Following Bayern and BVB Success, Germany on Track for Glory in World Cup 2014

Spain have dominated international football in recent years, winning the last two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup. But the tides have turned as of late.

Instead of a Champions League Clasico final between Real Madrid and Barcelona in 2013, fans were treated to a riveting "Klassiker" between Bundesliga sides Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. And the events at Wembley that day may have ushered in a new era.

Heading into the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Germany will be favorites to lift the trophy.

Individually, Joachim Low's side has changed very little from that which suffered a shock defeat to Italy in the Euro 2012 semifinals. But the individuals who made up the youngest side to compete in Poland and Ukraine have changed drastically.

At Euro 2012, Low had a squad that still lacked confidence and experience. Marco Reus had never played international football at club level and was not trusted to start. Mats Hummels played a brilliant tournament before the semifinal, but he—like Ilkay Gundogan and Mario Gotze—was part of a Dortmund side that failed in the Champions League. 

Germany's Bayern backbone entered the tournament demoralized, having finished runners-up in three competitions. Bastian Schweinsteiger was not fully fit following an ankle injury, Thomas Muller was out of form, and Toni Kroos sulked all month as he sat on the bench. Holger Badstuber and Jerome Boateng were absolute flops.

Heading into 2014, Low is expected to use almost exactly the same squad that he took to Poland and Ukraine. But his best 23 will be vastly improved based on the events that have taken place since 2012.

Having claimed Champions League glory in 2013, Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm are no longer "nearly men." The Germany captain and vice-captain can expect to be full of confidence next summer, as will the likes of Manuel Neuer and Muller as they enter the prime of their respective careers. Even Boateng, long a colossal flop in the biggest games, has a chance to break into the Germany XI following an outstanding performance in Saturday's final.

What's more, Bayern's opposites in black and yellow have stepped up since 2012.

Gundogan and Reus were outstanding all season, especially in the Champions League and its final. They are, unequivocally, big-game players. The latter was a substitute at Euro 2012, but he has since usurped Lukas Podolski's starting position on the left wing and will be a considerable improvement.

It's worth nothing that, individually, the 22-year-old Gundogan played a better game on Saturday than Schweinsteiger has in any final during his career. This bodes well for the future of the Gelsenkirchen native as he looks to claim a spot in the starting lineup, perhaps in place of Sami Khedira. At the very least, he's a more positionally appropriate backup for Schweinsteiger than Kroos was a year ago.

Looking through the Germany lineup from Euro 2012, the only position in any serious question is that of the centre forward.

Despite scoring three goals in the group stage, Mario Gomez was a poor fit in the team and saw the bench in the knockout rounds. Miroslav Klose, his stand-in, will turn 36 during the tournament and has become prone to injury in recent years.

Low has experimented with Mario Gotze as his central striker as of late, and the 20-year-old did not disappoint in his last two outings. Whether Pep Guardiola will deploy Gotze as a striker upon his arrival at Bayern is still uncertain, as are Low's intentions.

But if Gotze continues his meteoric rise, which thus far has paralleled that of Lionel Messi, there is no way he will miss out on a starting spot next summer.

The striker position may be still somewhat uncertain for Germany, but Low currently has the best talent pool in the world available, and he's facing fewer problems than any of his peers.

For example, Spain are among the leading contenders for success in Brazil, but Xavi and Carles Puyol will be in their mid-30s before the World Cup begins. Xabi Alonso and David Villa are already past their best and will both be 32. Whether their successors will be able to replicate their success is still very much in question.

Similarly, Brazil will have home-field advantage and strength in attack and central defense, but they are lacking defensive quality on the flanks and class in goal and central midfield. And considering their players represent a high number of clubs from several different leagues and multiple continents, that will also serve as a hindrance to their success.

Come the summer of 2014, the Germany squad will not look very different from that which featured at Euro 2012. But they will bring confidence and experience from the club level and a greater degree of maturity and quality than they did in Poland and Ukraine.

Whereas most of their competitors have regressed, Die Mannschaft have only improved. They will surely be favorites in 2014, and they could well remain the team to beat for years to come.

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