Brazil

[Metaphysical]

tbh, you can see a lot of Cerezo in Ramires. he's not the problem. if the rest of the team around him was fully functioning then he'd become a great weapon (as he was when Dunga was in charge, he was one of their shining lights).

[Raed]

tbh, you can see a lot of Cerezo in Ramires. he's not the problem. if the rest of the team around him was fully functioning then he'd become a great weapon (as he was when Dunga was in charge, he was one of their shining lights).

The current team is balanced, i mean you can't have a more balanced team like this but what they lack is trust among each other, and a sense of Ginga (and I hate to use something coined by Nike) if you will. Brazil teams always had 2-3 players doing a lot of dirty work for them on the team. Its nothing unusual to have a player like Ramires but he needs to watch a lot more videos of Ze Roberto to learn how to keep a team knit together. Thats the first thing I would do if I was a Brazil's coach.

Dunga was loud, Ze Roberto was quite, but they did a lot of dirty work day in day out, without feeling the need to be in the spot light. Ramires gets a little ahead of himself sometimes and he needs to know his role.

On the other hand, you have a team full of talent and yet, does not function. There is a strong case for Jadson to be included, Lucas also ahead of European players only because these players have confidence other players don't. The confidence to depend on their team mates, to give the ball away quickly and not dwell on it. But there is also a key factors here and that is, a Brazilian midfielder should give a pass knowing that his team mates is just as good as him, even if the difference in talent was between sky and the ocean. When he trusts his team mate he will not be reluctant to make a pass, saving time, and makes a good pass. The other key factor here is that when he gives the ball away, he should be prepared to have it back but shouldn't expect it.

Ganso is a magnificent player but lacks these two factors. He makes a good pass but hesitant which is why he is always in and out of the game. Which inclines Ramires to sometimes bomb forward and trip over his own balls, because Ramires is more confident, but wants too much time on the ball. Jadson on the other hand is generous, might not be very talented but when he played he balanced the team, to a certain extent the same way that Brazilian from Seville who is a douche bag in the locker room, I forgot his name (someone help me out here).

Some of you watched the team of Brazil in 1982, and what you notice is the one touch passing Brazil played but they also pressed for the ball right away when they didn't have it. Key characteristics to winning, something Barcelona adopted and perfected. They suffered from too much confidence and trust, similar to what Guti said about the Galacticos once, in the process forgetting to watch out for one another.

I like Brazil for their swagger, for the showing off, for the moves (even if needless) and I like them because they were the first team I ever ever watched (1994). But I am not asking for that just yet. These teams now a days have a changed culture, one that is dependent entirely on sporadic individual brilliance when they have a much more talented defense than any other Brazil defense line in their history that allows them more freedom to be dominant in offense but no, they are so disjointed because they are hesitant, reliant, untrusting and most importantly, led by wuss of a coach.

[La Furia]

http://www.football-italia.net/node/13515

A good piece by Rinaldi on Socrates short and mostly unsuccessful spell at Fiorentina. He was just too much of a free spirit for the demanding 80s Serie A, and apparently El Kaiser wasn't a fan.

Still wish there could be more men like Socrates in football.

[AURELIUS]

the referees in these days let to hack players really hard. they whistled like 4-5 fouls per game. although leo has to deal with this too these days, but it's different. the defenders aren't that robust, but more aggressive and fit.

i think this brazil team played one of the most beauriful football in their history. what has happened today? ramires and lucas in midfield... i bet guys like zico and others don't know wheter to laugh or cry.

Before matches Diego had to wear larger boots than normal for him to accomodate his swollen ankles.

All those merciless tackles in serie A for instance hampered him in the WC in 1990.

As for Brazil they decided after the relative failures in the seventies and eighties to match the Europeans in physicality and strength.

And instead of pretty interpassing in midfield and silky skills to go for ball winners and carriers and get the ball as quickly as possible into the opposition box.

Hence you have had a generation of clodhoppers in midfield with crafty use of the tactical foul and inept refereeing to suceed ie the Copa America final in 2007 but now the tide is turning again. Argentina played some beautiful football 2005-7 and Spain have shown how you don't need giants or physical beasts in midfield to suceed.

Socrates himself appointed Ganso as his sucessor. Whether it transpires remains to be seen but certainly the future midfield looks more entertaining than those of several recent editions.

[xaviniesta]

Before matches Diego had to wear larger boots than normal for him to accomodate his swollen ankles.

is this one of those 'old-time-stories' ? those are always hilarious. i've read some of those stories about garrincha (i absolutely love him btw) when he fooled the defender by turning around him like 3 times, skipped past him, waited him to catch him up again and then beat him again twice and put defender in his butt. although i've seen plenty of footage of him, ive never seen him doing something like that


as for ganso


"Our football is in hibernation. Those who are in charge of our football have taken different paths from our sporting culture.

"It is impossible to watch a Brazil game right now, our football is hideous. The national team is patterned, stigmatized and absolutely conservative."

"You watch an entire match and there is not a single player dribbling. It is European football disguised as Brazilian."

"As far as potential is concerned, the big Brazilian player is Ganso. If he takes the path people expect of him, he can be the one."

[Raed]

who said that?

[xaviniesta]

socrates ofcourse

[por supuesto]

who said that?

[Metaphysical]

"Our football is in hibernation. Those who are in charge of our football have taken different paths from our sporting culture.

"It is impossible to watch a Brazil game right now, our football is hideous. The national team is patterned, stigmatized and absolutely conservative."

"You watch an entire match and there is not a single player dribbling. It is European football disguised as Brazilian."

"As far as potential is concerned, the big Brazilian player is Ganso. If he takes the path people expect of him, he can be the one."

he would say that. Ganso is a lanky #10 with a loping gait, just like he was.

but Ganso isn't quick, and Socrates was. sure, he has the ability to be very Brazilian, but he needs compatriots (as Socrates had in Zico and Falcao) otherwise he's just going to turn into a very Italian player. slowly meandering around the pitch letting the play flow through him. like a left-footed Riquelme. and that's not very Brazilian.

[La Furia]

It's better than Brazilian.

[Azzido Da Bass]

he would say that. Ganso is a lanky #10 with a loping gait, just like he was.

but Ganso isn't quick, and Socrates was. sure, he has the ability to be very Brazilian, but he needs compatriots (as Socrates had in Zico and Falcao) otherwise he's just going to turn into a very Italian player. slowly meandering around the pitch letting the play flow through him. like a left-footed Riquelme. and that's not very Brazilian.

That sounds pretty damn awesome though.

[Flavia]

A great day for brazilian football. Ricardo Teixeira left CBF.

[Raed]

SAO PAULO -- Ricardo Teixeira resigned Monday as head of the Brazilian soccer federation and the 2014 World Cup organizing committee on Monday, ending a contentious 23-year stint in charge of the sport in the country.

Teixeira took a medical leave last week, but the Brazilian federation announced he was leaving for good to look after his health.

The announcement came in a letter of resignation read by the new federation and organizing committee president, former Sao Paulo Gov. Jose Maria Marin. Teixeira said he was leaving with the "sense of mission accomplished."

"It's not easy to preside passion. Football in our country is associated with two things: talent and disorganization," he wrote. "When we win, talent is praised. When we lose, it's about disorganization. I did what was within my reach, sacrificing my health. I was criticized in the losses and undervalued in the victories."

[La Furia]

Grondona take notes.

[Corb]

Was Ricardo Teixeira so bad for Brazilian football?