World Cup 2014 : Five problems jeopardising Brazil's World Cup hopes

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari declared himself "satisfied" with his team's 0-0 draw against Mexico in Fortaleza on Tuesday, and the hosts remain on course to reach the World Cup knockout phase.

However, 'Felipao' admitted that improvements still need to be made, as was evident in their opening game, when they came from behind to beat Croatia 3-1 in Sao Paulo.

Here's a look at five areas where the Selecao could fall down in their bid to win the World Cup.

Coping with the pressure

"The demands are always much greater here in Brazil, but we are prepared," said Dani Alves after the Mexico game. Nevertheless, the Selecao have shown signs of fragility under pressure in their two matches so far.

Seeing Neymar break down in tears at the end of the rousing version of the national anthem at the Castelao brought home the enormity of what this Brazil side is trying to achieve and the amount of pressure they carry on their shoulders.

Against Mexico, the nervous energy transmitted by the crowd in the early stages of the game in particular had an impact on both sets of players.

First touches were poor, passes were wayward and challenges came flying in during a frantic opening spell.

Brazil at times lack a calming presence - captain Thiago Silva is usually such a cool customer but he has apparently been unable to sleep at night due to the pressure that is as stifling as the heat in Fortaleza.

Dependence on Neymar

With the possible exception of Oscar, Neymar is the one player in this Brazil side capable of conjuring up a moment of match-winning magic from nowhere.

Fred last week insisted there was nothing wrong with giving the ball to the Barcelona man when the going gets tough. Against Croatia his was a match-winning contribution, and against Mexico he was twice denied by brilliant Guillermo Ochoa saves.

However, seeing Neymar in tears following the national anthem in Fortaleza indicated that he could do with having some of the weight taken off his shoulders.

"Neymar doesn't win or lose on his own. He is part of a group," says Scolari. "Within the group, he can sometimes be the decisive player. But he wins and loses with the rest of the team."

Striking concerns

Scolari has selected Fred against both Croatia and Mexico, but the 30-year-old Fluminense centre-forward has been ineffective, except for winning the controversial penalty that set Brazil on their way to victory in their opening match.

Against Mexico, Fred was replaced by Jo, and he could be a contender to come into the starting line-up against Cameroon on Monday, when Brazil will look to clinch their place in the last 16.

There are no other options, and it is easy to wonder how much of a difference Diego Costa could have made had Scolari shown faith in him and persuaded the Atletico Madrid man to represent his homeland rather than his adopted country Spain.

Paulinho

"Today I felt much freer out on the field, which is fundamental to me," said Paulinho after the Mexico game. But the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder still didn't do enough to suggest that he should be an automatic starter against Cameroon.

With a solid centre-back pairing and Luiz Gustavo offering extra protection to the defence, Brazil could do with a more technical, creative player in central midfield. Paulinho has often appeared sluggish, his touch clumsy. Perhaps Hernanes will get his chance to impress in Brasilia.

What about Plan B?

Scolari wants his sides to come flying out of the blocks and score an early goal. But against Croatia they conceded first and had to rely on a controversial penalty as they fought back to win the game.

Against Mexico, they often lacked inspiration and couldn't find a way past Ochoa, leaving Oscar to later lament: "In the first 30 minutes, we had various chances to score but none of them came off. Mexico play with almost everyone behind the ball. It is difficult to play against opponents like that who counter-attack quickly."

Scolari may need a more efficient Plan B come the tournament's latter stages.

Armour: Questions linger for Jurgen Klinsmann after thrilling U.S. win

John Brooks saved Jurgen Klinsmann from a lot of uncomfortable questions.

Saved the U.S. from a certain early exit from the World Cup, too.

Just about everything Klinsmann espouses was up for question through the first 80 minutes of the game: His snub of Landon Donovan. His decision to keep the aging DaMarcus Beasley at left back. The supposed fitness advantage the travel-tested and workout-fanatic Americans were supposed to have.

And then, with one furious toss of his head in the 86th minute, Brooks made Klinsmann look like a genius. For a few hours at least.

“It’s a huge three points,” Clint Dempsey said. “We didn’t play our best game, but we ground out the result.”

Klinsmann, his players and their fans were giddy after the 2-1 victory over Ghana on Monday night, and rightfully so. The Americans are second in Group G – yes, you read that right – the best-case scenario with Portugal and Germany still to come. They also crammed two World Cups’ worth of revenge into the victory over the team that sent them home in 2006 and 2010.

No wonder Klinsmann threw up his arms as if his team had just won the World Cup when the final whistle sounded.

“This is definitely the start we wanted,” Klinsmann said. “We worked hard for it, and it is definitely a good feeling to have these three points.”

But the euphoria can’t mask the issues the Americans have – issues that Klinsmann has to answer for.

The furor over Klinsmann’s decision to drop Donovan has largely died down since the U.S. got to Brazil. But the sight of Jozy Altidore being carted off 20 minutes into the game with a hamstring injury, might very well come back to haunt Klinsmann.

Donovan may not be the player he was four years ago, when his goal in stoppage time carried the U.S. into the second round in South Africa. He may not even be the player he was last summer, when he went on a scoring spree that carried the U.S. to the Gold Cup title.

But he’s not washed up, either, and he would have been just the kind of insurance policy Klinsmann and the U.S. could use right about now. Start him or bring him on as a sub. Either way, the Americans definitely could have used his skill and savvy Monday night, to say nothing of the upcoming games against Germany and Portugal.

“I don’t know. I hope so. I would love to,” Altidore said when asked if he’ll be able to play again in Brazil. “But at the end of the day, what matters is the team and we got three points.”

If the Americans are going to be short-handed, they can’t afford fitness issues like they had Monday night.

Just as he did with Germany in 2006, Klinsmann has made fitness a priority for his team. Training sessions are more frequent and challenging, and he and his staff track every physical data point possible. So while other teams fretted about the conditions in Brazil, the Americans dismissed them. Few teams would be fitter, they scoffed, or more prepared for the elements.

But on a night when the heat and humidity weren’t all that oppressive, Matt Besler couldn’t even make it into the second half and several players were gasping and clutching at body parts. Instead of looking like gym rats after being under the watchful eye of Klinsmann and his staff for the last month, a few looked more like guys on a rec team trying to shake off the winter sloth.

Besler’s substitution was only a precaution, Klinsmann said. But it forced him to keep Beasley on at the half when it was clear he was in over his head with Ghana’s fast-paced attack. Ghana may as well have taken up residence on the right side for as much as the Black Stars went after the four-time World Cup veteran.

It was only their spectacular lack of accuracy that kept the score from being 6-2.

“At the end, our competitive spirit, our mental determination, our willingness to fight was really good,” said Michael Bradley, a rare non-factor.

Go ahead and celebrate the victory, the kind of never-say-die comeback that is uniquely American and mesmerizes fans back home. The questions will still be there, larger than ever, once the hangover wears off.

Ghana 1, USA 2: 2014 FIFA World Cup | Group G Match Recap

And … you can breathe again. The US national team went through every kind of plot twist imaginable on Monday – early goals, late goals and worrisome injuries. But at the end of 95 minutes of heart-racing soccer at Arena das Dunas, they got their revenge on Ghana with a 2-1 victory over their old nemesis and are off to a nearly perfect opening in Group G at the 2014 World Cup.

DREAM START, HISTORY MADE: Twenty-nine seconds. That’s all it took for Clint Dempsey to put the USMNT on the board and erase all kinds of failures past. The first US forward to score at a World Cup since Brian McBride in 2002; check. Putting the US on the board first for only the second time in eight World Cup games; check. The fastest US goal in World Cup history; check. In fact, Deuce’s slick move off some one-two touch passing from DaMarcus Beasley and Jermaine Jones for the cool finish at the right post was the fifth-fastest goal in World Cup history.

US SURVIVE WITH LAST MEN STANDING: The elation turned to panic quickly, however, first when Jozy Altidore pulled up lame while chasing a long lead pass from Michael Bradley in the 21st minute and had to be stretchered off with a left hamstring strain. Then Matt Besler left at halftime with hamstring tightness. Add to that knocks to Geoff Cameron, Alejandro Bedoya and a bloody nose suffered by Dempsey in the 32nd minute. A hard-fought win, indeed. Good thing Besler’s replacement, John Anthony Brooks was…

THE NEWEST AMERICAN HERO: As the minutes ticked away, it looked like the US would have to share the points after Ghana’s Andre Ayew scored a beauty of an equalizer in the 82nd minute off a give-and-go with Asamoah Gyan. Just five minutes later, Brooks wrote himself into USMNT lore with a snap header off Graham Zusi’s corner kick that rocketed off the turf and into the net, clinching the victory for the US. Brooks’ inclusion on this roster was something of a controversy, but the 21-year-old Berlin native’s heroics will long be remembered.

HOLD YOUR BREATH AND LEARN TO EXHALE: This game was far harder than it looked. Following Dempsey’s shocking opener, the US sat back and absorbed wave after wave of Ghana attack and didn’t even register a second shot on goal until the 63rd minute. The Americans were battered and bruised by the Black Stars, whose athleticism shined through. But thanks to their terrific resiliency, the US finally slayed their World Cup dragon and won all three points – a perfect start in the Group of Death. With Germany's rout of Portugal, that gives the Americans an incredible opportunity on Sunday: If they’re healthy enough and fortunate enough to topple the equally hobbled Portuguese, they have a chance to all but guarantee passage to the knockout rounds. Do you believe that we will win?

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MAN OF THE MATCH: Jermaine Jones, USA. Yes, really. For all the criticism the midfield destroyer has received over his USMNT tenure for lack of discipline, the Frankfurt native played perhaps his best game in red, white and blue deployed on the left side of the midfield diamond. On transition, he fell back to a more centralized role alongside equally excellent Kyle Beckerman and turned in a cultured, smart performance, with timely tackling, fantastic positioning and smooth, short passing.

England defeat: Five issues for Roy Hodgson to address

What should the England manager do before the crucial game with Uruguay?

After losing to Italy in Manaus this Saturday, England must face up to the fact that they will almost certainly need to win both their remaining games if they are to qualify for the next round.

With Copa America winners Uruguay and tournament surprise package Costa Rica to come, Roy Hodgson does not face an easy task if he is to turn England's fortunes around.

Here we look at five issues the England boss needs to address...

1. Be bold, but not impetuous

Much was made of the fearlessness of England’s youth and the early shot from Raheem Sterling that flashed into the side-netting laid down a marker.

However, too many players were tempted to follow suit, especially as the match wore on and England became frustrated by the Azzurri’s deep defence. Gianluigi Buffon may have been absent but his replacement, Paris St Germain ‘keeper Salvatore Sirigu, is no mug and he made sure when he parried, as he did often, the rebound went well away from danger.

The Brazuca flies true, but too many of England’s shots were from unfeasible distances and taken when there were better passing options.

Better decision-making comes with maturity – Cristiano Ronaldo used to shoot whenever he could see the goal – but that takes time. For now Roy Hodgson has to find a way to temper his young guns’ impetuosity, while retaining their adventure.

2. Up the tempo in attack

Given the conditions in Manaus it was understandable both teams slowed the game down at times, but in the last half-hour, when Italy circled the wagons, England’s passing tempo was too slow.

They had good width, especially when Antonio Candreva’s departure enabled Leighton Baines to push on, but too often of their passing was sideways in direction and ponderous in execution.

England constantly recycled the ball in front of the Italian lines but too rarely sought to play it in behind them. Space was tight, but quick one-touch passing, allied to good movement, could have created chances.

Not that this was unexpected. Cesare Prandelli had his tactics spot on. He must have watched England against a ten-man Honduras in Miami a week prior and thought, ‘if they cannot get break them down, they will never open us up if we draw back’. He was right.