Brazil 6 – 2 Portugal

Can I even argue against this score? It was one of those matches perfect for being used in TV commercials. If Brazil has been ugly for the entire year, tonight it was fabuloso. It played like never before in the Dunga era, and if throughout the year Brazil did not score a single goal at home, the debt was paid with the right interest. 6 times.

The fact that the match was just a friendly and that Brazil wasn’t playing in a city where fans are not that harsh, the players had no pressure and performed incredibly well.

Again, Luis Fabiano spared to his coach a few extra months of tranquility with a hat-trick. Not only that. In a match served to be a battle between Kaka and Ronaldo, the forward took all the glory home. Kaka and Robinho played a good first-half as well. And Adriano also had time to score with a header and show to a Portuguese who was not on the pitch that he should not dismissed like this.

The midfield with Elano and Anderson also worked. Elano is the type of player that when his not helping the attack, as he did today with a goal that reminded me of Nelinho in the 78 World Cup, he is very efficient in the defense. By helping the defenders, Elano allowed even Maicon to put a good performance. And his goal, after hypnotic exchange of passes, is Nike commercial material.

In the defense, Fluminense’s Thiago Silva put the supposed best player of the world in his pocket. the kid has future. The only player to be below standards is Kleber. Why not Marcelo?

Let’s just hope that this match is the announcement of a new tomorrow. An Dunga is a highlander. He never dies.

With all this said, Brazil made Portugal miss Brazil. Or a Brazilian, I should say. Without Felipao, Portugal is such a fragile side that I felt sorry. As a seasonal football nation, they seem to be heading to a down again.

goals in bad angles:

Little better:

Goal by Elano (great quality):

Compare with Nelinho:

It is very true that those who play in Brazil against the host nation defend to the point which makes things very difficult even when players are inspired. Everybody knows that. But why does Brazil start every match at home with 3 defensive midfielders and two side-backs playing in the defensive line? Brazil went to the pitch with Josué, Gilberto Silva and Elano, when actually Elano could’ve been the second defensive midfielder with one of the other two guys. That would’ve opened a slot for either Alex or Mancini. The trio that started the match made things incredibly slow, something which against a team who is defensive and full of experience makes everything easier.

The two side-backs also lack creativity. In fact, they remind me of two robots. Kléber, it’s been said enough, has been having a very poor season with Santos, so his lack of participation is understood. The problem with Maicon is that he is a very physical player and that’s it. He is a pure European side-back. Even when he plays well, his participation in the attack is as harsh as trying to shit a load of Grand Canyon rocks. Brazil right now took on a European style which clearly does not work. The greatest side-backs of Brazilian football ( Nilton Santos, Carlos Alberto, Djalma Santos, Everaldo, Leandro, Junior, Cafu, Serginho, Roberto Carlos) had in common a creative twist, which is missing in the actual team.

Said all this, put together the poor performance of Robinho (always too concerned about everything around him, except the match), the tough marking on Kaká, and the lack of experience by Jô and the final score could not be other than 0-0.

Unlike the match against Bolivia, the team fought hard, but without a good plan the victory moves away. Mancini came on the second-half replacing Elano when actually it could’ve been Gilberto Silva. The Inter Milan player, however, was lost on the pitch and did not find the position of the fourth man of the midfield. The other two subs happened due to injuries. Pato replaced Robinho.

So on a tough match like this, we put all the weight on the shoulders of two kids (Jô and Pato) who just played the Olympics. It is true that Adriano was suspended. That Luis Fabiano is injured. That Vagner Love and Afonso are not national team material. That Fred is not in a good moment. That Ricardo Oliveira has been forgotten. That Ronaldo’s career is a question mark. That no one could predict Robinho’s injury. But the staff of the national team could’ve been a bit smarter and taken a player with more experience who plays in Brazil. People like Nilmar, Alex Mineiro, Kleber Pereira… People to be on the bench and used in an extreme situation like tonight’s. But today, in order to put the yellow jersey on, the player must have a stamped passport.

The third sub was another injury. Defender Thiago Silva replaced Juan. If Robinho’s injury could not be predicted, this one was obvious. Juan has been having a chronic injury. Last Sunday, he left the match during half-time. If the player has a history of injury in a particular place and that place was already a problem on the last match, his injury tonight wasn’t a surprise. In a match against a rival who was not going to attack, was it that necessary? With Juan’s injury, the possibility of having an offensive player, like Alex from Inter, went down the drain.

And again, we will hear that “Colombia was successful in marking Brazil.” I’d say CBF was successful in marking Brazil.

The national team has been disconnected from its fans and traditions. The people booing proved it once more. And the only reason there were not that many fans booing is that the fans decided to not show up. Only 46 thousand paid to watch this horrible match. CBF had to open Maracanã’s gates and allowed another 8 thousand in just so that the stadium didn’t look empty. As a comparison, last Saturday, Flamengo alone had 77 thousand fans in the stadium.

Did I mention our coach’s name? Tonight it won’t be necessary.

Ps: hey Argentina, you guys suck right now!

more info soon.
Update

As much as I think Kaka’s commitment to the national team is far away from what it should be, whenever he is in the line-up the team plays better. Add to that the fact that Venezuela’s defense invited danger by not marking our key players, and the 3-0 in the first 15 minutes was constructed naturally – without pain or effort. But talking about Kaka is just too easy. Obviously, his participation opened spaces for Robinho and Adriano. The first scored in a very uncommon fashion by shooting from very far, completely out of his comfort zone. The second scored a goal for Brazil since the World Cup. Good job Adriano!

One thing, however, that should be talked is the participation of Elano. The guy defends and creates so many options in the right portion of the field that he should be the second defensive midfielder. He and Josue seem to be a promising duo. Gilberto Silva, I’m sorry, but you no longer have a place in the starting eleven.

After the 3-0, Brazil just managed to end the match without injuries or cards, but Adriano failed. He will not play against Colombia on Wednesday for getting his second yellow.

But as good as the victor seems, a the collection of mistakes made by the defensive duo will not be talked just because Julio Cesar had another important participation. Brazil starts every game with 3 defensiv midfielders and 4 people in the back line and still poor Venezuela created more chances than it should have had. This is something to pay attention.

As usual, Dunga called interesting players, but gave them no time to show what they can do. Mancini and Alex should’ve played the entire second-half. And again, Kleber, whose performance was better than what has been in the season, cannot be the left-back at the moment. He always seems tired.

With all that in mind, let’s see if this team can win 2 matches in a row for the World Cup Qualifying, something that hasn;t happen since the qualifying for the cup in Germany.

With you Alex:

Free-kicks:

GOALKEEPRS
Julio Cesar (Internazionale)
Doni (Roma)

SIDEBACKS
Maicon (Internazionale)
Daniel Alves (Barcelona)
Juan (Flamengo)
Kleber (Santos)

DEFENDERS
Lúcio (Bayern Munique)
Tiago Silva (Fluminense)
Juan (Roma)
Alex Costa (Chelsea)

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS
Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos)
Lucas (Liverpool)
Elano (Manchester City)
Josué (Wolfsburg)

OFFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS
Anderson (Manchester United)
Mancini (Internazionale)
Julio Baptista (Roma)
Kaká (Milan)

FORWARDS
Robinho (Manchester City)
Alexandre Pato (Milan)
Jô (Manchester City)
Luis Fabiano (Sevilla)

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”.

A few things about the victory of Brazil over Chile must be said:

-Today, Chile and Bolivia (our next rival) are the weakest sides in the South American zone. So, take it easy on the excitement.

-Luis Fabiano loves Dunga. When people wanted him out back in November, the Sevilla striker scored twice against Uruguay. This Sunday, Dunga was a fart away from unemployment, but Luis Fabiano pulled another 2 goals and the pass for the goal scored by Robinho.

-When Kléber was the best Brazilian left-back, Dunga insisted with Gilberto. Now that Kléber is in the worst moment of his career, he is in the starting line-up. Where’s Marcelo?

-Ronaldinho, the national team is not some sort of rehab or spa. Go get recovered, then you return.

-Robinho is lucky against Chile. But the dude still needs to learn how to shoot.

-Diego is bench material. Can you believe this was one of his best matches for the national team?

-If what it takes for Brazilian players to put some passion in their game is to say that Argentine players are an example to be followed, then “Messi is God”.

-Valdívia left his heart in Brazil. Chile was going to have 45 minutes in an 11 against 10 situation. But the ex-Palmeiras midfielder managed to disappear with the extra man advantage for his team by being eject in an innocent way.

-Finally Lula made reasonable statements with clear results. Too bad it wasn’t where he is supposed to do that.

Having said all of this, September 7th is the Brazilian Independence Day, but Dunga is the one who has a lot to celebrate his personal independence. His squad played a good match, shutting up the press, the fans, CBF and even the president. The newspaper “Estado de São Paulo” reports that the coach used the president a lot to motivate his players. According to the paper, even the words “son of a bitch” were part of the meeting between players and coach before the match. And of course, after the victory, Dunga said to the press that the president now must be happy. In any case, with or without the presidential statement, this match had the right configuration for the squad headed by Dunga. The team was going to defend (as it always does when it plays away) and use counter attacks to try the victory. The Chileans, underestimating Brazil, had an offensive formation, leaving a lot of space. That’s all we needed. Relying on a good performance of Luis Fabiano, beating the locals was less difficult than expected. With the almost certain victory on Wednesday, we will have to stand the grumpy coach at least until the end of the year.

Goalkeeers:
Júlio César (Internazionale-ITA)
Renan (Internacional)

Sidebacks:
Maicon (Internazionale-ITA)
Rafinha (Schalke 04-ALE)
Kléber (Santos)
Juan (Flamengo)

Defenders:
Lúcio (Bayern de Munique-ALE)
Juan (Roma-ITA)
Alex Silva (São Paulo)
Luisão (Benfica-POR)

Midfielders:
Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos-GRE)
Josué (Wolfsburg-ALE)
Lucas (Liverpool-ING)
Elano (Manchester City-ING)
Anderson (Manchester United-ING)
Diego (Werder Bremen-ALE)
Julio Baptista (Roma-ITA)
Ronaldinho (Milan-ITA)

Forwards:
Robinho (Real Madrid-ESP)
Luis Fabiano (Sevilla-ESP)
Rafael Sobis (Bétis-ESP)
Jô (Manchester City-ING)

Congratulations, girls! I haven’t felt this close to the national team in a long time. You’re an example to the fans and younger player. You show that respect and passion for the national team has not been lost. There’s still hope. And you show to your male counterparts how one should feel about playing with the yellow jersey. It’s not about millionaire contracts, money, marketing, politics or shaddy friendships. It’s about carrying a nation in your hearts and feet. And this makes this post the proudest I ever wrote.

The only thing that still gets into my nerves is to hear these girls after the match complaining about the lack of support. Again, CBF will vomit BS to te press, like they did when these girls finished the last year’s World Cup in second. We need real action. Too bad those in charge of Brazilian soccer belong to a world different from these girls. Did you know, for instance, that keeper Barbara is unemployed and plays for free for Sport? (thank you, Ana, for the pointing that out). This is a shame, CBF.

Things must change!

For now, stand up, girls. You make us proud of being Brazilian!