Giováne Élber on; Brazil 1-7 Germany.

"I was on the German side. I watched the game in the stadium with many German fans and I enjoyed it. It was beautiful to look at how Germany played. It was already apparent that, from the beginning of the tournament, that Brazil were not favourites to win the World Cup. I did not expect them to achieve more than the semi-finals. Germany demonstrated how to play a World Cup."

Giováne Élber on; Brazil's problems.

"Tactically, Brazil were very, very weak. The coach thought that you can become world champions with heart, soul and the fans with the fans behind your back. You can't tackle a home World Cup like this."

Giováne Élber on; Dunga's appointment.

"Yes. Carlos did a good job in his first term. Brazil were unlucky against Holland at the 2010 World Cup. Dunga's contract expired after the tournament and he went voluntarily. Now he is back and the team needs led to the 2018 World Cup. We have to make sure we are there, but it is not easy."

Giováne Élber on; what Dunga needs to do.

"He has the players who had these negative experiences at the World Cup, he needs to raise them up and bring in new players. In addition, overall, the team is very young. Scolari has removed Ronaldinho, Kaka, Adriano and Luis Fabiano, because they were not in shape. But the World Cup has shown that we also need experienced players in the squad."

Giováne Élber on; what's gone wrong in the last 10-15 years.

"Many promising talents have left Brazil early, because their teams needed the money. But they did not land in Germany, Italy or Spain, but in Russia, China or wherever. In these countries, they can stand out because there aren't so many good players. But when they come to the national team, you realise that they are poorly trained. Compared to Spain, France; Germany or Argentina, Brazil has, in recent years, brought out much too few really good players. Apart from Neymar, we have no Götze, Müller or Reus."

Giováne Élber on; who'll win the Bundesliga.

"Bayern will prevail, but it is much closer compared to the last two years. The Bavarians had lots of players at the World Cup, it will be a while until they are back to their top form."

Giováne Élber on; Robert Lewandowski's signing.

"Mario Mandzukic scored many goals for Bayern. But if you look at Lewandowski's goal in Telekom Cup against Wolfsburg, it must be said: This is quite awesome! The Bavarians can be happy that Lewandowski now plays in Munich and no longer for Dortmund. And it shows that the Bavarians need such players."

Giováne Élber on; does he mean Bayern need a 'real' striker?

"Yes, but with a number nine, a center forward who is just waiting on balls into the box, means you can not achieve a lot in football. That was evident again at the World Cup. How Germany worked well with Müller and Brazil did not with Fred. A striker must now not only have an eye for goal, but must be able to play good football. He must think for himself, but also take part in the build-up play, let the ball go and play passes. He must be actively involved. Lewandowski is very good at all this."

Giováne Élber on; is Lewandowski the best striker in the world?

"It is difficult to judge with so many good strikers, whether Lewandowski is better than, for example, Karim Benzema and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I like Benzema a lot at Real Madrid. I am curious if Lewandowski in Bavaria, especially in the Champions League, is as strong as he was at Dortmund."

Giováne Élber on; Toni Kroos and his move.

"I don't know the circumstances. Toni can play in any team in the world, now just at Real Madrid. I trust in him, that he will play a very important role in Madrid. Sure, he has to adapt. Another country, another club, perhaps the largest in the world, a different style of play. But, Toni is such a good player, he will make it."

Giováne Élber on; Real madrid signing Kroos and James Rodriguez.

"That's insane. Before the World Cup James was not really known, although he has at least played at AS Monaco. He has used the World Cup to play himself into the limelight. And Real Madrid signed him, although they had already signed Kroos. But the leaders there do it right. If you have just won the Champions League, you have to set new standards."

Giováne Élber on; Suarez moving to Barcelona.

"(laughs) It's certainly no worse than Real Madrid. All three players have great quality. But then you also have to bring them together. Neymar settled in well last season in Barcelona, therefore Suarez should also have no problems."

Giováne Élber on; Neymar's mentality.

"Neymar is mentally strong, he showed that at the World Cup. He was the hope of more than 200 million Brazilians and, up until his injury, he played very well. Without him, Brazil would have perhaps been eliminated before. He will come back even stronger.

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About the author
Jonathan Walsh
SoccerSight IFA commentator. VAVEL deputy editor-in-chief/VAVEL Bundesliga editor-in-chief and writer. Email: [email protected]