PBP Match Thread: Brazil vs Serbia, 27 June 2018 [R]

Soccer has grown too big for its britches. It's gone from the world's most played sport to a sort of geo-political ethno-defining mass event with religious overtones.

Too much. So the players of Big Footballing Nations feel so much pressure, they just cannot perform. It's become a bit too much, basically.

 

I’d though magic had retired some years ago

 

Since when is 2-0 55% possession “against the ropes”?

 

Well, they did for a while. The Serbs can't finish though.

 

Brazil up 2-0 for those not watching. Lovely header by Thiago Silva off a corner.

 

There is a expression. Offense wins you games. Defense wins you championships. This Brazil team under Tite puts a lot of emphasize into defending well as an unit. Very organized and cohesive. They have individual brilliance upfront but at the same time they are still playing as a team. I don't know if they will win this World Cup but they have all ingredients to do so.

 

Totally agree with you.

 

I used to love the old Brazilian players like Sokrates, Zico, rivaldo,Carlos etc. There is something about these current though. I just can't find myself liking them. So over emotional and dramatic. Kinda creepy.

 

There's something scary about teams that win without looking like they're really trying. Brazil and France are looking that way so far.

 

This is why Brazil and France are imo the teams with the best chance to win it all. They both got results by playing in energy save mode for the most time. They have both enough tank left for the real challenges.

 

Serbia had such a good start in the second half and then Thiago Silva's goal basically put them to sleep

 

Finally Brazil played a match that made them look like the team we were expecting. And by that, I don't mean trashing your opponents around, that's not how Tite's Brazil play. But in a more clear-headed, dominating and securing possession fashion with sudden lethal waves of attacking. William and G. Jesus are still underperforming a lot and that hurts those attacks too much. But at least Coutinho is stepping up out there, he's by far the best brazilian in this group stage.

That's not to say this team isn't prone to complete shutdowns in the middlefield. I blame Paulinho (for forgetting his defendinng job sometimes) and William (for walking around and turning invisible for long stretches of time) for that. Again, like against Switzerland, Brazil got too comfortable and stop marking and dominating the middlefield, a stronger side than Serbia (like Switzerland) could also have easily scored one against us. We did got lucky they didn't at the beggining of the second half. If that kind of thing happens against Mexico, we might be done. At least Neymar didn't turn this match into his personal theater show this time around.

 

The Budweiser man of the match award went to Paulinho. I disagree. I think Casemiro had a giant game today. A crucial component of Brazil's win.

 

Am I crazy for think Mexico will pull off another upset and beat Brazil lol

 

Serbian team got a bright future. The old guys will leave and the youngsters will gain more experience.
The best center back was injured Nastasic. It was a huge blow for them.
And the young zivkovic and jovic didn't play enough in this tournament.
The talented young gks will also take place.
They will have a better team for the next years.
It is just a matter of time.

 

Yes cause the left back and right back are at the end of their road...this one came too soon for the players that will bring Serbia to a deep run.
They are just starting to build their new team. You will see them improving for the 2022 2026 tournaments.

 

1012083135176151045 is not a valid tweet id

 

Serbia was pressuring and Brazil was suffering. Then Tite put Fernandinho, moved players around, and everything changed. BTW, both gols were from players coming from behind and surprising the Serbian defense. Those guys are naive.

Now the real World Cup starts. I was getting fed up with all those draws.

 

France is overrated, whereas Brazil isn’t. I just don’t see how France played well.

 

Serbia had 5-10 good minutes at about the hour mark where it created two clear chances to equalize in a match Brasil merely needed to draw. The Brasilian defense snuffed out both of them (with a decent bit of luck). We then broke the Serbian pressure, and at minute 67, killed off the game with a second goal.

That's hardly "against the ropes."