Brazil 3 – 0 Iran

All in all, not a bad game.

Still a mystery to me what Coutinho has done to earn a place in the Selecao starting eleven. It's ok for the coach to experiment but I hope today's game was enough for Mano to see that Coutinho still has A LOT of work to do before he can become a Selecao player.

The defence looked shaky at times. I'd prefer to see Lucio, Juan or Alex start instead of David Luiz (who I believe is very talented but not quite ready yet to represent Selecao in important games).

Pato was great, Robinho and Carlos Eduard were so-so. Still not convinced by Lucas and Ramires and would like to see Hernanes replace one of them.

Great prediction Duvel.

Not much more to say besides what everyone else has already said. but would really like nilmar to start over robinho. Love the guy but starting 11 needs to be based on performance.

Hernanes would of helped this squad alot, and my boy ganso, hope he regains full form from his injury.

hope mano does some major changes to his selection for argentina. the starting lineup was more or less the same as the usa match apart from ganso and neymar not being here for iran but the team played so differently.

robinho played well with ganso and neymar as he should but he was really awful today, just like how he has been with milan lately, it kinda felt robinho slowed the attack down as nilmar came in his place for just a minute and already made an impact helping pato's goal and finding the back of the net himself in just 25 minutes of play. i always wanted mano to try nilmar and am glad he did, i would be damned if mano started ukraine's match without nilmar, after all he is probably the only on form striker brazil has now on that squad leading the spanish liga as the current top scorer for villarreal. maybe mano should give hulk and welliton a look. i havent seen andre play much, so im not gonna comment about him, robinho looks like he could take a break from the selecao til he gets back in form for AC milan instead of taking a gamble on him at every match, coutinho has alot of growing up to do, so does neymar. if mano chooses players by merit of their club form, then hulk, welliton and nilmar are the best choices, they are top scorers in their respectful leagues. pato, apart from injuries, is playing great for brasil and milan. maybe mano needs to consider these guys for argentina. hernanes and douglas costa needs to be called too, having them start or even benched is better than most of the 'experiments' that mano has been having in their place. am a huge fan of carlos eduardo but he didnt fit into the squad today, im sure time will change that but it would be great to know we can turn to hernanes or douglas costa if he doesnt. victor, alves, thiago, luiz and andre are pretty good at the back. i cannot think of anyone else to put in their place unless we are considering julio cesar, maicon, lucio, juan or alex and marcelo or bastos, then yes, id go with the latter as starters. andre santos had good moments and bad moments during this match but so far im not complaining. lucas on the other had didnt play as well as he did during the usa match. im starting to see why liverpool fans dislike him. ramires was good and bad, if he can maintain the good then he should be a lock in that position indefinitely.

It's safe to say that if Brazil plays like this next month against Argentina, they're going to get rolled. It was anything but a dominating performance against a team that wasn't spectacular.

Let's not turn our backs on Robinho for two poor club performance and one poor national team performance over the course of 3 weeks. He has not played in his natural position and endured minor injury. Also, once Robinho is paired up with a true play maker like Kaka or Ganso I think he'll shine.

We need his experience for Copa America.

I am watching the replay now. It was not a bad game for the Selecao, but they could have done better. Iran is not a very strong team, but they are definitely a decent team. In fact, they did give the Selecao some headache. I think Mano has a lot to think about. Now he and the team need to focus on the friendly against Ukraine. The other questions are whether some of the youngsters are ready for the international stage yet and whether they could deliver consistent performance. I have faith in Pato (apart from injuries, he has been doing well for Mano and Milan) and Thiago Silva for sure. On the other hand, not so sure about Carlos Eduardo and Coutinho. Both have a lot of potential, but still have a lot of growing up to do. I'm glad Mano gave them a chance to start, but they certainly cannot start against a team like Argentina. I am okay with David Luiz, but his performance could be quite inconsistent. We are fortunate to have Thiago Silva in the back line as well. Ganso's absence was certainly felt tonight. We really need a play maker (especially now that Ganso and Kaka are both out). Maybe it would not hurt to give Diego a try?

At this point, I understand why Mano decided to experiment with players and tactics. However, I expect him to make some chances in the next friendly. I hope that Nilmar could start. He has been doing very well since the beginning of the season, and I like how he played tonight. I won't rule out Robinho yet, but he really needs to get his acts together. Right now, maybe he should focus on getting his form back at Milan. If he starts again in the next friendly, I hope he can prove his critics wrong. I think he can certainly do it, but I am not sure what is going on with him since he moved to Milan!!!

Well, since the WC, I have been against the idea of Dani Alves taking any free kicks (although I like Alves). I'm glad he proved me wrong tonight. That was a brilliant free kick (wish he had done the same at the WC…sigh). Anyways, I think we will definitely see more of Alves as long as he is match-fit and in form. On the other hand, Maicon has been having issues at Inter and has received some criticism. I still prefer Maicon, but Alves has definitely bee doing quite well for Mano.

To be honest, I kinda miss having Lucio, JC, Elano and Fabiano on the pitch. Ok, I still like our young Selecao. Considering how (relatively) inexperienced they are, the young Selecao did fine…However, the presence of veteran players would have helped strengthened the team. I feel like our youngsters were a bit lost in the beginning. Anyways, it was not a bad game. After all, a win is a win. 3:0 is a good score. Yet, there are still issues to be solved.

I just hope that Robinho will find his form and become match fit again. I think he can still do it, and I believe he can play well for the Selecao. It is just that he has been struggling recently at Milan. Anyways, I hope he can do better in the next match. But good point about Robinho being paired up with a true play maker. We didn't really have a true play maker tonight. Kaka and Ganso are out for a while, so we really need a play maker when we face Argentina.

Really nothing much to say about this match. The so so performance was probably due to heat and lack of training I guess.

For me the flop of the match are Robinho and Philippe Coutinho. Robinho really needs to get back his form. He is very important in the team. And I don't understand why Phillippe Coutinho was in the team. He seems like doesn't understand the meaning of team work. I agree that we lack of playmaker like Kaka or Ganso, and I don't see it on Carlos Eduardo.

I think Mano will needs to do some serious works on set-pieces marking. This is one of the Brazil's tranditional weekest point and it almost causes us a goal, David Luiz was totally lost his marking at that moment. David Luiz seemed so careless sometimes but lucky Thiago Silva was there. Lucas and Ramires combination was so so and still not convincing. The only great was Pato and Nilmar combination. Based this performance I started to get worry when they face Argentina in November. Mano really has so much things to think about.

Good points from you and Sandy about the playmaking situation, Hernanes has been in blistering form with Lazio in Italy. I just don't understand why and how Mano managed to overlook him!

Well… this is Brasil. You win 3 – 0 but it is considered a poor performance, On the other hand had Iran tied the match Iranians will say job well done.

I am happy that they won, and some of the players like Pato, Thiago Silva, Nilmar and Dani Alves played well tonight. At the same time, I think a lot of us are concerned what could happen to our young Selecao if they face a stronger opponent, like Argentina in November. It was not a bad game for the Selecao, but their performance has raised quite a few issues that Mano cannot ignore.

I agree.I think he will be great again for the team with the return of ganso,kaka,neymar and the like.

Agree with your points. I would also like to see some of the “old guard” return to the team and I hope Mano will start calling them as Copa America draws near. Like I said, it's ok for his to do some experimenting but it should be obvious now that some youngsters are not ready to play for Selecao yet.

I think we're slowly approaching the point where Mano will (hopefully) do less of experimenting and focus on building a team for Copa America.

Personally, I'd like to see the following team selected for Copa: Julio Cesar (Gomes or Victor), Dani Alves (Maicon), Lucio (Juan), Thiago Silva (Alex or David Luiz), Filipe Luis (Marcelo), Lucas (Sandro), Ramires (Felipe Melo), Hernanes, Kaka (Ganso), Robinho (Nilmar or Neymar), Pato (Luis Fabiano).

With this kind of performance and starting line against Argentina next month I doubt they'll win.Mano should definitely call up neymar I mean although I think he was right in not calling him up for this month's friendlies considering what had happened and I'm sure neymar got the message loud and clear.Mano should call him up for next month's match against Argentina.

The kid is only 18 and people do stupid stuff at that age I think the best way to deal with neymar you know help him mature is to put him in the midst of veterans,players better than him like maicon,J.Cesar,kaka,Fabiano,Lucio etc.The national team is different from the club team,I dont think neymar would act the way he did at santos with the NT.
Its pretty clear from todays game neymar should play against argentina esp since ganso will not be able to play.
I think mano should not forget abt elano,solid midfielder great player and can score as well.

Argentina shouldn't be that difficult as long as Mano does what dunga did cuz that guy knew what he was doing when it came to Argentina.
of course calling up Some of Dunga's old squad like J.cesar,Maicon,Lucio,Bastos,Elano,robinho,fabiano would not hurt(who worked with dunga and played Argentina before) mix them up with youngsters like pato,neymar,etc and bam no worries.Easy win.

Definitely the heat.I went to the UAE before and the heat is terrible that and no neymar no ganso …when there is no neymar no ganso no kaka robinho is usually so-so no spark at all sometimes you dont think he's there at all.

Coutinho and Lucas both should not be starting,melo is a better alternative compared to lucas and should not be starting in important games.
But I agree with you on hernanes replacing lucas,Ramires is ok.

By the way, just read Mourinho's comment that he's “in love” with Marcelo and doesn't want another left back/winger in the team.

I've always been a fan. Sure, he's had problems defensively but he's still too young and learning and he's been very solid this season. People tend to forget how young he is because he's been playing at the highest level since 18. Just for comparison, Maicon was a very average player until the age of 26-27 and then he suddenly turned into the world's best right back.

What About elano?I think he's one of the most under rated brazilian players out there.Hard working,good passing skills,shot and dribble.Totally unselfish he'd rather pass to someone else rather than take unnecessary shots that sometimes he's better than robinho and kaka.I hope Mano doesnt forget him and call him for the copa America,sad he had a brief time at WC he was amazing and played great for the NT everytime.
Elano would be a good sub for kaka or ganso in case they cant play cant think of anyone else who can replace them if necessary other than elano.
And elano is way better alternative than melo.

not turning my back on robinho, and never will. but if robinho is not on form for his club, mano should not take a gamble and starting him for the selecao. yes he has the potential to have a great game, but if he isnt having any.. then putting him as a starter for the selecao may be deadly. maybe wasnt obvious last night against iran, but it will definitely show against a stronger opponent, particularly argentina next month.

mano seriously should just use the veteran defenders maicon, dani alves, lucio and juan. He can use marcelo as left back because his performance at real madrid is outstanding always running up and making chances

brazil needs a true playmaker an since kaka and ganso are out for a while the best player to bring in there place is RONALDINHO. why is no one supporting his return to the national team he is giving some good performances for milan and he teams up well with pato. its time to give him a break and give him a chance. he is playing better than robinho and deserves a chance. they have messi. so we NEED RONALDINHO.

Agree with you on Elano: I like him a lot too and would like to see him recalled.

But Dani and Maicon will be competing for the same position…

Agree with you about Elano. He did really well at WC, it was unfortunate that he was injured. He has been out for a while. He is really good in the midfield, and his absence was really missed in the match against Holland.

I think Mano intended to call Marcelo up in the beginning, but he was having issues with Real Madrid's management….hopefully, the issues would be solved.

According to Globo, Mano said that he will make some changes for the upcoming friendly against Ukraine. More experimenting for him to do, and he hinted that Adriano may start. He also commented that Ganso was definitely missed, and his absence certainly changed the midfield of the Selecao. But he still praised Carlos Eduardo.

BTW, Japan just beat Argentina in the friendly!!!!!

Guys, we need Felipe Melo against Argentina. No way will Hernanes Ramires and Lucas be able to control the midfield against Cambiasso and Masch. Also, Andre Santos is great at going forward, but his defensive lapses won't stand against a good team like Argentina.

Also, we need JC or Gomes back. I think Arg has the most lethal attack in the world and we need a tested keeper to hold the fort down.

Who do you think should start at CAM? Carlos Eduardo did not impress me so much yesterday and we don't have many options with Kaka and Ganso out of action. I think it's obvious that Mano should call up Diego, who's finding his form in Germany. Also, Douglas Costa has started the year off quite well and might fit well in the position.

Thats good news he really needs to make some changes.

About Argentina I'm not surprised their defense has always been shit.With Argentina you need to be fast,defence must be tight and basically counter attack counter attack counter attack,only then you can beat them.

Anyways does anyone know why Robinho was booked lool?

When I was watching the replay on ESPN3.com yesterday, one of the commentators mentioned that our starting XI lack some steel. When Sandro came on, he basically said, “Finally, here is a guy who gets some steel.” Then, the other commentator was like, “Basically you mean they are missing someone like Felipe Mano.” Ok, I don't remember what they said exactly, but that's the over message. I understand there are people out there who are still against calling Felipe Melo up…but I actually kind of want to see Felipe Melo + Hernanes combination.

I came back from my work late and could see only last 15 minutes

according to goals review it looked it was a slow game, nothing to worry though Iran

tried to do something but failed ..

I wish Brazil were charged mentally to play fast that could show and result their ability

and what could they do ..

Things with Ukrania and Argentina will not be same as Iran but Brazil has to change their speed and move according to the situation from the very begining of the match, I mean

Ukrania and Argentina will not play slow and weak like Iran ..

Good luck all Brothers

Okay, I might repost this when Duvel posts his own recap, since the discussion will probably move there. But here are my (overly exhaustive and rambling) thoughts:

Here are my player ratings:

Victor – 6.0

Was not troubled unduly, though he looked a little shaky on set pieces, picking the ball out of the net on a disallowed goal early on, then getting almost beaten on another free kick early in the 2nd half when only the woodwork saved him. Nothing in the performance to suggest he shouldn’t be called up again; nothing to suggest this spot should go to anyone but Julio Cesar when the Copa America comes around.

Dani Alves – 7.0

Consider this a “low” 7. Scored the opening goal on a fabulous free kick that had shades of Roberto Carlos. Kept the right flank almost completely clear of danger. Provided a few crosses late in the 2nd half. But ultimately this was a fairly quiet performance from the rightback, as most of the attacking came from either the center of the left.

Thiago Silva – 8.0

My unremarkable “man of the match.” Probably worked the hardest out of anyone on the field. Was composed and tough. Also handled the ball as much as anyone, really, since in the first half Lucas and Ramires looked so unwilling to start the attack. Was the recipient of many, many back passes.

David Luiz – 6.0

Not nearly as notable a performance as the match against the US, when he was probably second only to Neymar as the best player on the pitch. Many of his tackles were awkward, he looked uncomfortable with the ball, and was often caught out of position. He definitely has talent, and is almost certainly the fullback of the future, but there’s no doubt this spot should still belong to Lucio in a match of any substance. I’m confident he’ll do better against the Ukraine.

Andre Santos – 6.5

A little bit of a mixed bag. Looked very thuggish early on in defense, and spent the first half dribbling far too much. Still, he looks more promising going forward than he ever did under Dunga, and made a few very nice runs in the second half.

Lucas – 5.0

Poor. As a defender he did fine; was sort of in the Gilberto Silva style in that you tended not to notice he was even there…which is sometimes a good thing in a defensive midfielder. But was horrible, absolutely HORRIBLE whenever he had the ball at his own feet. Showed little technique, no vision, and no imagination. I can hardly remember him ever advancing the ball upfield; almost always he looked afraid to even try. Numerous backpasses and turnovers were all he contributed.

Ramires – 5.5

Not really much better. Did his usual running, but like Lucas spent far too much time losing the ball or passing back to the CBs. Was replaced by Sandro in the 2nd half and the team looked no worse for it. He’ll have to do better in the future. We’ve all sort of just assumed he’d be a starter in the CM position due to his work rate, but when you have names like Sandro and Hernanes waiting for a chance to play, its hard to justify him getting minutes over them after such a forgettable performance.

Carlos Eduardo – 6.0

Liked David Luiz, looked much better against the US. Showed his speed on occasion, made one or two good aerial passes into the box, but he was not nearly as involved in the offense as he should have been and did not make decisions very crisply. I think he’d do better playing with a playmaker like Ganso or Kaka than as a playmaker. Need to see more.

Robinho – 4.0

Pfft. Bad. Maybe I’m being a little unfair, but really, he needs to do better than this. Ties with Coutinho as my flop of the match. Dribbled way way way too much, always to no effect. Had his pockets picked several different times. Most of his passes were wayward. And all this considering most of the time he wasn’t even visible on the pitch. His unwillingness to track back and receive the ball from Lucas and Ramires meant he spent a good part of the game uninvolved. Granted, tracking back is neither his skill nor his role, but when Kaka, Ganso, Hernanes, Diego and the like are all a thousand miles away, he needs to learn to adapt. Had one shot on goal but could only strike the post. An idiotic yellow card for arguing capped off a very poor night.

Phillipe Coutinho – 4.0

Okay. Let’s get this over with. He had a very bad night. Looked selfish and indecisive. Dribbled far too much, took too many shots and they were all way off target. Doesn’t look like he belongs as a starter. That said, I’m not going to harp on this too much. His talent’s undeniable. But his age is undeniable too. He’ll get better. He’ll learn and he’ll improve and he’ll mature. The important thing is, he has a GREAT attitude. I think he should continue to be called up, though it should always be as a reserve, just so he can soak things up and get experience. Conversely, I think he should start with Inter. Why for them but not for Brazil? Simple. At Inter, he’s playing with Maicon, Lucio, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Snjeider, and Eto’o. Veterans at all. Young players look way better when they have living legends around them. For Brazil, he’s playing with the likes of Pato, Carlos Eduardo, Lucas, David Luiz. There’s no way he could look as good. Let’s forget this ever happened and take a look at him again in a year to see where we are.

Pato – 7.0

Good for the most part. Was fairly uninvolved in the first half, and totally flunked two golden chances to score. On the second, he had almost a completely open net, but he could only send it wide. Finishing is still his biggest Achilles heel. But he looked much more active in the second half, and his goal was very well-struck. Was denied once or twice by the keeper – who made several great saves – and probably would have had a brace otherwise. The good news is, I think he looks more and more comfortable as a true CF. Frankly I think he works better in that role than as a winger nowadays. I think he’ll score again against the Ukraine.

Subs

I’m not going to rate the subs individually – except for one (see below) because none of them truly stood out on an individual basis. However, as a collective whole they did much better than the starters. The entire team played with far more energy and tenacity in the second half, thanks to the efforts of Elias (who provided the pretty through-ball assist for Pato’s goal) and Guiliani (who provided the pretty cross assist for Nilmar’s) and Sandro (who looks willing to be the rough-and-tumble DM that Felipe Melo used to be before he saw red.) Side note: is there any commentator more idiotic than Tommy Smyth? Besides being blatantly and obviously a Brazil hater, expecting them to be nothing more than circus animals doing constant tricks all over the pitch, he doesn’t really know anything. His point about Sandro was probably the only correct thing said all night.

Nilmar – 7.5

Did a lot in little time. As soon as he replaced Robinho the team looked far more active and threatening. Was involved in Pato’s goal, when he provided a cute little side-foot pass to Elias. Was probably miffed that he didn’t receive the return pass himself. Almost provided an assist to Pato with a quasi bicycle kick. Was denied by the keeper once and fired wide a second time (I think.) Finally scored a goal in injury time with a very cool poacher’s foot. He’s been on fire for his club and he has a great scoring record for Brazil as well. Deserves a further call up, and probably a chance to start.

Ultimately it wasn’t a good game. The first half was pretty darn poor, I thought. Mostly due to the fact the entire team looked lethargic and uninterested. The second half was better, as the subs were far more active and energetic, though unfortunately it looked like a reversion to Dunga as everything became on the counter-attack. I’m not worried, but there are several things that need to be addressed:

1. I think you can blame the poor first half on the heat, and the opponent. No disrespect to Iran, but it was clear that no one was really that hyped up to face them. This too is a throwback to Dunga. It was obvious from the beginning that Brazil knew they were better than Iran, and would not have to exert that much effort to beat them. All they had to do was wait for them to tire. That’s pretty much exactly what happened. But it’s a bad mentality that needs to be corrected.

2. The CBF really needs to stop making all the team’s friendlies against lower ranked opposition. It never amounts to anything more than a workout. The team needs to play against more quality sides in order to truly get them to play their best. Since we are playing Argentina next month, hopefully that will be the start of a trend.

3. We badly need a true playmaker in the side. Ganso and Kaka are the obvious choices once they are healthy, but in the meantime, Hernanes needs to be in the starting 11, and Diego deserves a chance too. The lack of a controlling figure in the center was appallingly obvious.

4. Mano made the correct decision for these friendlies, but in November he needs to recall Neymar. The kid’s creativity, technique, talent and – forgive me, but its true – sheer cockiness on the pitch was sorely missed.

5. Pretty soon, Mano needs to stop experimenting and start actually building a team for the Copa America. That means he needs to call up veterans pronto. Unless he truly sees no future for Lucio, Maicon, Juan, Julio Cesar, Ronaldinho, and one or two others, he can’t afford to wait any longer before calling them up. They’ll need to gel with the younger players too. Plus, their presence will be an immeasurable help to the likes of Neymar, Coutinho, Sandro, Hernanes and David Luiz.

Final note: if I had to choose a starting 11 for the Olympics TODAY, I think it should be Victor, Dani Alves (over-23 player number 1) Thiago Silva (over-23 player number 2), David Luiz, Marcelo, Hernanes (over-23 player number 3), Sandro, Ganso, Douglas Costa, Neymar and Pato. What do you guys think?

He was arguing with the position of a free kick and moved the ball after the ref had placed it on the ground. He also was having some words with him at halftime and placed his hands on the ref's shoulders and ref freaked out. It really was harmless, but might have been a cultural thing with the ref. Maybe our Middle Eastern friends can fill us in on this. It definitely wouldn't have been a big deal in Europe or Brazil, but the ref really didn't like it at all.

I see looool.It could have been probably misunderstanding due to poor communication I doubt robinho's english is strong Ive never heard him speak in english.Same thing can be said for the ref.

I jst watched highlights of Argentina vs Japan..wow!The defenders were jst standing there watching when japan strolled around them and scored!Didnt even run to try and stop!
Looks like Argentina didnt learn anything from their last match against Germany.

Hope they dont change tho I like them just the way they are;)

Seconded.

I like your starting XI for the Olympics. OF course, Brazil needs to be qualified first (hopefully, our U-20 team will not disappoint us). But how old is Victor? I think we can only bring 3 over-23 players, right? Of course, it will depend on whether the guys will be in form or not by the time Olympics approaches. But if they all stay match-fit, WOW, we are really playing a GREAT team. The other issue is whether their clubs will let them attend the Olympics since we had issues in the past before. Diego's club didn't want him to go at all…

Yea, I think the biggest problem with the Selecao is that when they face weaker opponents, they tend to just sit back and do not play with 100% effort at all in the beginning. Luckily, things improved in the second half…But such mentality needs to be changed. A lot of bad passes in the first half…it was horrible to see them losing the ball like that. I feel like the “mentality” issue is the kind of problem Brazil tends to have. Not just Mano's Brazil, but we saw it in the previous versions of the Selecao as well. They need to be more focused, and they need to capitalize on the chances they have. Well, the bright side was that our young Selecao outran Team Iran in the second half, so physically we were okay (of course, having the subs certainly helped). And we were able to improve (thanks to the subs as well).

I would like to give credits to Mano for being flexible tactically…something that Dunga was not really able to do. But yea, he may need to bring back the veterans SOON. They need to play with the youngsters and gel with them. Of course, having them around will help the youngsters develop further.

My biggest concern is the play making situation. Even Mano said that Ganso's absence affected the Selecao's midfield. That being said, we need a solid alternative. In fact, we need a solid bench. You know what, I kind of miss Felipe Melo when I was watching the match…I also miss Lucio, Julico Cesar, Elano, Fabiano and Kaka. I like our young team, and I know they represent our future. Yet, in the near future, veterans are still needed. It will be tough to win Copa America with our current starting XI…

I kind of hope that Mano will call up Dani Alves, Adriano, and Maxwell for that friendly, just for the sake of confusing the Messiah. haha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es9NE4fwlhA

This is the highlights of today's match Canada vs Ukraine.Ukraine should be a stronger opponent than Iran but damn didnt know Canada was that good,they actually look better than USA,just saying.

I agree with you. I think Brazil could have picked up the pace early in the beginning. They are totally capable of playing at a faster pace and have better movement on the pitch. I think their mentality was the issue. They knew they were the better team, and they became less willing to try to dominate early. Brazil was lucky that Iran just got tired in the second half, and that allowed to Brazil to take the lead. Iran did give the Selecao some serious headache in the first half, and then somehow that woke them up. Mentality, again, is the problem.

true that, why is no one supporting the return of Ronaldinho, all you see is Kaka this Kaka that.

Yeah lack of motivation was the problem,the heat didnt help either.
Argentina will be a whole different story tho,good thing its next month it is usually cool in qatar in november or at least thats what I've been told.

What the heck is up w/ Robinho? He's a great player, but every time he gets the ball, it seems the opposition ends up with it. I think he thinks he is so good that he keeps the ball too long or tries some amazing (long shot/low odds) pass which gets intercepted or something. I know he can be absolutely amazing, but he doesn't look good at all.

I would love to hear your thoughts? Thanks.

Tommy smyth being a Brazil hater is somewhat of a understatment, he talks crap most of the time, Nilmar is in form at the moment and i am confident he will do much better.

but over all i was not impressed with the teams performance

I agree with you and said before but looks brothers here do not agree

Robinho , Ramires and Dani Alves need to perform better for next tournaments

let us see what will happen with Ukrania

Pato was the one who almost assisted Nilmar with that quasi bicycle kick, minor mistake no big deal at all but I'll just point it out.

The misses from him were more due to the goalkeeper having a good night than a knock on Pato's finishing. Only chance he should have converted but didn't was that rebound off the Robinho shot, apart from that he did everything right (had a certain goal cleared away on the line, got the goalkeeper to pull out two brilliant saves in the second half, and went on to score a goal) especially on a night where the forwards weren't seeing to much of the ball. Only Andre Santos was delivering quality service to the strikers on the night, that's where my analysis of Pato ends.

Nilmar and Robinho, one was brilliant the other lackluster. As a Milan fan i have to admit that Robinho is pissing me off a whole lot, i mean where is the confidence? There must be something going on with him because this isn't the player we all know… He's not happy and that's bringing down his performance! For the Ukraine game I'm hoping Mano gives Nilmar another look because he seemed to have great understanding with Pato and that could be something to build upon in the future, not that I'm ruling Robinho out indefinitely

Midfield needs Ganso, Hernanes or Ronaldinho. CREATIVITY point blank, whoever provides it i don't care… We just need it! Lucas and Ramires are not comfortable enough to bring the ball up from defense and provide adequate service to the forwards.

I love the Thiago Silva – David Luiz pairing and i hope Mano sticks with it, both players seem to be real mature not to mention composed. This back four is quiet good i wouldn't change a thing, but some depth at Left Back would be appreciated… I hate to think what would happen if Andre Santos went down with a long term injury (Bastos, Felipe Luis) should always be on this squad just in case. At Right Back we're fine with the likes of Maicon, Dani Alves and Rafael all available for selection