Brazil 1970 captain Carlos Alberto critical of Mano Menezes's revolving door selections

Carlos Alberto, the right back who scored the memorable fourth goal against Italy in the 1970 World Cup final, announced his belief that Mano Menezes has introduced too much variability to the Brazilian national team. Alberto, the captain of the legendary Brazil World Cup squad of 1970, noted that no one knows the line-up of the Brazilian team from match to match and that the coach and the CBF need to rotate the squad in a more gradual, systematic fashion. Carlos Alberto's remarks reignite the debate about Mano's performance as coach and whether the Selecao is headed in the right direction toward a World Cup victory in 2014. Speaking at a the Soccerex European business forum on April 1, Alberto remarked:

"We have a very good generation of players now, it is a new team, but to win the World Cup you need experience too.

Spain have showed that to everyone and Germany also have young players but they have the experience now because they have played at one World Cup. In my opinion, we should have the team now... but the coach and the federation are changing the team in every game and I do not agree with this.

We should have one team, maybe change one player or another player. Ask anyone in Brazil to name the lineup of the Brazilian team, nobody knows... so we are wasting time.

We are confident we are going to have a good team for the World Cup with players like Neymar, Lucas, David Luiz, Pato, we have a team for the next two World Cups. But I am afraid they are not getting the experience."

Alberto’s comments echo a "Bringing Back the Beautiful Game" article about inconsistencies in Mano’s midfield titled "Brazil's Midfield Under Mano Menezes". The midfield aside, the most glaring squad selection inconsistency concerns the team’s strike partnership. Mano has rotated Neymar, Robinho, Pato, Leandro Damiao, Nilmar, Coutinho, Ronaldinho, Andre, The Hulk and Renato Augusto with no semblance of coherence or stability. That said, no one can say with confidence who amongst these players can put the ball in the back of the net at the international level on a consistent basis against some of the best defenders in the world. Pato and Neymar are the obvious candidates but this partnership has yet to gel and demonstrate results. The Hulk’s splendid form at Porto renders him an attractive candidate for a three pronged attack. The Hulk certainly has the presence to muscle through defenders in a way that transcends the capabilities of Neymar and Pato. Leandro Damiao constitutes yet another wild card that Mano may elect to play in the event of injuries or an efflorescence of form from the young Internacional striker.

Brazil Defeats Iran 3-0: Samba Stars Shine in Abu Dhabi

Brazil defeated Iran 3-0 today in an international friendly at the Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi in the first soccer match-up between the two nations. Goals from Dani Alves, Alexander Pato and Nilmar secured the victory for the Selecao and handed debutante coach Mano Menezes his second consecutive victory at the helm of the Brazilian national football team. Iran striker Mohammad Gholami appeared to open the scoring in the fifth minute but his goal was disallowed for a foul. Nine minutes later, Alexander Pato's sprint toward goal drew a foul that earned Brazil a direct free kick on goal 35 yards from the net. Dani Alves opened the scoring with a spectacular free kick, curling the ball into the upper left corner of the net with a wicked swerving ball that gave goalkeeper Seyed Mahdi Rahmati absolutely no chance. Minutes later, Robinho and Pato managed to collectively strike the post and shoot wide after some nifty combination work imposed pressure on the Iranian defense that should have doubled Brazil's lead by the 20th minute. Iran's Javad Nekounam had a shot cleared off the goal line by Ramires in the 46th minute but from then on, Brazil began to dominate play and impose their possession game on their less experienced opponents. Pato finally found the back of the net in the 69th minute after surging through the center of the defense in trademark fashion and burying the ball in the center of the roof of the net with clinical precision and power. Substitute Nilmar threatened goalkeeper Rahmati multiple times in the remaining 10 minutes of the game until a pass from Andre Santos on the left wing found the Villareal striker lurking at the right corner with perfect timing and balance to direct the ball into the top left corner for a well deserved 3-0 Brazil victory.

Overall, this was a great result for Mano, who played Carlos Eduardo in the attacking midfield position behind Robinho, Pato and Philippe Coutinho. We saw Alexander Pato surge forward from deep positions and assert his authority as the lone, pure striker in dramatic fashion that recalled the brilliance of his compatriot Ronaldo in his days at Barcelona. The match also marked the ascension of Dani Alves to the free kick throne formerly held by Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo. The Barcelona star's sublime 14th minute free kick focused the Brazilians after some scrappy play in the opening few minutes of the game and gave the Selecao the boost they needed to carve out a victory in the sweltering Abu Dhabi heat.

Brazil's training camp in Spain continues Mano's philosophy of "renovation"

Brazil coach Mano Menezes's choice of a Europe based, young squad for a training camp in Spain from September 2 through September 8, 2010 underscores his commitment to seeking out new talent for the the 2011 Copa America, 2012 London Summer Olympics and the 2014 World Cup. Unable to organize a high level friendly, the CBF opted instead for the Selecao to train together intensely for 6 days.

Despite summoning new talent for the second straight occasion as coach, Mano reiterated his interest in bringing back many of the players who played in the 2010 World Cup at a subsequent date:

“It would be tiring to take players from Brazil in the middle of the Brasileirao. I always said that we would have a moment in which we would call-up more players that were in the last World Cup. I think this will happen more in the next year. In this initial period, we will have more new players.”

The squad for the training camp in Europe features the following players:

Goalkeepers: Diego (Almeria), Gomes (Tottenham)

Defenders: Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Rafael (Manchester United), Thiago Silva (Milan), David Luiz (Benfica), Henrique (Racing Santander), Alex (Chelsea), Andre Santos (Fenerbahçe), Marcelo (Real Madrid)

Midfielders: Sandro (Tottenham), Ramires (Chelsea), Hernanes (Lazio), Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk), Douglas Costa (Shakhtar Donetsk), Lucas (Liverpool), Philippe Coutinho (Inter), Carlos Eduardo (Hoffenheim)

Forwards: Alexandre Pato (Milan), Andre (Dynamo Kiev), Hulk (Porto), Robinho (Manchester City)

Amongst the more interesting inclusions are the young Phillipe Coutinho of Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur's recent signing, Sandro.