Brazil bid to regain Cup glory
Solid defence a must against Mexicans
■ ■ defensive midfielder, this week. It is inevitable that people will say the player we have who is above average is Neymar, but we cannot forget that we have other great players.”
The flamboyance of the Brazil teams which lit up the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, when the likes of Zico and Socrates delighted fans but ultimately failed to deliver, has long since been replaced by pragmatism.
The World Cup-winning Brazil teams of 1994 and 2002 had plenty of attacking talent, ■ but owed their success as much to defensive steel.
In 2002, only England scored against Brazil in the knockout stages, a solid back line providing the foundation for Ronaldo to get the goals that won his country a fifth World Cup.
Balanced squad
This Brazil team is constructed on similarly formidable defensive ground, with just eight goals conceded in 28 matches after the 2-0 win over Serbia on Wednesday. “We have a very balanced squad, intelligent, and composed when we have to be,” said centre-back Thiago Silva, who headed in Brazil’s second goal against the Serbians.
Neymar, and especially Philippe Coutinho at the moment, provide the spark, but around them there are enough streetwise players to ensure this Brazil should not suffer a collapse even close to the scale of the 7-1 against Germany four years ago.
“In defensive positions, it is not just four of us plus one holding midfielder,” said Casemiro. “Brazil’s defensive strength starts from Gabriel (Jesus), then with Neymar and Willian. All 11 players defend and all 11 attack.”
The ability of Paulinho to power forward from deep and score goals like that against Serbia is perhaps not something one associates with a typical Barcelona and Brazil midfielder. And behind it all, there is a strength in depth in the goalkeeping department that has not always been a characteristic of Brazil teams.