Positional Breakdown #1

The Defense

At first glance you may say our defense is okay. We have not allowed too many goals in frendlies and qualifiers. However, every game I’ve noticed a bit of shakiness and the occasional lapse. Here is my breakdown of the Brazilian defense, along with some grades at the end.

Marcelo – As I mentioned in the Brazil-Italy recap, there cannot be any possible argument about Marcelo being the most talented left back Brazil offers. Every time he has been given the start for the team I felt like he was solid and extremely active. There is reason why Marcelo is a regular at Real Madrid at the age of 20–he is clearly a tremendous talent. Kleber and Juan Maldonado are at Internacional and Flamengo for a reason as well–they are not as good a Marcelo. Hopefully Dunga sees it this way now and in the future.

Lúcio – Steady for the most part, but I think is starting to show a little bit of decline. He will be 32 when the World Cup rolls around. During the Italy match I felt his Bayern Munich teammate Luca Toni exposed him on more than one occasion.

Juan – He has improved this year, no doubt about it. This doesn’t mean he spectacular by any means. Juan is a guy that does just enough. The question we should ask ourselves is: Do we see Lúcio and Juan neutralizing David Villa and Fernando Torres? Not many teams could shut down these two. However, that will be a question we will have to answer in 2010.

Maicon – Maicon has had a superb season at Inter Milan this year. There are not many nations that can boast having two world class stars at the same position, with Dani Alves being that second star. Maicon has been more consistent in his appearances with the national team than Dani Alves, which is why he deservingly gets the start here at right back. If there was any doubt about his ability to contribute the attack please watch this clip:

The Reserves:

Kleber/Juan Maldonado – The Internacional and Flamengo left backs got the call from Dunga during the last set of qualifying matches. Neither impressed in my opinion.

Luisão – He is huge, at around 6’4”. He is a regular for Benfica, and because of his size is not a bad player to have on your team, especially against heavy set piece opponents. Dunga likes him, and he could battle it out with Juan for a starting spot.

Rafinha – Another solid right back. Rafinha, who plays for Schalke won’t even see the pitch because of the depth at this position. It’s nice to know that if a major injury occurs to Maicon or Dani Alves, you have a player of this quality to insert.

Thiago Silva – I am a Fluminense supporter so my bias might be coming out here (it is his former club). I think Thiago Silva is a solid defender. The problem: he signed a contract with AC Milan that doesn’t start until next season. He is training with them, but not playing football matches. As a result he should not be part of the discussion until we see him playing regular first team football.

Alex – Like Luisão, Alex is a tall, strong central defender. However, Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry have prevented him at Chelsea from a starting position until very recently. Carvalho is not getting any younger, so Alex figures to play a greater club role in the future.

Dani Alves – As I already said, he is a world class right back. He has made a tremendous contribution at Barcelona this season. I would not mind seeing him given a few more opportunities as a defensive midfielder. He would need to slightly improve his short and mid range passing game to be successful at this, as he clearly prefers the long cross more than anything else. I just think when you have a player of this quality to choose from you have to find a way to get him on the pitch.

The Future:

Breno – He is only 19, and is the heir apparent to Lúcio for his club Bayern Munich and perhaps his country.

Rafael – He can play. At the age of 18, Rafael is already seeing first team duty for Manchester United. He is incredible, and is the future at right back for Brazil for a long time to come. He can play in the midfield as well.

Fábio – He is Rafael’s twin brother, and also is playing at Manchester United. He has not seen the appearances his brother has, but not many 18 year olds do. He plays left back or midfield.

My grades:

Left back (when Marcelo starts): 8/10
Central defense: 7.5/10
Right back: 9/10