Paraguay 2 Brazil 0 – And the Beat Goes on, All the Way to Paraguay

A sad, sad day for Brazlian football. No intent, No heart and No imagination, but what should we have expected we are coached by an inept dopey fool, who doesn’t know what Brazil means to football. Brazil played a horrible slow and lethargic game making them easy targets for a hungry and cohesive team in the shape of Paraguay. What is even sicking is we never even made a clear cut chance in the box, Dunga your time has to finnaly come to an end, if we are to re-build our new generation. First and foremost I would like to congratulate the Paraguay National team on their game and their style, showing Brazil what heart and teamwork provide when playing for your country. So Muy bien too you guys.

Salvador Cabanas puts Brazil to rest during the 2010 World Cup Qualifier in Asuncion

Ok now on to how we lost. It’s painfully obvious the man at the helm is to blame for this joke, it was extremely desperate and extremely poor by Dunga. Watching the line-up before the match I felt as if I knew the script before it was to be played out. I don’t know what fucking coaching book Dunga was reading, but three DM’s???????? I think the Italians would find that a bit too cautions. The men set out to do these roles, Gliberto Silva, Miniero, Josue, bit part squad players for their clubs in Europe, were in theory meant to allow Diego to link the attack and defence. Diego who let’s be honest, still hasn’t recaptured his Werder Bremen form for the Seleção (not entirely his fault in my opinion, what do you expect when you have no talent behind you to distribute the ball around). Diego’s inability to get into the match left the forwards Robinho and Luis Fabiano isolated, without a scrap to feed off.
Dunga’s inept ability to field a team with any creativity got me, along with his ultra defensive tactics, but this highlighted the problem which has dogged Brazilian football since the 1990’s, our lack of width. We used to be the pioneers of wide attacking winger’s/forwards, but gradually since the expansive style of Brazilian football didn’t yield a trophy for 24 years, or Tele Santana’s 1982 and 86 team didn’t win the world cup playing beautiful football, slowly the model of the Brazlian formation has given rise to Miniero’s and Cesar Sampaio’s. Dunga started this trend of defensive Midfielders, he was our first extremely defensive midfielder, but what made him different was he was the last of the pure playmakers we had, don’t believe me go on YouTube and watch Brazil Denmark in WC 1998 or any game with him in, the guy was a king pin. But since him Brazil has decided to create powerful strong holding midfielders who don’t possess the ability to dictate the game (Gilberto Silva’s for example). By having such a strong and destructive base in the centre of midfield Brazil has used their wide players more centrally as a box making the full back provide the whole width of the pitch. The centre midfielders are now part time defenders, while the full backs have to provide the width, so the attacking midfielders then forage into the middle of the pitch to create the passes and opportunities for the forwards. This was desperately obvious at the World cup, mainly Cafu and Roberto Carlos inability of providing width, (more about this in my special about Brazil’s blooper at WC 06, which is coming soon) and again this was painfully obvious in the majority of matches played under Dunga. Paraguay easily realised that Brazil concentrates its attacks from the wings using its full-backs, making it obvious for the opposition to double up on the wings causing Brazil to play more centrally, which is easier for breaking up the play and congesting the passing lanes. Combine that with the shitty mid-field experiment Dunga had going on and any person with a football brain could see this match had all the ingredients for a disaster. Maicon and Gilberto proved especially why they are not world class players and I believe shouldn’t be starters, I can’t remember them providing any width until the second half, plus those two give the ball way a heck of a lot.

Along with Maicon and Gilberto’s ineffectiveness, the defensive line as a whole still were on holiday as they had been in the friendly matches. Paraguay did pressure us but the first goal for Santa Cruz was down to pathetic defending particularly for Juan and Lucio. Time and time again they were easily caught out of position or pulled out of position by any movement i.e. Santa Cruz hit the post. Cabanas, whom everyone in Brazil nicknamed fatty showed what I have always thought, he’s a decent player, and his strength caused our disoriented high on crack defensive problems over and over again. (and I though Dunga’s strength were getting the defensive right, phhhh)

Here’s the overall player rating I gathered from the match;

Julio Cesar – Caught dead on his line on the first goal, but this can be blamed on the defence. He looked quick and strong coming out from his goal but should’ve held on to the ball on the second goal, but overall not his fault more of the out fields fault for leaving him so exposed. Not a great game but not his major faults, still number 1 for Brazil without a doubt. = 4.5

Lucio – Along with twiddle dumb took a holiday and sent his twin brother to play, (maybe the same twins which hang out with Henry and Viera when they play for the French national team) not a performance I expect from one of our best defender and captain. He’s never been the most tactically disciplined players but still this was a joke by our captain. His calamity at the hands of Gilberto Silvs being indecisive and shit led to goal number 2 =3

Juan – His twin went to play because that wasn’t the player I have seen at AS Roma this year, poor display and his movements out of position lead to the counter attack goal and counter attack that was cleared of the line in the second half. Poor display. His fault Cabanas scored the second weak defending after the save by JC = 2.5

Maicon – Don’t remember him much at all during that match except for his clearance of the line, didn’t provide any quality with the ball and had a heavy touch. = 3

Gilberto – Got up and down the wing more than Maicon, but not the greatest distributer or the greatest player on the ball. = 3

Gilberto Silva- old strengths were good tactical awareness, very strong and simple decent distribution. Provided a shield in front of the defence that seemed impenetrable in his prime which made him a must feature in the mid-field. Nowadays a shadow of his former self, that doesn’t cover in time and looses the ball time and again. He’s past it and is no longer needed, p.s. Dunga don’t fucking use him like he’s Andrea Pirlo it won’t happen not even in his prime. = 1.5

Mineiro – Industrial, works his ass of, only problem is he sucks really badly. Can’t pass can’t move, can’t create. Needs to be dropped soon. = 1.5

Josue - not really a fan or a hater, still he may be a better version of Mineiro and does push up more. I would give him another try, he’s by no means a starter more a squad player, I think Ibson should be picked instead he’s a much better central midfielder. Against Paraguay he had no effect mainly because his instructions were to sit and defend and play of the counter. = 3.5

Diego – Another poor performance by a very talented player. I don’t know if it’s him or Dunga but to me the coach tactics do affect his play. I believe he needs good players around him to become better. As I am attacking type of person I would make him a central midfielder as he has terrific drive from the middle of the pitch and I can see he likes to play centrally. He can distribute from there and link attack and defence. Against Paraguay he stunk badly but he was isolated. I will blame Dunga’s tactics here (Kaka also has had shity games for Brazil before and now Robinho isnt playing well, hmm could be a trend). = 3

Robinho - Its painfully clear Dunga’s tactics isn’t it contain, contain then give the ball to Robinho. If he’s not on it then nothing happens. What sort of shit is this, reminds me of the fresh prince when they played basketball, all they did was give the ball to Will. Wow Dunga is creative isn’t he. During the match its self it was impossible to see how Robinho was gonna turn it on when people were pretty obvious to the tactics used of giving him the ball. He spent too much time disjointed from Fabiano going to the wings trying to create space, because as I have said Brazil’s lack of width hurts them and Robinho had to provide some causing the attack to be more disjointed and less effective. = 3.5

Luis Fabiano – Nothing given to him to feed of, no cohesion no team work no shit, was presented with a counter opportunity which he got fouled early on the a 50/50 goal attempt after a defensive apart from that not much. He worked hard with nothing. Feed him and he will score, provide nothing and what’s a striker to do? I like him but I can’t judge him on this performance. = 4

Subs

Anderson – Still nowhere near the finished article, and slightly European in the way he plays too, not how I remember him at Gremio. Olympics should do him good and bring out the Brazilian in him. During the match non effective for large chunks, though when Brazil turned to their natural 4-2-4 (4-2-2-2) he was given the central midfield berth and tried to force the issue sending 2 shots at the keeper (these were our only efforts). Still for me he shouldn’t be in the national team, as he doesn’t really feature greatly for Manchester United. Youth team is his place for now plus it does look like he can play well from central midfield. Not good enough for Brazil yet……… but a = 4 for this match.

Adriano – thrown in by Dunga as a last gasp way of getting goals. Too late by Dunga and stupid tactics in having two strikers stay well inside the area with no quality coming in (Gilberto put a cross in with some quality on the 3rd time of asking!!!) Adriano tried to get into the game but couldn’t, no one in yellow shirt could, he wasn’t given anything to feed on or nothing played into him. He wasn’t great but in my opinon not given enough of chance to get into the game. = -

Julio Baptsita – strong as usual but no end product. Only given limited time to impact the game so I won’t give him a rating. = -

We’ve learnt once again that Brazil and Dunga is a bad combination. Watching the match I was rooting for Paraguay, this made me a little sick but I just wanted them to put me out of my misery of this horrible dull football I have been watching from Brazil. What makes this victory even more humiliating, Paraguay were down to 10 men from near the beginning of the second half and yet Brazil still couldn’t get anywhere near the goal. Maybe if there was just the keeper in goal we still wouldn’t even get in the area. Our football demise is humiliating for the world to see such a super power drop to the ground (luckily the Euro’s are on), now it is clear we need to go back to our roots and find the beat of the samba again. Hopefully Argentina can blow us away and Dunga can finally be taken away from the Seleção. Miracles such as the Copa America only happen once in a career but playing ugly and winning doesn’t always work. He was the man who envisioned the new defensive looking Brazil of the 90’s and hopefully with him it ends.

Here are the game Highlights