The most underrated aspect of the game: the holding midfielder. Every great team of this millennium had a superb holding midfielder that kept everything together.
In 2002, Brazil had Edmilson shielding the defence. The tenacious madman Gennaro Gattuso did the same for Italy in 2006. The mercurial Sergio Busquets AND Xabi Alonso (although he was also the playmaker) formed a double-pivot while the same happened with Germany in 2014 with the presence Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger in front of the defence.
And this time, Brazil have the elite presence of Casemiro. This is a player that has overseen Madrid win three Champions League titles in a row with him shielding the often porous Madrid defence.
For Brazil, he looks further disciplined as his superb positioning and covering sense has helped Brazil’s defence to stick together. His absence in the quarter-final is a big concern for Brazil but his team’s chances of winning the match with him on the pitch are always high.