World Cup 2014 Preview: Brazil hope to coast through Group A yet weighed down by expectations of a nation
June 9, 2014 by jamessavundra
By Andrew Papadopoulos.
In this section we run the rule over all 32 nations competing at this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil. With just days to go, we focus on the hosts and five-times winners – Brazil.
Group A – Brazil
FIFA World Ranking - 3
Manager- Luis Felipe Scolari
Past Performances - Brazil
What are their chances?
Brazil have not played a fully competitive game of football since a 2-0 defeat on penalties (yes, they missed all their penalties) against Paraguay way back in the 2011 Copa America. In the intervening period the team has played 44 friendlies (including the Confederations Cup) with an aggregate scoreline of 108-32.
They snagged the Confederations Cup in fine style, with a 3-0 spanking of world champions Spain in the final. That result, and the fact that Brazil have won 14 out of their last 15 games, has given the nation enormous confidence and reason, if any were needed, to expect great things from the their side this summer.
As Luis Felipe Scolari said in 2002 during his previous stint in charge- “Brazil has 150 million managers.” The varied and forceful opinions of Brazilian pundits and fans, and the expectation of victory hang over this 2014 side just they have for most others; it is nothing new. It helps somewhat that Felipão, as the manager is known in his home country, has already guided the national team to glory in 2002. His side wasn’t the most loved in terms of the desire for beautiful football, but they won the ultimate prize, and that is what has stuck.
With the trust of the public (in general) and his players, Scolari has been able to put his stamp on the side. He has been preparing the selecão meticulously for this very tournament since 2012. When it came time to announce the squad, he went straight down to his final 23, skipping the 30-man stage entirely.
Group A - BrazilTactically, there will definitely be a centre-forward-type of player, hence the inclusions of Jo and Fred, who probably aren’t the most spectacular talents Brazil possesses, but are able to play the role the manager wants. The 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 will also be a standard. Each player in every position has their own direct replacement. Excellent talents like Lucas Moura, Philippe Coutinho and Kaka have missed out because they simply do not fit as first or second choice in any of Scolari’s available slots. This is a team in which nothing has been left to chance, thoroughly moulded to its manager’s exact specifications.
Finally, it almost goes without saying that Brazil have a huge amount of talent to call on all through the squad. Shakhtar Donetsk winger Bernard was described by Big Phil as having “joy in his legs”. Another favourite is Oscar, whose positional flexibility made him a lock for Scolari’s final 23. Willian has shown flashes of scintillating form in his first season for Chelsea, and Hernanes is so good that Lazio president Claudio Lotito received death threats over his decision to sell him to Inter last summer. The list goes on. It would be a huge surprise to not see Brazil at least make the semi-finals. Certainly anything less than that would be regarded as a catastrophe in the country itself.
Three Key Players…
Neymar (FC Barcelona)
If there were to be a top three of key players for this entire tournament, Neymar would likely be in that, too.
neymarBrazil’s wonderkid-turned-superstar and World Cup poster boy has bedded himself in well at Barcelona, one of the most challenging clubs in world football. His 15 goals and 11 assists in just under 40 games hardly tell the whole story – he is the kind of player whose feints and split-second moments of skill are as much a part of their image and value as his statistical contribution is. But he has had a more than solid season in that regard, too, coming second in successful dribbles, key passes and man of the match awards only to Mr. Obvious – Lionel Messi.
The 22-year-old’s scoring record for Brazil is frankly excellent – 31 in 48 games. He is the main creative source for the side, even ahead of Hulk, who normally plays opposite him. He’s also a highly accomplished free-kick taker. One other thing Neymar does well is close down and break up opposing attacks (sometimes by fouling). At the Confederations Cup he was both the most fouled player and the one who gave away the most free-kicks. Scolari’s spoiling tactics require involvement from even the forward line. One hopes he’s got his subtle fouls down to an art – the last thing Brazil want is for their star man to see red in their own back yard.
Thiago Silva (PSG)
Silva is without doubt one of the most respected defenders in the world, and one of the few globally renowned centre-backs in the game. He is also a member of the Joey Barton Club (i.e. Joey Barton has abused him on Twitter). The PSG and Brazil captain is moving in to his prime at the age of 29, and leads out a team that takes its defensive duties very seriously indeed.
thiago_silvaIt was a surprise to many to see talented PSG youngster Marquinhos not make the final squad. But that is how Scolari is playing it; he is taking no risks in defence, calling up instead Henrique of Napoli and Dante of Bayern Munich – experienced players rather than young blood. Silva is without question the lynchpin of a Brazil defence which has conceded less than a goal a game since the former Chelsea manager took over.
For PSG, too, he truly led the way in title winning year. He won more aerial duels per game than any other player (not surprising if you’ve ever laid eyes on him), as well as being second-best in interceptions. Interestingly, he also found himself fourth in the entire league in long-ball proficiency this year, with 7.1 a game, almost on a par with Steven Gerrard. Two of the three men ahead of him in that Ligue 1 category were actually goalkeepers.
More than anything though, Silva is big, fast and has great timing in a tackle, which, believe it or not, goes just as far with Brazilian fans as it does with any others. Failure to land in Fifa’s Team of the Tournament would be a disappointment.
Oscar (Chelsea FC)
Another slightly built Brazilian attacker – but guess who was just behind Neymar in the Confederations Cup fouls list…
oscarOscar is in fact a much more legitimate defensive presence than Neymar will ever be, and is just a great all-round player. Labelling him a ‘defensive presence’ is perhaps misleading. When the selecão came to Wembley last year, the Chelsea youngster looked like the busiest man on the field, making tackles, runs, and giving great passes in the centre and out wide more often than any of his teammates. It is this versatility that has endeared him so much to Luis Felipe Scolari, as he can play not only in the forward line of a 4-3-3, but also midfield in a deeper role.
The one concern with the 22-year-old would be his lack of form in the final stretch of the season with Chelsea. It appeared that after a dazzling debut year, the speed of the Premier League was finally catching up with the young playmaker. He still finished as Chelsea’s third top scorer in the league with eight, and also tacked-on the fact that he made more tackles per game than any Chelsea centre-back, or John Obi Mikel. Given the tightly organised nature of the Brazil squad, it will come as a satisfying relief to find a player who can be trusted in multiple roles. Not to mention the fact that Oscar is still exceptionally young, and is a real talent for the future.
If they were an item of clothing, they’d be…
A deep sea diving helmet - classic and modern all at the same time, they’ve shown they can withstand enormous pressures time and again. Failure to do so this time would see them gulping for air.
Brazil group fixtures – Croatia (12 June), Mexico (17 June), Cameroon (23 June)
Can Brazil replicate last summer’s Confederations Cup triumph? Can “Big Phil” lead Brazil to another World Cup? Will Neymar shine on the big stage?
http://offsiderulepodcast.com/2014/06/09/world-cup-2014-preview-brazil-hope-to-coast-through-group-a-yet-weighed-down-by-expectations-of-a-nation/