Things are starting to get very interesting... These are statistics for the teams playing the round of 8. What they have done so far. Don't ask me about the criteria. I just copied this from ESPN- Brazil and found the information useful. Round of 8 Statistics - From ESPN - Brazil Passes on target Germany - 2560 (84%) Argentina - 2112 (80%) France - 1807 (80%) Belgium - 1641 (75%) Brazil - 1551 (74%) Netherlands - 1360 (75%) Costa Rica - 1284 (72%) Colombia - 1224 (72%) Crossings on target Colombia - 45 (33% ) France - 114 (30%) Brazil - 100 (27%) Germany - 97 (27%) Netherlands - 56 (25%) Belgium - 102 (21%) Costa Rica - 53 (21%) Argentina - 127 (17%) Finishings on target Netherlands - 44 of 55 (74%) - 12 goals Colombia - 33 of 46 (71%) - 11 goals Germany - 46 of 66 (69%) - 9 goals Brazil - 48 of 70 (68%) - 8 goals Argentina - 49 of 77 (63%) - 7 goals Belgium - 55 of 88 (62%) - 6 goals France - 48 of 77 (62%) - 10 goals Costa Rica - 15 of 32 (46%) - 5 goals Interceptions Brazil - 77 Germany - 61 Colombia - 47 Argentina - 47 Netherlands - 39 Costa Rica - 36 France - 33 Belgium - 30 Fouls Costa Rica - 81 (6 yellow/1 second yellow and red) Netherlands - 76 (5 yellow) Belgium - 72 (5 yellow/1 red) Colombia - 68 (3 yellow) Brazil - 65 (8 yellow) France - 47 (5 yellow) Argentina - 43 (4 yellow) Germany - 39 (2 yellow) Distance ran Belgium - 470.1 km Germany - 468.8 km Costa Rica - 456 km Argentina - 443.2 km Netherlands - 440.8 km Brazil - 437.4 km France - 427.9 km Colombia - 418 km Possession (avg.) Argentina - 61% Germany - 59.75% Belgium - 54% Brazil - 53.75% France - 53.75% Colombia - 47.5% Netherlands - 46.25% Costa Rica - 44.5 %
I am quite surprised with Brazil's ball possession avg position. I guess our problem may be the quality of ball possession...
If we fix the issues in the midfield, Brazil will fly. "Fred needs good assistances, we need to put him in front of the goal. I am demanding myself to do that. If we assist him properly, putting him in front of the goal 50 times, he will score 51 goals" - Neymar Jr.
Brazil is not flying during this tournament. There is no "joga bonito" under Scolari. Forget about it. If we win, it will be in the same fashion as in the match against Chile.
I would like that we win by joga bonito. But I'd rather win the WC in a ugly-fashioned way than losing it...
The fact of the matter, is that small fish is something from the past. This is a Cup where Costa Rica was first in a group eliminating Italy and England and qualified for the Round of 8. A cup where Algeria could have eliminated Germany and Mexico could have eliminated the Netherlands. The teams that are staying are the ones with the best physical conditioning. No flying indeed. Well, let's just hope Neymar and Messi can give us some flair.
I think Hr I think Hernanes could be the creative guy we need in the midfield. I can't believe he is the last choice of Felipão.
I just think that Brazil would have a better shot playing offensively. Scolari is always a bad choice for us. He fluked in 2002. I don't think he can do that again. We will see. We need to get rid of the 1982 curse and go back to playing the way we are used to.
To what cost? The midfield is what it is most likely because they have Dani Alves and Marcelo on the fullbacks. When both fullbacks are that offensive and the team's 3rd and 4th best attacking players, it's probably a good idea to have more defensive players on the central midfield to maintain some balance. More attacking players does not necessarily translate to better attacking football; you need someone to intercept balls and close down space and players aswell to keep the pressure. I really don't think Brazil have been too defensive. I actually think they have played better than they get credit for. But they rely too much on Neymar as he is the only one of Brazil's attacking players who is consistently performing well. Fred is consistently mediocre and Hulk, Oscar, Dani Alves and Marcelo are inconsistent. They have the offensive setup but maybe some of the players are not top quality or slightly out of form. Something completely unrelated from the stats: Netherlands, Colombia and France are all bottom four in possession and distance ran but top three in scoring. I find that a bit interesting.
It is not a matter of having defensive or offensive players. We need better passing in that midfield. A guy like Hernanes could bring that to our midfield without losing its defensive power. Oscar is supposed to be the creative guy in the midfield, but he is more like an offensive midfielder and has been playing almost like a winger. Someone with skills and good passing in the middle, a guy who can carry the ball and articulate good plays, would make Brazil a much more efficient and dangerous team.
Good article from the great Tostão about Brazil and Colombia. For Portuguese speakers only. Sorry: http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/colunas/tostao/2014/07/1478961-chorar-e-bom.shtml