The State of Brazilian football en route & after 2014 World Cup

[War]

Brazil sack coach Mano Menezes - ESPN FC

Brazil FA in recent years have been sort of the like chelsea of international football. Sacking coaches every minute, they clearly are still searching for an identity.

 

[War]

Menezes firing puts Brazil back at square one - ESPN FC

BBC Sport - Brazil sack Mano Menezes as football bosses flex their muscles

 

[War]

BBC Sport - David Luiz midfield switch boosts Brazil's World Cup hopes

 

[Auwais]

Mexico played an adaptable back three/four at the last World Cup where Marquez stepped forward into midfield when necessary, the sort of role that would probably suit Luiz.

It would also give more protection to the likes of Alves and Marcelo, definitely something Scolari should be looking at.

 

[War]

Mexico played an adaptable back three/four at the last World Cup where Marquez stepped forward into midfield when necessary, the sort of role that would probably suit Luiz.

It would also give more protection to the likes of Alves and Marcelo, definitely something Scolari should be looking at.

Ye it might be the best decision for Brazil. Alves, Marcelo plus their back-ups rafael, adriano (maybe maicon) a so much better going forward that defending. Strong teams with deadly winger i can see seriously exposing that area unless they play 3 @ the back.

So i guess we are looking at:

------------------------------Diego Alves-------------------

------------Dede-------David Luiz--------Thiago Silva--------

Alves-------------Sandro------------Ramirez------------Marcelo

----------------------------Oscar------------------------------

---------------------Hulk-----------Neymar---------------------

 

[War]

BBC Sport - World Cup 2014: Scolari warming up for Brazil's biggest test

 

[War]

Defeat vs England obviously isn't the end of the world. But its just for me another example of how the team is still trying to find its best shape & style since they won the 2007 copa america.

Along with what is think is unimaginable media pressure for this team to win the world cup from its home supporters/media. England's media overhyped the 3 lions a lot in the past - but i reckon the brazil media has taken it to another level.

Gonna be an interesting 2013 for them..

 

[War]

BBC Sport - Tim Vickery column: Why Neymar is so happy to stay in Brazil

There is, perhaps, one key professional justification for staying put, and it has to do with the words of Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari after the loss to England. Scolari pointed out that the game came at a bad moment for those players who are based in Brazil, who, right at the start of the season, were not yet match fit.
In contrast, the England players and his own European-based contingent were in mid-season. But, added Scolari, the situation will be reversed when the sides meet again in Rio this June. Those based in Europe will have just finished a long campaign, while the domestic players will be in peak condition.

Plausible theory, but i would think the best Brazil team come the 2014 world cup, will be comprised of Europe based players. So they will be put through the same long season slog like their European counterparts.

 

[Auwais]

Neymar's really struggled whenever he's come up against an organised back-line, like in the latter stages of the Libertadores.

He needs to come up against these kinds of defences more often if he's going to improve as a player.

 

[Epic]

I've picked that up as well, the sooner he leaves, the better.

 

[War]

Neymar agent slams 'inferior' Pele - ESPN FC

Ha , having a dumb agent like that making such galling comments certainly isn't going to help Neymar.

 

[War]

Come in, No. 9? Brazil’s striker scarcity - ESPN FC

 

[Bevab]

Traditionally Brazil didn't have a lot of true No.9's in truth, two I can think of are Ronaldo and Romario. Aside from them, not a lot ring to my mind, a majority of all their forwards aren't the true center-forwards.

 

[War]

Ye, but i think Hulk is pretty dangerous as a striker.

In relation to the C-league 2day, I liked the looked of Felipe Santana today for Dortmund. Along with Dante, Brazil got two beast central defenders playing in the Bundesliga currently.

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Kaka back in Brazil squad but Ronaldinho left out - ESPN FC

Brazil:

Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Queens Park Rangers), Diego Cavalieri (Fluminense).

Defenders: Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Filipe Luis (Atletico de Madrid), David Luiz (Chelsea), Dede (Vasco da Gama), Dante (Bayern Munich), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain).

Midfielder: Paulinho (Corinthians), Ramires (Chelsea), Jean (Fluminense), Fernando (Gremio), Luiz Gustavo (Bayern Munich), Kaka (Real Madrid), Hernanes (Lazio), Oscar (Chelsea), Lucas (Paris Saint-Germain).

Forwards: Diego Costa (Atletico de Madrid), Neymar (Santos), Fred (Fluminense), Hulk (Zenit).

Smart decision to get rid of Ronaldinho & recall Kaka. Dino looked woeful vs England, but Kaka still has his uses @ Madrid & could be a key veteran player for them.

Rafael, Willian, Diego Alves & Felipe Santana unlucky to miss out though.

 

[spooony]

I'm not making this thread as a fan of Brazil, since i'm not. But like any football fan, I appreciate their historical significance in world football.

However now that Brazil have not won the Olympic gold that they clearly wanted badly, with a group a talented but massively hyped youngsters. Once expects their coach to be sacked, if they are true to form.

But what does this defeat really mean?. IMO it just continues along the trend ever since Brazil were knocked out in the 2006 WC quarter-finals/2007 Copa America win. Which is Brazil are searching for an identity without much luck.

Before their Olympics, BBC sports South American guru, Tim Vickery had an insightful article articulating this issue: Can Brazil rekindle their magic? - ESPN Soccernet



Essentially he painting the picture that since the 1974 world cup, Brazil have depended solely on natural great individual skill to win them games (Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Romario, Ronaldino, Kaka etc etc etc) and have moved away from the magic mid-field play of their legendary 1970 team - which Spain has coincidentally reverted to in their modern domination of world football.

So they are hoping the likes of Oscar, Ganson, Neymar, Lucas can be their registra and triquartista versions of Xavi, Pirlo, Xabi, Iniesta. Moving away from the period of hard tackling mid-fielders like Emmerson, Edu, Dunga, Gilberto Silva, Felipe Melo, Sandro, Julio Baptista

Fortunately for the Brazil clubs pocket and unfortunately for the world, they seems to have already accepted these young kids as the real deal, while conveniently ignoring these dynamics of Brazil's decline,. The money Chelsea and PSG have thrown at Oscar and Lucas is stunning leap of fate and if Neymar and Leandro follow suite to Europe its crazy to think how much they will cost too.

The pressure Oscar and Lucas will be crazy in the next two years - if they don't star up at Chelsea and PSG.

If they can live up and you add experienced players like Julio Cesar, Alves, David Luiz, Ramires, Lucas Leiva Andre Santos or Adriano Corriea at left-back - the team can certainly be very strong. On paper it may be then come 2014, they may be the team best equipped to stop Spain:

---------------------------------Julio Cesar--------------------------

Alves---------Thiago Silva-----David Luiz-----Marcelo/Santos/Adrianno

------------------Sandro------------Lucas/Ramirez------------------

-------------------------------Oscar------------------------------

Hulk------------------------Leandro-----------------Neymar-------

But clearly the time is very short and this Olympics defeat would have clearly hindered that and if they don't win the Confederations Cup next year, then i think world would need to stop treating Brazilian talent its still the most unique commodity in world football.

Good god that Brazilian left thank was exploited to bits in Copa America. Alves not much of a guy who knows positioning, David Luiz at CB oemf!

South Americans tend to see the system as a 4-4-2 diamond (or 4-3-1-2), in Europe the shape was widely described as a 4-2-3-1. Brazil need someone able to consistently overlap down the left. Brazil is a country where to win is not enough, you have to win with style.