I do not think WE are that bad. I just wanted to see which foolish solutions certain people came up with, or which of the people hate us the most.
Yup, Klansnic and Prso has to go right at the D, and challenge Dida, who isn't World Class anymore. Give them NO SPACE what so ever and be physical with Ronaldino. Yes, he's strength is underrated but you have to be physical and get him out of the flow. The same with Kaka and Ze Roberto. There's nothing dirty about it, that's soccer, or football. Have players come back to the ball so they won't dominate possession, because they will always have thier possession, they are Brazil, but negate that with slick but smart passing. It would also help that Roque Junior is in D , but if I was Brazil's manager (I think its Parriera, I check if I'm wrong, cause I think I am) I would start Alex from PSV.
The manager already announced his starting line-up for the game vs. Croatia. It will be: Dida; Cafu, Lúcio, Juan, Roberto Carlos; Émerson, Zé Roberto, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Kaká; Ronaldo, Adriano
I've got a feeling Brazil that Brazil will be beaten by France or Italy before the final losing maybe after extra time. I can see seem having a lot of scoring opportunity, with a ball posession of 66%, but facing a good defense and a goal keeper on a great day. I can see trezeguet or toni scoring a head against dida on a corner kick ... A team with a great goal keeper , a good defense and an efficient striker.
Anyway - to get back to the thread. Popular wisdom seems to be that Brazil are vulnerable to quick counter-attacks on the flanks, where Carlos and Cafu will sometimes be missing due to their usual runs upfield. I'm not really convinced by this idea, as I think if Brazil play at 100% they'll beat anyone, especially late in the WC when they've grown in confidence. In Ronaldinho, Kaka, Adriano, and Ronaldo they have four players who can change a game in a millisecond. No other team has that kind of quality. Interestingly, if Brasil go out I think it will be early - in the second round, before they've got in gear. When Tp was in New York we talked about this. Italy-Brazil is a dangerous game for the Brazilians, if it happens in the second round. Italian players will be happy to lose the final to Brazil (note how many of them have told the press their dream is to make the final vs. Brazil--note they don't say *win vs. Brazil); but they can't go out in the second round, it's too early after the disappointments of the last WC and Euro. Italy wants to prove it's second only to Brazil, and in the second round Brazil could be susceptible to a shock. Herein lies the key to the World Cup imo. It is either Italy-Brazil in the final, or Italy-Brazil in the second round, I think, and the timing of that match-up could make a huge difference. (N.B.--this prediction only holds if Nesta and Cannavaro stay healthy for Italy.)
I must agree to your well thought analysis .... as Brazil will "normally" go all the way .. (if they are not collapsed in early round) as more games involved, their great players will start "jelling" in synchronization and "enjoying" the jogabonita ! here are tips to win over Brazil 1- No other choice but ... DEFEND well with 10men and grasp in QUICK COUNTER-ATTACKs (like England and Turkey in last WC02 to score first). Rule of thumb is NEVER let Braxil scoring the 1st goal. 2- Practice well in SET-PIECES (Brazillian defenders are not good in the air) like Zidane of France in WC98!
definitely agree. quick counter-attacks and physical play are our weakness. and the 98 final had a deceiving scoreline. the game was a lot closer...france pretty much had those corner kick goals...
I'm not sure I agree with this. You set up camp with 10 men on the edge of the goal box and you're asking for trouble against Brazil. It suits Brazil to have teams drop off and give them time on the ball, and they'll innevitably prise you right open. I think you need to have the balls to defend higher up the pitch and queeze them and defend from the front back. It's risky, but so is being out there playing Brazil in the first place. I think there is indeed often space in behind their fullbacks to exploit but the key here is getting the ball there very quickly, as well as generally trying to keep the game at a very high tempo, and, perhaps more importantly, WINNING the ball either in that area, or near to it. The reason there is often space in behind their fullbacks is obviously because their fullbacks love to get forward, but the other point here is you watch Brazil play and whenever a team's attack breaks down more often than not it is their fullbacks which provide the out ball and start their attack, and usually teams are such intimidated girly-girls and have dropped off so much that this is exceptionally easy for them to do, almost elementary to start attacks and get forward. Cut this rubbish out. Given the right personnel, I believe a 3-4-3 is the way to have a go at Brazil with your two (preferrably extremely quick and fit) wide forwards (and centre forward) working very hard to neutralise their path out. If they can do that to some degree it is beneficial for three reasons; 1) you are far better off starting a counter attack by winning the ball in Brazil's own half, and 2) it forces the likes of Ronaldinho and Kaka to move deeper and away from their own goal to look for the ball, which has gotta be considered good news, and 3) it will likely surprise them and piss them off. It also lures their fullbacks into trying to work the ball out and move forward to help create options for their tightly marked central midfield - and Brazilian fullbacks are almost guaranteed to be very willing to do this - and this is exactly what you want if you are squeezing them and starting your counter attacks as soon as you lose the ball. Again, if you've somehow managed to do all this, squeeze and pressurise their midfield when they receive the ball, preferrably deep, and leave little space between more advanced midfield options and your defensive line, who also need to be confident enough to step forward very quickly to shut down anything that gets through (and likely a lot will get through). And one other point here; give away clever fouls. If Brazil's midfield look set to break through this system anywhere from the half way line to the egde of your defensive third, foul them, and tempt them to punch the free kick towards your box. You're far better off being able to set up and defend a set piece than having Ronaldinho, Kaka, Ronaldo and Adriano bearing down on you on the burst with a joyous glint in their eyes. Bugger that. And if you do defend higher up the pitch, make sure your keeper isn't afriad to play as a sweeper. Dangerous, dreamingand FAR easier said than done? Possibly, probably, but I'd far prefer to have a go at Brazil like that and lose than sit deep and resemble a human brick wall playing hoof and hope....and likely lose anyway. Don't let them defeat you before you even get out on the park, have a crack at the mugs. Yeah. Well they weren't, in '98 at least. France exploited that with ruthless precision. I remember reading that Aimee Jacques pointed this out to Zidane before the kick off, and again at half time, ie, that for the entire tournament Brazil had been very lax in marking up at set pieces. Dunno if they still are, but you can only hope they are, and set pieces are certainly a well proven way for lesser teams to snatch goals even when they are otherwise getting slaghtered.
ThePichi's right though, because generally speaking, as we all know, no inferior team ever beats a superior team in football. Ever. It just simply doesn't happen. It's a universal the world over. It doesn't even happen on Playstation, and it's certainly never happened at a World Cup. I challenge anyone to give me just one example of a super dooper team who were the overwhelming favourites who have EVER lost a game, anywhere on the planet, ever. The idea of any of those teams even getting a draw against Brazil is just madness. Forza Brazil!!! Yaaay!!!
Dont forget that Scotland did a great job trying to contain Brazil in WC 2002. They made 2 slip ups that gave Brazil the go-ahead, but it is possible to hold and even beat Brazil.
Plenty of teams that when into games as overwhelming favorites have lost: 1) WC 2002.....Defending World Champions France 0 x 1 Senegal......South Korea 2 x 1 Italy 2) WC 1950.....Uruguay 2 x 1 Brazil.....USA 1 x 0 England 3) UEFA Champions League 2003/04...Monaco beat Chelsea....Deportivo La Coruña beat Milan and Juventus....Porto beat Manchester United 3) WC 1982.. Overwhelming favorites Brasil only need a draw against Italy and lose. ETC, ETC, ETC.
24 years later and that was still the BEST game I've ever seen... Absolutely brilliant play by both teams...
....with a tank, two cardboard cutouts of Maradonna and a notice in their changing room reading - Carnival this way - Leading to a brothel.