Watching Brazil at the under-17 World Cup and Copa America has really left me quite sad. I, similar to many other football fans, wish that the old Brazil could come back.
Brazil in the ’70s and ’80s are amongst the most loved and respected teams to have played the beautiful game. Players like Pele, Garrincha, Zico, Socrates, Eder, Falcao and countless others made Brazil the most loved football team on the planet.
They had a carefree, fun attitude to playing the game which was echoed by the fun colourful fans in the stands mixed with they delightful samba beats. Old Brazil used to have a simple game plan; to score as many goals as possible, if the other team scored it didn’t really matter, as long as Brazil scored more.
The centre backs would go for maurading runs up the field, beating two or three players then laying it off for another players to do likewise. Brazil in 1970 and 1982 are amongst the most loved sides in history. There is no better goal to sum up this period than the final goal for Brazil in the 1970 World Cup final.
The centre back goes for a marauding run, beating three or four players before laying off the ball. Several sweet exchanges later the ball is passed wide to the edge of the box and the right-back storms through to smash the ball into the corner. Fantastic stuff.
Sadly, in the last two decades Brazil has slowly been on the decline, with the quality of football gradually sinking further and further away from the glory days. There have been a few teams which have played great football, but these were short lived and still no match to the amazing football from the ’70s and ’80s.
These days Brazil plays a 4-5-1. Much more defensive to the old Brazil, which would play a 4-2-2-2, with the left and right backs acting as wingers. The defenders for Brazil these days are lumps like Lucio, Juan and Filipe Melo – all six-foot giants whose job is to be physically imposing and disruptive to the other team.
Although Maicon and Alves do offer attacking options, they are not supported by the team as well as players from the old Brazil and often end up working with no reward. There have been a few ‘revivals’ of the old Brazil in the 20th century, as seen in the 2002 World Cup and the 2005 Confederations Cup.
Players such as Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho offered the flair and fun the old Brazil once offered. However, these times didn’t last as Brazil were largely poor in the 2006 World Cup, and best described as enigmas in the 2010 World Cup.
So what is going wrong? From what I can tell, the selection and coaching of players in the last decades has been extremely poor. The fact is that Brazilians aren’t playing the game differently as people. Having visited Brazil in 2009, there are countless games of street football and local footballers who are full of the fun and games that Brazilian football was once dominated by.
However, I have serious doubts as to the future of these players. After watching the documentary ‘Ginga’, which is all about the Brazilian way of football, the problem became clear. Brazilian football is becoming European-ised, and the passion for flair and fun is been discouraged.
In the documentary, a 16-year-old by the name of Romarinho is trialing for the Brazilian club Flamengo, once the home of the legendary Zico. He is an outrageously talented young player, nobody could get near him while he had the ball and had a deadly shot as well. They then interview the coach who says this: “We look for players who are more physically strong and talented rather than just technical. If a player is small he must be a brilliant technical footballer to be chosen.”
This highlighted the issue of physicality over technicality which is killing Brazilian football. It is this attitude which is seeing players like Lucio and Melo play for the national team instead of young Romarinho or the next Cafu or Eder.
The under 17’s for Brazil were similar in that regard as they were physically imposing yet many were technically poor. There was a lot of long ball and kicking the ball out, things that old Brazil would never have done. That is why they were deservedly dumped out by Uruguay. Similar struggles are taking place in the Copa America, where Brazil continue to disappoint.
2014 is looming as the biggest year for Brazilian football in history. Brazil will be expected to win the tournament with 300 million passionate Brazilians getting behind them. They will also be expected to play beautiful football also.
Giving this weight of expectation, Brazil must change exponentially in order to return Brazilian football to its old best for the World Cup in 2014, or else face years more of backward development in the football mad nation.
Sharminator
Roar Rookie
"This highlighted the issue of physicality over technicality which is killing Brazilian football. It is this attitude which is seeing players like Lucio and Melo play for the national team instead of young Romarinho or the next Cafu or Eder." Have you seen Neymar? He is 19 years old, has the body of a little boy, and is the new super star of Brazillian football, having this year won the Copa Libertadores with Santos and become a starting player for the Brazillian National Side. You are making an assumption from a documentary you have seen where one Brazillian coach has said something. This dosnt reflect the entire country. An interesting development is Brazillian football at the moment is that Brazillians are now coming back to Brazil to play, instead of spending all of their best years in Europe. Neymar resigned a new contract with Santos, with the support of the Brazillian federation to keep him in Brazil, it seems the goal is to keep him until the next world cup. Several topline Brazillians have also decided to leave European club football and sign with the big Brazillian clubs. Yesterday on ESPN LatinAmerica there was also talk of Carlos Tevez being signed by a Brazillian Club. Economically Brazil wasnt effected by the financial recession the US and Europe experienced and the clubs have the money to at least compete at times with the money offered in Europe, combined with the lifestyle reasons of wanting to live near your family. I think this may help Brazillian football, both in terms of the level of their league, and in terms of the performance of the national team. Having players know each other, playing at the same clubs or against each other regularly will improve performance. Dunga´s comments after being knocked out of the Copa America were also interesting. He said he wasnt really concerned, penalty shoot outs are luck, his team dominated the game against Paraguay, and he was more concerned with preparing for the next World Cup. I guess he would say that, but there have also not been the calls for Dunga´s head, as have been seen in Argentina regarding Batista A related issue, although it is about an Argentinian player, there has also been a lot of talk here in the last few days about the fact that European based players like Messi are not suited to "Latin Amercian" soccer. People are saying that players in Europe are used to having players around them who help them "create magic" or set them up, and that they arnt used to having to do all the hard work themselves in the less organised and more chaotic South American style of football.
PeterK
Guest
Perhaps our Matildas are playing with a BIT of the old Brazilian flair? Rule out the defensive errors if you like, but in some ways, that's part of "playing with flair". Our girls certainly seem to have the same love of what they're doing -- almost to the point of "hang the result". Roll on September! -- but don't we have our U20s soon?
manoel
Guest
I DEFINETELY AGREE WITH YOU...
roarlover34
Roar Pro
it's a grat doco to be honest. It really was what life was like while i visited brazil. The people in Rio, Goias and Sao Paulo were all like Ramarinho...amazing players, poverty striken yet an absolute adoration of football.
Johnno
Guest
I miss Garrincha, he was the true genius not PELE.
con
Guest
ive seen that documentary and i recall exactly what your talking about. so so so sad to see them playing useless lumps like felipe melo. in the last wc they played like a mid rate european nation. tbh argentina was the only nation in the world cup to play something even close to semi-entertaining
Bondy
Guest
Good Points Roarlover34. The Cattery .. Dont let scorelines fool you ,you suggest that the Spanish didn't really do much at the world cup, score wise . I remember the Swiss vs Spain game some how somebody fell over and the ball went into the back of the net for the swiss , with a possesion rate of something like 20 % it's murder . I also remember Sweden vs Trinidad @ Tobaggo at a world cup maybe France 98 it was the most lopsided games iv'e ever seen conclusion nill all draw .
punter
Guest
You also have to understand that defenders & the structure of the defence are far greater than they were in the 60s & 70s.
whiskeymac
Guest
i wonder that , with more players training and playing in Europe though, that this "culture"/ persona is somehow a bit homogenised. Plus there a significant number fo players from Brasil representing other teams (Deco springs too mind); I read today that Tevez is subject to a massive bid from Corinithians too .... does this mean the Brasilian clubs might be able to finally reverese/ compete with Euro clubs now in attracting/ retaining talent.
Futbanous
Guest
My remembrance of Brazils style was one of a very slow tempo at times starting at the back & there was what would be considered possession football today to a point. Once the ball reached the opponents half the tempo sped up considerably & because of their skill level they moved the ball rapidly forward towards the opponents goal. Goals were often flamboyant. I guess thats the cavalier attittude mentioned above by The Cattery missing today. Theyd have a go, a crack from anywhere. Always reminded me of the hypnotic waving of the reared cobra lulling its prey into complacency. Bit dramatic I know ,but thats one of my strongest memories of "Old Brazil'. Nowadays sometimes I feel they think it has to be walked into the net. But once again its modern tactics dictating terms I suppose.
dasilva
Guest
I think a better indicator is the amount of chances the side produce It's quite possible that the Spanish team created as much chances as any other entertaining side in the past but were the poorest in converting them I'll still consider that entertaining football
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Precisely what I'm saying - the Brazil of old (that's what we're talking about on this thread) meant goals, lots of goals - and Spain doesn't mean goals, it means high possession counts. You don't see the cavalier attitude in Spain that used to see in the old Brazil teams - that's the point.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
yes, definitely agree re Germany!
Futbanous
Guest
And the point is regarding goals?
whiskeymac
Guest
It's subjective - don't equally measure entertainment by % kept - o/wise italia cld be classified as entertaining! =( I dont think Spain were entertaining at the WC (unlike the euros) - Germany was mind you.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
People are making comparisons with the Brazil of old, and the Brazil of old meant goals. Iin 1982, they scored 15 goals in 5 games, for an average of 3 goals per game. In 1970, Brazil won the WC with 19 goals from 6 games, an average of 3.2 goals per game. In 1950, Brazil hosted the WC, scoring 22 goals in 6 games, almost 4 goals per game. And now Spain gets feted for scroing 1 goal per game??!!
roarlover34
Roar Pro
the cattery, spain played beautiful football at the world cup. yes they generally scored 1 goal per game but they had loads of fantastic chances and the possession driven football and lack of long ball is what made them most people second favourite team. Don't fall into the trap of measuring a teams quality or entertainment value by goals scored.
dasilva
Guest
I think the unattractiveness is more due to the opposition play the game rather then Spain I mean, Barcelona were completely unattractive football against Real Madrid because the opposition set out to stop them play (which is within their rights mind you and i certainly don't hold any grudge on sides that do that) and the game became a mess to watch. I also remember Chelsea (under Hiddink) vs Barcelona first leg was also turgid to watch but no one doubts that Barcelona tried to play good football but couldn't due to the opposition Like they say, it takes two to tango. Really i think the whole goal a game average is reflective of poor finishing and atrocious form by Torres from spain rather then the way they play the game.
Futbanous
Guest
Pretty much agree with other posters. Pragmatism rules the day. Sad in a way,but modern tactics are only getting more sophisticated,so no way back to another time. I cant see it changing the free spirit nature of Brazilian football on the street at least. Part of their football persona is derived from their culture.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
I'm not sure what happened to Spain's attractive attacking football last WC - they only averaged one goal per game - and a refereeing error allowed them to pinch the winning goal one minute from pens, for a meagre, ugly 1-0 win.