The issue of how to fix Brazil is deeper than what just happened. To put this 7-1 loss in perspective is like seeing a U.S. Olympic basketball team play against a very talented Spanish team and lose 140-40, in home game, in New Jersey, in front of a myriad of awestricken fans, covering their mouths in shame and utter shock, unsure if they're being fooled by a higher power or not.
All tournament long, people were saying this doesn’t look very Brazilian. They looked unorganized. “This team looks different than previous Brazilian teams. They don’t look right. They’re barely squeaking by. They're winning on heart and effort and the twelfth man.” Exactly. The problem started before the World Cup began. The wrong players were chosen. “But you can’t sit there and say 'coulda-woulda-shoulda.'” Well, yes you can. That’s the problem. Before the World Cup began myself, and others, were wondering why the lineup looked so boring. They had the wrong team on the field. It’s not a matter of supporting “what they got.” It’s a matter of realizing what they got isn’t working. They didn’t have a fair chance. It’s not that Brazilian players have become inherently defensive over the years – it’s that the coaches have chosen these types of players, to secure victories with safety nets. Usually, the Brazilian players are full of creativity and tend to thrive on the offensive end of the field. This definitely wasn’t the case during this World Cup. At times, it was hard to watch.
In 2010, following the defeat in the World Cup by Holland, Brazil appointed Menezes as the coach, who in turn, brought out Neymar and Gonso – teammates from Santos – for their debut against the United States, in a friendly that Brazil looked very good in. Also brought up to the team was Pato. It was a creative looking unit with Neymar, Gonso, Pato, Robinho, Alves (as one of the outside boosts) and Ramirez sweeping things up as the defensive midfielder. This was a very potent looking group. Pato might be a crybaby but he’s a great talent, with tremendous speed. Gonso is that creative midfielder Brazil is known for. Then coach “Big Phil” took over and changed the lineup quite a bit. Big Phil is a great coach, and though he took the blame, I don’t think it was completely his fault. In player choices before the tournament, yes, it would be his fault, shared by those around him, making the lineup decisions. However, this team, as bad as they played against Germany, is not a 7-1 team. These weird things happen. Every once in a while we hear a neutron star ticking away, mistaking it for a UFO. It’s not. It’s a tremendously bizarre pulsar, ticking away; organized, rhythmic, timed to perfection - very German. Every time and again a good team, which is what Brazil was, with or without Thiago Silva and Neymar, will lose in a big way. The other team – in this case, a perfectly operating German side – scores goals in waves and the defeat is weird, bizarre and lopsided. These things happen, even to the best of them. Brazil has to field more creative players in the future; talented offensive players, with good, confident passing and dribbling which leads to more control over the game. With more control, you have more possession, which leads to good defense from everyone. When the team playing extremely offensively loses the ball, they tend to play better defensively and win the ball back, quickly. For one, they want the ball more; they have been enjoying the possession, and it’s addictive. And two, the other team has lost their nerve. They forgot what it’s like to have the ball and they cough it up easily. A great example would be this game. Germany had brilliant possession and they won every ball back, as Brazil was desperately chasing the ball around, standing, wondering if they’d ever get possession back. When they had possession it was rattled and disjointed. Despite not having two of their main players, this is what happens when the other team is dominant offensively. Bring out the real Brazilian talent and things like this won’t happen.
All tournament long, people were saying this doesn’t look very Brazilian. They looked unorganized. “This team looks different than previous Brazilian teams. They don’t look right. They’re barely squeaking by. They're winning on heart and effort and the twelfth man.” Exactly. The problem started before the World Cup began. The wrong players were chosen. “But you can’t sit there and say 'coulda-woulda-shoulda.'” Well, yes you can. That’s the problem. Before the World Cup began myself, and others, were wondering why the lineup looked so boring. They had the wrong team on the field. It’s not a matter of supporting “what they got.” It’s a matter of realizing what they got isn’t working. They didn’t have a fair chance. It’s not that Brazilian players have become inherently defensive over the years – it’s that the coaches have chosen these types of players, to secure victories with safety nets. Usually, the Brazilian players are full of creativity and tend to thrive on the offensive end of the field. This definitely wasn’t the case during this World Cup. At times, it was hard to watch.
In 2010, following the defeat in the World Cup by Holland, Brazil appointed Menezes as the coach, who in turn, brought out Neymar and Gonso – teammates from Santos – for their debut against the United States, in a friendly that Brazil looked very good in. Also brought up to the team was Pato. It was a creative looking unit with Neymar, Gonso, Pato, Robinho, Alves (as one of the outside boosts) and Ramirez sweeping things up as the defensive midfielder. This was a very potent looking group. Pato might be a crybaby but he’s a great talent, with tremendous speed. Gonso is that creative midfielder Brazil is known for. Then coach “Big Phil” took over and changed the lineup quite a bit. Big Phil is a great coach, and though he took the blame, I don’t think it was completely his fault. In player choices before the tournament, yes, it would be his fault, shared by those around him, making the lineup decisions. However, this team, as bad as they played against Germany, is not a 7-1 team. These weird things happen. Every once in a while we hear a neutron star ticking away, mistaking it for a UFO. It’s not. It’s a tremendously bizarre pulsar, ticking away; organized, rhythmic, timed to perfection - very German. Every time and again a good team, which is what Brazil was, with or without Thiago Silva and Neymar, will lose in a big way. The other team – in this case, a perfectly operating German side – scores goals in waves and the defeat is weird, bizarre and lopsided. These things happen, even to the best of them. Brazil has to field more creative players in the future; talented offensive players, with good, confident passing and dribbling which leads to more control over the game. With more control, you have more possession, which leads to good defense from everyone. When the team playing extremely offensively loses the ball, they tend to play better defensively and win the ball back, quickly. For one, they want the ball more; they have been enjoying the possession, and it’s addictive. And two, the other team has lost their nerve. They forgot what it’s like to have the ball and they cough it up easily. A great example would be this game. Germany had brilliant possession and they won every ball back, as Brazil was desperately chasing the ball around, standing, wondering if they’d ever get possession back. When they had possession it was rattled and disjointed. Despite not having two of their main players, this is what happens when the other team is dominant offensively. Bring out the real Brazilian talent and things like this won’t happen.
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