’m part of this team – I’m the captain,” said Silva.
“It’s something that won’t happen again in the next 100 years, It was six minutes of darkness which led to a tragic ending for us.”
Brazil’s fans: 
The home fans were obviously shocked and distraught after the humiliation at the hands of Germany. Few will have bought tickets for the game in Brasillia in the hope they would get to see their side in person but that is now the reality. Brazilian sports fans have something of a reputation for being fickle and hard to impress but their singing of the national anthem’s extra verses without musical accompaniment at every Brazil game has been one of the tournament’s highlights. They can look to Germany for inspiration as the third-place game in 2006 was seen as joyous release of energy that allowed the then hosts to get over their failure and start to build for the future with backing from the stands. Brazil’s fans have the chance stand by their side and give their side a boost as they languish at rock bottom. The only way is up.
Teams playing with freedom:
Both the Netherlands and Brazil have shaken off their traditional labels of Total Football and Jogo Bonito in this tournament and displayed a more pragmatic style that ultimately wasn’t enough to get either side across the line. The third-place playoff has a tradition of being a high-scoring game with spectacular goals. The teams play without nerves in what is essentially a glorified friendly for all involved. Brazil will want to give their fans at least some entertainment and the Dutch will likely be more expansive as there is no real reason to fear defeat. Neither team will want to go to extra-time so there should be some attacking football on show.
