Brazilian football currently stands at its lowest moment since Paulo Falcao assumed the responsibility of coach of the Brazilian team after the 1990 World Cup, roughly 20 years ago. Ronaldo has retired, Ronaldinho's career appears to be at a sunset after his move from AC Milan to Flamengo, Kaka has yet to find his form, and the Brazilian midfield continues to lack a quality player of the caliber of Socrates, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Leonardo or Kaka. Mano Menezes introduced new blood into the Selecao after their disgraceful performance at the 2010 World Cup, but the team has yet to gel and display any signs of coherence in five performances.
Mano's midfield selections in the friendlies since he has taken over the responsibility of coach are as follows:
Brazil v. France: Lucas, Elias, Hernanes and Renato Augusto
Brazil v. Argentina: Lucas, Elias, Ronaldinho and Ramires
Brazil v. Ukraine: Lucas, Elias, Ramires, Carlos Eduardo
Brazil v. Iran: Lucas, Ramires, Carlos Eduardo
Brazil v USA: Lucas, Ramires, Ganso
Experimentation is good a thing, and if there's ever a moment to give promising young players experience in the yellow jersey, the time is now. As Mano noted in an interview following the loss to Argentina, Brazil needs to start thinking about a midfield without Kaka and Ronaldinho. That said, Brazilian fans should start demanding one of two things: (1) clearer delineations of midfield responsibility such as the way Dunga had Gilberto Silva take charge of the hard tackling, while Kaka and Elano orchestrated the more creative attacks; or (2) a more explicit commitment to the total football of the 1970s where the midfielders, and players at large, assumed multiple roles and switched positions with one another as the game dictated.
Up front, Brazil has considerable problems as well. While Pato and Robinho are blossoming into quality strikers, they have yet to find their form on the world stage and lack the understanding between one another that should develop from their time together at AC Milan. Meanwhile, Brazil's left back position needs further review as Andre Santos has done well, except in the latter two games against Argentina and France. Against Argentina, in particular, Santos was responsible for freeing Ezequiel Lavezzi to set up Lionel Messi's last minute goal.
The one bright note in Brazilian football concerns the U-20 side's breathtaking South American U-20 championship performance where they emerged as champions. Ney Franco's team demolished Uruguay 6-0 in the final match to take first place and guarantee an Olympic berth and spot in the World U-20 Cup finals. Neymar scored a record 9 goals for the tournament, Sao Paulo starlet Lucas scored 4 goals and Casemiro, also of Sao Paulo, scored 3 goals while serving as both a rock and architect of attacking plays in his midfield position.
While we applaud Mano's commitment to rebuilding a new squad without looking back on the old, we feel the time has come for a more focused midfield formation that, like any good midfield, can create chances for goals and score goals. Brazil has started to rely in excess on the overlapping fullbacks to create goal scoring opportunities and allowed the midfield to stagnate. The midfield must gel first and then allow the fullbacks to express themselves. Maybe the answer will come from Brazilian based players in the form of Paulo Henrique Ganso or Sao Paulo's Lucas and Casemiro.
Showing posts with label Dunga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dunga. Show all posts
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Ronaldo of Brazil: The Retirement of the First Global Sports Hero of All Time
Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo announced his retirement from professional football on February 14, 2011, citing difficulties maintaining his body and hypothyroidism, a medical condition which made it difficult for him to maintain an optimal weight.
Where will Ronaldo find his nest after retiring from professional football? Questions such as these about Ronaldo’s future hover like a ghost around the Brazilian legend's decision to retire in the wake of harassment from Corinthians fans because of the club's February 2 exit from the Copa Libertadores. After retirement, Ronaldo’s Selecao teammates Romario and Bebeto found careers in coaching, club management and, most recently, politics. Correspondingly, 1994 World Cup winners Dunga and Jorginho went on to coach one of the most tactically aware and defensively robust Brazil sides of all time. Right winger Leonardo coached AC Milan with considerable success from 2009-2010 and has transformed Inter Milan radically since taking over as coach in late December 2010.
Ronaldo has said little about his post-retirement plans but one senses he is less likely to pursue a career in coaching and more inclined to contribute to football in an advisory capacity for club teams or as a commentator on the game. As a global symbol of peace, goodwill and human rights for the United Nations at various moments during his career, Ronaldo may well end up following Romario and Bebeto in furthering causes for justice and the well-being of children worldwide, whether in politics or the non-profit sector. With respect to football, Ronaldo has professed an interest in remaining involved with his former club Real Madrid in an advisory role, and one would expect that he will continue to maintain close ties to Corinthians in subsequent years. But in all this, the question about Ronaldo’s retirement and attendant plans engages the fate of one of the first truly transnational sports heroes of all time.
Ronaldo rapidly became a symbol of goodwill and sportsmanship to generations of football fans all over the world. In the mid-1990s, his goal scoring feats and slalom runs catalyzed a renaissance of interest in the game that coincided with its emerging popularity in the United States and Asia. And most importantly, Ronaldo became the first truly global sports hero that men and women all over the world admired, shared and loved, beginning with his sublime goal a game ratio at Barcelona and Inter Milan, to his heart wrenching struggles with knee injuries, back to the glory of his 2002 World Cup victory and two goals against Germany in the final. Pele was never truly a global hero because he played in a historical moment that was not wired in quite the same way as the world is today with Google, YouTube and soccer websites and discussion boards in almost every language. Maradona had few fans amongst English football supporters and his greatness was ultimately eclipsed by his decline into cocaine addiction and alcoholism. Romario paved the way for the concept of a global super-hero, but his cat-like prowess around the goal mouth paled in comparison to Ronaldo’s almost superhuman speed, strength, dribbling ability and power. Moreover, the peak years of Romario’s career coincided with the dawn of the consumer internet era as opposed to the conjunction of the peak of Ronaldo's fame with the lightning fast proliferation of internet technologies across the globe.
Add to all this the manner in which football enjoys a global popularity that trumps basketball, tennis and golf, it becomes easy to understand how Ronaldo crossed national, class, generational and gender boundaries more so than Bruce Lee, Michael Jordan, Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. His fame ushered in the conditions of possibility for a transnational sports hero embraced by fans all over the entire globe. In terms of fame and global power as a cultural icon, only Michael Jackson and Madonna bear him comparison. While soccer historians would do well to begin cataloguing Ronaldo’s dizzying array of goals and records, cultural historians should take stock of the way in which Ronaldo elevated sport in general, and football in particular, to a global language with the power to galvanize audiences in all corners of the entire world. Messi stands on Ronaldo’s shoulders because his circulation in the world of contemporary popular culture derives from Ronaldo’s unprecedented, organic creation of the concept of a truly global sports hero for the very first time.
The above article features a post-February 14, 2011 update to the original December 4 posting.
Where will Ronaldo find his nest after retiring from professional football? Questions such as these about Ronaldo’s future hover like a ghost around the Brazilian legend's decision to retire in the wake of harassment from Corinthians fans because of the club's February 2 exit from the Copa Libertadores. After retirement, Ronaldo’s Selecao teammates Romario and Bebeto found careers in coaching, club management and, most recently, politics. Correspondingly, 1994 World Cup winners Dunga and Jorginho went on to coach one of the most tactically aware and defensively robust Brazil sides of all time. Right winger Leonardo coached AC Milan with considerable success from 2009-2010 and has transformed Inter Milan radically since taking over as coach in late December 2010.
Ronaldo has said little about his post-retirement plans but one senses he is less likely to pursue a career in coaching and more inclined to contribute to football in an advisory capacity for club teams or as a commentator on the game. As a global symbol of peace, goodwill and human rights for the United Nations at various moments during his career, Ronaldo may well end up following Romario and Bebeto in furthering causes for justice and the well-being of children worldwide, whether in politics or the non-profit sector. With respect to football, Ronaldo has professed an interest in remaining involved with his former club Real Madrid in an advisory role, and one would expect that he will continue to maintain close ties to Corinthians in subsequent years. But in all this, the question about Ronaldo’s retirement and attendant plans engages the fate of one of the first truly transnational sports heroes of all time.
Ronaldo rapidly became a symbol of goodwill and sportsmanship to generations of football fans all over the world. In the mid-1990s, his goal scoring feats and slalom runs catalyzed a renaissance of interest in the game that coincided with its emerging popularity in the United States and Asia. And most importantly, Ronaldo became the first truly global sports hero that men and women all over the world admired, shared and loved, beginning with his sublime goal a game ratio at Barcelona and Inter Milan, to his heart wrenching struggles with knee injuries, back to the glory of his 2002 World Cup victory and two goals against Germany in the final. Pele was never truly a global hero because he played in a historical moment that was not wired in quite the same way as the world is today with Google, YouTube and soccer websites and discussion boards in almost every language. Maradona had few fans amongst English football supporters and his greatness was ultimately eclipsed by his decline into cocaine addiction and alcoholism. Romario paved the way for the concept of a global super-hero, but his cat-like prowess around the goal mouth paled in comparison to Ronaldo’s almost superhuman speed, strength, dribbling ability and power. Moreover, the peak years of Romario’s career coincided with the dawn of the consumer internet era as opposed to the conjunction of the peak of Ronaldo's fame with the lightning fast proliferation of internet technologies across the globe.
Add to all this the manner in which football enjoys a global popularity that trumps basketball, tennis and golf, it becomes easy to understand how Ronaldo crossed national, class, generational and gender boundaries more so than Bruce Lee, Michael Jordan, Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. His fame ushered in the conditions of possibility for a transnational sports hero embraced by fans all over the entire globe. In terms of fame and global power as a cultural icon, only Michael Jackson and Madonna bear him comparison. While soccer historians would do well to begin cataloguing Ronaldo’s dizzying array of goals and records, cultural historians should take stock of the way in which Ronaldo elevated sport in general, and football in particular, to a global language with the power to galvanize audiences in all corners of the entire world. Messi stands on Ronaldo’s shoulders because his circulation in the world of contemporary popular culture derives from Ronaldo’s unprecedented, organic creation of the concept of a truly global sports hero for the very first time.
The above article features a post-February 14, 2011 update to the original December 4 posting.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Flashback: The Magic of Ronaldo
Brazil 2-Germany 1. International Friendly. Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany. March 25, 1998.
Weeks before the first World Cup ever to be held in France, football superpowers Brazil and Germany squared off in a friendly at the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium in Stuttgart, Germany. Mario Zagallo fielded a star studded squad that epitomized yet another golden age in Brazilian football. Zagallo started Claudio Taffarel in goal, Cafu, Junior Baiano, Aldair, Roberto Carlos in defense, Dunga and Cesar Sampaio in central midfield, Denilson and Rivaldo as attacking midfielders, and Romario and Ronaldo near the mouth of goal. The veteran Brazil coach opted for a 4-2-2-2 formation given the ultra-attacking firepower at his disposal, with Bebeto on the bench and the up and coming prodigy, Denilson de Oliveira, wearing the number 10 jersey.
Berti Vogts's German team boasted their own share of household names including Jurgen Klinsmann, Andreas Moller, Oliver Bierhoff, Jurgen Kohler and Christian Ziege. The match against Germany marked one of Brazil’s final stops on their Nike Brazil World Tour of friendlies before France 1998, and the stadium was packed with fans anxious to see the home team clash with the boys in gold and blue despite near freezing temperatures. Fans all over the world, meanwhile, awaited with baited breath yet another rare glimpse of the "Ro Ro" strike partnership between Romario and Ronaldo, two of the most brilliant marksman in the history of football.
The game started scrappily at first. Both teams attacked down the center of the pitch, with direct end to end play and a go for goal attitude toward the game. The Germans didn’t hesitate to use the time honored strategy of fouling the Brazilians whenever they started to break in midfield. Dietmar Hamann repeatedly stopped Denilson in his tracks as he attempted to burst down the left side and Jurgen Kohler confirmed his reputation as one of the best man markers in Europe by shadowing Ronaldo deep into the center circle and fouling the 1996 and 1997 World Player of the year precisely as he received the ball and turned and darted toward the German goal. Klinsmann, Bierhoff and Moller threatened on the counter-attack and, on the whole, the Germans did a fantastic job of containing some highly skillful opponents by allowing Romario and Ronaldo only a handful of scant touches on the ball.
Against the run of play, Cesar Sampaio scored on a header from a corner kick in the 27th minute with what he later called the “shoulder of God”. But from here on, the rough play continued even though Brazil started to string together more passes as Ronaldo, Romario, Rivaldo and Denilson began to collectively swarm towards goal. Minutes before the half time whistle, Jurgen Kohler committed a studs up foul on Cafu and promptly earned a red card from referee David Elleray. Kohler’s ejection appeared to make it curtains for Germany, trailing 1-0 and down a man against the best ball possession team in the world. But Brazil captain Dunga made matters more interesting when he correspondingly received a red card for a late challenge on Ulf Kirsten. Within ten minutes of Dunga’s ejection, Germany displayed their hallowed tradition of coming from behind as Ulf Kirsten toe poked an equalizer in the 65th minute following some lax Brazilian defending.
Now, it was 10 versus 10 and anyone’s game. Germany pressed forward as the home team, but in the game’s dying minutes, Ronaldo’s magic sealed the game for Brazil. Roberto Carlos picked up Moller’s misplaced pass and burst down the left flank. Seeing the German team caught up field, he delivered a magnificent diagonal through ball to Ronaldo who had retreated to his team’s center circle arc and followed every inch of Moller’s misplaced play. Like a sprinter out of the blocks, Ronaldo exploded forward, eyeing the ball like a hawk, out-muscling a pair of defenders and using his speed and balance to power himself into the box. The Brazilian ace sidestepped goalkeeper Andreas Koepke and tucked the ball into the back of the net with his characteristic composure in front of goal. After appearing invisible for much of the game, Ronaldo finally displayed his trademark explosive pace and ability to power through defenses. His goal marked an extraordinary finish to an otherwise scrappy but hard fought game marked by 2 red cards and 6 yellows, with both Brazil and Germany anxious to send some messages to the global football community prior to France 1998.
Weeks before the first World Cup ever to be held in France, football superpowers Brazil and Germany squared off in a friendly at the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium in Stuttgart, Germany. Mario Zagallo fielded a star studded squad that epitomized yet another golden age in Brazilian football. Zagallo started Claudio Taffarel in goal, Cafu, Junior Baiano, Aldair, Roberto Carlos in defense, Dunga and Cesar Sampaio in central midfield, Denilson and Rivaldo as attacking midfielders, and Romario and Ronaldo near the mouth of goal. The veteran Brazil coach opted for a 4-2-2-2 formation given the ultra-attacking firepower at his disposal, with Bebeto on the bench and the up and coming prodigy, Denilson de Oliveira, wearing the number 10 jersey.
Berti Vogts's German team boasted their own share of household names including Jurgen Klinsmann, Andreas Moller, Oliver Bierhoff, Jurgen Kohler and Christian Ziege. The match against Germany marked one of Brazil’s final stops on their Nike Brazil World Tour of friendlies before France 1998, and the stadium was packed with fans anxious to see the home team clash with the boys in gold and blue despite near freezing temperatures. Fans all over the world, meanwhile, awaited with baited breath yet another rare glimpse of the "Ro Ro" strike partnership between Romario and Ronaldo, two of the most brilliant marksman in the history of football.
The game started scrappily at first. Both teams attacked down the center of the pitch, with direct end to end play and a go for goal attitude toward the game. The Germans didn’t hesitate to use the time honored strategy of fouling the Brazilians whenever they started to break in midfield. Dietmar Hamann repeatedly stopped Denilson in his tracks as he attempted to burst down the left side and Jurgen Kohler confirmed his reputation as one of the best man markers in Europe by shadowing Ronaldo deep into the center circle and fouling the 1996 and 1997 World Player of the year precisely as he received the ball and turned and darted toward the German goal. Klinsmann, Bierhoff and Moller threatened on the counter-attack and, on the whole, the Germans did a fantastic job of containing some highly skillful opponents by allowing Romario and Ronaldo only a handful of scant touches on the ball.
Against the run of play, Cesar Sampaio scored on a header from a corner kick in the 27th minute with what he later called the “shoulder of God”. But from here on, the rough play continued even though Brazil started to string together more passes as Ronaldo, Romario, Rivaldo and Denilson began to collectively swarm towards goal. Minutes before the half time whistle, Jurgen Kohler committed a studs up foul on Cafu and promptly earned a red card from referee David Elleray. Kohler’s ejection appeared to make it curtains for Germany, trailing 1-0 and down a man against the best ball possession team in the world. But Brazil captain Dunga made matters more interesting when he correspondingly received a red card for a late challenge on Ulf Kirsten. Within ten minutes of Dunga’s ejection, Germany displayed their hallowed tradition of coming from behind as Ulf Kirsten toe poked an equalizer in the 65th minute following some lax Brazilian defending.
Now, it was 10 versus 10 and anyone’s game. Germany pressed forward as the home team, but in the game’s dying minutes, Ronaldo’s magic sealed the game for Brazil. Roberto Carlos picked up Moller’s misplaced pass and burst down the left flank. Seeing the German team caught up field, he delivered a magnificent diagonal through ball to Ronaldo who had retreated to his team’s center circle arc and followed every inch of Moller’s misplaced play. Like a sprinter out of the blocks, Ronaldo exploded forward, eyeing the ball like a hawk, out-muscling a pair of defenders and using his speed and balance to power himself into the box. The Brazilian ace sidestepped goalkeeper Andreas Koepke and tucked the ball into the back of the net with his characteristic composure in front of goal. After appearing invisible for much of the game, Ronaldo finally displayed his trademark explosive pace and ability to power through defenses. His goal marked an extraordinary finish to an otherwise scrappy but hard fought game marked by 2 red cards and 6 yellows, with both Brazil and Germany anxious to send some messages to the global football community prior to France 1998.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Neymar, Ganso, Robinho and Pato Lead the New Brazil to Victory
Brazil produced a scintillating display of one touch passing and attacking football in a 2-0 victory over team USA. In his first game as coach of the Brazilian national football team, Mano Menezes opted to give the uncapped Ganso the famed number 10 jersey while assigning the hallowed number 11 and 7 shirts to wingers Neymar and Robinho respectively, with number 9 going to AC Milan striker Alexander Pato. Mano chose a 4-2-3-1 formation with Andre Santos, David Luiz, Thiago Silva and Dani Alves in defense, followed by Ramires and Lucas as defensive midfielders, Neymar, Ganso and Robinho as the attacking midfield trio and Pato in the role of the lone target striker.
Football aficionados and casual fans alike saw a young Brazilian team find each other, maintain possession of the ball and create dangerous scoring opportunities from every inch of the field. Gone was Dunga's strategy of keeping eight men behind the ball and bursting forward with lightning speed on the counter-attack. Similarly, Mario Zagallo and Luiz Felipe Scolari's formulaic strategy of attacking down the flanks with players such as Roberto Carlos and Cafu, and a predominantly defensive midfield, rapidly became history.The Brazilian team went back to their roots in one touch passing, maintaining possession and creating opportunities to score wherever they presented itself.
Neymar and Robinho exchanged places on the left and right flanks throughout the game and similarly, Ganso followed the attack on both flanks and through the center. Ganso approached his wingers whenever they needed help and shadowed left back Andre Santos as he came forward and contributed to the Brazilian attack. The 18 year old Neymar, however, was the real star of the game, tearing down the left flank and then coming into the center, finding Andre Santo's cross from the left corner and burying the ball in the bottom left corner of the net with his head to score the first goal in the 29th minute. The second goal featured Ganso going forward, deep into the heart of the U.S. midfield, calmly passing to Ramires who in turn found Alexander Pato. Pato rounded the keeper and tucked the ball into the back of the net in the 46th minute with a degree of poise that recalled his compatriot Ronaldo's composure in side-stepping keepers as a starlet in Europe. Robinho played a phenomenal game in the captain's arm-band, appearing on the left to support Neymar and Ganso in various moments and facilitating the attack on the right side of the pitch with Ramires, Lucas and Dani Alves as well.
Brazil's possession and passing were simply magnificent. Minutes flew by in the second half when Bob Bradley's team obtained possession only in the event of a Brazilian give-away or an inadvertent foul that lead to a rare U.S. set piece. Admittedly, Brazil could have made more of their scoring opportunities but critics should keep in mind it was the first game both for the coach and many of the players, away from home, in a stadium packed with 77,223 fans. In the second half, Mano brought on substitutes Hernanes, Carlos Eduardo, Jucilei, Andre and Diego Tardelli but the fluidity and pace of the game hardly changed a blink.
Bob Bradley and the U.S. soccer federation, meanwhile, encountered the familiar problem of getting a U.S. striker involved in a high percentage scoring play, let alone scoring a goal. Brazil neutralized a strong U.S. midfield and came close to scoring a third goal on at least 3-4 occasions. Mano and the CBF are off to a promising start while Sunil Gulati and the U.S. Soccer Federation, conversely, have much thinking to do about the upcoming path for the U.S. national team.
Football aficionados and casual fans alike saw a young Brazilian team find each other, maintain possession of the ball and create dangerous scoring opportunities from every inch of the field. Gone was Dunga's strategy of keeping eight men behind the ball and bursting forward with lightning speed on the counter-attack. Similarly, Mario Zagallo and Luiz Felipe Scolari's formulaic strategy of attacking down the flanks with players such as Roberto Carlos and Cafu, and a predominantly defensive midfield, rapidly became history.The Brazilian team went back to their roots in one touch passing, maintaining possession and creating opportunities to score wherever they presented itself.
Neymar and Robinho exchanged places on the left and right flanks throughout the game and similarly, Ganso followed the attack on both flanks and through the center. Ganso approached his wingers whenever they needed help and shadowed left back Andre Santos as he came forward and contributed to the Brazilian attack. The 18 year old Neymar, however, was the real star of the game, tearing down the left flank and then coming into the center, finding Andre Santo's cross from the left corner and burying the ball in the bottom left corner of the net with his head to score the first goal in the 29th minute. The second goal featured Ganso going forward, deep into the heart of the U.S. midfield, calmly passing to Ramires who in turn found Alexander Pato. Pato rounded the keeper and tucked the ball into the back of the net in the 46th minute with a degree of poise that recalled his compatriot Ronaldo's composure in side-stepping keepers as a starlet in Europe. Robinho played a phenomenal game in the captain's arm-band, appearing on the left to support Neymar and Ganso in various moments and facilitating the attack on the right side of the pitch with Ramires, Lucas and Dani Alves as well.
Brazil's possession and passing were simply magnificent. Minutes flew by in the second half when Bob Bradley's team obtained possession only in the event of a Brazilian give-away or an inadvertent foul that lead to a rare U.S. set piece. Admittedly, Brazil could have made more of their scoring opportunities but critics should keep in mind it was the first game both for the coach and many of the players, away from home, in a stadium packed with 77,223 fans. In the second half, Mano brought on substitutes Hernanes, Carlos Eduardo, Jucilei, Andre and Diego Tardelli but the fluidity and pace of the game hardly changed a blink.
Bob Bradley and the U.S. soccer federation, meanwhile, encountered the familiar problem of getting a U.S. striker involved in a high percentage scoring play, let alone scoring a goal. Brazil neutralized a strong U.S. midfield and came close to scoring a third goal on at least 3-4 occasions. Mano and the CBF are off to a promising start while Sunil Gulati and the U.S. Soccer Federation, conversely, have much thinking to do about the upcoming path for the U.S. national team.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Carlos Dunga's letter of resignation to Ricardo Teixeira: July 5, 2010
Carlos Dunga wrote an extraordinary resignation letter to Ricardo Teixeira, President of the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF), on July 5, just three days after Brazil's elimination from the South Africa 2010 World Cup by the Netherlands in a 2-1 quarterfinal defeat. Before the World Cup, Dunga had said that he would resign from his coaching duties for the national team whether Brazil won the World Cup or otherwise. In various moments, he complained that the media pressure was intense, vicious and unrelenting. But his letter to Ricardo Teixeira reveals a change of heart as he recounts an impressive list of accomplishments and then notes: "I can only abide by your decision, because, like it or not, it is not my place to question it." Dunga's resignation letter indirectly refers to completing the mission that he began and concurrently reveals his love of the players and their fight, determination and commitment to the Brazilian national football team.
The full text of the translated letter, as published by Globoesporte, is below:
July 5, 2010
Dear Mr. President,
Respectfully, I come to you, first, to renew my thanks for your trust and autonomy, which, without doubt, allowed me, for the four years of services to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), to develop, alongside the other members of the technical committee, my attributions and inherent functions of the job of coach of the Brazilian national team.
Sadly, the title of the 2010 World Cup was not conquered, but you can be assured by me, my loyal assistant Jorginho, all the other competent and dedicated professionals without exception, and mainly, the untiring and valuable 90 players that have served the national team during the preparation period, especially the 23 that have participated in the campaign in South Africa, that there was no lack of drive, donation, work, dedication and commitment in search of the title, in symphony with the goals previously set by you.
Evidently, since the beginning, by occasion of my signing, it was not, and it could not be assured the sixth world title. First, because of the challenge. Second, because of the complexity of the mission. The title, if possible, was the final objective to be reached by me and the members of the technical committee. With dignity, courage, patriotism, respect, passion, transparency and, mainly, obedience to your determinations, everyone, without exception, worked for that goal. In this sense, without doubt, the mistakes of the past were corrected.
We have renewed the squad of the Brazilian national team, restored our respect and fundamentally, restored the respect for the Brazilian national team and by extension, to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). The recent polls with the public opinion, the results obtained by the sponsors and, notably, the titles in the pitch, without doubt, confirm this affirmation. In this period, under my command, the Brazilian national team broke many taboos, some of them, if you allow me to remember, lasted for long years, and were overcome in the first phase of the World Cup, and the South American qualifiers.
Now, as it was always the behaviour adopted by me, I can only abide by your decision, because right or not, it is not my place to question it, in the measure that this is the practice adopted in football for a long time, considering that life goes on, the commitments are many and the interests varied and complex. In this sense, offering you the needed tranquility, I hope and trust that I am contributing for you to start your new strategies, with the goal of preparing the Brazilian national team to compete and, if possible, to win the World Cup 2014, which will be held in our country.
Limited to the above, I renew my vows of esteem, respect and consideration, taking the chance to, once more, thank you for the trust and support in me and wishing full success in the command of our Brazilian national team.
Sincerely,
Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri- Dunga
The full text of the translated letter, as published by Globoesporte, is below:
July 5, 2010
Dear Mr. President,
Respectfully, I come to you, first, to renew my thanks for your trust and autonomy, which, without doubt, allowed me, for the four years of services to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), to develop, alongside the other members of the technical committee, my attributions and inherent functions of the job of coach of the Brazilian national team.
Sadly, the title of the 2010 World Cup was not conquered, but you can be assured by me, my loyal assistant Jorginho, all the other competent and dedicated professionals without exception, and mainly, the untiring and valuable 90 players that have served the national team during the preparation period, especially the 23 that have participated in the campaign in South Africa, that there was no lack of drive, donation, work, dedication and commitment in search of the title, in symphony with the goals previously set by you.
Evidently, since the beginning, by occasion of my signing, it was not, and it could not be assured the sixth world title. First, because of the challenge. Second, because of the complexity of the mission. The title, if possible, was the final objective to be reached by me and the members of the technical committee. With dignity, courage, patriotism, respect, passion, transparency and, mainly, obedience to your determinations, everyone, without exception, worked for that goal. In this sense, without doubt, the mistakes of the past were corrected.
We have renewed the squad of the Brazilian national team, restored our respect and fundamentally, restored the respect for the Brazilian national team and by extension, to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). The recent polls with the public opinion, the results obtained by the sponsors and, notably, the titles in the pitch, without doubt, confirm this affirmation. In this period, under my command, the Brazilian national team broke many taboos, some of them, if you allow me to remember, lasted for long years, and were overcome in the first phase of the World Cup, and the South American qualifiers.
Now, as it was always the behaviour adopted by me, I can only abide by your decision, because right or not, it is not my place to question it, in the measure that this is the practice adopted in football for a long time, considering that life goes on, the commitments are many and the interests varied and complex. In this sense, offering you the needed tranquility, I hope and trust that I am contributing for you to start your new strategies, with the goal of preparing the Brazilian national team to compete and, if possible, to win the World Cup 2014, which will be held in our country.
Limited to the above, I renew my vows of esteem, respect and consideration, taking the chance to, once more, thank you for the trust and support in me and wishing full success in the command of our Brazilian national team.
Sincerely,
Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri- Dunga
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Carlos Dunga: A Retrospective
By his own admission, Brazil’s most recent national coach Carlos Dunga stamped the national team with a pragmatic, counter-attacking style of play that many critics felt derailed the team from its true roots in attacking, attractive football. Socrates, the legendary Brazilian midfielder and captain of the 1982 World Cup team, lamented the pragmatism of Dunga’s style as follows:
“In these times of football as a business, winning became everything and the game is dominated by pragmatism. It is a shame even at the financial point of view, because Brazil could still be cashing in by using their unique tradition of flair, but we have given that away in order to chase trophies.”
1970 World Cup winner Gerson added to the criticism of Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri (Dunga)in a recent interview by claiming Ronaldinho’s omission from South Africa 2010 was unjustified:
"Holland are a good team but nothing exceptional. Leaving Ronaldinho out of the squad made no sense. So he likes to party? So what? What matters is that he knows how to play football at the highest level. Dunga couldn't train a team of bottle tops."
Socrates and Gerson may well be right in their position that Brazilian born players are not suited to counter-attacking football, but it would be unjust to facilely ignore and deride Dunga’s contribution to the national team over the course of a long and illustrious career.
When I think of Dunga I recall his leadership as a player more than anything else as captain of the Brazilian side in 1994 and 1998. In 1998, he imposed his authority on the squad in a manner that quickly solicited rumors that he was in line to coach the national team soon after his tenure as a player was over. Both in the build-up to France 1998 and the tournament itself, Dunga commanded not only the midfield but the team as a whole. When Dunga captained Brazil against Germany in a friendly in Stuggart in March 1998 in the lead-up to France, coach Mario Zagallo fielded a star studded squad with names that rolled trippingly off any soccer aficionado’s toungue. We saw Roberto Carlos tearing down the left flank, Cafu commanding the right and Ronaldo, Romario and Rivaldo near the mouth of goal with Bebeto on the bench and the young sensation Denilson wearing the number 10 jersey.
In one defensive confrontation between Roberto Carlos and Jorg Heinrich, Roberto Carlos was uncharacteristically about to lose his man as latter cut inside from the flank. True to form as a good captain, Dunga sensed the danger early and sprinted from the center of the pitch to win back the ball and initiate a dangerous counter-attack. Months later in France 1998, he routinely reprimanded his team-mates for failing to win a tackle or execute an incisive pass, even going so far as to feign a head-butt against Bebeto in the second match against Morocco. In the quarterfinal against Denmark, Roberto Carlos missed a defensive bicycle kick close to the edge of the penalty area, allowing Brian Laudrup to clinically dispatch the loose ball into the top right corner of the net, leaving the defending champions fighting for their World Cup lives with the score even at 2-2 in the 50th minute.
Immediately, Dunga began gesticulating to the crowd to inspire his team mates. Ten minutes later, his pass found the magical left foot of Rivaldo, who capitalized on the pasture of space left him by the Danish defense by sending a left footed rocket into the back of the net in what became the winning goal in a thrilling 3-2 victory. Never afraid to express his opinion or assert his authority on the pitch, he became synonymous for leadership, inspirational play and passion for the game. The semi-finals featured penalties against the Dutch with Dunga scoring the critical 4th penalty that, moments later, unfolded into the remarkable scene of he and goal-keeper Claudio Taffarel chest-butting each other in celebration as viewers saw, in tandem, tears of joy from Mario Zagallo, the coach.
As the coach of Brazil, the knives were out for Dunga in the fall of 2008 when the team had been held to three goalless draws against Argentina, Bolivia and Columbia. The national side had failed to score on home soil for a year and there was much speculation that he would be fired if dramatic results didn’t transpire soon. And then Brazil played Portugal on November 19, 2008 in Brasilia at the Garrincha stadium. Sensing there was something on the line, the team emerged in glorious form, passing the ball across all inches of the pitch as if their opponents were hardly present, neutralizing Cristiano Ronaldo and executing a dazzling 6-2 victory marked by a hat-trick by Luis Fabiano. The win marked the beginning of a string of excellent results in the South American qualifiers featuring a 3-1 victory against Argentina that constituted their first win over their arch-rivals in Argentina since 1995. Many had thought Dunga would be fired before the qualifiers were completed but he himself noted how the pressure was unrelenting for a Brazilian coach and, like his mother, who struggles daily with his father’s Alzheimer’s disease, he vowed to never give up.
Brazil finished top of the South American qualifying group, won Copa America and won the Confederations Cup. But their games—and even their victories—lacked panache. Dunga had many virtues as a coach, but the team was always in the process of finding itself, at precisely the moments when it should have found itself. On one hand, Dunga’s belief in hard work and teamwork was admirable for a squad that historically lacked discipline out of an unspoken arrogance in the global superiority of their technical ability. And his coaching philosophy—based as it was on a commitment to the basics of defending—and the importance of the rapport between a coach and his players, was well liked by many of the European based players who sensed how difficult it was to beat European teams who knew how to mark their opponents and impose pressure on the Brazilian full-backs the way the French had done in both 1998 and 2006. But the games themselves were ugly and disappointing, save for the occasional moments of brilliance when Kaka, Robinho, Ramires, Fabiano and company would combine down the center.
Brazil failed to find a playmaker in midfield who could orchestrate attacks, and they deviated from the passing game in midfield that won Spain the World Cup. Socrates and Gerson were right to say that Brazil are accustomed to imposing their games on their opponents and that to play any other way is almost invariably a disaster. And to play with one pure striker doesn’t exactly suit Brazil either, who have succeeded, in recent times, only when pairs of strikers such Romario and Bebeto and Ronaldo and Rivaldo stretch defences, occasionally allowing a third striker like Ronaldinho or Alexander Pato to destabilize defences even further. All this is to say that Mano Menezes, Dunga’s replacement, has his work cut out for him. The way ahead for Menezes not clear, but he is certain to encounter the results of the effort and leadership that Dunga invested in the national team, and will need to remould that philosophy and vision accordingly.
“In these times of football as a business, winning became everything and the game is dominated by pragmatism. It is a shame even at the financial point of view, because Brazil could still be cashing in by using their unique tradition of flair, but we have given that away in order to chase trophies.”
1970 World Cup winner Gerson added to the criticism of Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri (Dunga)in a recent interview by claiming Ronaldinho’s omission from South Africa 2010 was unjustified:
"Holland are a good team but nothing exceptional. Leaving Ronaldinho out of the squad made no sense. So he likes to party? So what? What matters is that he knows how to play football at the highest level. Dunga couldn't train a team of bottle tops."
Socrates and Gerson may well be right in their position that Brazilian born players are not suited to counter-attacking football, but it would be unjust to facilely ignore and deride Dunga’s contribution to the national team over the course of a long and illustrious career.
When I think of Dunga I recall his leadership as a player more than anything else as captain of the Brazilian side in 1994 and 1998. In 1998, he imposed his authority on the squad in a manner that quickly solicited rumors that he was in line to coach the national team soon after his tenure as a player was over. Both in the build-up to France 1998 and the tournament itself, Dunga commanded not only the midfield but the team as a whole. When Dunga captained Brazil against Germany in a friendly in Stuggart in March 1998 in the lead-up to France, coach Mario Zagallo fielded a star studded squad with names that rolled trippingly off any soccer aficionado’s toungue. We saw Roberto Carlos tearing down the left flank, Cafu commanding the right and Ronaldo, Romario and Rivaldo near the mouth of goal with Bebeto on the bench and the young sensation Denilson wearing the number 10 jersey.
In one defensive confrontation between Roberto Carlos and Jorg Heinrich, Roberto Carlos was uncharacteristically about to lose his man as latter cut inside from the flank. True to form as a good captain, Dunga sensed the danger early and sprinted from the center of the pitch to win back the ball and initiate a dangerous counter-attack. Months later in France 1998, he routinely reprimanded his team-mates for failing to win a tackle or execute an incisive pass, even going so far as to feign a head-butt against Bebeto in the second match against Morocco. In the quarterfinal against Denmark, Roberto Carlos missed a defensive bicycle kick close to the edge of the penalty area, allowing Brian Laudrup to clinically dispatch the loose ball into the top right corner of the net, leaving the defending champions fighting for their World Cup lives with the score even at 2-2 in the 50th minute.
Immediately, Dunga began gesticulating to the crowd to inspire his team mates. Ten minutes later, his pass found the magical left foot of Rivaldo, who capitalized on the pasture of space left him by the Danish defense by sending a left footed rocket into the back of the net in what became the winning goal in a thrilling 3-2 victory. Never afraid to express his opinion or assert his authority on the pitch, he became synonymous for leadership, inspirational play and passion for the game. The semi-finals featured penalties against the Dutch with Dunga scoring the critical 4th penalty that, moments later, unfolded into the remarkable scene of he and goal-keeper Claudio Taffarel chest-butting each other in celebration as viewers saw, in tandem, tears of joy from Mario Zagallo, the coach.
As the coach of Brazil, the knives were out for Dunga in the fall of 2008 when the team had been held to three goalless draws against Argentina, Bolivia and Columbia. The national side had failed to score on home soil for a year and there was much speculation that he would be fired if dramatic results didn’t transpire soon. And then Brazil played Portugal on November 19, 2008 in Brasilia at the Garrincha stadium. Sensing there was something on the line, the team emerged in glorious form, passing the ball across all inches of the pitch as if their opponents were hardly present, neutralizing Cristiano Ronaldo and executing a dazzling 6-2 victory marked by a hat-trick by Luis Fabiano. The win marked the beginning of a string of excellent results in the South American qualifiers featuring a 3-1 victory against Argentina that constituted their first win over their arch-rivals in Argentina since 1995. Many had thought Dunga would be fired before the qualifiers were completed but he himself noted how the pressure was unrelenting for a Brazilian coach and, like his mother, who struggles daily with his father’s Alzheimer’s disease, he vowed to never give up.
Brazil finished top of the South American qualifying group, won Copa America and won the Confederations Cup. But their games—and even their victories—lacked panache. Dunga had many virtues as a coach, but the team was always in the process of finding itself, at precisely the moments when it should have found itself. On one hand, Dunga’s belief in hard work and teamwork was admirable for a squad that historically lacked discipline out of an unspoken arrogance in the global superiority of their technical ability. And his coaching philosophy—based as it was on a commitment to the basics of defending—and the importance of the rapport between a coach and his players, was well liked by many of the European based players who sensed how difficult it was to beat European teams who knew how to mark their opponents and impose pressure on the Brazilian full-backs the way the French had done in both 1998 and 2006. But the games themselves were ugly and disappointing, save for the occasional moments of brilliance when Kaka, Robinho, Ramires, Fabiano and company would combine down the center.
Brazil failed to find a playmaker in midfield who could orchestrate attacks, and they deviated from the passing game in midfield that won Spain the World Cup. Socrates and Gerson were right to say that Brazil are accustomed to imposing their games on their opponents and that to play any other way is almost invariably a disaster. And to play with one pure striker doesn’t exactly suit Brazil either, who have succeeded, in recent times, only when pairs of strikers such Romario and Bebeto and Ronaldo and Rivaldo stretch defences, occasionally allowing a third striker like Ronaldinho or Alexander Pato to destabilize defences even further. All this is to say that Mano Menezes, Dunga’s replacement, has his work cut out for him. The way ahead for Menezes not clear, but he is certain to encounter the results of the effort and leadership that Dunga invested in the national team, and will need to remould that philosophy and vision accordingly.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The World Cup of Soccer: South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014
I looked forward to this World Cup, fervently, out of the belief that something historic or even cataclysmic would happen. Either we would see beautiful, fluid, attacking soccer from Brazil or Argentina or Spain to a degree that recalled Brazil 1970, or something dramatic would happen in a different vein such as a terrorist attack akin to Munich 1972. I had little compelling data to substantiate the belief in either of these claims, but somehow, the combination of “South Africa” and “2010” suggested that something extraordinary would happen. South Africa was different from Japan and Korea of 2002 because many of the games would be played at altitude and in near freezing temperatures unseen in previous World Cups, including those held in Europe.
On one hand it seemed that something truly extraordinary and pivotal was happening with the Brazilian team. They had qualified for the Cup with three games to spare, won Copa America, won the Confederations Cup and created a backline that promised to silence pundits that said Brazil couldn’t defend and relied too much on their strikeforce. And intriguingly, for the first time in at least two World Cups, they didn’t have any serious gunpowder amongst their strikers or attacking midfielders. Instead we saw the first Brazilian squad in decades that functioned like a team, with players who knew how to find each other and grind out a victory in difficult situations without relying on players who could “change a game” like Ronaldo, Rivaldo or Ronaldinho.
All of this was inspiring and suggestive, particularly because Brazil didn’t have minnows near the mouth of goal, either. Luis Fabiano and Robinho could certainly put the ball in the back of the net and anyone who knew anything about football saw how Kaka headed to the dugout at half-time against the USA in the Confederations Cup, in South Africa 2009, and returned to the pitch in unstoppable form to orchestrate Brazil’s 3-2 comeback victory in the final from a 2-0 half-time deficit. Compared to other winning World Cup teams, this year’s Brazilian team was ordinary but promising by virtue of its coherence and record of success. And for the first time in decades, they were blessed with a coach who believed in hard work and discipline instead of players who would celebrate the nightlife with abandon.
And then there was Argentina. True to form, the South American team that qualifies last in a World Cup often does strikingly well, and this year was no exception. We saw flashes of brilliance from Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi against highly competent teams such as Nigeria, South Korea and Mexico. And viewers were treated to the engaging spectacle of Diego Maradona gesticulating wildly up and down the coaches box in light beige suits, pausing to put his fingers to his chin or stroke or his mane of curly black hair. As with Dunga, Maradona’s squad selection was the subject of much debate since he had left out Javier Zanetti and Cambiasso and opted instead for players that he trusted and to whom he was close.
But Brazil and Argentina failed to deliver, as did Spain, even though Spain went on to win the Championship by notching up victories against formidable opponents such as Germany and the Netherlands. Spain played their passing game as best they could, but their victories lacked the goal scoring displays of Argentina or Germany or Brazil. And all in all, the Cup was a magnificent disappointment for the sport and the game. True, we all saw glimpses of brilliance and excitement from Germany, Ghana, Uruguay and even Argentina. But the number of total goals continues to drop from 171 in France 1998, 161 in Japan/Korea 2002, 146 in Germany 2006 and 145 in South Africa 2010.
Everyone will remember the sublimity of Landon Donovan's stoppage time strike against Slovakia, Asamoah Gyan’s extra time goal against the U.S., Diego Forlan’s sublime free kick against Ghana and his long range strike against South Africa. Or the spectacular, curling free kicks from Japan’s Keisuke Honda and Yasuhito Endo in their 3-1 victory against Denmark. And then, there was Germany’s magnificent 4-0 demolition of Argentina heralding the emergence of a new generation of German players in the form of Muller, Ozeil, Podolski and Schweinsteiger in what appeared, in more than a few moments, as quite possibly the greatest team in modern times. Yet the irony was that all of these remarkable teams were eliminated before the final, most pertinently by the Netherlands and Spain.
The Netherlands played well, even if they didn’t play the total football for which they were famous in the 1970s. Arjen Robben’s attacking threat down the right side emerged as a threat to be reckoned with as the games progressed and Wesley Sneider, meanwhile, like all great goalscorers, opportunistically found himself in the right place to put the ball in the back of the onion bag at the right time. Spain, on the other hand, didn’t fail to disappoint or impress. They found their form, for the first time in the tournament, against Germany, pressuring the Germans in midfield with Xabi, Iniesta and Busquets combining to keep their opponents from launching any kind of serious counter-attacking threat. But their strength in midfield interestingly failed to translate into any kind of torrent of goals of the kind that you would expect from creative midfielders that would serve up the ball, on a platter, for strikers of the quality of David Villa and Fernando Torres. True, Villa scored five goals but the team as a whole edged its way to its first World Cup championship on the back of four consecutive 1-0 victories against Portugal, Paraguay, Germany and the Netherlands.
All this is to say the goal machines failed to continue chugging in South Africa 2010, even though we saw plenty of glimpses of them throughout the tournament in different moments. The lack of goals may have something to do with the 4-3-2-1 or 4-2-3-1 formation that teams are increasingly using, with less emphasis on the wingers and more on a frontal attack, straight down the center of midfield that fancies its chances against the traditionally strong central defense. As one might expect, the debate about how to reform the game has begun most fervently in Brazil as they prepare to host the Cup in 2014. Almost everyone has an opinion but refreshingly, no one really has an answer about how to both bring back jogo bonito and ensure that Brazil wins on its own soil. As if it were a political debate of some kind, former players and coaches such as Romario, Branco, Leonardo and others have thrown their two cents in the ring, only for us to see nothing of substance stick in the form of a real vision of how to reform the sport to produce more attacking, attractive football marked by more goals. The good thing—amidst all this uncertainty about the sport and what comes next—is that all of us with an investment in attractive football should take heart from Spain’s victory because it underscores the power of a strong midfield that we should expect to see replicated by teams in serious contention for the trophy in 2014.
On one hand it seemed that something truly extraordinary and pivotal was happening with the Brazilian team. They had qualified for the Cup with three games to spare, won Copa America, won the Confederations Cup and created a backline that promised to silence pundits that said Brazil couldn’t defend and relied too much on their strikeforce. And intriguingly, for the first time in at least two World Cups, they didn’t have any serious gunpowder amongst their strikers or attacking midfielders. Instead we saw the first Brazilian squad in decades that functioned like a team, with players who knew how to find each other and grind out a victory in difficult situations without relying on players who could “change a game” like Ronaldo, Rivaldo or Ronaldinho.
All of this was inspiring and suggestive, particularly because Brazil didn’t have minnows near the mouth of goal, either. Luis Fabiano and Robinho could certainly put the ball in the back of the net and anyone who knew anything about football saw how Kaka headed to the dugout at half-time against the USA in the Confederations Cup, in South Africa 2009, and returned to the pitch in unstoppable form to orchestrate Brazil’s 3-2 comeback victory in the final from a 2-0 half-time deficit. Compared to other winning World Cup teams, this year’s Brazilian team was ordinary but promising by virtue of its coherence and record of success. And for the first time in decades, they were blessed with a coach who believed in hard work and discipline instead of players who would celebrate the nightlife with abandon.
And then there was Argentina. True to form, the South American team that qualifies last in a World Cup often does strikingly well, and this year was no exception. We saw flashes of brilliance from Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi against highly competent teams such as Nigeria, South Korea and Mexico. And viewers were treated to the engaging spectacle of Diego Maradona gesticulating wildly up and down the coaches box in light beige suits, pausing to put his fingers to his chin or stroke or his mane of curly black hair. As with Dunga, Maradona’s squad selection was the subject of much debate since he had left out Javier Zanetti and Cambiasso and opted instead for players that he trusted and to whom he was close.
But Brazil and Argentina failed to deliver, as did Spain, even though Spain went on to win the Championship by notching up victories against formidable opponents such as Germany and the Netherlands. Spain played their passing game as best they could, but their victories lacked the goal scoring displays of Argentina or Germany or Brazil. And all in all, the Cup was a magnificent disappointment for the sport and the game. True, we all saw glimpses of brilliance and excitement from Germany, Ghana, Uruguay and even Argentina. But the number of total goals continues to drop from 171 in France 1998, 161 in Japan/Korea 2002, 146 in Germany 2006 and 145 in South Africa 2010.
Everyone will remember the sublimity of Landon Donovan's stoppage time strike against Slovakia, Asamoah Gyan’s extra time goal against the U.S., Diego Forlan’s sublime free kick against Ghana and his long range strike against South Africa. Or the spectacular, curling free kicks from Japan’s Keisuke Honda and Yasuhito Endo in their 3-1 victory against Denmark. And then, there was Germany’s magnificent 4-0 demolition of Argentina heralding the emergence of a new generation of German players in the form of Muller, Ozeil, Podolski and Schweinsteiger in what appeared, in more than a few moments, as quite possibly the greatest team in modern times. Yet the irony was that all of these remarkable teams were eliminated before the final, most pertinently by the Netherlands and Spain.
The Netherlands played well, even if they didn’t play the total football for which they were famous in the 1970s. Arjen Robben’s attacking threat down the right side emerged as a threat to be reckoned with as the games progressed and Wesley Sneider, meanwhile, like all great goalscorers, opportunistically found himself in the right place to put the ball in the back of the onion bag at the right time. Spain, on the other hand, didn’t fail to disappoint or impress. They found their form, for the first time in the tournament, against Germany, pressuring the Germans in midfield with Xabi, Iniesta and Busquets combining to keep their opponents from launching any kind of serious counter-attacking threat. But their strength in midfield interestingly failed to translate into any kind of torrent of goals of the kind that you would expect from creative midfielders that would serve up the ball, on a platter, for strikers of the quality of David Villa and Fernando Torres. True, Villa scored five goals but the team as a whole edged its way to its first World Cup championship on the back of four consecutive 1-0 victories against Portugal, Paraguay, Germany and the Netherlands.
All this is to say the goal machines failed to continue chugging in South Africa 2010, even though we saw plenty of glimpses of them throughout the tournament in different moments. The lack of goals may have something to do with the 4-3-2-1 or 4-2-3-1 formation that teams are increasingly using, with less emphasis on the wingers and more on a frontal attack, straight down the center of midfield that fancies its chances against the traditionally strong central defense. As one might expect, the debate about how to reform the game has begun most fervently in Brazil as they prepare to host the Cup in 2014. Almost everyone has an opinion but refreshingly, no one really has an answer about how to both bring back jogo bonito and ensure that Brazil wins on its own soil. As if it were a political debate of some kind, former players and coaches such as Romario, Branco, Leonardo and others have thrown their two cents in the ring, only for us to see nothing of substance stick in the form of a real vision of how to reform the sport to produce more attacking, attractive football marked by more goals. The good thing—amidst all this uncertainty about the sport and what comes next—is that all of us with an investment in attractive football should take heart from Spain’s victory because it underscores the power of a strong midfield that we should expect to see replicated by teams in serious contention for the trophy in 2014.
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