Hi, I'm an Englishman who grew up in Japan (18 years to be exact). However the team I put before everyone is England. The thing is that, because of my upbringing, I have a soft spot for Japan. Anyways, I am actually much more excited about Japan's Draw than I am about England's. So here is my question. How many of you really know the opposition in this group? (besides brazil that is of course). Here is my take on Japan: They rely on their midfield, and I mean they rely heavily on it. Nakata Hidetoshi is almost a household name in the world of football, and while he is considered to be on decline he still has a lot to bring to the table. However, the real creative genious of this team is one Shunsuke Nakamura. Nakamura missed the last world cup at the final cut and it seems he used that incident to feed his desire. It also helps that Coach Zico sees a glimpse of himself in the dimunitive midfielder. Nakamura can pass, dribble, and create plays out of nowhere. I would venture to say that outside of the Brazilians in this group he is the most gifted play-maker in Group F. Further more, when it comes to dead ball accuracy, I believe that he is head and shoulders above anyone else in Group F (including the Brazilians.) His problem many say is that he lacks physical strength and pace. The other faces in the Japanese midfield are Inamoto, Ono, Ogasawara, and possibly Fukunishi. Inamoto, the golden boy of 2002 is finally working his way back into contention, after a lengthy abscense, in both the Japanese NT and WBA. He is supposedly the anchor man of the midfield but has bundles of attacking flair as well. When it comes to strait forward pile-driver shots from outside the box, he is the one to look for in the Japanese midfield. Ono, on the other hand is a more delicate player, possibly in the mold of one Pirlo, or Guardiola (sp??). Actually the closest I have ever seen in playing style is a Swedish guy called Pars Zetterberg, but I am not sure how many of you have seen or even heard of him (i think he is famous but...). Ogasawara, has been the talk of the Japanese team for awhile, and never quite seems to live up to his billing on the NT. He is undoubtedly talented and might just need a bit of luck to strike gold but... he has a lot of competition for places in this talented Japanese midfield. Fukunishi. My opinion of this guy is that Japan needed a real anchor man. Somebody to do the dirty work and clean up dangerous moments. With all the attacking flair in the other midfielders it is up to someone to hold the fort. That is the way I see fukunishi. He's not great (but really how many great DMF's have you heard about? They are a rare bunch), but he gets the job done most of the time. Moving along then. Japan has another very large asset in their Deffensive discipline. Nakazawa and Miyamoto, play a large role here. Nakazawa is the tallest Defender that Japan have had for years. He is robust as well and a very very good header of the ball (he scores more than many Japanese forwards). Miyamoto on the other hand is one of those defensive leaders that catches the eye. He is not that tall (actually on the short side for defenders), but he reads the game very well. You will notice that, when it comes to WC or WCQ, Japan has a very stingy defence (most of the time). And this helps quite a lot, as they don't really have much of an offence. Another thing to keep in mind is, despite the Brazilian coaches expert opinion, Japan is not a speedy team. Quite the contrary, they rely on a passing game, the inspiration of their midfield, and set-pieces (Nakamura placing the ball on Nakazawa's head). My honest opinion is that Japan will play very close games with all of their opponents in Group F (their games are always close), and in the end, I believe they will be victorious. But hey I only know the most famous player on the Australian NT and haven't the faintest clue as to what the Croatian team is like (but jesus your 98 team was amazing, Boban, Prosineski, Suker, et. al) Best of luck to all and I hope we have some great games
Awesome idea for a thread, and great post. I will try and do Australia when I get some time. It would be good to get someone from each team (even Brazil) because nobody knows a team, its strengths and weaknesses like a diehard fan.
Its too bad Australia hasn't been in the AFC, i'd have more of an opinion on Japan then, although.. we wouldn't be grouped with Japan then so it wouldn't matter!
Great post. I must admit to knowing very little of Japan and Croatia since WC2002, so this thread might help a few of us out. I'll try and make an objective assessment of Australia. You mention Japan's biggest strength being in midfield, which also happens to be Australia's trump card. Hiddink's formations vary, so it's hard to say whether he will employ a three, four or five man midfield, so I'll focus on the players he used over the two legs against Uruguay. Parma's Vince Grella was the only man used in DM in the two WCQs, and ironically, he is the least technically gifted DM Australia has had for about 20 years IMO. However, what he lacks in skill and composure is more than made up for in self-belief, his mental and physical strength, as well as his tactical discipline and fear of no-one. He is reasonably mobile, but not the world's quickest DM. He has had a good season Serie A reportedly, so should be in reasonable shape heading into Germany. His club teammate Marco Bresciano is Australia's 'X factor' in AM. Like Grella, he may lack some pace, but more than any Aussie player has the ability to create something out of nothing. Even Kewell and Viduka are easier to predict. Bresciano can look ordinary at times, but he does have a rasping long-range shot from as far as 25 yards and is quite good (but not brilliant) in deadball situations. Unfortunately, his lack of playing time at club level could hurt us. Then Hiddink has a choice of Jason Culina (PSV Eindhoven) and Tim Cahill (Everton) in the middle. Both are very mobile, with Culina being the more technical of the two. Cahill still hasn't really impressed in the NT, but played well in the Sydney leg against La Celeste. His biggest asset is his uncanny ability to ghost late into the penalty area with well timed runs. His leap and heading ability are extraordinary for a man of his size. Culina has thrived under Hiddink and can shoot from range, but needs more international experience to make an impact in Germany. The two wingbacks are Brett Emerton (Blackburn) on the right and Scott Chipperfield (FC Basel) on the left. Considering he is the least credentialled Australian player, it would surprise outsiders to learn that Chipperfield has easily been our NTs best player over the last 2 years. He is reasonably skillful, has a phenominal workrate, courageous and extremely consistent. Emerton was perhaps the most maligned player under previous coach Frank Farina, despite his exceptional athletic ability. Emmo was crowned with the none too flattering nickname of 'Emminho' due to his delusions of grandeur on the pitch and trying to dribble past 5 or 6 defenders only to run into a dead end. Thankfully, Hiddink has given him clear instructions to work within the team structure and keep his game simple. Emerton is now a decent RWB, but still a little suspect IMO. I'm hoping Amhad Elrich can step up into Fulham's first XI, because he is very, very quick and Hiddink could have the option of playing him at RM in a 4-4-2 with Emminho at RB. Australia has an excellent lone forward in Mark Viduka. Hasn't had a great time at club level in recent years, but wearing the captain's armband has taken his game to a new level. He played well against Uruguay, particularly in the first leg, while Diego Lugano held him in Sydney. Only a world class defender like Lugano will stop Viduka in Germany. If Viduka is injured, John Aloisi of Alaves will step in and is quite handy. Not of the same technical ability as Viduka, but more of an opportunist who has a knack of being in the right place at the right time. He also has a terrific temparament. Harry Kewell has played as an AM/forward on the left, and will be a handful if fit. The amazing aspect of his game against Uruguay was his defensive work, so it shows you the power of The Guus. OK, now for Australia's weakness. Although Hiddink's greatest achievement as Australian coach was the improvement in the defensive organisation, this was done as a collective unit in winning the ball from the front and pressing, defending higher up the park and playing a far more compact game between the lines. Therefore, question marks still persist about the lack of pace in central defence. Lucas Neill (Blackburn) was a revelation under Hiddink in his new found role as a CB instead of his usual RB position - the central loose player in a back three or one of two central markers in a back four. Tony Vidmar (NAC Breda) and Tony Popovic (Crystal Palace) have also played as stoppers, and while very good against Uruguay's big strikers, there are still major doubts about their capacity to deal with quick technically gifted strikers. Thankfully we have a reliable keeper in Mark Schwarzer (Middlesborough). One trump card for Australia could be young Michael Thwaite who made his debut just before the WCQ against Jamaica and aqcuitted himself very well. Importantly, he has decent pace, tall, and seemed to have a good temperament. Another defensive choice could be Ljubo Milicevic (FC Thun). While being Australia's best defender technically, he may even be slower than Vidmar and Popovic! The return of Craig Moore (Newcastle) from injury would be welcome. Overall, Australia will do well to make the 2nd Round IMO in a very evenly matched group aside from Brazil. I have a feeling Japan and Croatia's recent WC experience will be a significant advantage, but this Australian team will not fear anyone, even Brazil. If anything, they will be enjoying the challenge, as there are no shrinking violets in Australia's team. End of waffle....
hmm. good question. Let me put it this way. You know how Brazil handles physical teams right? Well Japan tries to do the same thing. They like to outsmart physical players with passwork and short runs. Some one once said that Japan plays kind of like a "Brazil Light," and it struck me as an extremely apt analogy. The reason for this being that unlike Brazil, who will use the "outsmart" tactic right 90% of the time, Japan usually only gets it right 50% of the time. Their defenders are usually up to the task when their midfield srews up, but sometimes they too have lapses... In short you often get to see two very distinct Japan teams when they play in tournments. You get the nitty gritty defensive unit, when their midfield doesn't click. Or you get the well oiled midfield that toys with the opposition, plays a beauty to a forward and then the striker misses (if they play a beauty to a fellow midfielder though, you better watch out) As an aside, i once read that one of the reasons why the Japanese have very few quality forwards is that most forwards who have any technical ability while they are in highschool have been converted to attacking midfielders. i call this the Captain Tsubasa Effect.
Thank you both for your analysis. This thread has assisted my understanding of both teams. I look forward to analysis of Croatia and Brazil. I share Tom's concern about Australia's defence. I think its time to blood a young player with some pace. Especially if we are defending further up the pitch. "Brazil light" is an intersting term. Hope this can double up as practice for when Australia play "Brazil heavy". Again, good posting.It beats the "where better than you post".
For Croatia, I would say, defense is our biggest strenght. Even would go that far and dare to say it's among world's top 5 defences. We play with 3 in the back - Tomas, R.Kovac and Simunic Tomas (Galatasary) is last season best foreign player in Turkey. Probably one of the world's best man marking defenders. Physically strong player who is hard to pass by. Has one big weakness - ball. When he controls the ball, the ball becomes his fearest enemy R.Kovac (Juventus) is classy defender, by statistics, for years one of best defenders in Bundesliga. This season in Juve,it's Capello's 1st choice after Cannavaro and Thuram. Talks are that Thuram will leave at the end of the season and he will take his place in the team. Simunic (Hertha) aussie croat, tall and strong,excellent tehnique, hard to pass by him. His only weakness I can think of is state of mind in his head. Knows sometimes to do foolish and unnecessary things. Srna and Babic plays as right/left wingers. They are our biggest danger for opponents and also our biggest weakness in defence but fortunately, trio from behind in most of the times covers their defensive flauds. Babic (Leverkusen) was bought by Bayer as really young and talented player. He developted quite good there and can be real tricky player when storming down the left flank. Srna (Sahtjor) is another young player and rising star. One of our most dangerous player, specialist for free-kicks and penalties, good dribbler and what's most importance,in every game he gives 100% from himself. player to definitely pay close attention Tudor (Siena) and N.Kovac (Hertha) are holding midfield, strong and experienced players,mainly doing dirty work in the team, expecially Kovac who his lack of tehnique replaces with his heartness. Tudor can be very,very dangerous with his long and precise balls towards our forwards. Young Kranjcar (Hajduk, son of our coach) will be playing as AMC. He is, what is called, fantasista. Has excellent control of the ball, excellent dribbler but is lazy and lack heartness on the field. If he is willing to produce what he showed against Bulgaria away (and he's capable for doing that but *uckin lazy) then Croatia would be a lot dangerous team to play with. With his attitude now, half of the game,he's just player less for us.. Prso (Rangers) is our number 1 striker. Tall and physically strong player with great tehnique, fighter on the field. He's the player that scored 5 goals for Monaco vs Deportivo in Champons League. Enough said His biggest weakness is his knee, has big problems with it,hopefully,he'll be healthy in WC Second striker will probably be Olic (CSKA Moscow) fast striker but misses his scoring oportunities a lot, or Klasnic (Werder), classy striker who we all still await to explode in NT. On goal is Butina (Club Brugge), decent goalkeeper,can have great saves but sometimes knows to blow thing up.
For Brazil, I can say it´s hard to find out a weak point. This generation is the most powerful one since Pelé´s Brazil and if all the things work, this team can become a legend. What makes this Brazil so good is its subs, as good as the starting 11 and this can be the main difference between Brazil and the other good teams. Our main scheme is 4-4-2, with Lucio and Roque Junior as CB, Roberto Carlos and Cafu as LD and RD. In my opinion, Roque Junior and Cafu are worse than their subs. (Juan and Cicinho), but I think they can do a good work. Our midfield is excellent. Emerson, Juninho Pernambucano, Kaká and Ronaldinho Gaúcho make a midfield with strong marking, good pacing and awesome passing. Adriano and Ronaldo are two of the Top 5 strikers in the world. If you think that Ronaldinho and Kaká go forward as well, Brazil has a devastating attack, quite hard to get marked. Well, I know it´s a poor analysis, but I think Brazil´s is a worldwide well-known team and the most feared one in this World Cup. The optimism here in Brazil is enormous because we know that this team is one of the most powerful we´ve ever had. Concerning our group, opinion was that it´s a good group, neither weak nor that difficult (like Argentinian group).
nakamura's free kick is very dangerous don't forget ogasawara,yuki abe,ono,y.endo, and santos.they are all free kick master
I reffered for times in game when our giants Tudor, Prso, Simunic... will be waiting good balls from Srna in your's goalkeeper's area. It will be hard time for your defenders to watch them and jump higher then them
Good analysis of Croatia, zagorje_do_meksika. I think one of our weaknesses is the goalie, whoever, if Butina or Pletikosa, both are just shaky, You never know,..., sometimes save the impossible and on some days look like amateurs. Fortunately our defense is good enough to minimize opponents chances. IMO, would be a good idea to try out Didulica at least once, he deserves a chance. I would also like to stress out that we have a player which is probably less known but very talented: Klasnic from Werder Bremen. Was already German champion and won the Cup with Werder playing together with Ailton from Brasil two years ago, AFAIK, they together were the best attacking duo in Europe at this time. German born Klasnic is stil the first 11 starter of Werder, besides German national striker, Klose and in front of Paraguays Nelson Valdez and Klasnic is very talented with natural feeling and good intuition to score, either with his left or right foot, or header (which happens rarely, though). Espoecially his left shots are dangerous. Olic is a very speedy attacker but lacks precision and don't have the best control of ball. He is injured at the moment but should be back in Februar/March next year, plays in CSKA Moskau, Abramovics team (like Celsea) and last season UEFA-Cup winner. Prso from Galsgow Rangers and Monaco a year ago, is our first striker so far and best player, the second year. He's marvellous, but has many problems with knee injuries. If he's in top-form, than we have a really strong offense, even Brasilians have to take care. There is also Balaban from Brugge/Belgium. A tricky player, a bit selfish (to the contrary to Klasnic, who is very team oriented) and not so effective in front of the goal, eye to eye with the goalie, but not the first choice at the moment, anyways. Eduardo da Silva, a born brazilian is also a possible traveller to the WC, but that's not sure. He is gifted, technically classy but physically not very strong, he's also the youngest of our players and maybe needs some time to develop.
In all honesty, Australia's set pieces are still very poor because Hiddink hasn't had much time to work on everything yet. At this stage in time, Japan wouldn't have too much trouble defending our corners and free kicks, but this might change with a few more matches leading up to Germany. Croatia might be a different kettle of fish....
That's a very interesting question. One which will no doubt have a large bearing on the groups outcome. Considering Lugano and Montero found Viduka so difficult to handle up front, I don't see the Japanese central defenders have it any easier. Prso is of a relatively similar mould to big Dukes, so I can see the Japanese having the same problem there. The Japanese are great to watch and can at times play a wonderfully technical and intelligently tactical game. But there will be times in any game when a defender simply has to muscle up. Again, if you watch the Australia Vs Uruguay series, the Uruguayan defenders had nightmares at the back trying to do just that. And let's not forget that the Uruguayans are considered the hard-nosed nation of South America...even more so than Argentina. Methinks you'll see alot of free-kicks given away by the Japanese in these situations. It'll be interesting to see how this aspect of the group plays out.
In Sydney Viduka and Kewell, started to show some of their old Leeds' understanding, they had the last two touches on the ball before Bresciano scored. Even though Kewell miskicked, he got into free space in the box by instinctively knowing where to run off a lightning quick Viduka touch. Watching Kewell's last Liverpool match, some of his passes are too ambitious for his teammates because when they get his ball they are under pressure from a defender & don't have the skill to continue the fast passing. Viduka does have that skill & the two of them know how to read each other and Viduka is close to a perfect fit for kewell to run off. It only takes a couple of moments of magic link play to score a couple of goals. All this may seem an all bit too Harry centric, which is a big thing in the Australian mainstream media, but in World Cups individual players step up & I think with a four matches & one month's squad training under their belt, these two are the ones that can make Australia exceed people's expectations. If they do get a synchrinicity working, they will draw defenders and allow opportunities for other teammates. Kewell does need to improve his shooting form & I wouldn't mind him being more selfish and running at goal more as his confidence comes back at Liverpool. I also think, as he showed in the away leg against uruguay, Viduka is still capable of his best which some may doubt, personally I think as such a tactically aware striker he suffers from goal driven pairings at Middlesborough - it's pretty common for goals to be 'scored' in the Premier League rather than worked. I think Hiddink is trying to implement a fast passing game with interchangeable formations & everyone is schooled to cover each others back. We do have deficiences, as people have mentioned pace at the back, but one improvement under Hiddink is our defensive organisation - where our form is clear & not cluttered, while we hold form and do not commit to the tackle until the last moment, so if a team is going to score they have to do so with brilliant individual skill or by working the ball to break through our defence. In the past teams have scored because we made a defensive mistake, uruguay's goal came from a bad marking. If we have any chance of preceding from group f we have to obliterate this possibility from our matches. Also in the past we have allowed the ball into our box and while our defence had numbers, it looked more like a midfield pressed against the goal. Flatly, crosses into our box are a concern. Plus up the other end, as mentioned, we don't have a world quality dead ball specialist. Commenting on the rest of our personnel, I think it has to be considered that because of our qualification route I think Hiddink was extra, extra strict. We had a specific opponent, whom we had to build a gameplan to beat, so the instructions to every player were very tight and to make it simple our philosphy was to hold the opposition rather than show our abilites. To my mind in World Cup games football is played, where as in our two serious World Cup qualification games each time we we're playing to advantage or to minimise disadvantage. Japan and Croatia may think they can beat us becaus ethey haven't seen us 'play'. While there are many players in the Australian team who have solid all round games rather than being brilliant, I think nearly everyone has specific attributes to their game which I think Hiddink will develop startegies around. While I thiink the most lethal string to our bow is the one I first described, I think we have a few more that people aren't really aware of, because we haven't had a stage to develop them. While it's hard to have 'opening night' at the World Cup, Hiddink is the coach who could earn 'rave reviews'. Something I really like about Hiddink, is that in interview he seems to have harnessed a couple of the aspects of the Australian character, which he freely admitted were foriegn to him, some he even objected to - for instance our off pitch casualness & he has warmed & learned to relate to them as a person and coach. Whilst we have not been on the greatest World Stage for such a long time, our national team does have a definite plucky character which was developed with the bonding of migrants playing alongside eachother in the 1960's & is still prominent today where our team is composed of children of migrants. That's just abit of a history lesson, but I think Hiddink has become aware of this story and who we are & I think he will say to our players - "This is who we are and this is how we play." And with him being Dutch he'll add, "This is how our opposition play, so this is who we are for this match and this is how we play." It may sound like psychological hogwash, but the psychology of organisation and attack will be a key to how Australia perform against Japan and Croatia - Brazil, well, you can only extend the same strategies you have and live for the experience of the moment. Basically, our team is made up of hardnosed barstards, you may already think you're better than us, but you'll have to prove it to us to earn the right. Everyone enjoy supporting their country, the spirit of the this Group F board seems great from the little I've read, everyone enjoy the World Cup & in the second round I'll support whoever makes it out of Group F. Cheers.
Okay, now I intend to do a better analysis of my Brazilian Team. The starters: Dida Cafu – Roque Jr. – Lucio – Roberto Carlos Emerson – Zé Roberto Kaká – Ronaldinho Ronaldo – Adriano Our main scheme is 4-4-2 with Roberto Carlos and Cafu as wingers, going ahead to cross balls into the box, and helping the defenders when the opposite team gets the ball. I think our biggest defense-related problem is their backs when they go ahead because both of them are getting old and don´t have those healthy stats anymore. If you guys watch Real Madrid matches, you can see big holes in Roberto´s back when he attacks. Teams with strong attacks and wingers like England and Holland can take advantage on this easily. Speaking of defense, we have Lucio and Roque Jr. as starters. IMO, Roque isn´t the right guy (I think Juan and Alex [PSV] are quite better than him) but Parreira loves his style of play and is convinced that he´s the man. Everybody knows that defending isn´t an art when talking about Brazil. However, Parreira won World Cup 1994 with a high defensive team behind the lines and just Romario saving our asses every match. That said, the biggest trouble Brazil´s coach must solve is how to balance the team between defense and attack. In other words, how to set the team when the opposite team manages the ball. Brazil´s midfield has Emerson and Ze Roberto, Ronaldinho and Kaka. The first two are defensive midfielders (specially Emerson) with skills to carry the ball and go ahead when it´s possible. These men are extremely important players because they cover Roberto and Cafu backs when our wingers attack and a single fail can mean serious troubles. I don´t have any doubt that opposite teams will mainly explore Roberto and Cafu runs and this is what makes so important the role of Emerson and Ze. Advancing, we have Ronaldinho and Kaka, players whose main task is carry the ball and supply our strikers. Neither Ronaldinho nor Kaka are classical midfielders (like Riquelme, Zidane or Ballack) but they have good passing, dribbling, pacing, finishing and technique, what makes them excellent players to manage the ball, supply the strikers and even score some goals. It´s essential that they also help Emerson and Ze by putting pressure on opposite midfield players. Finally, Ronaldo and Adriano, whose credentials I don´t need to say. Ronaldo´s is the man that run and like to play outside the box, receiving balls ahead, running into the box and smashing the goalkeeper with chirurgical shots. Adriano is a classic striker, standing in the box, waiting for passes or opponent´s mistakes. I have no doubt that they are the most lethal pair of strikers in the world and it isn´t only because of their outstanding skills (shooting, technique, dribbling) but mainly because they drive crazy even 2 defenders each, allowing Kaka and Ronaldinho (and even Ze Roberto) to penetrate into the box and score. Personally, what I think that makes Brazil so strong is its subs. Players like Cicinho, Juninho Pernambucano, Fred, Oliveira, Robinho, Julio Baptista and others would be starters in a lot of NTs. With such players, Parreira is able to change team´s style (although is quite hard to Parreira to do it) depending on the opponent without decrease team´s quality. Concerning on our adversaries, I don´t know much about Australia and Croatia. Even Australia has some guys that plays in England, I think its inexperience in World Cups will be an obstacle. Croatia tied a match with Brazil, has a impressive recent history (got 3rd or 4th in 94 or 98) and should put Brazil in troubles but I don´t think they can win a match. Japan has a Brazilian coach, Zico, and a good recent historic against us (Confed. Cup, Atlanta Olymp. Games). IMO, they clinch the second place in our group. As I said in another post, this Brazil NT is one the most powerful teams we´ve ever had. Although we don´t have a powerful defense, Parreira is specialist in making good defensive schemes and teams and more than any player, I think he (and not a player in special) will be the opposite force that will equalize our powerful attack.
It pains me to say,but,all I can think of is they must think it is "below" them to post in this forum.I don't know why? There are genuinely intelligent people here.They may have a leg up in most area's of football but (a) that doesn't mean they'll win (according to their media) and (b) it would be nice to hear some other perspective's. Of course it could also be the language barrier,but I doubt it.
"Of course it could also be the language barrier,but I doubt it." Yes. That's my case. Anyway, it's been an interesting read so far. Keep them coming folks.
Complete Analysis of the Brazilian Team No team in the world can beat Brazil right now. Only Brazil can beat themselves. If your team is going to play against Brazil, hope that they play the match of their lives and that Brazil commits so many errors that your team gets at least double the scoring chances than Brazil. Praying may be the best thing to do when playing against Brazil
I can't believe Brazil are still starting Roque Jnr. at the back. Surely Juan, Cris, Alex and Felipe are all streets ahead of him. I'm also not the biggest fan of having Ze Roberto in the team. Juninho Pernambucano or even Diego could play in the midfield alongside Emerson more effectively.
I agree about Roque Junior. I do agree with you regarding Roque Junior. There are good defenders like Rodrigo (Playing in Russia I believe) that are better than Roque Junior but Parreira will most definatelly still start Roque. Now...regarding Ze Roberto, I believe you are very wrong... Ze Roberto is one of the most complete players in the world, he is an all-around player of the caliber of Lampard. He is a beast on consistency...he playes well every game, no ups and downs...he gets in, get his job done well and gets out... He is actually the back bone of the brazilian together with Kaka and Emerson (or, god willing, Edmilson), if these 3 players do not play excelent ofense and defense, Brazil will have a hard time winning the Cup.
I agree that Ze Roberto is an outstanding player, I'm just not a big fan of him being in the starting line-up of the national team. What ever happened to the great dominating central midfielders of Brazilian football? Tim Vickery wrote a great article on it the other day. It's a fantastic piece and I encourage all fans of Brazilian football to read it. Here it is: Tim Vickery: Bring Back The Generals. I just don't think Ze Roberto fits the mould of player that I'd like to see in Brazil's midfield. Having said that, there aren't really any players who fit the role exactly, but I'd pick someone different to Ze Roberto and it would change the style of football Brazil play. Just my opinion though, I'm sure you guys will be damn hard to beat no matter who you put in that position.