The midfield is very boring, but firm. And a lot of Liverpool and EPL fan boys are calling for Firmino over Jesus. Lol. I want Fernandinho as a reserve, but we'll see if Tite sorts that in the group stage.
IMO, that Tite only mistake. Lack of variety in midfield. Coutino in midfield is our plan B but there isn't another creative option that can slot into that role like him on the squad. It almost similar to Dunga Alves in midfield. A lot of Liverpool fans has been critical of Tite and I can bet money that they didn’t watch a single qualifier to see why Jesus is the 9.
What I have been saying all along. Without Neymar, this Seleção cannot produce, cannot score. Extremely concerning.
The friendlies against Russia and Germany were without Neymar and we scored. I can’t draw any conclusion from these pre-World Cup friendlies. Under Tite, we have been fine the few games we played without him. Obviously, we much better with him.
What we are not saying here: Croatia played very well, aggressive, quick, with guys like Modric and Rakitic - one plays for Barcelona the other for Real Madrid... They will probably beat the hell out of Argentina! Hahahahaha....
Croatia has a good team. They don't really have a finisher, but I can still see them winning their group despite that.
Let's face it. Only 2 other national teams even have a player like Neymar on their team, and we are by far the most balanced of those (Argentina and Portugal). Honestly, I'd like to see Firmino and Jesus together if Neymar is off the pitch. Now has Tite experimented with that formation?
Loved the second half. Willian had a great game. A way must be found, by Tite, to include Willian as a starter. None of this coming off the bench crap. Because of his particular circumstances Neymar was MOM for me but Willian also deserved to be MOM.
Compared to 2014, 2010, and 2006, I think the team is in much better shape from the friendlies leading up to the WC. 2006 the team looked like a mess. 2010 the games weren't good but I had some faith in the system. But Kaka was clearly not 100% and he was a pivotal piece. 2014 a bunch of players were out of form. The game vs Serbia was pretty bad. In 2002 I remember seeing a couple of games and we looked pretty good. I remember Ronaldinho already looking awesome in the game vs Portugal and Catalunya.
The weird part is that today is the 2nd time I hear a comment that Neymar, Paulinho, and Coutinho want Fernandinho as a starter. Not sure what the deal is.
One thing that worries me is that Coutinho cannot play at a high pace for 90 mins. Specially if he has to defend. At Barca you can see him getting ragged midway in the 2nd half.
Tite has been playing with 3 d-mids all along and achieved success. Would it not be a big risk if he tries to play in a different way in the World Cup? With Neymar in the team, there will always be creativity. Dani Alves' attacking prowess will be missed. Tite should change the system only if Danilo stays back most of the time (and therefore does not need to be covered when attacking).
OK here`s my view: Coutinho - not a Brasil quality player, he was marked out of the game and hardly touched the ball. I have always said that Coutinho is over rated, easy to mark and falls over or loses the ball as soon as he is challenged. Having him in the team made it easy for Croatia in the first half. I don`t know what this guy has ever done to earn a national team call up, he is over rated and over hyped by the English press and media. Danilo - played well from what I saw, good tackles and a couple of forays up front. Willian - excellent man of the match though Neymar will always grab the headlines. On a general note, several times we had possession and Croatia had 6 men in our half of the field marking 6 men of ours, making it difficult to play out of defence. Tite should know that other teams will take note of this and do the same, we need to have a game plan to deal with high pressing teams - like Germany! The pitch at Anfield is quite narrow and maybe this played a part. Only in the last 20 mins did we look the better team. I have serious concerns because Croatia could have scored a couple of times before we did, and this would have changed the whole complexion of the game.
I´m not worried at all by the deficiences shown in the 1st half. Tite should adjust, he has done that before. My main concern is still Danilo, even though he played well yesterday. Against quality opposition in a pressure environment, I'm not convinced he can withstand the pressure. Coutinho can be overrated by the english media, but I think you are underrating him in reaction. We can't depend on him as the focal point of an offense, but he can combine very well with Neymar, Jesus and Willian.
Danilo shouldn't have problems if he is paired with Casemiro, Paulinho, and Fernandinho. I'd like to see him tested without all that help. I agree with Coutinho and said that same thing recently. He can't be the focal point but can combine well with the other players like Neymar and Jesus.
Just re-watched the game today. Several points: 1) Brazil without Neymar is not very creative but actually quite solid; 2) the first half was pretty even with Croatia having the better chances; 3) Coutinho, as some have said, needs Neymar's help to shine; 4) Casemiro is the equalizer with his strength and intelligence and his ability to read and control the game, truly an astounding talent; 5) Fernandinho is surplus to requirements if Casemiro is on the pitch; 6) Danilo surprised with his strength and speed (I always thought he was slow) and he should be the starting right back; 7) the entire Brazil defense, including the the goalkeeper, is very good to excellent; 8) as Neymar comes into the game you can sense the electricity in the stadium and for good reason since he is Brazil's talisman; 9) Croatia is a f*cking great team. If they play France in the round of 16 I think that game will be a toss-up. I still lean France but now I'm having second thoughts. I am really impressed with them (Croatia, that is), and by extension, Brazil since Brazil won. I know it was a friendly but to me it felt more like a World Cup quarterfinal and both teams treated it with the seriousness that the game required.
And my main concern is without Neymar we don’t have a hell hole prayer of a chance. Whatever is the starting line up against Austria, will be the starting line up against Switzerland.
As I have said, the starting line up against Austria will be the starting line up against Switzerland.
So Marcelo defending Ramos calling out for respect after Firmino called Ramos joking statement stupid. - First of all ... there is a WC coming and fukin reporters asking about club football. - Second, players should deflect these questions about topics in their club. Specifically the controversial ones. They should know better. - Third, never seen a Brazilian player prior to a WC siding with his club teammate and criticizing his Seleção teammate. Nice going Marcelo, should have just STFU and say it's none of his business and he is there to talk about the WC. And if you're going to start a sentence with "I am not going to comment on this topic", then don't follow through by commenting on it.