Brazil boss still greatest gig in world football

THESE are supposedly deeply troubling times for Brazil.

Four months ago, Argentina rocked up in Rio de Janeiro and inflicted a first-ever home World Cup qualification defeat upon the Selecao.

They sit sixth in the South American standings and only ninth- and 10th-placed Bolivia and Peru have conceded more goals on the road to Canada, Mexico and the United States, respectively.

It had been Brazil’s worst run of form in some 22 years but the crisis undeniably stems from the CBF’S obsession with the box-office appointment of Carlo Ancelotti.

CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues naively decided Brazil should wait for the Italian to fulfil the final year of his Real Madrid contract and since then the Selecao have gone backwards, while Los Blancos have been accelerating forward.

Now, the unassuming 61-year-old journeyman Dorival Junior is at the helm having replaced Fernando Diniz in January.

It’s clear he’s a stop-gap appointment who is merely keeping the prestigious seat warm for Ancelotti.

He will still be expected to deliver the goods for Brazil. However, that pressure is the ultimate privilege. There is no greater job in all of world football.

And when you possess the abundance of quality and class Brazil have at their disposal, success is never a million miles away.

They opened up the Three Lions with ease on a handful of occasions on a night that raised further questions about Gareth Southgate’s defence.

The blistering speed and acceleration of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo ruthlessly exposed Harry Maguire’s lack of agility, while Ezri Konsa was given a rude awakening on his international debut.

By Brazil’s glittering standards, this was a notably underwhelming team ,but they still bettered England in just about every department before nicking a late winner via 17-year-old Endrick (below, left).

Prior to that they had just lacked a cutting edge in the final third, which is no surprise given they remain starved of a top-class centre-forward – though Endrick might be the kid to put those concerns to bed.

Brazil were missing Neymar, Alisson, Ederson, Eder Militao, Marquinhos, Casemiro, Gabriel

Martinelli, Gabriel, Thiago Silva, Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino... among others.

That’s the kind of depth and experience that reaffirms precisely why Brazil will always dine at the international top table – and you can bet your bottom dollar they will all be on hand to turn their World Cup qualification campaign around.

On the basis of this discouraging England performance, it would be fair to suggest Brazil are in good hands.

This was a night that offered them a promising glimpse into their future, while England’s remains plagued with uncertainty.