Brazil have sacrificed flair for substance

The old flair is gone, but Brazil will still be
World Champions

Brazil have sacrificed flair for substance, but they will still win the World Cup...

In the end Brazil literally came within six inches of exiting the World Cup.

That’s the width of the crossbar and the only thing that saved the Seleção from Mauricio Pinilla’s potential game-winning strike.

Eventually, after huffing and puffing for 120 minutes, Brazil overcame Chile on penalties but it had been the most uninspiring of displays from the hosts, not the mythical Seleção of 1970 or 1982, or the Brazil many grew up idolising.

This was stale, uninspired and with no magic.

Of course, a lot of that was down to Chile who put up a fantastic display, harassing their hosts in regulation time and then showing resolve to hold out for a shootout. But even so, this wasn’t Brazil and the most damning verdict one could give is it wasn’t much of a surprise.

Calling Brazil a team of flair and skill today has become wholly erroneous; they have long abandoned their magic. Today Brazil are functional and pragmatic, and this progressive shredding of their flamboyance has come to a head at this World Cup.

Despite playing at home in this grand carnival of a World Cup, Brazil have failed to inspire. Even after a bright start against Chile they once more fell into their now tentative ways in the end resorting to long balls from defence in search of a winner.

Long ball fever v Chile

	Total long balls	Accurate long balls
Thiago Silva	14	10
David Luiz	9	3
Marcelo	9	2
Dani Alves	8	5

“Never seen so many long balls played by a Brazilian side.” - @Tim_Cahill

Stats

Brazil	Metric	Chile
48.4	Possession	51.6
72%	Pass success	76%
310	Passes Completed	361
142	Attacking 3rd passes	163
9	Corners	5
23	Totals shots	13
6	Shots on targets	2

For the majority of their last 16 encounter at the Estadio Minerao, Brazil were out-played. Chile had better build-up play while the hosts not only lacked imagination but the ability to execute – Brazil’s passing accuracy of 72.9% was their second lowest in a World Cup match since 1966, their lowest being 72.4% against Germany in the 2002 final.

"The Seleção managed to create a few chances, but the fact is that we are lacking a proper game-plan. There is no more build-up from the back and players once again resorted to long balls to Neymar." - Zico on Brazil’s performance against Chile

On a wider scale, Brazil’s performances at this World Cup, their World Cup, are the harvest of a long-time shifting in football mentality.

A lot, maybe too much depends on Neymar

Brazil’s game-plan has always depended on two fullbacks bombing forward and two or three fantasy talents – Ronaldo, Romario, Rivaldo etc. However, the 2006 World Cup where Brazil crashed out in the quarters, with perhaps their most star-studded squad ever, represents a turning point in how this approach was interpreted.

Amidst the country’s collective grief and anger at an early World Cup exit, a collective blind eye was turned to the slow changing of the national team’s traditions by Dunga’s appointment as coach.

Quick, pain-relieving successes came, but the Seleção’s enduring charisma left.

Brazil’s Copa America win in 2007 came thanks to a counterattacking display in the final against Argentina and so generally have Brazil’s triumphs since – the 2009 Confederations Cup and last year’s win in the same tournament against Spain.

“The Brazilian football which is admired all around the world for its touch, for exchanging passes and dominating the game, no longer exists. Today's Brazilian footballing style is an affront to our culture." – Socrates, 2010

The type of player picked for the national team has thus changed, the kind of player produced also not as exotic.

Today the overall quality in Brazil team isn’t of the same standard and, as such, no one has been able to step up and support Neymar, Brazil’s only true superstar at present.

Oscar has shown flashes but has been inconsistent, so too Hulk. More worryingly, upfront Brazil simply don’t have an international class striker – between them Fred and Jo have managed one goal in the tournament thus far.

Brazil over the years

	1994	1998	2002	2006	2014
Fullbacks	Jorginho Branco	Cafu Roberto Carlos	Cafu Roberto Carlos	Cafu Roberto Carlos	Dani Alves Marcelo
Midfield	Dunga Mauro Silva	Dunga Cesar Sampaio	Gilberto Silva Kleberson	Gilberto Silva Ze Roberto	Paulinho Luiz Gustavo
Attackers	Leonardo Bebeto Romario	Leonardo Rivaldo Ronaldo	Ronaldinho Rivaldo Ronaldo	Kaka Ronaldinho Ronaldo	Neymar ? ?

There are still very good footballers in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s squad but none of the transcendent quality of years past because Brazil isn’t producing the same player it was.

Whereas 15 years ago there was a Rivaldo to call on, now there’s a Willian, a talented but more functional player.

“Creativity and instinct are being undermined by a focus on results when kids should actually be worried about developing their fundamentals,” Zico complained recently. “Worse, in my opinion, is that youth academies seem to be picking players with focus on size instead of talent.”

Equally, those players who do posses that rare guile are leaving for Europe far too early and aren’t benefitting from the grounding their peers had in the past or that a Neymar has ha for instance.

Kerlon and Keirrison are but two examples of precocious talents that left Brazil too early while Philippe Coutinho, who joined Italian giants Inter Milan at 18, is only finding his feet now at Liverpool.

Brazil's 12th man will carry them to the title...

Brazil’s changing philosophies over the years, in terms of tactics, player production and exportation, have thus brought them to this point where the Seleção is largely predictable and unimaginative.

That all said, this World Cup means far too much to Brazil, so much that they remain the side to beat.

Apart from being host nation, no other contender has yet looked wholly convincing and the longing for a World Cup triumph at home – from players and fans alike – can’t be overstated. In possibly the world’s most diverse nation, a country still blighted by poverty and inequalities, football remains its greatest unifying force and hope.

In beating Chile and in their 3-1 opening game comeback against Croatia, Brazil have already shown that what they lack in flair they more than make up for in courage and willpower.

Brazil may have abandoned their mythical flair, but they will still win this World Cup.

Written for BSports StatsInsights