Brazil 0 - 0 Bolivia: Back to Normal

By: Bruno Romani | September 11th, 2008

Dull midfield. Check.
Extreme Slow Pace. Check.
Lack of Agression. Check.
Excessive Arrogance. Check.
Lack of Passion. Check.
Chaotic Organization. Check.
Fading Stars. Check.
General laziness. Check.
Fans booing. Check.

Yes, after the surprising match against Chile, the squad headed by Dunga returned in unquestionable fashion with a 0 draw against Bolivia in Rio. Bolivia is the last team in the South American zone. The empty stadium was a sign of what was to come. The 30 thousand people was a much lower number than what organizers expected. And the match was in Rio, place where Flamengo fans alone put this number in regular matches of their club. To really understand what this draw means, just look the last 3 times Brazil faced Bolivia at home for the World Cup Qualifying: 1993 it was 6-0. In 1999 it was 5-0. In 2004, it was 3-0. Not only after 23 years Brazil does not beat Bolivia at home (the last draw was in 1985 in a match which Careca scored in the 1 draw), but also this time Bolivia played the entire second-half with 10 men. The reasons for such mediocre and somewhat not surprising result are the usual: a team that does not play as a team. The basics of football say: with an extra man pass fast and the spaces will start to appear. But this national squad lacks mobility in general, a direct responsibility of the coach, and has no alternatives to change a game. Expecting Josué or Luisão to be midfielders is like trying to grow oranges in the South Pole (well, global warming may change that). Maicon is not a creative man, and Juan, despite of not playing a bad match, was alone in the left. Ronaldinho and Robinho stayed on the pitch way more than they should’ve. And having to rely on Júlio Baptista to win anything made me realize how bad the situation was. At least, the beast was the author of our TWO (!) shots on goal. Nilmar was on the bench, but came with only 15 minutes left. Yes that’s what happens when you don’t play in Europe. Playing time is low with Dunga. At the end of the match, the few people who were crazy enough to go to the match booed Dunga and told him “good-bye”.