Brazil – Venezuela Recap

BRASIL 0 X 0 VENEZUELA

Well that’s it for qualification. It was not an emphatic end to the campaign, but not a bad one either. These last two matches saw many non-regulars get a look. I think sometimes we forgot what a grueling endurance test South American qualification really can be. To finish first in the standing after this marathon is an accomplishment for any nation.

What did we learn last night and basically the last two years? As jzlim pointed out, Kaka and Luis Fabiano are what make this team click. The World Cup goes through them next summer. The attack is dramatically more fluid and organized with these two in the lineup. Both men were inches and seconds away from scoring on multiple occasions on Wednesday.

So who are the logical replacements for the two if something were to happen? The last two matches taught us that Diego Souza and Adriano are certainly not. The obvious answer in the case of Kaka would be Diego. The time undoubtedly has come for his return to the national team. He struggled playing out of position in his last go around with the team. However, put him in Kaka’s spot and I think we have a capable replacement.

At forward it’s a bit of a different story. Pato has struggled this season, playing at a club with a poor midfield. Regardless, he is too small to replace Luis Fabiano. He is better suited for playing Robinho’s spot. We have eight months to find another another physical forward who can bring down and hold the ball. Adriano’s laziness returned this week, and I remain highly skeptical he is adequate on the bench.

The new faces in the lineup on Wednesday were strong. Filipe was much more assertive than Andre Santos. I thought he added a dimension to the offense that is lacking otherwise from the left back spot. Lucas was playing a solid match, until Miranda (who again has no business on the team) received a straight red card when he inadvertently punched a Venezuelan forward. When Brazil went to ten men Lucas kind of disappeared. Before this incident, his defense capabilities in the midfield allowed Gilberto Silva to be a little more assertive on both ends of the pitch. I thought Gilberto Silva had a very fine match, one of his better performances recently.

What’s clear after the past two years of qualifying is that Brazil is very capable of winning the sixth. However, this is still a work in progress. I think the team can only get better when you consider who else can be called up. Guys like Alex (Chelsea), Naldo, Denilson, Hulk, etc. are all waiting in the wings.

Remember the U20 team plays in the World Cup final tomorrow. It can be watched on ESPN360.com. I will be in Madison, Wisconsin this weekend so if someone could post the You Tube highlights from the final on the comment board it would be appreciated. I will have a recap of that tournament after the weekend.

Player Ratings

Julio Cesar, 7, Rebounded from his poor showing in La Paz with a couple of key saves.

Filipe, 7, Better than Andre Santos and deserves a continued look.

Miranda, 4, Stupid red card, he would miss the first World Cup match as a result, hopefully he will not have to serve that suspension because he won’t be on the roster.

Luisao, 7, He was stronger in this match, and more adventuresome in the attack.

Maicon, 7, Same as Luisao, better overall.

Lucas, 6.5, His rating takes a hit for his dip in form after the Miranda red card.

Gilberto Silva, 7.5, Solid on both ends, inches away from scoring on a header.

Ramires, 6.5, He did a ton of running, very active, but still missing that touch.

Kaka, 7, He was subpar by Kaka standards, but still makes a world of difference when on the pitch.

Luis Fabiano, 7.5, A threat literally every time he touched the ball. You just know he is going to have a massive World Cup.

BRASIL 0 X 0 VENEZUELA

Julio César, Maicon, Luisão, Miranda e Filipe Luís (Alex); Gilberto Silva, Lucas, Ramires (Elano) e Kaká; Nilmar e Luis Fabiano (Diego Tardelli).

Técnico: Dunga.

Vega, Chacon, Vizcarrondo, Rey e Granados; Di Giorgi, Rincón (Seijas), Lucena e Arango (Fedor); Moreno (Rondon) e Maldonado.

Técnico: César Farias.

Cartões amarelos: Luis Fabiano, Luisão (Brasil); Chacon, Vizcarrondo, Di Giorgi, Granados (Venezuela).

Cartão vermelho: Miranda (Brasil).

Estádio: Morenão.

Data: 14/10/2009.

Árbitro: Victor Carrillo (PER).

Auxiliares: César Escano (PER) e Luis Abaddie (PER).

Renda: 2.562.925,00.

Público: 23.746 pagantes.