SAMBA DANCE CUT SHORT IN WORLD CUP QUARTER-FINALS

They came into the tournament as overwhelming favourites. Many pundits had predicted that “Selecao” would easily win the World Cup. One of the universities also presented a model predicting their road to glory.

However, the luck ran out in the Quarter Finals against a steely Croatia on penalty shootout. Brazil gave a good show but were not disciplined enough to manage the game and go all the way to the final.

After Neymar scored in the extra time, what was needed was game management and winding up time than continuing to attack and be vulnerable to counter-attacks. The victory by Argentina in the World Cup final also adds rivalry as the two South American giants are not the best of friends.

Turning back to Brazil, the team played well until the Quarter Final where they lost. The opening match, a 2-0 win over Serbia gave early hopes to the soccer crazy nation. The Richarlison double strike including an acrobatic kick, set the mood for an exciting group which also included Switzerland and Cameroon.

Neymar got injured in that first match and only returned in the Quarter Final. Other injury casualties included Alex Sandro, Danilo and Gabriel Jesus.

The second match for Brazil involved Switzerland and they had to wait for a late Casemiro goal to win the match 1-0.

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On the field of play, there was some dazzling Samba style football typical of Joga Bonito. The talents of Vinicius Junior, Neymar, Raphinha, Rodrygo Goes, Lucas Paqueta and Richarlison mesmerised crowds. The ever dependable Thiago Silva and Marquinhos proved very solid.

The goalkeeper Alisson was rarely tested in those 2 first games as the defence proved very solid and will still be for some years to come.

In the last group game, Tite rested the bulk of his first team to give them time to prepare for the next round as they had already qualified. Cameroon narrowly won the match with a 1-0 win through a Vincent Aboubacar goal. Unfortunately, Aboubacar received his marching orders for taking off his shirt.

The game against Cameroon gave Brazil a chance to play the likes of Bremer, Martinelli, Jesus, Dani Alves, Alex Telles and Fabinho. Dani Alves became the oldest Captain in World Cup history. Despite losing to Cameroon, Brazil remained a feared team.

In the last 16, they played South Korea whom they demolished 4-1. Vinicius Junior, Neymar, Richarlison and Paqueta scored a goal each. During that game, the Brazilian team danced the night away. It was to the chagrin of many pundits including the Roy Keane. Football teams have a right to celebrate their goals anyhow they feel as long as they are not breaking the laws of football.

Croatia was their next opponents in the Quarter final. As the game started, Croatia were very hard to break. The midfield trio of Modric, Kovacic and Brozovic proved to be combative to Casemiro and Paqueta. Football experts like Tim Vickery has spoken about the lack of balance in the Brazilian team heading into the World Cup.

Eventually, the match was settled in a draw and in extra time Brazil drew first blood through Neymar Junior who matched Pele all time record of 77 Goals with a stunning goal. The Brazilian team remained attacking high up the pitch and were hit by Croatia on counter attack and the match proceeded to penalty kicks where the Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made some heroic saves. Rodrygo Goes and Marquinhos missed for Brazil and the dream of a 6th star vanished.

Failing to European Opposition again?

Since winning the world cup 20 years ago in Yokohama Stadium in 2002, Brazil has struggled in the knock out phases of the tournaments that occurred after that. In each case failing to European opposition.

In 2006, they fell to France in the Quarter Final, in 2010 were defeated by the Dutch in thE Quarter Final. During the 2014 World Cup on home soil, Brazil was walloped by Germany 7-1 in the second edition of the Maracanazo, bringing back memories of the loss to Uruguay in 1950 in the Maracana. The 2018 World Cup saw Brazil losing to Belgium in the Quarter Finals. Once again in 2022, Brazil fell to Croatia in the Quarter Finals.

become Brazil’s bogey continent and if the most successful team in world cup history is to make progress in 2026, there is need for a plan if it meets European opposition in the knockout phase or earlier.

Joga Bonito is a style of play where the game is played joyfully and with flair but can it evolve to match the scientific and analytics dominated era? We saw signs of it especially in the game against Korea. But in the Croatia game, it was not smooth for Brazil.

Does Brazil need a foreign coach?

The million-dollar question that is now growing, is whether Brazil now need to look further for a coach. It is not easy for anyone who is not from Brazil to coach Brazil. You must understand the style of play, culture and the philosophy

There are some names being already thrown into the fray to succeed Tite who stepped down after the tournament. Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancellotti are some of the names being touted as possible contenders if CBF is considering a foreign gaffer. There is good reasoning to shift towards international coaches.

The game has since shifted to Europe and that is where competitive leagues are located. There is sponsorship as well. Most of the Brazilian team for Qatar 2022 was drawn from European leagues especially the English Premier League.

No-one knows if getting a foreign coach will work, but at least CBF can take time before appointing the next man to guide Brazil. The challenge is going to be regarding whether Brazil should continue with joga bonito style or begin to fuse this with other types of footballing philosophies such as defensive, total football, tiki-taka and other variants of the game. Brazil love their identity and have won 5 world cup titles with it. So a loss in a Quarter final will not necessarily cause an earthquake to see Selecao playing tiki-taka overnight. Brazilian football is built on skill.

What the future holds for 2026?

Even in defeat, Brazil looked strong. What is frightening is the age of their players. Most are in early to mid-twenties Vinicius Junior (22), Rodrygo (21), Martinelli (21), Anthony (22), Richarlison (25), Paqueta (25), Raphinha (25), Bremer (25), Jesus (25), Guimaraes (25) are very young and will be back in 2026. Thiago Silva may not be fit to play in 2026 but Marquinhos (28) is still in the 20s and is a possible next captain for Brazil. Neymar (30) and can still play another World Cup. Brazil may be down, but not out and they should continue to be taken seriously.

This group should be fused with the emerging talents of Endrick (16) who has just been signed by Real Madrid FC, but will join them when he turns 18 years old, Endrick may gatecrash and add pace in USA, Mexico and Canada World Cup 2026. Vinicius Tobias (18) is also a very critical prospect. Tobias who is at Real Madrid B (Castilla) on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk is proving to be a defender to watch. Arana (25) will be back to fitness and maybe Jesus (25) will hit prime in the late twenties as he is showing dominance at Arsenal.

Dilemmas for the next Coach of Brazil

The next coach of Brazil will have to give guidance on a number of issues. The first is the identity of the team and how it plays. Does the new coach keep Tite’s high pressing style which yields goals but is vulnerable when attacked? An example is being knocked out by Croatia on a counter attack in this just ended World Cup 2022 as well as losing to Belgium on the counter attack in 2018? Alternatively, does he adopt a conservative approach and have players in the mould of Carlos Dunga the retired no-nonsense football general who won the world cup in 1994. The identity of that team was based on defensive solidity and efficient attack, but was very well balanced in the middle.

Casemiro is 30 years old and may continue to anchor the midfield. The coach may have to decide whether Casemiro sits deeper to guard against the counter or continues with a more flexible set-up. The other route is to play with 2 deep sitting midfielders. In 2002, Gilberto Silva sat in front of defence alongside Kleberson, giving Ronaldinho the chance to be roving as a playmaker, when Brazil beat Germany in the 2002 final.

Another dilemma is on specific positions.

Does the new coach consider giving Ederson the number one position for Brazil or retains Alison?

As a senior keeper, one expects that Alison can catch or parry one or two penalties against Croatia. It is difficult to fault Alisson in any way throughout his career as he has been very reliable, but the new coach must decide who should be number 1. On the right wing there is stiff competition between Raphinha and Anthony. The new coach must decide whether Raphinha or Anthony starts. There are certain moments when Anthony came in where he livened games. Raphinha has been consistent since his coming into the squad.

The coach must also continue to find a role for Neymar

Does Neymar become the next Captain of Brazil or Maquinhos or Casemiro become the new Captain designates? No-one knows these questions until CBF appoints a coach. The decision to appoint the next Head Coach of the Brazil National Football Team is going to be one of the toughest, especially given that fierce rivals Argentina, have won the world cup. Brazil would like to already get going and get a team identify before even Copa America in 2024 and ultimately challenge in 2026.

Down but not out

At the conclusion of the just ended FIFA World Cup, Brazil remain on top of World rankings and more so with 5 World Cup Titles. It is good that other teams such as Argentina win the world cup and the team is humbled by France, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Croatia in knock-out phases of the last 6 world cups. This could be what Brazil need to reinvent themselves into a nation that was once feared. Down as they are for now, they are surely not out, and will be back stronger to challenge for honours in 2026. Vamos Selecao Brasiliero!!

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