Brazil bank on support cast to back Neymar
BALANCED Unlike 2014, Selecao coach Tite has options to take load off his biggest star when they face Costa Rica
shut out by Valon Behrami’s brilliance, Neymar was fouled 10 times in their opening match. It was the most times a player has been fouled in a World Cup match since 1998, when
England striker Alan Shearer was
of the ball on several occasions against Switzerland, especially with three or more defenders marking him, cost Brazil as well as the world’s most expensive player. He was fouled and lost possession.
the
was also well marked by the Swiss defenders. He did not make the best of his chances in the first half and was replaced by Roberto Firmino 10 minutes from time.
in his cameo appearance, played a far more intelligent game than Jesus. He was able to open up spaces in the packed Switzerland box and had two shots on target, the second, forcing goalkeeper into making a diving save at the death. some rough treatment during this tournament but that may come as a boon for Brazil if it also means greater freedom for Coutinho on the left flank.
“My idea was to keep Neymar out of the game. I had a man glued fouled 11 times against Tunisia.
the most fouls suffered by a Brazil player in a World Cup match since 1966, when Portugal's rough tactics resulted in legendary Pele being unable to complete the tournament. 26-year-old failed to pass the ball to his teammates, who had been freed up by the overzealous attention on the star player. If Brazil and Neymar are to go deep into the tournament, the Paris Saint-germain player will have to put out mature show here on. to him to prevent him from playing his game,” Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic told reporters after the 1-1 draw, referring to Valon Behrami’s intense monitoring of Neymar’s movements.
Against Costa Rica, there is unlikely to be any let-off in the scrutiny on Neymar. During the qualifying campaign and in their friendlies this year, Tite had showed that he is more than comfortable with changing his approach depending on the type of opponent.
A change in tactics may be needed against the North American side as well to protect his best player ahead of bigger tests in the tournament.
When Brazil were forced to do by Germany four years ago, Brazil’s backline has been repeatedlyunder pressure even in the qualifying tournament. In their opener against Switzerland, they conceded from the first shot on target they faced.
Brazil have conceded 10 goals from their last 13 shots-on-target faced at the World Cup. Facing considerably less potent attacks from Costa Rica and Serbia in the remaining two group games, their defensive record will be a major concern when they take on teams with more firepower in the next round.
will replace Marcelo as captain in the only noticeable change in team make-up as of now. Whether the armband can push Silva to control the backline better has to be seen in a crunch match.
in three World Cup matches (D1 L2), their worst run since June 1978, when they went four matches without a win.
meeting between Brazil and Costa Rica at the World Cup, with the former handing Costa Rica their first-ever defeat at the tournament in 1990 (1-0), before a 5-2 victory in 2002.
their first match against Serbia, ending a five-game unbeaten run at the World Cup finals – they haven’t lost back to back World Cup games since June 2006, when they lost four in a row.
scored with just one of their last 31 shots at the World Cup.
the same four years back, they crumbled in the absence of their star forward. However, with a squad boasting of some ferocious attacking personnel, Tite will know he can afford to shuffle his forwardline. Silva Danilo
Paulinho Willian Played Venue: St Petersburg Stadium Capacity: 64,468
Miranda Marcelo
Casemiro
Coutinho Neymar Acosta
Borges Guzman Gamboa
Ruiz Gonzalez Duarte Calvo
Bolanos