The Austria defender was in the side who defeated Germany 2-1 and lost 3-0 to Brazil this month. He explains why the South American side look in far better World Cup shape

Germany and Brazil go into the World Cup as joint favourites and having played both over successive weekends I was able to take a close look at their preparations. What I saw was two teams at very different stages in their development.

We beat Germany 2-1 in a game that will be remembered for the return of Manuel Neuer from his long injury. His ability to play in the World Cup was in doubt, and in Germany there was great concern about the prospect of going into the tournament without him, but those worries vanished in the space of 90 minutes. He was their best player and their only real positive from the game.

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They started well and scored after a defensive mistake but then we woke up, started to press high up the pitch, and the game changed completely. We repeatedly won possession in their half, won a lot of battles, and then had success on the counterattack. We created many chances and should have scored more goals, and we were fit enough to keep up the pressure for 90 minutes. Germany should have been fitter in my opinion. They were heading for a tournament and we were heading for a holiday, so it was strange we were fitter and stronger.

Joachim Löw was experimenting a bit with his players – it was just before he named his 23-man squad – but on the pitch they weren’t holding back. Everyone wanted to perform otherwise they might have been dropped from the squad. But there’s no doubt Austria were the better side. Later that week we watched on television as they beat Saudi Arabia 2-1 in another poor performance.

One thing they have in their favour is that they are the reigning champions and they are always contenders, so they will go into the tournament with a lot of belief. They are capable of playing smart, confident football, with the relationship between Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira in central midfield particularly important.

I think a lot depends on the fitness of a handful of key players, including Jérôme Boateng, Thomas Müller and Marco Reus. With them, they are capable of having another great tournament. Beyond them the quality seriously declines and while a lot of their squad have potential they are not yet ready to compete at the highest level.

Brazil came into their game against us wanting to prove they are the No 1 contenders at the World Cup and they were seriously impressive. They were confident on the ball, very fit and had massive pace on the counterattack. We dealt with it quite well in the first half, when the one goal we conceded should have been disallowed for offside but in the second half we saw the difference between a world-class team and us, on the next level, trying hard to compete.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Philippe Coutinho scores for Brazil against Austria. Photograph: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters

We defended well in the opening period but in fairness their goal had been coming. Once they were ahead they became even more secure and confident. With Philippe Coutinho in midfield they had great mobility and it felt like they always had an extra player in key areas.

Neymar was extremely motivated, wanting to prove he can have a huge impact on the tournament, and the whole team performed as if they wanted to lay down a marker, to produce a performance good enough not just to win the game but also to intimidate World Cup opponents. When they made changes in the second half they brought on Fernandinho and Roberto Firmino, outstanding players and stars in the Premier League. As we started to tire, the gap between the teams got wider.

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Brazil’s attacking players always get the attention but they are definitely benefiting from having a very strong defence. As soon as they lose the ball, the whole team defend. That leaves their opponents with smaller gaps on the counterattack, less time on the ball and a reduced chance of success. They have a very strong team capable of playing very good football when they have possession and also defending very well when they lose it.

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To succeed against them you need to stop them playing. Press them high, close them down relentlessly and be very physical. If you attack their technical players, they don’t like it. Use all the dark arts to unsettle them – the accidental stamp on a foot or little kick to the legs. Be totally committed in the tackle. Brazil’s opponents will need to produce a very intense game, a very physical game, and when they win the ball they need to keep it, otherwise they will struggle.

I’ve seen them in perfect condition, and I’ve felt how hard it is to play against them. Brazil are going to be the team to beat this summer.