I was out of the country and couldn't watch the game until later. Finally able to add some thoughts: I didn't think Brazil would win but like always I had some hope. Uruguay reverted to MMA to beat us on penalties and Colombia got away with a pen that could have had us on the other side of the bracket. But at the end of the day, we have to look inside for criticism. Vini Jr disappointed me this summer. I've said this in his Real Madrid thread but he still has some maturing to do when he faces adversity. Rodrygo doesn't seem to want to get better or maybe can't. Definitely not the savior of the NT. Raphinha is meh. I'm not for or against him on the team but can't be a central figure anymore. Replace all the fullbacks. Except maybe Yan Couto might be going to BVB which imo is a good idea. I like the idea of youngsters like him being included even if they don't play. Paqueta and Bruno G are uninspiring and I'm actually excited for Paqueta to get banned so we won't have to see him anymore. Would like to see Douglas Luiz and Andreas get more playing time. Same with Ederson. Time to replace Alisson. Great GK but not extraordinary for Brazil. At least he has a Copa America to his name. Endrick got a raw deal. Should have been integrated much earlier on and should have started from the beginning. Putting him in a high stakes game against Uruguay is diabolical from Dorival. Dorival failed his first big test. He seemed nervous to make changes (he had some good ones tbf) until it was too late on some occasions. The Tite syndrome like I said a while back.
We can do analysis, criticize players, managers etc etc but I think the main problem is that the passion for playing for Brazilian NT is lost. Players DONT understand the pride and prestige associated with wearing the yellow jersey. Most of the home players come from a poor background and when they go to Europe then all of a sudden they see LOT OF MONEY.. Yes lots of money ......After that its really difficult to stay humble and lead a disciplined life. We need a good coach ( With a strong personality who will be loved as well as feared by the players ) who will understand the problems and work towards it . I think this is the main problem nowadays ...Nobody just cares to win for Brazil at the big stage...As long as they are leading a good life in Europe "Nobody gives a Sh*t to any other thing". I cant recollect a time when the NT looked so weak . I am not confident that our team can beat Uruguay or Columbia even now.
With Copa America over, I'm unpinning this thread. The thread won't be closed, however, in case there is more news about the tournament or analysis anyone wants to share. For general Seleção topics and upcoming qualifiers, head here: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/seleção-general-discussion-2023-r.2124383/
I don't buy that. I didn't see lack of effort out there. All players were running their asses off. Except maybe for Vinicius. I am pretty sure they care a lot about playing for the NT. I've heard this same argument for literally every generation when we didn't win a title. Even with the R9 generation who had players literally skip CAs because they wanted a break and vacation. We lack better tactics and higher quality in too many positions IMO. A really good coach could hide some of that lack in talent. In this CA, I'd say one thing we did lack was some physicality compared to Colombia and maybe somewhat Uruguay.
Look at the Argentina players ....Except Messi and to some extent Di Maria I dont see any extraordinary players . But see how well the team has gelled during and after the World Cup...Even during the World Cup they were playing for a mission ( To make Messi World Champion ) . The GK Emi Martinez is just decent for his club at best and look how he plays for his country ( He looks like a superman beneath the 3 sticks ) ..Any player or group of players can run aimlessly for 90 mins . This team needs somebody to direct them ( As you rightly mentioned ) and ya a little bit more passion