Brazil Squad Against Paraguay: Will Mano Menezes Juggle His Line-Up?

Speculation abounds that Mano Menezes, coach of the Brazilian national football team, will change his starting line-up for Brazil’s pivotal Copa America match against Paraguay on Saturday. Mano is likely to stick to the 4-2-1-3 formation and squad that he fielded in Brazil’s goalless draw against Venezuela. On Wednesday, Mano replaced Ramires with Lucas and Robinho with Elano in training sessions that suggested that the Brazilian coach was dissatisfied with Robinho and wanted to supplement Ganso with another creative midfielder in the form of Elano as opposed to a defensive, holding midfielder such as Ramires. Mano refused to disclose the line-up for the match against Paraguay to the press, noting that the squad would be released just before kick-off. The most likely change would be Elano for Ramires, which would give Brazil a 4-1-2-3 formation, with Ganso and Elano behind Neymar, Pato and Robinho. Elano’s inclusion would take some playmaking pressure off Ganso and provide another badly needed conduit between the midfield and the strikeforce. Moreover, Elano plays alongside Neymar and Ganso for Santos and can claim national team tournament level experience through his contribution to Dunga’s World Cup squad. But Mano is unlikely to change the balance of the team and, if anything, is more likely to push Ramires into more of an offensive midfield role rather than displace him in favor of Elano. The other vibrant possibility is that Mano will pin down Andre Santos on the left flank and release Dani Alves to supplement the Brazilian attack even more so than usual.

Players to watch:

Alexandre Pato

Expect Pato to assert his authority and trek back into midfield to retrieve the ball in the event he’s not getting the service he needs.

Paulo Henrique Ganso

Needs to have a lifetime performance in the number 10 jersey. Should now be back to full form and fitness with two competitive games under his belt.

Dani Alves

The heir apparent to Robinho’s throne as captain of the Selecao will need to step up and take control of the match if Ganso cannot live up to expectations in midfield.

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.

Brazil v. Netherlands 2011 Friendly: A Preview

Although Brazil play Netherlands in an international friendly on June 4 in Goiania, Brazil, football fans should understand this is anything but a friendly, particularly from Brazil's point of view. The match stakes a tremendous amount of professional pride for the Brazilian national team given their humiliating 2-1 loss to the Dutch in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals last summer. Furthermore, Mano Menezes has yet to demonstrate his ability to win big matches against the best teams in the world. With players like Arjen Robben, Dirk Kuyt and Robin van Persie, the Netherlands rank well within the orbit of France and Argentina, the two teams that handed Mano his only losses as coach of the Selecao. Expect Brazil to attack from the opening whistle and put the Dutch on the defensive through a bevy of early scoring opportunities and conversions. Mano is likely to play one of two formations:

4-3-3: Julio Cesar, Dani Alves, Lucio, Thiago Silva and Andre Santos in defense, Lucas, Ramires and Elias in midfield, and Robinho, Neymar and Leandro Damiao up front.
4-4-2: Julio Cesar, Dani Alves, Lucio, Thiago Silva and Andre Santos in defense, Lucas, Ramires, Elias and Elano in midfield, with Neymar and Robinho up front.

Mano has recently preferred a 4-4-2 so that's we should expect, although everyone would like to see a 4-3-3 or even a 4-2-4 at some point. What's clear is that the back four and Lucas and Ramires are basically pencilled into the starting line-up. From there on, it's anyone's guess although Mano has favored Elias in the past and is likely to leverage the understanding between Elano and Neymar that has carried Santos to the Copa Libertadores final. To win convincingly, Mano needs to win by more than a one goal margin so he will somehow have to open the floodgates for the likes of Neymar, Robinho and Elano to put the ball in the back of the net. In recent interviews, Mano notes that Dani Alves functions as another attacker, so one option would be to pin down Andre Santos and let Alves attack down the right flank to complement Neymar on the far left. Bottom line: expect Brazil to go all out for a convincing win, beginning in the first half, particularly given that the match is played at home.

Neymar Scores Two as Brazil Beats Scotland in Style

Brazil 2-Scotland 0 (Neymar, 42; 77 (penalty))
Venue: Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, London

Brazil beat Scotland 2-0 in a glorious display of samba football that showcased the national team's depth, one touch passing, offensive vision and willingness to play the beautiful game. After withstanding some early pressure in the opening 10 minutes, Brazil burst forward in waves, utilizing both the overlapping fullbacks and the midfield as a source of attack and creative play. Elano's inclusion added spice to the attack as his wicked crosses and corner kicks found the lively Leandro Damiao on a number of occasions in his debut for the Selecao. Damiao narrowly missed converting Elano's assists twice in the first half, and Jadson threatened in the opening twenty minutes as well. Neymar, however, was the star of the show as his dribbling abilities and extraordinary positional awareness gradually began to destabilize the Scottish defense. In the 42nd minute, Andre Santos raced down the left side and found Neymar open in the box. Neymar proceeded to use his defender like a shield in curling the ball into the back of the net in a move reminiscent of the cat like prowess of Romario in the penalty area. Andre Santos, meanwhile, seems to have inherited the role of Roberto Carlos on the left side although he has a couple of years before the 2014 World Cup to master the art of defending.

Neymar threatened again immediately after the break by bursting forward from midfield and hitting the cross bar less than a minute after the half time whistle. The match was replete with high percentage scoring opportunities for Brazil. In the 53rd minute, Ramires skied a ball over the cross bar from a Dani Alves cross. Minutes later, Damiao illustrated his climbing abilities yet again by heading yet another Elano corner just wide. Neymar finally settled things in the 77th minute after one of his dribbling moves resulted in him being brought down in the box and earning a penalty kick for Brazil. The Brazilian number 11 stared at the goalkeeper's right hand side with uncanny composure for a player his age and buried the ball in the same corner of the net for a 2-0 lead that freed coach Mano Menezes to make a bevy of substitutions. The game was marred by a banana thrown onto the pitch following Neymar's penalty in what Brazil has historically understood as a gesture of racism. The banana represents a claim of primitivism about Brazil, particularly when experienced against European opponents on European soil. Roberto Carlos was recently shown a banana in Russia by a fan in one of his first matches for Anzhi, against Zenit, on March 21.

Overall, this was a fantastic result for Brazil, Neymar and for Mano the magician, in particular. We saw the midfield come alive for the first time since Brazil's match against the USA. Jadson, Lucas, Ramires and Elano combined neatly to advance the attack down the center, left and right. Damiao looked like a Brazilian number 9, even though he's clearly not ready to wear Ronaldo's shoes just yet. Neymar is easing into the number 11 jersey and will need to stay fit and put on more muscle to develop into the center forward Brazil desperately needs. Most importantly, the match against Scotland displayed that Brazil can play attacking, creative football without Robinho, Pato, Kaka, Ronaldinho and Maicon. With Paulo Henrique Ganso still recovering his form after a layoff from injury, and the likes of Hernanes, Elias, Casemiro and Lucas of Sao Paulo making their case for a place on the starting 11, the sun is suddenly shining very brightly on the Selecao.

Starting Formation:

Goalkeeper: Julio Cesar
Defense: Andre Santos, Thiago Silva, Lucio, Dani Alves
Midfield: Lucas (Liverpool), Ramires, Jadson, Elano
Strikers: Neymar, Leandro Damiao

Notable jersey numbers:

Neymar: 11
Jadson: 10
Damiao: 9
Elano: 7
Alves: 4
Santos: 6

Mano Announces Brazil Squad for Scotland Friendly

Mano Menezes announced a predictably surprising roster for Brazil's March 27 friendly against Scotland that omitted Robinho, Ronaldinho and Kaka, but recalled World Cup stars Maicon, Lucio and Elano. Citing an immediate need to prepare a squad for the July 2011 Copa America tournament in Argentina, Menezes noted that his squad selection was consistent with his larger philosophy of giving experience to new players and preparing for the possibility that Kaka and Ronaldinho may not be in full form and fitness for the 2014 World Cup. Neymar replaces Robinho up front while Sao Paulo's Lucas has received his first call-up to the national team after a sparking performance in the South America U-20 championships. The midfield features a mouthwatering combination of Liverpool's Lucas, Ramires, Sandro, Henrique, Elias, Elano, Renato Augusto, Jadson and Sao Paulo's Lucas. It will be anyone's guess as to who Mano starts in midfield given the creative power of Elano and the ability of Sao Paulo's Lucas to come forward and score goals. One has to give Mano credit for sticking with his guns and replacing, almost carte blanche, Dunga's midfield quartet of Kaka, Elano, Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo. The immediate sense we get from this squad selection is that Mano has opted to go with 2 strikers and some kind of attacking midfield combination wherein one or more midfielders has the license to come forward and score goals.

Defenders:
Dani Alves (Barcelona)
Maicon (Inter)
André Santos (Fenerbahçe)
Marcelo (Real Madrid
Lúcio (Inter)
Thiago Silva (Milan)
David Luiz (Chelsea)
Luisão (Benfica)


Midfielders:
Lucas (Liverpool)
Ramires (Chelsea)
Sandro (Tottenham)
Elias (Atlético Madrid)
Elano (Santos)
Renato Augusto (Bayer Leverkusen)
Jadson (Shakhtar Donetsk)
Lucas (Sao Paulo)
Henrique (Cruzeiro)

Forwards:
Alexandre Pato (Milan)
Neymar (Santos)
Nilmar (Villarreal)
Jonas (Valencia)

Brazil's Midfield Under Mano Menezes

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.

Argentina 1 - Brazil 0: Messi sinks Brazil in Doha Friendly

In a moment of injury time magic, FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi weaved through a tangle of Brazilian defenders and dispatched a left footed shot past goalkeeper Victor to seal a stunning, last minute 1-0 victory for Argentina against Brazil at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar today. Messi's goal ended a 5 match winless streak for the Albiceleste against Brazil and, amazingly enough, marked his first ever goal against the Selecao. The goal did justice to a match rife with high percentage scoring opportunities from both teams. Brazil pressed the attack in the first half with Dani Alves and Andre Santos roaring down both flanks, and Alves, in particular, threatening the Argentine goal. Brazilian midfielders Lucas, Ramires and Elias aggressively closed down the Argentine attack while playing without the ball and, conversely, distributed nicely to Neymar, Robinho and Ronaldinho when surging forward. Alves had the first real scoring opportunity of the match when a one-two pass with David Luiz enabled him to fire a rocket at the Argentine goal that hit the cross bar. Later in the half, a Neymar corner resulted in a ball falling to Ronaldinho in the box who, with his back to goal, opted for a back heel strike that goalkeeper Romero scooped up comfortably. Dinho also threatened the Argentine goal with a curling free kick off his right foot that Romero punched out of danger. As the half progressed, Argentina began to collect themselves and posed their own threats on goal with shots from Gonzalo Higuain saved by Victor in a match that was rapidly turning into a showcase for goalkeeping talent. Messi started to impose himself in the Argentine midfield and began one of his patented, Maradona-like runs based off passes from Zanetti and Banega that resulted in a long range, left footed shot that sailed over the crossbar by inches.

The second half continued the end to end football that fans expected from the South American clasico with Neymar and Robinho running at defenders and setting up dangerous free kick opportunities for Ronaldinho and Dani Alves. On the Argentine side of the equation, the substitution of Ezequiel Lavezzi for Higuain paid dividends as the Napoli striker created opportunities for Lionel Messi by commanding the right flank and distracting Andre Santos and David Luiz in the process. In the 56th minute, Lavezzi tore down the right flank and passed to Javier Pastore, whose shot appeared to have been blocked by the elbow of Thiago Silva, though no penalty was awarded. Meanwhile, Neymar continued to press the attack for Brazil and found himself repeatedly fouled and manhandled the closer he got to goal. In the 63rd minute, the Argentine defense hacked down Neymar in the box and the ball neatly fell to Robinho, but his shot went just wide.

Mano's flurry of substitutions with twenty minutes remaining--Douglas for Ronaldinho, Andre for Neymar and Jucilei for Ramires--seemed to suggest resignation to a 0-0 draw and an accompanying decision to provide his young players with much needed international experience. But Ramires's departure marked a deep, tactical mistake by Menezes because it freed Messi to find space in midfield that he had rarely enjoyed before. Deep into injury time, the Barcelona number 10 picked up the ball near center circle, burst forward, cut the ball onto his left foot and hit a lawnmower of a shot past Victor's left to seal a landmark victory for Argentina after their humiliating, 3-1 loss at home to Brazil in Rosario in World Cup qualifying in September 2009 and the team's recent 1-0 loss to Japan under coach Batista himself.

This was a humiliating defeat for Brazil as it exposed their lack of a single, world class, pure striker. Ronaldinho did his best to generate attacking opportunities alongside Corinthians star Elias but he lacked a powerful center forward such as Luis Fabiano with the strength to carve out that extra yard of space and put the ball in the back of the net. On the brighter side, Brazil's midfield is finally starting to click as the Lucas-Ramires partnership promises to bring much needed coherence to the team, although they still lack a creative playmaker in the form of Kaka, Elano or Paulo Henrique Ganso.

Despite not having as many high percentage shots on goal, Argentina clearly deserved the victory because Batista succeded where Maradona failed in freeing up Lionel Messi, the best striker in the world. Batista will have to worry about his defense, however, as he cannot rely on Romero to bail out the Albiceleste as often as he did today in Doha.

Overall, this was great end to end football and a tantalizing glimpse of two teams who will, in all likelihood, be the clear favorites for the World Cup in 2014, based as it will be on South American soil in Brazil. If Mano shores up his strikeforce with more mature incarnations of Neymar, Pato and Andre, Batista consolidates his defense, and Messi stays fit, the Selecao v. Albiceleste will probably be everyone's favored match-up for the World Cup final in 2014.

Team Captains:

Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina)
Robinho (Brazil)

Shirt Numbers:

Argentina

Messi: 10
Higuain: 9

Brazil

Neymar: 11
Ronaldinho: 10
Robinho: 9

For more on the history of Brazil v. Argentina, see:
Bringing Back the Beautiful Game: Brazil v. Argentina: A Brief World Cup History

Brazil Player Reviews for the August 10 USA friendly

Neymar: The most impressive Brazilian of the evening. Mesmerized the U.S. defense with dazzling step-over moves and pace. Varied his position throughout the evening, starting on the left, then popping up on the right and ultimately in the center to score the first goal.

Ganso: Rose to the challenge of the number 10 jersey by finding his team mates whenever they had the ball and finding them, in turn, when he had possession. Not quite Zidane just yet, but we can expect his confidence and authority to increase with more games for Brazil. A clear challenger to Kaka's place in the squad.

Robinho: Played an amazing game by complementing his Santos teammates Neymar and Ganso as needed. Took full advantage of Mano's directive to switch positions with other players as needed. Like a truly great player, came back deep into midfield and made runs down the left, right and center.

Pato: A great goal, and another goal that was disallowed, but a disappointing performance overall. Needs to figure out whether he should play like Fabiano and lurk around the box, or like (Brazilian) Ronaldo and come back into midfield to get more possession.

Ramires: Great speed and dribbling skills. Set up the second goal.

Lucas: Excellent defensive work in midfield that stopped the Americans from getting possession in the Brazilian first third of the field. Distributed the ball effectively as well.

Andre Santos: One of Brazil's best players of the evening. Consistently threatened down the left flank and combined superbly with Ganso, Neymar and Robinho.

David Luiz: Excellent defensive work in the center of the back four. Stopped many U.S. attacks before they started.

Thiago Silva: Nondescript in this game, but solid overall. Combined well with David Luiz to neutralize the U.S. offense.

Dani Alves: Ran his heart out, and looked for players both in the middle of the park and down the right flank. Possibly a little jet lagged from a Real Madrid club trip to Beijing, but deserves serious consideration as a permanent replacement for the aging Maicon. Mislaid a couple of passes but compensated for one or two mistakes with his work ethic and unselfish attitude.

Brazil v. USA friendly: A Preview

The U.S. soccer team will pose a tough test for Brazil at the New Meadowlands stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on August 10. With a squad featuring more than half of the players from the USA World Cup team in South Africa, the U.S. will be poised to play a defensively strong game that pressures the Brazilians in midfield. Central midfielder Jermaine Jones has been withdrawn from the squad in order to enable him to prepare for his upcoming European season with Schalke and replaced with striker Jozy Altidore. Jones was expected to start in the central midfield and may instead by replaced by Sacha Kljestan and Benny Feilhaber, the latter of whom played well in team USA's matches against Algeria and Slovenia in South Africa.

Familiar U.S. faces Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, Michael Bradley, and Carlos Bocanegra will lead the team, but they will miss Clint Dempsey and Oguchi Onyewu, both of whom are fighting for their places in their club teams in Europe. Bob Bradley and Sunil Gulati know full well that it's more important for Dempsey and Onyewu to gain more playing time in Europe than play an international friendly.

Brazil will encounter a defensively strong midfield, playing at home, with serious attacking threats represented by Altidore, Bradley and Donovan. Their own squad features a marked lack of international experience and it will be interesting to see if their midfield displays any coherence and attacking power. Brazil's midfield options include Hernanes, Jucilei, Lucas, Ramires, Sandro, Carlos Eduardo, Ederson, Paulo Henrique Ganso, all of whom have little experience playing with one another as a unit.

That said, it would be foolish to underestimate Brazil coach Mano's vision and abilities given his record at Gremio and Corinthians, and the intelligence of his academic investment in studying the game. Even though their midfield is difficult to imagine given the crop of fresh faces, the Selecao has some serious firepower up front in the form of Robinho, Andre, Neymar and Pato. It will be interesting to see if Mano opts to play three of these strikers together, as he has suggested on at least a couple of occasions.

Expect a stern battle in midfield with the U.S. growing in confidence as the match wears on, particularly if they can avoid giving away an early goal.

Prediction: Brazil 2-USA 0