Very well observed, Miss Amy! (from The Observer)

After Bobby McMahon from Fox Sports has read one of my posts, I started to be more aware and careful of what I was writing about. World Cup Blog radar-man Bob sent me an article from Amy Lawrence of The Observer. Before any typing, I started to look for information about her. Well, not only she is a beautiful woman but she also is a major football expert. Her article predicts heavy storms for the Seleção.

Most of the things she says are true, I must admit, and some things I didn’t know at all. Adriano’s problems involving gossips about a pregnant girlfriend and lots of hookers, for an example. We disagree at some points, though.

First thing that bothered me is when she says that TV ads and marketing campaigns are leading Brazilians to get too much optimistic. She sarcastically calls our players ‘the merry band of footballing heroes’. Well, they are merry (when playing well), they are footballing heroes (with a caliber few countries have) and as a group you can call them a band. No sarcasm needed there. I agree that some people are influenced by that, but the honest football fans follow the informations from a grand variety of sources. We can see the major leagues from great football nations like Spain, Italy, England and France live on TV. Brazilians can also read a huge amount of online information, like Amy’s and Bobby’s reports and (of course) World Cup Blog (the most complete information source for each nation’s team from the locals point of view).

Secondly, she seems to have a negative opinion about any and every aspect worth of thinking. Ronaldo’s motivation, for an example. Amy says that in 2002 he had greater reasons to be motivated. After a very serious knee injury he needed to show the world he was fully recovered. Unfinished business at France too. “Now he is 29 and jaded”.

Ronaldo came back from the dead from severe injury to be the top scorer in 2002 WC like a real phoenix, now that his career is lying on his death bed (pessimistic press) wouldn’t it be logical that the phoenix could rise again? And the age thing again!?! I can understand people worried about Cafu (35) and Roberto Carlos (33), but 29? Even his amazing goal against Barcelona (fourth in four games), that could be a (phoenix) sign of recovery for most people, Amy referred to it as “a reminder of the standards he has fallen below”.

Now what about Ronaldinho? First about his condition as number one at the world: can it go over his head? Can he lay back to watch his team saluting him as a new king? Maybe, but I don’t think he is the arrogant type.

Secondly, do the Brazilian football fans really believe that he can win the Cup without the support of his teammates? Is he a superman that can carry the weight of the world on his shoulders? That is absolutely and utterly not true. Many people talk about the Brazilian individual talents as the key reason of our success, and they are only 50% right. The other 50% simply don’t see the value of our group talent.

Amy said some hard truths about our team, things that Brazilians can read all the time at international online newspapers and in daily columns at local newspapers. Things that are mandatory reading for most Argentinean football fanatics. I know that the football fans all over the world will breathe easier and more relaxed after reading Amy’s report (I know I will), I just don’t see why does she have to see the glass half empty all the time.

I wrote about my concerns on this super ‘Confederation Cup’ team before. So Amy is not the only one worried about the “merry band of footballing heroes”. But when you have the tendency to see the Brazilian glass half full (of caipirinha), you see Ronaldo recovering his form and motivation, you can see Cafu’s knee fully recovered from a simple surgery, you can see ‘wonder boy’ Kaka still growing, you can see Robinho’s talent fancying the world, you can see Adriano scoring, you can see Roque Junior and Lucio rising for the challenge, you can see ‘geriatric’ Emerson rejuvenating, you can see Parreira willing to change some players, you can see Brazilian fans very worried and, most of all, you can see Ronaldinho trying to conquer the world with his smile, the winning one.

I hope Amy’s article will help me in my mission to remove the favorite status from our Selection. Her report took me by surprise since few people presented such a great arsenal of arguments against our team. Thanks Amy!

Detail: we will never be Hexa Campeons… in Brazil we speak Portuguese, so we are hoping to become Hexa Campeões. Not all South Americans speak Spanish (charming wink for cute Amy).