Brazil defeated reigning World Champions Spain 3-0 to secure their third consecutive Confederations Cup title and restore their reputation as one of the best footballing nations in the world at the Maracana Stadium on Sunday. Brazil’s victory ended Spain's unbeaten streak of 29 competitive matches, and heralded the emergence of a new generation of Brazilian players that will attempt to hoist the World Cup trophy on Brazilian soil in 2014. Brazil's defeat of Spain, on June 30, coincided with the same date eleven years ago, when coach Luiz Felipe Scolari led Brazil to victory in the 2002 World Cup final. Sunday’s win means Brazil have now secured consecutive victories against France, Japan, Mexico, Italy, Uruguay and Spain, thereby beating four World Cup Champions (France, Italy, Uruguay, Spain) in the last month.
The match got off to an electric start when Hulk’s cross from the right flank fell to Fred, who had fallen in the box but nevertheless managed to dispatch the ball into the roof the net to make it 2-0 in the 2nd minute. The crowd in the Maracana stadium exploded with delight upon Fred’s goal, and subsequently cheered every time Brazil touched the ball, while conversely booing Spain whenever they had possession. Spain appeared shocked by Fred’s goal and almost went down 2-0 within 10 minutes when Oscar squandered by a golden opportunity by shooting the ball just wide of the net after receiving a flick from Fred. The opening minutes witnessed highly heated play from both teams, with players from both sides making aggressive tackles that ended up seeing Arbeola and Sergio Ramos receive yellow cards within the first 30 minutes.
Brazil’s defensive midfielders Paulinho and Luiz Gustavo proved critical to disrupting any attempt by Spain to settle into their tiki-taka passing rhythm. The entire Brazil team, however, applied pressure to Spain anytime they obtained possession as Hulk, Oscar, Marcelo and Dani Alves chased down every ball and thwarted attempts by Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets to build up through midfield using La Roja’s trademark possession game. Ruffled, Spain began resorting to long range shots or high crosses delivered from the flanks as they found themselves unable to penetrate down the center. Spain’s best chance of the evening came in the 40th minute, when Pedro picked up a pass from Juan Mata and unleashed a shot that was heading straight into goal had it not been for a miraculous last minute clearance by David Luiz, who skied the ball over the bar with his right foot. Minutes later, however, Brazil challenged the Spain goal when Oscar began a dangerous attack with Neymar and Fred, and ultimately passed to Neymar from the center of box. The Brazil number 10 sent a rocket of a shot into the roof of the net to make it 2-0 Brazil on the edge of halftime.
Things only got worse for Spain minutes into the second half, as Marcelo cut inside and found Hulk in an attacking midfield position. Hulk laid off the ball to Fred after Neymar dummied receipt of the pass, allowing Fred to calmly dispatch the ball into the corner of the net to make it 3-0 after 47 minutes. Spain almost pulled a goal back when substitute Jesus Navas drew a penalty for a foul by Marcelo, but Sergio Ramos curled the ball wide of goal to leave the scoreline at 3-0. Spain continued to press while Brazil, conversely, continued to apply pressure on every Spanish attempt at possession and began attacking on the counterattack given their three goal lead. The complexion of the match unalterably changed, however, when Pique received a red card for fouling Neymar on a dangerous counterattacking opportunity for Brazil. Down to ten men, Spain showed the mettle of champions by threatening Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar on a couple of occasions, while failing to score, nevertheless.
Overall, Brazil demonstrated convincingly that Spain are not only beatable, but are intensely vulnerable to a strategy based on sustained pressure in midfield that disrupts their passing game. Meanwhile, off the pitch, the debate in the Brazil about the value of the World Cup and the government’s social and economic policies is likely to continue. More than 11,000 police and troops were deployed to guarantee security for the players and 78,000 fans who packed the Maracana stadium. For Brazil football fans, however, it was a night full of joy and celebration as Luiz Felipe Scolari and team showed that the sun may finally have set on the Spanish footballing throne and that, in its place, a new generation of Brazilian footballers led by Neymar, Oscar and Paulinho is ready to pick up the mantle as preparations for World Cup 2014 continue in earnest. Brazil now have a year to tweak their team and strategy ahead of the 2014 World Cup and should expect their FIFA ranking to skyrocket from its current, highly disingenuous ranking of 22.
Showing posts with label Fred. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fred. Show all posts
Monday, July 1, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Neymar and Fred Lead Brazil To 4-2 Victory Over Italy In Confederations Cup
Brazil defeated Italy 4-2 yesterday to take top place in Group A of the Confederations Cup and advance to face Uruguay or Nigeria in the semifinals on Wednesday. With this victory, Brazil retained the distinction of remaining unbeaten against Italy for 31 years, since their epic World Cup encounter in 1982. Italy were without star midfielder Andrea Pirlo due to a thigh injury as well as Daniele De Rossi, who was suspended after having picked up two yellow cards in preceding group matches against Japan and Mexico. Brazil fielded their standard starting lineup with the exception of Lazio’s Hernanes, who started in place of Paulinho in midfield.
Brazil dominated possession for much of the first half, including a flurry of chances in the opening minutes via Neymar and Oscar, but opened the scoring only minutes from the end of the first half when Fred’s header from a Neymar free kick deflected to substitute Dante, who calmly slotted the ball past Gianluigi Buffon’s left hand to make it 1-0. Dante, who had entered the match as a first half substitute for the injured David Luiz, scored in his hometown of Salvador de Bahia, and later revealed that he dreamed of scoring in front of his family and friends who were in attendance for the game.
Dante’s goal picked up the pace of the match significantly in the second half as Brazil sought to consolidate their lead and Italy attempted to claw their way back into the match. Emanuele Giaccherini equalized for Italy in the 51st minute after receiving a flick from Mario Balotelli on the right. Giaccherini delivered a bullet of a shot far post to score the first goal Brazil had conceded in the 2013 Confederations Cup. Minutes later, Neymar was brought down on the edge of the box and the Barca bound Brazilian sensation subsequently curled the ensuing free kick past the wall into the far right corner of the net to score his third consecutive goal in three matches.
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari called Neymar a “genius” and gushed at his prodigy’s performance and sensational free kick by noting:
Ten minutes later, Fred appeared to seal the game for Brazil by magnificently controlling a long aerial delivery from Marcelo, sidestepping two defenders and sending a rocket of a shot into the roof the net to make it 3-1. But Italy were not going to bow down without a fight as Chienelli scored in the 71st minute from a corner kick deflection. The goal was hugely controversial because the referee appeared to have blown his whistle to signal a penalty for a foul on Mario Balotelli in the box, but then allowed play to continue that resulted in the Italian goal.
At 3-2, with twenty minutes remaining, the match entered its closing 20 minutes with an electric atmosphere and pace as Italy turned on the pressure in search of an equalizer. But it was Fred who finally decided the game in the 89th minute when substitute Bernard found Marcelo, whose shot ricocheted off Buffon to enable the poaching Fred to pounce for his second goal of the evening and set the score at 4-2.
Brazil fans are witnessing a milestone in the restoration and renovation of the team at this year’s Confederations Cup. After years of disappointing performances since the 2010 World Cup, with the team slipping to its lowest ever spot in the FIFA ranking, Luiz Felipe Scolari has started by fielding a consistent squad determined to deliver results first, and flair second. Scolari’s team has now beaten France, Japan, Mexico and Italy in succession. But the most important development for Brazil is Neymar’s emergence on the international stage as a striker, winger and creative midfielder rolled into one. Neymar has shown that he is much more of a team player than Brazil’s Ronaldo in ways that recall the great Pele, and his vision for his teammates and ability to change the overall tempo of the game has been demonstrated against world class opposition. The question now is whether Neymar and team can continue to perform at a high level as the tournament progresses to the elimination stage marked by their semifinal match on Wednesday. Italy, meanwhile, finished second in Group A and progresses to the semifinals to play Spain in a repeat of the 2012 European Championship final matchup.
Brazil dominated possession for much of the first half, including a flurry of chances in the opening minutes via Neymar and Oscar, but opened the scoring only minutes from the end of the first half when Fred’s header from a Neymar free kick deflected to substitute Dante, who calmly slotted the ball past Gianluigi Buffon’s left hand to make it 1-0. Dante, who had entered the match as a first half substitute for the injured David Luiz, scored in his hometown of Salvador de Bahia, and later revealed that he dreamed of scoring in front of his family and friends who were in attendance for the game.
Dante’s goal picked up the pace of the match significantly in the second half as Brazil sought to consolidate their lead and Italy attempted to claw their way back into the match. Emanuele Giaccherini equalized for Italy in the 51st minute after receiving a flick from Mario Balotelli on the right. Giaccherini delivered a bullet of a shot far post to score the first goal Brazil had conceded in the 2013 Confederations Cup. Minutes later, Neymar was brought down on the edge of the box and the Barca bound Brazilian sensation subsequently curled the ensuing free kick past the wall into the far right corner of the net to score his third consecutive goal in three matches.
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari called Neymar a “genius” and gushed at his prodigy’s performance and sensational free kick by noting:
He had lots of moments of quality, but what decided the game was the free kick. He noticed [Gianluigi] Buffon had taken a step to the side and put the ball on the other side. Only players who have that kind of notion, that we can call genius, are the ones who make the difference. And he makes the difference.
Ten minutes later, Fred appeared to seal the game for Brazil by magnificently controlling a long aerial delivery from Marcelo, sidestepping two defenders and sending a rocket of a shot into the roof the net to make it 3-1. But Italy were not going to bow down without a fight as Chienelli scored in the 71st minute from a corner kick deflection. The goal was hugely controversial because the referee appeared to have blown his whistle to signal a penalty for a foul on Mario Balotelli in the box, but then allowed play to continue that resulted in the Italian goal.
At 3-2, with twenty minutes remaining, the match entered its closing 20 minutes with an electric atmosphere and pace as Italy turned on the pressure in search of an equalizer. But it was Fred who finally decided the game in the 89th minute when substitute Bernard found Marcelo, whose shot ricocheted off Buffon to enable the poaching Fred to pounce for his second goal of the evening and set the score at 4-2.
Brazil fans are witnessing a milestone in the restoration and renovation of the team at this year’s Confederations Cup. After years of disappointing performances since the 2010 World Cup, with the team slipping to its lowest ever spot in the FIFA ranking, Luiz Felipe Scolari has started by fielding a consistent squad determined to deliver results first, and flair second. Scolari’s team has now beaten France, Japan, Mexico and Italy in succession. But the most important development for Brazil is Neymar’s emergence on the international stage as a striker, winger and creative midfielder rolled into one. Neymar has shown that he is much more of a team player than Brazil’s Ronaldo in ways that recall the great Pele, and his vision for his teammates and ability to change the overall tempo of the game has been demonstrated against world class opposition. The question now is whether Neymar and team can continue to perform at a high level as the tournament progresses to the elimination stage marked by their semifinal match on Wednesday. Italy, meanwhile, finished second in Group A and progresses to the semifinals to play Spain in a repeat of the 2012 European Championship final matchup.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Brazil And England Play To Memorable 2-2 Draw At Renovated Maracana Stadium
Brazil and England played to a memorable 2-2 draw at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro today in a game where Brazil dominated possession and England fought back on the counter-attack. Today’s game marked the first match at the newly renovated Maracana stadium where Brazil famously lost to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup final. Brazil fielded a 4-3-3 formation with Dani Alves, David Luiz, Thiago Silva and Filipe Luis in defense, Luis Gustavo, Paulinho and Oscar in midfield, and Neymar, Fred and Hulk as the attacking triumvirate. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari handed the famous number 10 jersey to Neymar instead of Oscar in a clear signal that he envisions the Barcelona-bound ex Santos star as the leader of the current youthful squad. England, on the other hand, played in a 4-5-1 formation with coach Roy Hodgson fielding striker Theo Walcott in a withdrawn position on the right flank behind Wayne Rooney.
Eager to avenge their 2-1 loss to England at Wembley Stadium in February, Brazil began by taking control of the midfield and attacking with their vintage short, crisp passing and the ability to beat defenders on the dribble. Moreover, Brazil pressured England relentlessly on the ball and allowed Roy Hodgson’s team little space by double teaming whenever England had possession. Chelsea midfielder Oscar orchestrated the lion’s share of Brazil’s attacks by dropping deep into midfield and sprinting forward in search of Neymar, Fred and Hulk. Neymar seemed keen to vindicate Scolari’s decision to grant him the number 10 jersey and shot on goal from close range in positions where he would have done better to pass to a teammate.
Neymar had a golden opportunity in the 19th minute when he received a pass with only the keeper to beat and shot it right into the body of the diving Joe Hart from the left flank. Two minutes later, Neymar collected a deft pass from Fred, sidestepped England defender Glen Johnson, but unleashed the shot just wide of goal. In the 35th minute, Oscar dribbled past a bevy of English defenders on the right flank and sent a bullet of a cross that Hulk backheeled just wide of goal. Minutes later, Oscar again found space on the right flank but Fred’s header floated over the bar. England’s best opportunity of the half came in the 39th minute, when Theo Walcott found space in the box to drive a shot straight at Julio Cesar, who parried the ball well.
The floodgates opened in the second half as Brazil continued to relentlessly apply pressure against the English goal. Playing largely in England’s half, Brazil continued to create chances and varied their passing game with some longer range shots on goal in an effort to disrupt Joe Hart’s rhythm. The long range strategy paid dividends in the 57th minute when Hernanes curled in a dipping shot that deflected off the cross-bar and fell to Fred lurking near the right side of goal, who twisted his body to dispatch the ball into the back of the net to give Brazil a deserved 1-0 lead. Buoyed by their breakthrough, the Samba boys rested on their laurels a little too much by easing up on their attacks and positioning themselves languidly in midfield. England were quick to capitalize on the let up in pressure as substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain carved out space outside the edge of the box and rifled in a right footed rocket past the right hand of Julio Cesar to make it 1-1 in the 66th minute. Ten minutes later, Brazil were staring defeat at the Maracana stadium squarely in the eye when Wayne Rooney burst down the left flank on a counterattacking opportunity and sent a curling, wonder of a shot into the roof of the net to make it 2-1 England. Scolari responded by sending on waves of substitutes and was granted a reprieve from an embarrassing loss when Lucas Moura’s cross found Paulinho, who volleyed the cross into the back of the net to make it 2-2 with less than 10 minutes of regulation time remaining.
Overall, this was a disappointing result for Brazil, who should genuinely feel they had their pulse on the game and deserved a victory given their possession and chances. On the other hand, Brazil fans can take heart from the fact that the midfield gelled for the first time since the 2012 Olympics, when the team delivered some impressive displays of midfield possession and creativity en route to the Olympic final. Moreover, Scolari can take heart from the depth of his squad given that his substitutions featured Real Madrid’s Marcelo, Lazio’s Hernanes, Internacional’s Leandro Damiao, Paris Saint-Germain’s Lucas Moura and Atletico Mineiro’s playmaker Bernard. Neymar, meanwhile, struggled to live up to the weight of expectations, this time in the number 10 jersey, no less. Nevertheless, Brazil fans and Scolari will be impressed by the pace of the Brazilian midfield and can expect the team to only improve both in the next two weeks and throughout the upcoming Confederations Cup. Brazil’s next friendly is against France on June 9 in Porto Alegre.
Goals
Brazil: Fred (57), Paulinho (82)
England: Oxlade-Chamberlain (66), Rooney (77)
Eager to avenge their 2-1 loss to England at Wembley Stadium in February, Brazil began by taking control of the midfield and attacking with their vintage short, crisp passing and the ability to beat defenders on the dribble. Moreover, Brazil pressured England relentlessly on the ball and allowed Roy Hodgson’s team little space by double teaming whenever England had possession. Chelsea midfielder Oscar orchestrated the lion’s share of Brazil’s attacks by dropping deep into midfield and sprinting forward in search of Neymar, Fred and Hulk. Neymar seemed keen to vindicate Scolari’s decision to grant him the number 10 jersey and shot on goal from close range in positions where he would have done better to pass to a teammate.
Neymar had a golden opportunity in the 19th minute when he received a pass with only the keeper to beat and shot it right into the body of the diving Joe Hart from the left flank. Two minutes later, Neymar collected a deft pass from Fred, sidestepped England defender Glen Johnson, but unleashed the shot just wide of goal. In the 35th minute, Oscar dribbled past a bevy of English defenders on the right flank and sent a bullet of a cross that Hulk backheeled just wide of goal. Minutes later, Oscar again found space on the right flank but Fred’s header floated over the bar. England’s best opportunity of the half came in the 39th minute, when Theo Walcott found space in the box to drive a shot straight at Julio Cesar, who parried the ball well.
The floodgates opened in the second half as Brazil continued to relentlessly apply pressure against the English goal. Playing largely in England’s half, Brazil continued to create chances and varied their passing game with some longer range shots on goal in an effort to disrupt Joe Hart’s rhythm. The long range strategy paid dividends in the 57th minute when Hernanes curled in a dipping shot that deflected off the cross-bar and fell to Fred lurking near the right side of goal, who twisted his body to dispatch the ball into the back of the net to give Brazil a deserved 1-0 lead. Buoyed by their breakthrough, the Samba boys rested on their laurels a little too much by easing up on their attacks and positioning themselves languidly in midfield. England were quick to capitalize on the let up in pressure as substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain carved out space outside the edge of the box and rifled in a right footed rocket past the right hand of Julio Cesar to make it 1-1 in the 66th minute. Ten minutes later, Brazil were staring defeat at the Maracana stadium squarely in the eye when Wayne Rooney burst down the left flank on a counterattacking opportunity and sent a curling, wonder of a shot into the roof of the net to make it 2-1 England. Scolari responded by sending on waves of substitutes and was granted a reprieve from an embarrassing loss when Lucas Moura’s cross found Paulinho, who volleyed the cross into the back of the net to make it 2-2 with less than 10 minutes of regulation time remaining.
Overall, this was a disappointing result for Brazil, who should genuinely feel they had their pulse on the game and deserved a victory given their possession and chances. On the other hand, Brazil fans can take heart from the fact that the midfield gelled for the first time since the 2012 Olympics, when the team delivered some impressive displays of midfield possession and creativity en route to the Olympic final. Moreover, Scolari can take heart from the depth of his squad given that his substitutions featured Real Madrid’s Marcelo, Lazio’s Hernanes, Internacional’s Leandro Damiao, Paris Saint-Germain’s Lucas Moura and Atletico Mineiro’s playmaker Bernard. Neymar, meanwhile, struggled to live up to the weight of expectations, this time in the number 10 jersey, no less. Nevertheless, Brazil fans and Scolari will be impressed by the pace of the Brazilian midfield and can expect the team to only improve both in the next two weeks and throughout the upcoming Confederations Cup. Brazil’s next friendly is against France on June 9 in Porto Alegre.
Goals
Brazil: Fred (57), Paulinho (82)
England: Oxlade-Chamberlain (66), Rooney (77)
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Brazil Defeat Costa Rica 1-0 As Mano's Midfield Experiment Continues
Brazil carved out an unimpressive 1-0 victory against Costa Rica on Friday thanks to a goal by Neymar. Despite a dominant performance against Argentina in the second leg of the Superclasico, coach Mano Menezes stayed true to form by juggling the Brazilian starting line-up. Most interesting about Brazil’s formation was Menezes’s midfield pairing of Ralf and Luiz Gustavo, behind Ronaldinho, Lucas Moura da Silva and Neymar. Fred started the match as the lone striker. Manchester United's Fabio earned his first cap as Brazil right back while Barcelona's Adriano took up the left back position.
Costa Rica threatened in the first ten minutes and episodically throughout the match as well, but Brazil gradually found their rhythm and began stringing together combination passes in midfield in the second half. The goal came in the 60th minute from a Dani Alves cross that skirted by the onrushing Fred, and then bounced into the path of Neymar who poached the ball into the back of the net for his second consecutive goal in the yellow jersey. Twelve minutes later, Brazil had yet another chance when some deft midfield combination play allowed Ronaldinho to lob the ball to Fred, who headed a difficult ball that the Costa Rican keeper Navas saved. The ball subsequently ended up back near the top of the box, from which Neymar’s curling shot caromed off the top of the post.
For all of Brazil’s critics, and there were plenty after a match like this, Brazil’s midfield is starting to gel in a distinctly Brazilian fashion that bears little resemblance to European football. Oscar and Hernanes replaced Luiz Gustavo and Lucas Moura at halftime in a substitution that revealed the depth of Mano Menezes’s options in the center of the park. Fans should begin to relinquish the expectation that Brazil will stick to a rigidly tactical formation. Mano is slowly but surely building a squad that switches positions and attacks through the midfield, alongside the traditional counter-attacking flank attack. The flank attack remains powerful, as evinced by Dani Alves’s role in Neymar’s goal, but Mano’s immediate investment is clearly around building a group of 6-8 midfielders such as Lucas Leiva, Ramires, Ralf, Luis Gustavo, Oscar, Hernanes, Lucas Moura, Jadson and Ganso that can maintain possession and substitute for one another throughout a difficult tournament such as the World Cup. Mano’s next problem is scoring more goals, but for now, he evidently believes that the midfield is where Brazil has had its problems since 2002.
Costa Rica threatened in the first ten minutes and episodically throughout the match as well, but Brazil gradually found their rhythm and began stringing together combination passes in midfield in the second half. The goal came in the 60th minute from a Dani Alves cross that skirted by the onrushing Fred, and then bounced into the path of Neymar who poached the ball into the back of the net for his second consecutive goal in the yellow jersey. Twelve minutes later, Brazil had yet another chance when some deft midfield combination play allowed Ronaldinho to lob the ball to Fred, who headed a difficult ball that the Costa Rican keeper Navas saved. The ball subsequently ended up back near the top of the box, from which Neymar’s curling shot caromed off the top of the post.
For all of Brazil’s critics, and there were plenty after a match like this, Brazil’s midfield is starting to gel in a distinctly Brazilian fashion that bears little resemblance to European football. Oscar and Hernanes replaced Luiz Gustavo and Lucas Moura at halftime in a substitution that revealed the depth of Mano Menezes’s options in the center of the park. Fans should begin to relinquish the expectation that Brazil will stick to a rigidly tactical formation. Mano is slowly but surely building a squad that switches positions and attacks through the midfield, alongside the traditional counter-attacking flank attack. The flank attack remains powerful, as evinced by Dani Alves’s role in Neymar’s goal, but Mano’s immediate investment is clearly around building a group of 6-8 midfielders such as Lucas Leiva, Ramires, Ralf, Luis Gustavo, Oscar, Hernanes, Lucas Moura, Jadson and Ganso that can maintain possession and substitute for one another throughout a difficult tournament such as the World Cup. Mano’s next problem is scoring more goals, but for now, he evidently believes that the midfield is where Brazil has had its problems since 2002.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Copa America: Brazil Draws 2-2 with Paraguay
Brazil drew 2-2 against Paraguay in their second round match of Copa America, leaving them tied with Paraguay in second place for Group B. Brazil now face Ecuador in their final group match and need a victory to assure qualification into the next round. Jadson opened the scoring for Brazil after his surprise inclusion instead of Robinho. Paraguay continued to apply the pressure they brought to the opening minutes of the game in the second half and were rewarded with two goals in the space of twelve minutes from Roque Santa Cruz and Nelson Valdez. Mano substituted Lucas of Sao Paulo for Ramires and Fred for Neymar in an effort to spark the Brazilian attack but Paraguay packed the defense and were unlucky to concede a last minute goal from Fred. The Fluminense striker turned and fired a low shot past the keeper's right with one touch from a through ball flicked through the center of the defense by Ganso. Fred's goal keeps Brazil's Copa America hopes alive as questions begin to mount about Mano Menezes's tactics and inconsistent midfield formations. Brazil fans can take consolation that Paulo Henrique Ganso provided assists for both goals and will go into the Ecuador game with the confidence that he can pick out the Selecao's strikers. Moreover, Fred showed once again that he can put the ball in the back of the net and fill the center forward role that Brazil otherwise lacks. Meanwhile, defending champions Brazil continue to fight for a place in the knockout stages. Given strong performances by the Brazil substitutes against Paraguay, it's anyone's guess as to who will feature in the Brazil starting line-up on Wednesday against Ecuador.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Mano Menezes finalizes Brazil squad for Copa America 2011
Mano Menezes announced the Brazil 2011 Copa America squad in a press conference in Sao Paulo soon after Brazil's 1-0 victory over Romania in a friendly that marked Ronaldo's farewell game. Mano trimmed down an initial list of 28 players to 22, with Paulo Henrique Ganso and Fred standing out as the notable inclusions. The selections of Fred and Ganso suggest that Mano is intent on playing a 4-2-1-3 with Lucas and Ramires behind Ganso, who in turn plays behind an attacking triumvirate combination of Neymar, Robinho, Fred and Pato (Neymar, Fred and Robinho would be one obvious combination). Speaking about the presently injured Ganso, Mano remarked: 'I've said before that Ganso is the more complete player for the position to organize the team the way I want, and there will be a lot of time for him to get ready and play well.'' Ganso's inclusion in the squad as an attacking midfielder behind 3 strikers marks one of the more offensive formations Brazil has fielded in the last 10 years, particularly given the tendency of Dani Alves and even Ramires to join the attack. Manchester United's Anderson, Nilmar, Thiago Neves, Fabio, Jefferson, Henrique, and Leandro Damiao were all dropped from the initial list of 28 for Copa America 2011 while The Hulk remains out of the orbit of Mano's immediate vision for now. Defending champions Brazil will be aiming to claim the trophy on the soil of their arch-rivals, Argentina.
By foregrounding Ganso, Mano is essentially opting for a 4-2-4 that conjures up shades of the great team of 1970 against which every Brazilian national team is compared. Brazil 1970 played with Clodoaldo and Gerson in midfield, and Pele, Jairzinho, Rivelino and Tostao in attack. Pele, however, would often drop deep into midfield while Gerson would come forward. Brazil's 2011 Copa America squad represents one of the more mouthwatering midfields in the modern game with creative players like Elano, Ganso, Elias, Jadson and Sao Paulo's Lucas alongside more rugged midfielders in the form of Liverpool's Lucas and Ramires of Chelsea.
Brazil's 2011 Copa America squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Victor (Gremio).
By foregrounding Ganso, Mano is essentially opting for a 4-2-4 that conjures up shades of the great team of 1970 against which every Brazilian national team is compared. Brazil 1970 played with Clodoaldo and Gerson in midfield, and Pele, Jairzinho, Rivelino and Tostao in attack. Pele, however, would often drop deep into midfield while Gerson would come forward. Brazil's 2011 Copa America squad represents one of the more mouthwatering midfields in the modern game with creative players like Elano, Ganso, Elias, Jadson and Sao Paulo's Lucas alongside more rugged midfielders in the form of Liverpool's Lucas and Ramires of Chelsea.
Brazil's 2011 Copa America squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Victor (Gremio).
Defenders: Andre Santos (Fenerbahce), Adriano (Barcelona), Maicon (Inter Milan), Dani Alves (Barcelona), Lucio (Inter Milan), David Luiz (Chelsea), Thiago Silva (Milan), Luisao (Benfica).
Midfielders: Ramires (Chelsea), Lucas (Liverpool), Sandro (Tottenham), Elias (Atletico Madrid), Lucas (Sao Paulo), Jadson (Shakhtar), Elano (Santos), Paulo Henrique Ganso (Santos).
Forwards: Neymar (Santos), Fred (Fluminense), Robinho (Milan), Alexandre Pato (Milan),
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Brazil draw 0-0 against Netherlands in Goiania friendly
Brazil drew 0-0 against the Netherlands in a friendly match that was rife with goal scoring opportunities but devoid of cases where the ball legitimately hit the back of the net. Mano played a 4-3-3 formation with Lucas, Ramires and Elano in midfield and Neymar, Robinho and Fred as attackers, in front of the expected defensive combination of Andre Santos, Thiago Silva, Lucio and Dani Alves. Holland’s Ibrahim Afellay had two golden opportunities for the Dutch in the opening half that were saved by Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar. Moreover, Robin Van Persie missed the opportunity to direct an aerial ball on target soon before the half time whistle. Brazil, meanwhile, had opportunities in the first half from a Ramires goal that was deemed offside and later, a long range Ramires strike that narrowly missed the top left corner.
Brazil dominated the second half as Neymar, in particular, began to impose his authority in and around the box. The Neymar, Robinho and Fred combination caused the Dutch defense problems early in the second half, but the Brazilian strikers simply failed to find the back of the net. Neymar had a number of shots on target saved by Dutch goalkeeper Tim Krul and, meanwhile, Robinho and Dani Alves pressed the attack for Brazil as well. Robinho’s strike curled toward goal after bouncing off the keeper’s feet but it was cleared off the line by Joris Mathijsen, away from the onrushing Fred. Brazil continued to attack but to no avail, with Ramires ultimately earning a second yellow card for a foul on Arjen Robben roughly ten minutes from time that resulted in his ejection.
For Brazil, this match represented a phenomenal display of defending from Lucio and Thiago Silva, two of the best center backs in the world. The second half witnessed some inspiring attacking play from the Selecao that would have created a bulge or two in the back of the net had it not been for a combination of luck and Tim Krul’s remarkable goalkeeping. Clearly, 4-3-3 is the formation for Brazil as it renders it very difficult to mark the combination of Neymar, Robinho and another striker, whether it be Fred or Leandro Damiao. If Mano ever has the luxury of fielding Paulo Henrique Ganso in a 4-2-1-3 combination, with Lucas and Ramires behind Ganso, Brazil is likely to win more matches against top 20 opponents. The other option is to bring on The Hulk as the center forward to replace Fred. But these are tactical questions that are easy for a journalist to make and much more difficult for a coach to implement in practice when he has to consider the culture of the team and its ethos on and off the field. Clearly, what we are seeing here is a lightweight Brazil team doing as best as it can given the talent at its disposal, though struggling to pull its weight against heavyweight contenders such as France, Argentina and the Dutch. Neymar had several high percentage chances that a more experienced Brazilian striker would have buried in the back of the net. If Brazil loses against Romania, Mano may have no option but to call upon the services of The Hulk to obtain more conversions from the Brazilian attack. Overall, the team looks like it is learning to find each other and create space and opportunities. The Selecao now just needs some quality strikers that can create a bulge in the back of the onion bag when given space in the box.
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