Brazil (Seleção) in Brazil……..
Great job Fifa!, for allowing EA Sports to find innovative ways to bring the beautiful game to our consoles. Thinking forward is key. We can’t thank you enough. Keep up with the good work. 🙂
With that said, one thing we know about Fifa is that change is not something the organization welcomes. The late arrival of goal line technology and the absence of Instant Replay in the modern game are few examples. If we take a look at the Fifa Men’s National Team ranking table, the method of calculation is as flawed and old as some of the key decision making on the field of play.
Going for the Gold
There has never been a weak Brazilian side in the world of futbol. We actually have had enough Brazilian teams to have head-to-head debates over.
At your local futbol pub, the quality of national teams are measured in comparison to the Brazilian national side. And that does not exclude a current Brazilian team.
Sometimes unfairly done, Brazilian teams fall victim to getting measured with the legacy of their predecessors. This has prevented the bar of excellence from being dropped by the following generation. Present and up and coming Brazilian footballers know what it means to put on the Gold and Blue amour, and how the numerical tag on the back of that amour describes your job role. We know what Pele made of the No.10.
The current Brazilian squad, on paper is the weakest Brazilian team to date. It will enters the world cup not boasting of the best players in any particular position, with the exception of defense. That is quite untraditional for the Selecao.Currently, Thiago Silva is widely regarded best center back in the world. In attacking futbol, the best attackers in the World is currently a tug-of-war with between an Argentine and a Portuguese. And if we are to go by his ego, we might be able to add a Swede (even though this Swede did not get his team in the World Cup). The best midfielders would probably from Spain. Spain’s ‘tiki-taka’ style of play has caused a reconstruction to all defensive formations around the globe, making it is hard at the moment to tell as a collectively which team plays the best defense .
So yes, Brazil might not be great on paper as we are use to. They might seem to lack star players we are not use to. But they are far from a weak side, and maybe even farther from the weakest Selecao side.
The Venom
Neymar is the only player who has his position guaranteed on this team. He is the star attraction of the Brazilian team in 2014.
Neymar stars in the Confederation Cup in 2013
In a Brazilian shirt he exhibits twice as much talent as he does at Catalonia, so there is a great deal of hope and expectations from the winging-striker. There isn’t much doubt about his talent. He is incredible when he is on his feet, and stays on his feet. A little lesson from his co-star at Barcelona on “maintaining balance and keeping your face off the grass” will be a boost to his on-pitch performance.
Neymar on the ball
His passing might also need a some help. Don’t get me wrong, he can pass the ball very well, just not too often. And while we are on the topic of attributes he can upgrade, a little boost in his defensive work will be beneficial to his team.
Even with these shortcomings, he is a star in the Selecao and shines a little brighter than expected in comparison with other highlighted stars playing for their national teams. (No. 10)
Fred was a star in his own right during the most recent Fifa Confederations Cup. Bagging 2 goals in the finals against Spain will be a icing to the cake for his performance through the competition. Not particularly known to be a world class striker, but his work ethics makes up for his shortcomings.
Fred will pounce on defenders, giving them a full 90+ minute work out session. He has a 50% goal scoring record for the national side, which is a record Scolari will be looking at in the selection for his No.9. But it will sure come with a some challenge from very close competition like Alexandre Pato, and Leandro Damiao.
The Control and Support
There are lots of talents from Brazil, but no prominent one to pick out of the bunch. Brazil can go anywhere without travelling supporters. The world is a fan of the Samba style of futbol.
Traditionally, the strength of the Selecao has come from domination of the midfield battles. Skillful midfielder have dazzled their way into the hearts of many fans, and around the bodies of many opponents. There have always been a few stand out stars in the midfield to look up to in a Brazilian line-up. We can’t necessarily say the same for the current squad.
The midfield area that is over-saturated with evenly matched talents. There are center midfielders that can play wide as wingers, and wingers that can cut in and play center. Since I believe it is a sign of weakness for a team to depend on the same set of talent after two World Cup competitions, I will like to eliminate the legends from the list. This will include Kaka,Ronaldinho and to an extent Robinho.
What we have after this elimination will be..
Ramires,Oscar,Paulinho,Luis Gustavo,Bernard,Fernandinho,Willian,Lucas Lieva,Lucas Moura,Hernanes,Fernando,Jadson. You can also add Ganso to the list (and yes I have hope for Ganso, even though he hasn’t been in form lately.)
That is a list of the most evenly match set of players fighting for a position in the midfield. As I stated earlier, these players are versatile. A good number of them currently play in the the same leagues in Europe, which might be an advantage to create a cohesive gameplay and control in the middle area.
Not having a stand-out star in the midfield could be an advantage for the team. It could be their secret to success in this World Cup. There have been some Brazilian sides in the past,that have won the competition because the stars of the team were not known till they had won the tournament. Which means they were not defensively targeted from opposing teams, giving them room to play quite freely for the majority of the competition.
The surprise factor of Ronaldinho in 2002 gave an advantage to the team, allowing him to roam freely while the attention was on Rivaldo and Ronaldo. In 98 World Cup final, the brilliance of Zidane and the intense marking of the publicized Brazilian star, Ronaldo, gave France the win.
You can say the same for 2006 and 2012, but there were other factors involved.
The magician Ronaldinho.
The Bouncers
Defense is however is drenched with stand-out talents. Traditional Italian defending with an offensive swag to it. They will disarm a striker and confidently deliver the weapon to the midfielders, or even go far as to delivering it to the strikers, and if the weather is good enough they might make an appearance on the score sheet. *the weapon is the ball*.
The defensive line-up is looking predictable. Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, and Marcelo. There is also Adriano, Rafinha, Dante, Maxwell, Marquinhos and Felipe Luis. We can add Andres Santos to this list if we are feeling bold.
There are a lot more players not mentioned, partially due to the fact that I might not finish this article if I my aim was to list them all, and also to the fact that some players have not been on the roster for a recent call-ups to the national team from Scolari.
On paper the line-up does not strike the same dose of fear we are accustomed to. But when you break it down and compare it to other national sides, they hold their own against any top senior national team. The team might not be an ‘exception to the rule’ as it used to be, but that is only because we might be comparing the team to their predecessors, not to their current opposition. Teams might walk on the pitch with a little more confidence when playing the Brazil of today, but that is not the confidence that say “we will beat them”. It is more like “they are beatable”
So what are the odds here for Brazil?.
Well, they have proven to be a better side under Felipe Scolari, and have beaten the No.1 team Spain, to win the Confederation Cup. Despite playing most of their games outside Brazil,they have maintained an almost excellent record under Scolari.
Spain is still considered one of the favorite teams to win the World Cup. It will be possible for both teams to face-off in the Finale. But if we want to be superstitious, both teams will not win the World Cup.
Spain is currently ranked No.1 in the world, and no team that is ranked No.1 before the tournament has been able to win the World Cup. Brazil won the Confederations Cup, and no team that has won the Confederation Cup has won the World Cup that follows.
But in sports, we keep track of these records just to break them.
If Spain and Brazil manage to avoid each other in the Round of 16, there is a good chance there will be a the Final encounter. A round of 16 might favor Spain’s preparation leading up to that point, since they have on paper a tougher group.
But hey there will be some drama, suspense and surprises. And that is why we will have to be watching to see if the Selecao will make home field advantage count.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A4WpotoVE8
