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 England, on the other hand, played in a 4-5-1 formation with coach Roy Hodgson fielding striker Theo Walcott in a withdrawn position on the right flank behind Wayne Rooney.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)

Neymar Signs For Barcelona In Move That Bodes Well For Brazilian National Team

Santos striker Neymar has signed a five year agreement with Barcelona, ending years of speculation about his future as a football player in the wake of attempts by Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid to sign the Brazilian sensation.

A statement by Barcelona regarding Neymar's signing read:

The player is known for his exquisite technical skills which makes this free-scoring striker a nightmare for any defence

His style is beautiful to watch and he has received recognition and praise from the legendary Pelé himself, of whom many believe he is the modern successor

FC Barcelona and Santos FC have agreed to terms for Neymar da Silva Junior. The Brazilian forward will don the Blaugrana strip for the next five seasons.

Santos faced pressure to accept offers for Neymar given that his contract expired in July 2014 and consequently, Neymar would have been able to enter into pre-contract agreements with other clubs six months from now. A Santos statement noted that they tried everything possible to retain Neymar, but were unable to compete with this week's offers from Barcelona and Real Madrid:

Every effort was made to keep him in Brazil as long as possible, even offering to renew the current contract, which ends in July 2014. At this time, however, it was not possible to compete with the terms offered from abroad, which affected the decision of the player to review his professional life. Due to the confidentiality agreement, and by mutual agreement, the terms of the transfer will not be disclosed by any of the parties.

Neymar is famous for his flamboyant dribbling abilities and love of taking on defenders using a combination of flicks, step over moves and pace. He is also known for his free kicks, penalties marked by long run ups to the penalty spot and corner kicks delivered with exquisite precision. He has been at Santos for nine years and is largely responsible for the greatest success enjoyed by the club since Pele's era in the 1970s. Neymar led Santos to the 2011 Copa Libertadores trophy, the 2010 Brazil Serie A championship and three consecutive Sao Paulo statement tournaments. Both for Santos and Brazil, Neymar typically plays on the far left and then cuts inside toward goal, but has typically been granted carte blanche authority to roam all over the pitch in a sign of coaching respect that recalls the freedom similarly accorded to Brazil's legend Ronaldo.

Neymar's decision to play in Europe will be enthusiastically applauded by coaches and pundits in Brazil, many of whom feel that the spiky haired Santos 21 year old needs more experience playing against European defenses in order to lead Brazil to victory at the 2014 World Cup. Neymar has scored 138 goals for Santos in 229 matches, and 20 goals in 32 appearances for Brazil. Many critics in Brazil, however, have argued that Neymar has yet up to live up to his potential when playing against European-style defenses marked by an additional player that is ready to mark the striker after he beats the primary defender on the dribble. Neymar will join Barcelona after the Confederations Cup on June 30 and play one final game for Santos against Flamengo, in the season's opener, in order to pay tribute to the club that he helped resurrect and lead over the last five years.

Neymar has been singled out by Brazilian luminaries such as the late Socrates, Pele and others as only truly great player of his generation in Brazil. Given the wealth of experience enabled by playing alongside Lionel Messi and some of the best defenders in the world in European competition, Neymar's move to Barcelona now renders him better positioned to lead Brazil to a record sixth World Cup title on home soil in the summer of 2014. The obvious question, now, however, is where Barcelona will position him alongside Messi up front and how well he will adapt to European football.

Scolari Drops Ronaldinho And Kaka As Youth Triumphs In Brazil's Confederations Cup Squad

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari shockingly dropped both Ronaldinho and Kaka from the Brazil squad for the 2013 Confederations Cup tournament after having teased journalists for weeks by noting that there was room for one or the other of the two aging stars, but not both. Corinthians striker Alexandre Pato and Chelsea midfielder Ramires were also dropped from the squad. Held from June 15 to June 30, the Confederations Cup represents Brazil’s last major tournament before the 2014 World Cup, and as such, Brazil’s form will be meticulously studied in preparation for next summer’s World Cup in Brazil.

Brazil is initially drawn with Japan, Mexico and Italy in a highly competitive berth with stiff competition likely to be delivered both by Mexico and Italy. The other half of the bracket features Spain, Uruguay, Tahiti and Nigeria. Like the 2014 World Cup, the 2013 Confederations Cup is based in Brazil and thereby gives FIFA an opportunity to assess the match-readiness of Brazil’s stadiums and infrastructure and participating coaches and teams the experience of playing competitive football in Brazil.

A summary of key points from Scolari’s squad selection includes the following:

Inclusions
•The selection of Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Dante and Rever as candidates for two positions in central defense
•The selection of Paulinho, Hernanes and Oscar in midfield
•The standard pairing of Marcelo and Dani Alves on the flanks
•A mouthwatering set of options in attack featuring Neymar, Fred, Hulk, Leandro Damiao and Atletico Mineiro’s playmaker Bernard

Omissions
•The omission of Ronaldinho despite his scintillating form for Atletico Mineiro of late in the Copa Libertadores
•The omission of Kaka despite having combined well with Neymar in select friendlies under Mano Menezes
•The omission of Corinthians striker Alexandre Pato, Chelsea midfielder Ramires and Vasco da Gama centreback Dede

But despite the omissions of Ronaldinho and Kaka, Scolari refused to close the door on veteran stars by noting:

History is not over for the veterans. This list is for the Confederations Cup only. We have a project to watch other players who might add more to our group to the World Cup. After the CC [Confederations Cup], we'll be going to Europe, to places like Russia, Ukraine, England, to watch players from there. We'll see how this one goes and who else can add more to us. To everyone who was left out: play, show us your football, prove you can add to the squad. They could be planting a little seed for the future.

Ronaldinho responded to the omission from the 2013 Confederations Cup squad as follows:

Motivated more than ever. I really wanted to have been summoned, did not happen that way, so it motivates me so I have to play even more to be remembered in the future.

Scolari’s omission of both Ronaldinho and Kaka heightened speculation about his probable selections in midfield and attack. In midfield, fans can expect Oscar and Hernanes but the key question is whether Scolari has the courage to push David Luiz deep into midfield, behind Hernanes, and partner Thiago Silva with Dante in central defense. The other obvious option would be to field Fernando and Paulinho behind Oscar and Hernanes. Scolari’s midfield selection will dictate whether he opts for three attackers in the form of Neymar and Hulk flanking Fred, or simply Neymar and Fred with Hulk and Lucas Moura coming off the bench as substitutes.

Brazil Squad For 2013 Confederations Cup

Goalkeepers: Júlio César (QPR), Diego Cavalieri (Fluminense), Jefferson (Botafogo) Central Defenders: Thiago Silva (PSG), Réver (Atlético-MG), David Luiz (Chelsea), Dante (Bayern Munich)

Fullbacks: Dani Alves (Barcelona), Jean (Fluminense), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid)

Midfielders: Fernando (Grêmio), Paulinho (Corinthians), Hernanes (Lazio), Luiz Gustavo (Bayern Munich), Oscar (Chelsea), Lucas Moura (PSG), Jadson (São Paulo), Bernard (Atlético-MG)

Strikers: Fred (Fluminense), Leandro Damião (Internacional), Hulk (Zenit), Neymar (Santos)

Three Promising Signs For Brazil In Their Disappointing 2-2 Draw Against Chile

Brazil’s 2-2 draw against Chile on Wednesday was one of the most horrendous displays by the Selecao in recent memory. The fullbacks and defensive midfield were nonexistent, and overall, the team didn’t play as a team at all, but rather as a collection of atomized individuals. That said, Scolari did mention that friendlies such as these were opportunities to try out new players, and that may have been all that he got out of the exercise. Rever continued to perform well in defense, as did Henrique, who substituted for Dede in the second half. Meanwhile, Jean and Marcos Rocha delivered ineffective performances that suggest that the alternative to Dani Alves on the right flank is not based in Brazil, but at Manchester United in the form of Rafael. Regardless, Wednesday’s match witnessed three key promising developments with respect to individual players:

•Neymar trekked back deep into midfield, and sometimes even into his own half, to retrieve the ball and get some service. He even began looking for space on the right flank as opposed to the left, and explored more attacking options down the center as well. This is wonderful news for the Selecao, because this is exactly what Brazil's Ronaldo used to do, albeit with more pace, strength and confidence than Neymar. Neymar will need to continue to return deep into midfield since national teams know well that the secret to containing him simply involves double teaming him on the left flank.

•Ronaldinho is slowly but surely beginning to assert his vision and leadership on the team. This game witnessed some terrific visionary passes and flicks from the old master, who was also pivotally involved in the second goal. The Dinho-Neymar partnership continues to develop and will be one of the pillars of the national team unless Kaka stages a miraculous return to form in the next 6 months. Ronaldinho also played for 90 minutes and is clearly back to acceptable fitness levels for a 33 year old midfield playmaker.

•Pato is returning to full fitness, and we saw this in some exemplary play throughout the second half, and particularly in the second goal that he initiated. Corinthians have reportedly accused AC Milan of mismanaging his injuries, and this is good news for Brazil fans because Pato is the best pure Brazilian striker available today. If Pato can recover his fitness and form with the help of his club Corinthians, Brazil’s problems up front evaporate and the entire makeup of the team changes for the better.

With the exception of Rever, Neymar, Ronaldinho and Pato, the domestically based players do not look like viable candidates for the national team. Leandro Damiao continues to disappoint by virtue of his static play up front and even Paulinho had an indifferent game in which he failed to assert his authority on attacks emanating from deep positions. Part of the reason for Brazil’s poor performance, of course, stemmed from some remarkable play by an attack-oriented Chilean team that allowed Brazil virtually no time on the ball. That said, Paulinho, Ralf and Jadson failed to impress and will struggle for a starting place in the lineup given the likes of Hernanes and Ramires in deep midfield positions. Nevertheless, amidst all the disappointment, Brazil fans have at least three glimmers of hope about which to cheer as they look forward to their next friendly against England on June 2.

Brazil Squad For April 24 Chile Friendly

The Brazil squad for the April 24 Chile friendly is as follows:

Goalkeepers:
Diego Cavalieri (Fluminense), Jefferson (Botafogo).

Defenders:
Marcos Rocha (Atletico Mineiro), Andre Santos (Gremio), Rever (Atletico Mineiro), Henrique (Palmeiras), Dede (Vasco)

Midfielders:
Jean (Fluminense), Fernando (Gremio), Ralf (Corinthians), Paulinho (Corinthians), Jadson (Sao Paulo), Ronaldinho (Atletico Mineiro).

Strikers:
Neymar (Santos), Leandro Damiao (Internacional), Leandro (Palmeiras), Alexandre Pato (Corinthians), Osvaldo (Sao Paulo).

Expect Ronaldinho to start in midfield alongside Jadson, Ralf and Paulinho in a formation that very closely resembles the lineup against Bolivia.

Scolari's Next Move: David Luiz In Deep Midfield and A Thiago Silva, Dante Partnership In Central Defense

After the recent friendly against Bolivia, Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari praised Rever’s performance and noted that the team had no shortage of talent in central defense. Scolari remarked that Brazil had at least five players vying for two spots in central defense and that, of these, he could take four players to the 2013 Confederations Cup. All this suggests that Scolari is actively thinking about disrupting the central defensive partnership of Thiago Silva and David Luiz that became the mainstay of Brazil’s central defense under Mano Menezes and either pushing David Luiz into a deep midfield role or perhaps, more radically, relegating Luiz to the bench given his renowned tendency to make mistakes. Of these two moves, pushing David Luiz into midfield is by far the more likely option given his wealth of international experience and leadership ability. As Brazil’s attacking midfield begins to gel led by Ronaldinho and Oscar, Scolari is likely to push Luiz into a deep midfield playmaking position behind Hernanes, and partner Thiago Silva with Bayern Munich’s Dante, Vasco da Gama’s Dede or Atletico Mineiro’s Rever in central defense. Scolari himself remarked on the possibility of pushing David Luiz into midfield before the Brazil-England friendly as follows:

David Luiz has played most of his games since the Club World Cup as a defensive midfielder. He's a third centre-back, but who plays in front [of the defensive line].He has this ability and it gives us an alternative. I think it's a good chance to try this during the game, but we won't start like this. To sort this, we need time for training to work on the fine details of positioning. For now, it is an alternative for during the games, but we won't start like that.

Assuming Brazil does evolve to a formation whereby David Luiz plays as the first man of midfield in a deep playmaking role with defensive responsibilities as well, Scolari has three partnering options for Thiago Silva in central defense as follows:

Dante
The 29 year old Bayern Munich central defender is known for his composure, prowess in the air, tactical awareness and ability to push forward and create goal scoring opportunities. Dante has superb tackling accuracy and typical Brazilian defensive composure marked by the ability to calmly play the ball out of defensive situations.

Dede
The Vasco da Gama central defender is known for his physical strength, towering physical presence, ability in the air, leadership in central defense and ability to score from set pieces.

Rever
The Atletico Mineiro defender is known for his positional awareness, ability in the air and track record of scoring goals.

Dante represents the strongest candidate for a partner for Thiago Silva given his experience with European football and clinical tackling accuracy. A Thiago Silva-Dante partnership in the Brazilian central defense enables Scolari to leverage Luiz’s playmaking ability and strong physical presence to support Dani Alves, Marcelo and Hernanes in a move that would give Brazil all of the benefits of a holding midfielder in addition to Luiz’s ability to orchestrate attacks and join the attack as needed as well.

Neymar and Ronaldinho Lead Brazil To 4-0 Victory Over Bolivia

Brazil pranced to their first victory under newly appointed coach Luis Felipe Scolari with an impressive 4-0 win over Bolivia in Santa Cruz de la Sierra on Saturday. Scolari opted for a 4-2-2-2 formation with Paulinho and Ralf behind Ronaldinho and Jadson, who in turn were positioned behind Neymar and Leandro Damiao. Scolari gave Ronaldinho both the number 10 jersey and the captain’s armband in a clear signal that team leadership belonged to him in contrast to Neymar, the second most experienced member of a Brazil squad composed entirely of domestically-based players. Ronaldinho commanded the midfield and orchestrated attacks with his trademark vision of the entire run of play by picking out both Damiao and Neymar and delivering threatening curling balls into the box from free-kicks.

Leandro Damiao opened the scoring in the 5th minute by latching onto a pass from the right flank delivered by Jean, who played in an unfamiliar position as a right fullback. Damiao’s goal failed to open the floodgates but it was Ronaldinho’s magic in an attacking midfield position that tilted the match decidedly in Brazil’s favor. First, a Ronaldinho free kick led to a scramble in the box followed by a Brazil goal that was deemed offside. Minutes later, however, Ronaldinho sent a flick through to Neymar on the left flank who, in turn, flicked the ball over the Bolivian keeper to make it 2-0 Brazil in the 31st minute. Ten minutes later, Neymar converted his second goal of the match when Jadson delivered a bullet of a cross from the right flank that Neymar directed into the roof of the net with a perfectly timed touch.

After conceding three goals in the first half, Bolivia dominated possession in the opening 20 minutes of the second half but failed to produce any high percentage shots on goal. Vasco da Gama’s Dede impressively marshalled the Brazilian defense alongside Rever and showed that Scolari has plenty of options to complement the pairing of Thiago Silva and David Luiz in central defense. Scolari himself commented on the quality of Brazil’s centrebacks by noting:

All centrebacks I call up end up living up to the expectations and that was Réver's case too. I already have four or five centrebacks fighting for the same position, and I can take four [for the Confederations Cup], so that's great.

After the first half, Scolari substituted Neymar and Damiao with Osvaldo and Alexandre Pato. Despite Pato’s invisibility for almost the entire second half, Brazil remained lively thanks to the combined efforts of Ronaldinho, Jadson, Osvaldo and Paulinho, the latter of whom initiated Brazil’s fourth goal by bringing the ball forward and enabling a cross to Palmeiras youngster Leandro, who confidently struck the ball deep into the roof of the net to make it 4-0. Leandro’s goal capped an impressive performance by Brazil which, despite fielding only domestic players, is brimming with talent in defensive and midfield positions. Brazil next plays Chile on April 24 as they prepare for the Confederations Cup in June.  Like the Bolivia match, the Brazil-Chile friendly on April 24 will feature only domestically-based players as it does not fall on a designated FIFA calendar date.

Goals
Brazil: Leandro Damiao (5), Neymar (31, 42), Leandro (90)

Starting Lineups
Brazil: Jefferson (GK), Santos, Dedé, Réver, Jean, Jádson, Paulinho, Ralf, Ronaldinho, Leandro Damião, Neymar
Bolivia: Galarza (GK), Eguino, Zenteno, Bejarano, Melean, Campos, Bejarano, Moreno, Arce, Rojas, Veizaga