Swiss refuse to roll over after Coutinho’s stunner
THE Brazil fans are wearing T-shirts which proclaim that ‘Tite is better than Guardiola’. For 45 minutes last night their team seemed to have brought a new dimension to the World Cup, demonstrating that the relentless press of these times is not necessary when you have players who can wait their moment and propel the ball around like bolts of electricity.
But the search for an understanding of who might emerge as the tournament’s main threat remains elusive.
After a Switzerland equaliser which asked uncomfortable questions about the Brazil defence, the Europeans were allowed to bully the five-time winners out of the game. There were recriminations about the way Manuel Akanji seemed to have his hands on Gabriel Jesus in the penalty area 16 minutes from time, an incident the ranks of fully-kitted video referees did not see fit to flag up.
But the unvarnished truth is that Tite’s players went far too easily to ground too often and could not maintain the rhythm and control which made their opening 45 minutes seem such a statement of intent.
They had put 1,440 days between themselves and the catastrophe of the 7-1 loss to Germany but it still casts its shadow. Brazil are seeking redemption for what they still call la fantasma — ‘the ghost’ of Belo Horizonte.
The intensity of all they did in the early stages hinted at that. Germany’s faltering start to the tournament in the hours before the game was a reminder of new beginnings.
They held nothing back. Tite had said on Saturday that Neymar was ‘not 100 per cent right’ but even if there was any truth in that, the manager who has rebuilt this team had no intention of acting on it. He threw him into the fray.
The game was four minutes old when a defensive midfielder, Valon Behrami, hustled him as any self-respecting defensive midfielder would. What was significant in that moment was the talisman’s reluctance to release the ball. He held his ground and held Behrami off, seeming to signal that he plays without a shadow of doubt about the metatarsal which has kept him out of competitive football since February.
There were clear minds all around him in that first period. Brazil were prepared to give Switzerland half the field to play in. The ball was generally into their own half before they went in active pursuit of it. And once it belonged to them, they shipped it around the field with the kind of intuition which hinted at the potential for something awesome in the weeks ahead. Extremely early days, but there was something of the 1970 side about this imperturbable quality when they were out of possession.
With the space they were allowed, the Swiss did not lack opportunity. Barely before the game had started, Xherdan Shaqiri found Blerim Dzemaili unmarked in the box but the forward could not sort his feet out and shot over.
But the opening goal, on 20 minutes, delivered a message for which there was no immediate answer. Neymar and Philippe Coutinho exchanged passes in the left-hand channel again and shipped it out for Marcelo, whose cross was headed by Steven Zuber to Coutinho’s feet. The trajectory of his strike — bending from a foot outside the right-hand post to strike the inside of the upright on its way in — was his trademark.
The Swiss equaliser went against the grain of everything that had gone before. Miranda lacked any awareness as Zuber, unmarked four yards from goal, leapt to meet Shaqiri’s corner and powered his header past Allison on 50 minutes.
Brazil swept back. Coutinho had two shots blocked in quick succession and Neymar, following up on the second, sent a deflected effort into the side-netting.
Tite sent on Roberto Firmino for Gabriel Jesus, who struggled to make an impression, and substitute Renato Augusto had a close-range effort at the death.
But on a weekend when some mighty giants have been slain, the outcome demonstrated that the team who lift this trophy will need more than the stardust quality. BRAZIL (4-2-3-1): Alisson 6; Danilo 6.5, Thiago Silva 6, Miranda 4.5, Marcelo 5; Casemiro 5.5 (Fernandinho 60min, 6), Paulinho 6 (Augusto 68); Willian 6.5, Coutinho 8, Neymar 7.5; Jesus 5.5 (Firmino 79). Scorer: Coutinho 20. Booked: Casemiro. Manager: Tite 6. SWITZERLAND (4-2-3-1): Sommer 6; Lichtsteiner 5.5 (Lang 87), Schaer 6, Akanji 6.5, Rodriguez 6; Behrami 6.5 (Zakaria 71, 6), Xhaka 6.5; Shaqiri 7.5, Dzemaili 6, Zuber 6.5; Seferovic 6 (Embolo 80). Scorer: Zuber 50. Booked: Lichtsteiner, Schaer, Behrami. Manager: Vladimir Petkovic 6.5. Referee: Cesar Arturo Ramos (Mexico). Attendance: 43,109.