A couple of short interviews/articles popped up today on ge. The Bruno Guimarães one I thought was especially worth sharing. Bruno Guimarães interview Éder Militão feature
It looks like Brazil had started negotiations with Spain and Netherlands for March friendlies before that idea was shot down.
A summary of Tite's matches without Neymar in the 2022 cicle and how he has tried to fill that void: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...selecao-para-suprir-ausencias-de-neymar.ghtml
@Ombak You are probably the most informed member of the Brazil forums at this time in terms of the technical analyses of Brazil matches as well as the current form of the players Tite capped for Ecuador and Paraguay as well as those who have a chance to be in Qatar. What's your take on the fact that on one hand, Brazil is unbeaten in 2022 WCQ yet the overall performance has been somewhat underwhelming compared to the Brazil which Tite led going into Russia? However much I want Brazil to win the World Cup, I am also a realist and I do believe managers need to be alert to yellow or even red flags. Parreira insisted on Roberto Carlos and Cafu in 2006 even though Brazil's laterais were well-supplied in the 2005 Confeds. Dunga was struck by a combination of bad luck and injuries in South Africa, but he never devised real alternatives. Scolari disfigured the team that won the 2013 Confeds and radically altered the lineup for the 2014 semifinal while ignoring the olheiros' warnings. Tite himself has World Cup experience, and although this is the most recent World Cup, I'm not sure what he really could have done better other than displayed a bit more risk-taking in capping players other than those he was used to - the own goal vs. Belgium wasn't his fault and without it, and with everything else the same, it would have gone to PKs. The blessing in disguise at the moment is that Neymar will have the time to recover and to heal. And as per the informative URL you shared, Tite has done plenty of testing without him; we did win a continental tournament without Neymar. Tite is a student of the game and he's very detail-oriented. One would think that his assistants and their assistants/contacts would compile a database of all the possible roster members, assessing their numbers in club play, to then pick who will be in Qatar. But I do have the impression Tite will perhaps overrule raw data and go with his gut - which is what some call "panelinha." And this may not be good for Brazil's chances.
Thanks, I'm definitely following more closely than I had been in a while, but you give me too much credit. In my opinion we're top 5 WC contenders on a good day, but not top 3. Of course, it's not really a straight hierarchy. For example, I think we match up better with Spain or Italy than Germany or France, but overall I might put Spain ahead of us at this moment and Germany behind us in the top 5. Tactically I think we have been falling behind for a long time, even under Tite, but he's the best we've got. (My examples are the same ones I've ranted about on this forum and elsewhere for years, including the fact we are still thinking in terms of playmaking mids vs. pure defensive mids, despite the evolution of midfielders, and the fact that Brazilian coaches don't have a good environment to grow in.) You're spot on and this is, in my opinion, the biggest disappointment of the January call-up. It seemed to provide alternatives in the form of "let me see that guy again in case I need a back-up plan" (e.g.: Coutinho, Dani Alves, Alex Telles), not alternatives in the form of "what new options can I try that might provide a surprise" (e.g.: Caio Henrique, Raphael Veiga). I also think the yellow flag raised by the Ecuador game is one that has popped up before: the problem with our mentality and focus. Even if you think all the decisions to reverse PKs and reds were correct, Alisson still looked lost out there and the defense was atrocious, in part because they lacked focus. Even if Matheus Cunha had, say, scored a hat-trick and become the solution to the number 9 position, the Emerson red and Alisson and defensive performance would have merited raising a flag. I'm going to reply to the rest in a second post to break this up.
Again, spot-on. I think most pundits I listen to agree here. The Belgium game was our best overall. However, even if we get a late PK or other goal to tie it, that still means penalties and a meeting with France in the semis. I don't think the Brazilian sports press knows how to express things without their all or nothing hyperbole when it comes to seleção. As you know, a popular cliché right now is that the first decent European side we face will knock us out. This is because we faced a non-European team in every R16 match since 2002 (Ghana, Chile, Chile, Mexico) and in the 2014 quarters (Colombia) only to lose in the following match to a European team (France, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium). On its own though those stats don't paint the whole picture. Many of these pundits don't count Serbia as a good side, for example. But if they were to face us in the quarters the pundits' brains might explode. It's tough, I think we have the potential to be better without Neymar than with him right now, but we certainly haven't reached that point yet. With Neymar the line-up questions are much harder, but the results are better, so of course we need him in form and hopefully the tests without him address the issue you mentioned above of alternatives when needed. Everyone has a "panelinha", it doesn't bother me too much. I don't think, for example, picking Émerson and never trying Vánderson is going to make the difference. Or that there's some magical forward he's ignoring cause of Gabriel Jesus (who is now clearly a bench player for Tite and at risk of not making the 23). I think CBF has more to do here than the coaching staff. It is widely reported that the coaching staff has a list of 50+ players that are candidates for WC2022. I'm sure the ones at the end of the list are the type that only make it if others are injured, but regardless, any new coach should not need to start from scratch. It is long past time that we need continuity across cycles with some proper national team program implemented at CBF. Does CBF have someone who keeps track of "selecionáveis"? Do they have someone whose job it is to keep track of guys like Ibañez who we could lose to other countries? Do they have long-term objectives and ways to measure success beyond tournament results? I doubt it, but it is desperately needed.
All that and I'm not sure I addressed the overarching question that permeates your post. I think Tite has done well and has alternatives. I hope we see a bit more of this in March, because sadly the January window was not ideal. However, all that good work can be negatively affected by the wrong mental approach any give day. I think we need less Gabriel Jesus and Dani Alves. Less of the "me against the world attitude" that Neymar has and more maturity and leadership in the remaining spots. Bruno Guimarães and Arana, with the roles they played at the Olympics, can help, in my opinion. All that said, you know I'm an optimist. I think the tactical experiments last year mean we could see a Tite willing to change his line-up, even goalkeepers and defense, every match at the World Cup. Being proactive rather than reactive. And considering he has been making really good second-half adjustments lately (Ecuador being an exception), that helps as well. But who knows, I could be reading it all wrong and he just goes with one formation and line-up out of everything he's tried. We'll see. I think the next two matches (Feb 1 and Mar 24) could be much more positive. The last one is in La Paz (Mar 29) so it only matters because it could set a record for points. Tactically it could be a throwaway like yesterday. Then... well, if we get England, Argentina, Senegal in June, that will be meaningful friendlies. If we get, say, two teams eliminated in the March UEFA playoffs or CAF playoffs, for our September friendlies, that could be good. (Imagine Czech Republic and Cameroon, for example, or even Italy or Portugal). See, there I go, being optimistic about everything falling into place. That's the thing though, everything has to fall in to place, for anyone to win, whether it's us or someone else, luck needs to be on our side.
Yep. Most pundits still analyze the game with an all or nothing mentality. I actually watch some of the shows a bit for entertainment value ... and seldom something good comes out of it. Sometimes I watch Esporte em Discussão at JP and Bruno Prado (Flavio Prado's son) is actually very level headed with his analysis. But he isn't "exciting". Very monotone analysis (not tactical though). We know what sells are the all or nothing debates with loud/animated reactions.
Can I just say how much I have appreciated reading this thread? The analyses here are far far better than anything I've read in the big media. Really wish that more Brazilians and football fans could read this content. It makes me happy to see that there are still folks who invest time to analyse our Seleção given how popular it became to just 'hate' our national team. Are any of you planning to go to Qatar?
I'm optimistic about Brazil for Qatar 2022, and this is why: A) I think Neymar and Vini Jr. can work together in the same team and I think Tite is not Bielsa in 2002 with the whole Batistuta Crespo conundrum; B) Richarlison, if healthy, will solve the #9 problem; C) A midfield of Casemiro, Fabinho and Paqueta is the equal of any team in the world; D) Marquinhos, Militao, T Silva are all top 10 centerbacks; E) Tite is a top 5, maybe top 3, manager.
F) Remember, The Qatar World Cup is November-December, not June-July, so Tite will have time to do some thinking.
Added a tab to the excel that's available for viewing online. It's a tab with most of the call-ups since Copa América 2019. No guarantees that it's 100% right, but if you want to get extra nerdy, it's there for everyone's enjoyment: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nnGqvRxCvoFnpsXQ_kZE8--TzjuZXho516M6M5Hf3pw/edit?usp=sharing
I will get to Ombak's replies later, but Daniel Alves said he's not on the NT for being "queridinho" (a "dear" of anybody's).
Looks like the verdict for the Brazil x Argentina match comes next week: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/copa-d...de-na-proxima-semana-brasil-x-argentina.ghtml I still expect Argentina to be awarded the 3 points. The article notes that it's unlikely that a draw or double WO will be awarded and I certainly don't think FIFA has any reason to award the match to Brazil. As a reminder, FIFA has to judge whether Brazil did it's job as host, the immigration issue is not their primary issue, only a part of the arguments from one side or the other. Brazil's defense is that they e-mailed AFA twice about the requirements and that it is not responsible for/couldn't prevent Anvisa entering the field. Argentina's defense is that Brazil is responsible, as the host, that Argentina sent all necessary documentation and that CBF should have requested an exception (as specified in the law).
Barring a new match or both teams getting no points, the result is going to deepen the negative sentiments between both teams. This sentiment is an outgrowth of the historical rivalry, and if one team gets 3 points, it will be remembered on the next match - whether it's the World Cup, a friendly before (or after) Qatar, or even 2026 World Cup qualifying. This time, however, it may also reach the federation level, rather than just players (some of whom already have some bad blood due to UEFA encounters while others are friendly with one another).
I'm not replying to your first reply because tonight's win vs. Paraguay addressed the attitude/focus point you mentioned - a valid point nonetheless. It's a cultural thing, and if it ever changes, it will take a very long time. The Brazilian soccer culture is entrenched; Brazilians can be pacheco and this is a good example. Resistance to foreign coaches has decreased in part due to Jorge Jesus and to Abel Ferreira, but they weren't able to change this mentality. It's also understandable. Brazil won 5 World Cups and the 4th and 5th were won a mere 8 years apart. The 2000s, up to 2013 and then 2019, saw Brazil win cup after cup after cup. If the press was spoiled before 2002, it got worse afterwards. Neymar most definitely will take note - there's a generational shift taking place. Gone are the days he was the new kid on the block; kids nearly 10 years younger than him want to book their flights to Qatar. Among them are Olympic gold medalists and they are all in UEFA clubs. Tite is not going to leave Neymar outside the roster because he's still pivotal and is at an age where he can still contribute. I think we'll only reach that point after this year, Hexa or no Hexa. If the answer to any of these questions is "no," it has to change. CBF has certainly changed over the years; we're not dealing with the old Confederação Brasileira de Desportos. I do think, however, that CBF should have pioneered a revolution of sorts re: player development after the 2014 World Cup. I do not have enough knowledge to say CBF did nothing useful after that tournament, and I do not say CBF should do the literal same thing that some European federations supposedly do (Germany does a good job of it from what I know). I just had a crazy idea.... Since we all know Tite is leaving the team after this year's World Cup, we know he's going to take a well-deserved vacation. How about Tite as the general manager of player development? I don't think Brazil has produced a detailed-oriented type of soccer professional like him in quite some time. That way, Tite could still contribute to CBF and to Brazil's national teams without the stress and pressure of being on the sidelines of every match.
With tonight's 4-0 win vs. Paraguay, this is the current statistical breakdown of Brazil under Tite. All: 69 games 51 wins 14 draws 5 losses All official (excluding friendlies and Superclássico das Américas): 44 games 34 wins 9 draws 2 losses 2022 WCQ: 15 games 12 wins 3 draws 2018 and 2022 WCQ: 26 games 22 wins 5 draws It is going to take a VERY long time before another Brazil NT manager produces such numbers. Dunga had great numbers also, but Tite outdid Dunga a long time ago.
No doubt. I like your idea in the next paragraph: I mean, if he has a plan and puts it forward to them, absolutely. He has the seriousness. It doesn't take that much to be more solid than we are now. But it does take commitment from CBF to back someone with a development plan. Maybe the transition phase, with Caboclo suspended and interim presidents until basically the end of his term, ends up being the opportunity to give a little more power to someone like Tite. But that's optimistic. I know I would love to see him or someone else step up to do something like this.
Trying to visualize what adding Richarlison and Neymar to a call-up means, it just reinforces how difficult it is to find a good spot for Neymar if we want to keep the wingers and a proper center-forward. (My examples all use Danilo and Arana as full-backs and BG as the second DM when there are two. The point of the visualization is to imagine the recent formations with Neymar and Richarlison included.)
It may be an unpopular opinion but on current form, Neymar probably shouldn’t even start. With Raphina and Vinicius Jr on the wing, we have balance as they are two hardworking but also creative attacking wingers. Neymar can’t play on the wing anymore these days. IMO, we lack the proper midfielders to play Neymar in the #10 spot in a classic 4-4-2. Tite will most likely drop Vinicius and play Paqueta out wide to accommodate Neymar.
Bruno Guimarães may hurt his chances with that Newcastle move. I don’t know why players take risk like that during a World Cup year.
Not that unpopular. Specially if Neymar can't regain his old form. At the very least, Tite needs to be thinking about plan B given Neymar's injury history over the past 3-4 years.
It's certainly a gamble but most people expect Newcastle to stay up this year after the moves they made (and a few have even said Bruno Guimarães alone is enough to keep them safe). I also have to think there's a relegation clause in there somewhere. It would be crazy to move somewhere at risk without one, no matter the salary bump. Also, at 24, while I may want Bruno Guimarães as a starter (instead of Fred), he is looking at being the engine behind a Newcastle team that wants to contend for titles again and being a mainstay for Brazil for the 2026 cycle.