I have watched this match a couple of times, but it has been about a year or so since I last watched it. you guys have pretty much hit on everything I remember, so I won't bother commenting any more and wasting people's time.
I agree, Brazil had 4 players (Socrates, Falcao, Cerezo and Zico) who were reluctant to get in behind the defence. Because of that they had few options to pass to when Italy defended on the edge of the penalty box. Slightly similar I thought to the way that Barcelona struggled to break down Manchester United in last season's CL. Ultimately, regardless of how well you can pass a ball, it is almost impossible to break down a well drilled team defending with 7+ players around the box. That miss of Serginho was awful, he should really have worked the keeper at least, but he showed good strength to get into that position in the first place.
Well...along with that Brazil-France in WC 1986, this is the macth of my life... Not only for me, but also for Zico, who said that if he could score only one more goal on his career, it would be in this game (Brazil played for a draw to go to semi's). And he almost got it, if Serginho didn't "stole" him the ball into the box, in the 1st half. I've watched this match couples of times, an I always believe Zoff wouldn't save that header in the end... Every time I see this game, I try to pay attention on all details to understand the reason(s) WHY that tragedy took place...But that is impossible, once the emotion takes me by granted. Anyway, I won't make any tactical assumptions in detail, but give my overall opinion. First of all, I agree with many comments already posted: - Serginho was a shame! When I remember that Careca should be on his place...If it wasn't that injury, maybe the story would be another... - Brazilian left side didn't work quite welll that day - Zico was "hunted" by Gentile (he's got as a trophy a piece of Zico's ripped shirt), despite of the wonderful play of the first brazilian goal, when he assisted Sócrates and left Gentile "looking for something". - Zoff was phenomenal in saving that last header. - The refree could be harder. But there are other reasons, IMO, for that: - Deep inside, Brazil was a little bit overconfident they could win (or draw), after all, Italy was not that good at group stage. And maybe this mistake provided some consequences... - Brazilian defense was in a lower quality level than midfield. A lack of attention provided 2nd (no...i won't blame Cerezo, as the majority of brazilian press) and 3rd italian goals. - Even with magic midfielders, supported by excellent back-wingers, it is difficult to penetrate a solid and concetrated defensive system (the trademark of italian football, catenaccio) Brazil 82 lost the chance to make justice to Hungary 54 and Holland 74 being champions with a magic football, but instead, joined them. One more time, history was written to make memorable the squads that enchanted but didn't win.
I agree that he should have got hs hat-trick earlier but I wouldn't say he was overrated. I do feel that some people look at him as a one-tornament wonder as they don't know much about the rest of his career. Before the 1980 Totonero Scandal (Calciopoli was nothing compared to this), Rossi was one of the best strikers in Europe. He was a star at Argentina 78 (the fans in Argentina called him "Pablito") and despite playing for small teams like Vicenza and Perugia, he was a very prolific scorer. When he went to Juve after his suspension, his scoring wasn't so great in the Serie A but he scored many vital goals in Europe. He was a very elegant dribbler. It was like the ball was glued to his feet and he made his movements look effortless. Italy played like this: -------------- Zoff ------------- Scirea Gentile ----- Collovati ------------------------ Cabrini - Tardelli - Antognoni - Oriali Conti ------ Rossi ----- Graziani Gentile was obviously doing the marking and Cabrini was pushing forward from defence. Tardelli was a box-to-box midfielder but he was confortable on the ball regardless of his place on the pitch. Antognoni didn't look like a guy who played in advanced role like Rivera or Totti but he wasn't withdrawn like Pirlo. Oriali was a DM but like Tardelli, he was good on the ball regardless of position. Conti was a confident dribbler on either wing and Rossi would sometimes move into the midfield and link-up. Sometimes Rossi would end up on the wings but he was no Conti or even a Graziani. Even though that this Italian team sat back and defended when necessary, it's unfair for anyone to label them as a defensive team. Sure, they didn't possess the philosophies of Santana and they were poor in the group stage but Bearzot encouraged this Italy to create play and not just rely on counter-attacks. Bearzot had great defenders but he couraged his attacking players to express themselves and that has been rarity with Italian coaches, especially in that era. Great thread comme and there have been some good posts too.
Just to add fuel to the Serginho fire...the Guardian had an excellent article last week entitled "On Second Thoughts...Serginho" arguing that Brazil's 1982 loss to Italy should not be blamed on him. "Blamed for Brazil's failure to capture the 1982 World Cup, Serginho unfairly carried the can for the team's defensive failings" http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/jan/21/on-second-thoughts-serginho
Great article. Thanks God I read it 'till the end. If I've stopped by the beggining, I would say quite the same words as the following paragraphs It's obvious Serginho had not the same abillity of that midfield, but I don't blame him for that loss. Even brazilian press used to (and stil use to) blame Telê Santana, for his stubbornness, and also Cerezo, for that displeasing pass in the 2nd Italian goal. But for me, the biggest defensive failure, the prove of brazilian 'sleepiness', was the defensive behavior in that 3rd goal. I can't believe how that goal could be conceeded with almost all the team inside the box...
I couldn't cross the door off the TV room for 3 hours after the referee whistled the end of the game, so much my head was 'swollen' ...
I recently found a chronicle written by João Saldanha the day after this match, when he was a columnist in an important brazilian newspaper. For those who don't know him, in 1969, Saldanha was Brazilian NT coach during 1970 WCQ and set the basis for the considered best ever team. "So many crimes against common sense could not go unpunished. The fact that we have high-class players as Zico, Falcão, Sócrates, Junior and Cerezo gave (sic) the false impression that we were superior in everything. But a huge stupidity surrounded our goal of winning a Cup, where the ones who beat us went wrong with the country of Cameroon. Brazil invented a tactic leaving precious spaces in the field. However, only a stubborn might think that opponents would not take that mistake. Then came the first game, the Soviet Union. Yes, it was a failure of Valdir Peres and this is another issue. But the Soviet team, when in trouble, threw the ball to his left fullback, who was always free. Sure, if we had nobody there. Leandro, always physically ill, tried to alleviate the winger that we didn't have. In the game against Italy, with over fifteen minutes, he would be taken by the nurses not to a hospital, but a cemetery. He was dead tired. And Cabrini always making it easy. That was Italian relief play: any problem and just throw the ball that way. They scored the first, and when needed 'time spending', simply hold the game at hand where we had only Leandro. Yes, Zico, Socrates, Junior, Cerezo and the great Falcão have always been very good. But even 'piano shippers' get tired when efforts are over their capacity. Our team, with such decanted particular physical preparation, was very tired at the end of the game. On one hand, there is something positive that is the demystification of the cheaters. The inventors of football who refused to occupy space and didn't necessarily realize that you might play in a rectangle, rigorously geometric, but wanted to play slantwise, as the goal were in corner. If we were at so high position, it's due to the quality of four or five exceptional players, but whose physical ability has its limits. The Cup was not difficult to win, but the stubbornness overcame everything. To blame Serginho would be a mistake. The player is not guilty of the stubbornness that was clear in the first game, but unfortunately was not repaired. I must note that we lacked a bit of modesty when tied at 2-2 yesterday. Someone walked over there and Italian team, which was physically better than ours, came up and was able to win. Patience. But the stupidity have a tolerance limit."
"slantwise, as the goal were in corner"- that's priceless! Thanks for finding (& translating?) that article. Excellent.
I apologize for the poor translation... I blame my sin at the moment...sloth... BTW, thanks for the words. If anyone is interested, here is the link to the site where it was translated. There's also an audio file where you can listen him just after the end of the match (in portuguese): http://www.netvasco.com.br/mauroprais/futbr/copa_82_saldanha.html
The translation, creative as it was, couldn't be more appropriate. It perfectly expresses one of the main tactical problems in 82 (created by Telê himself). Seen as an offensive coach, it's unimaginable he left a traditionally mortal Brazilian weapon - the right section of the field – practically void in that Cup. Zico could have way more efficiently been an offensive 10 (not necessarilly a raw striker) if Serginho were not there & Telê could have used not necessarilly a real wing on the right (like Eder was in the left) but someone familiar with that zone of the field benefitting from the luxurious support of Leandro. But stubborn Telê, in the absence of Serginho, preferred his Atlético Mineiro protegé midfield Paulo Isidoro (basically a destruction player) occupying the zone. That's why that the Brazilian team (with or without Isidoro), missing that side, would play 'slantwise', as Saldanha/UAmiranda brilliantly put. A great right-wing himself when a player Telê IMO looked like was jealous of the position, and would expell Renato Gaúcho from the 1986 team carrying with him the whole right side of the Brazilian NT with Leandro's desistance in solidarity to Gaúcho. It wasn't by chance that even in comical TV programs Telê was debauched. 'Bota ponta, Telê!' ('literally, 'Put a wing, Telê!') was the weekly refrain of comedian Jô Soares on GloboTV months before and after that Cup. 'Bota ponta, Telê!'
Despite of playing brilliantly, the weakness of that team was really at right side. Even not being a real winger, Paulo Isidoro used to play at that position, helping Leandro in attack and defense. I remember watching (or reading) somewhere Zico saying that they were used to play with Isidoro at that position during preparation and with the arrival of Falcão, they lost a bit of tuning (restoring it during the competition). Anyway, imo, there were few fixed positions and functions in that team, that's why we can't see a fixed formation, goals were scored from different players and in different situations, as Cerezo, Falcão, Sócrates and Zico relaying themselves at right side in offensive plays to help Leandro. At left side, we didn't have that problem, once Éder was a fixed left-winger, allowing Júnior to play even in the midfield. With only one fixed winger at one side, it's obvious the team seems 'slantwise'.
nice discussion about Brasil 1982. just created this video in celebration of their genius. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZxvYy5-ekI&fmt=18"]YouTube - Brasil 1982 - The 11 Greatest Goals of Brasil 1982's Magic 11[/ame] i think everyone who loves this team will enjoy watching this.
you're welcome! i love how every goal is a product of mental creativity and physical technique. it's all conscious and planned.
No kidding. You made that Cup less painful to us. God bless you!... (Already downloaded to my archiv).
I enjoyed this very much! Such grace, technique and purpose in every move, even the runs of the players who weren't near the ball seem to be purpose-driven. This team truly played football!
In a thread about the most beautiful goal of this team, I said... Me too!! Maybe the last we've seen (at least in WCs...)
A really nice video, one of the best I've seen recently, thanks. The other videos from your channel are also exciting, like for instance the Cruyff dribbling compilation. Anyway, will you do some more videos regarding football?
One of the truly great matches. I wish someone would do a detailed match report. How would you rate the players in that game?
All Italy did 28 years ago was take advantage of Brazil's glaring weaknesses and put the nail in the coffin (the last part the Scots and U.S.S.R. failed to do.) While the Italians played some attractive football, their last two goals were just a matter of defensive errors while Brazil's (as all of them were throughout the tournament) were genius. Israeli referee Abraham Klein did an admirable job of preventing the game from getting out of hand the way the Italy-Argentina/Brazil Argentina games did, but missed at least one penalty and a clear card. 1982 in general was a Cup in which thuggery (Italy - Argentina, Belgium-Argentina, El Salvador Argentina, West Germany - France, Spain - Northern Ireland) cheating (West Germany - Austria) and violence (it was pretty much the coming out party for the English hooligans and the Spanish police overreacting) won out over the beautiful game. Still there were numerous classic matches.
Spain had the worst security forces of any WC host in history. Who can forget when they went into the crowd and tore down the Polish solidarity banners at the Poland-USSR match.