Brazil Set to Put Dour World Cup Performances Behind Them Brazil Have Veered Away from the Great, Attacking Traditions
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Established 1961 27 Sports Tuesday, June 12, 2018 Brazil set to put dour World Cup performances behind them Brazil have veered away from the great, attacking traditions VIENNA: If anything summed up Brazil’s new approach come out playing,” he said after Sunday’s game, the last under coach Tite, it was his celebration of the fact that before their opening Group E game against Switzerland on they committed only eight fouls in Sunday’s 3-0 friendly June 17. win over Austria. At the last two World Cups, Brazil have Under Tite, Brazil have regained the swagger that has veered away from the great, attacking traditions that used been missing from recent World Cup squads. The individ- to make them the team that everyone wanted to watch. ual talent is there as always but the team are better bal- The 2010 side, under anced than their unloved Dunga, was packed with mid- recent predecessors. field spoilers and looked to The defence is solid, the catch opponents on the count- forwards are lethal when they er-attack, or from set pieces. Sixty percent get a sniff of goal and they They lost in the quarter-finals. have the patience to unlock Four years later, playing as of our goals are the most stubborn defences. hosts under Luiz Felipe Scolari, Brazil have won 17 of their 21 Brazil were overly dependent scored in the games since Tite took over on Neymar as they muddled two years ago and lost only their way through to the semi- second half once. They have scored 47 finals before losing 7-1 to goals, conceded five and kept Germany, when he was injured. 16 clean sheets. Those teams had one thing in common: They used Yet, the 57-year-old coach remains little-known out- repetitive fouling in midfield to break up the opposition’s side his own country where he has spent nearly entire attacks, believing it to be a legitimate tactical ploy rather career, coaching more than 10 teams, and including three than a violation of the rules. stints at Corinthians where he made his name. The most extreme examples were the Confederations Sunday’s match suggested that Brazil could start the Cup final against Spain in 2013 when Brazil battered their World Cup in Russia with the so-called magic quartet of opponents with 26 fouls and the infamous World Cup Philippe Coutinho, Willian, Gabriel Jesus and Neymar. The quarter-final against Colombia in 2014, where they gave foursome, starting together for the first time, worked away 31 free kicks. In fact, failing to commit enough fouls superbly in difficult conditions on Sunday to break down an has been a frequent Scolari complaint about his teams Austria side which had beaten Germany only one week SOCHI: Brazil’s Paulinho (L), Renato Augusto (2-L) and Neymar (2-R) are seen upon the team’s landing at over the course of his career. earlier. “When you are always exchanging passes and mov- Sochi airport, in Russia yesterday, ahead of the FIFA World Cup. — AFP For Tite, however, fouling the opponents means his team ing the ball around, it wears the other team down,” said has wasted a chance to win back possession of the ball Tite. “Sixty percent of our goals are scored in the second scored a stunning goal and looked very close to full fitness. is,” said Tite. “His technical and creative ability is amazing. and start a new attack. “Eight fouls - that shows that we half.” Neymar played 83 minutes in only his second game He also seemed to revel in no longer having to carry the When we spring him into action in the last third of the use aggressive marking to try and win the ball and then since returning from a metatarsal injury in February but team on his shoulders. “I don’t know what Neymar’s limit field, he is lethal.” — Reuters How World Cup favourites are ‘No chance!’, shaping up says Troussier SOCHI: The phoney war is over and most of the big guns as Japan play have arrived in Russia ahead of the start of the World Cup on Thursday. AFP Sport takes a look at how the favourites Russian roulette are shaping up. BRAZIL TOKYO: Crisis-hit Japan would struggle to In 2014, Brazil were being widely tipped for success on avoid an early World Cup exit even under Jose home soil but their campaign unravelled in spectacular Mourinho-that’s the stinging assessment of for- fashion with a 7-1 semi-final defeat to eventual winners mer coach Philippe Troussier. The Blue Samurai Germany. Now the five-time champions look the real deal controversially axed Vahid Halilhodzic in April again. Coach Tite has transformed their fortunes and they and replaced him with former Japan Football are confident mood. The absence of the injured Dani Alves Association (JFA) technical director Akira at right-back is a blow but Neymar has proven his fitness Nishino-a high-risk move that had a feel of in recent friendly matches, scoring in wins against Croatia Russian roulette about it. and Austria. His goal in Vienna on Sunday, after his first But Troussier told AFP that a Japan side start following a foot operation three months ago, was stunning. bereft of confidence had “no chance” of reach- Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus has been the most pro- ing the knockout stage in Russia, where they lific goalscorer during Tite’s time in charge, in which the face Colombia, Senegal and Poland. “Even if they team have won 17 out of 21 matches. “We are handling the play with Mourinho or Arsene Wenger, it would be so difficult for Japan to get to the last 16,” expectation. It’s good. We are going to challenge our- NIZHNY NOVGOROD: Uruguay’s forward Luis Suarez controls the ball as he takes part in a training session selves,” said the coach after Sunday’s final warm-up game. said the Frenchman, who steered the former ahead of the Russia 2018 World Cup at the Sport Centre Borsky, in Nizhny Novgorod yesterday. — AFP “There is only one little detail. A new stage begins now.” Asian champions to the second round as co- hosts of the 2002 World Cup. GERMANY - Krasnodar. It was not the most convincing performance though, and Deschamps appears to have found a formation “If Poland was the first match it would be dif- Germany are the holders and their reputation as a team but Iago Aspas advanced his case for a starting role in that suits him. A diamond midfield accommodates Pogba ferent. But the fact that Colombia is the first that always delivers on the big stage tempers the doubts attack in Friday’s Group B opener against Portugal with a and allows Antoine Griezmann to play just behind Mbappe match and Senegal the second-for me, on paper arising from their performances in recent friendlies. late winner. Rodrigo of Valencia and the bruising Diego and Olivier Giroud up front, but there is maybe a worry in at least they have no chance, no chance.” Joachim Loew’s side went five games without a win before Costa are the other options up front for Lopetegui. The goal, where Hugo Lloris no longer looks so reliable. Nishino has long coveted the Japan job but labouring to a 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia in their final coach has overseen changes but there are still likely to be Nevertheless, they are capable of reaching the last four. could quickly find it a poisoned chalice after 2-0 as many as seven starters against Portugal who also start- warm-up in Leverkusen on Friday. defeats by Ghana and Switzerland in his first two The fact that first-choice goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has ed the 2-0 defeat against Italy at Euro 2016. ARGENTINA “Whatever we happen to do in this World Cup will Argentina are lucky to be in Russia at all after a chaotic games in charge. hardly played since September after injury is a concern “I was so surprised about the decision (to but the Germans have made at least the semi-finals in each depend on the answers we give on the field. We are going qualifying campaign and their build-up to the finals has with a ticket to play three matches and the rest we have to been far from smooth. The cancellation of last week’s sack Halilhodzic),” said Troussier. “But for a long of the past four World Cups and are bound to feature time the JFA were not happy and decided maybe prominently again in Russia. And their recent friendly earn,” Lopetegui told El Pais. friendly against Israel in Jerusalem brought bad publicity it was better to take the decision before the results? “I am conscious of the fact that in friendly match- and also denied Jorge Sampaoli’s side much-needed match es it is not necessarily about the result,” coach Loew-who FRANCE practice. The build-up has been further hampered by the World Cup and not wait for the first game to hit has left Manchester City’s Leroy Sane behind-reminded Optimism has been growing in France about the loss to injury of Manuel Lanzini and critics say Argentina the wall.” Kicker. prospects of Les Bleus, but Saturday’s 1-1 draw with the are relying solely on Lionel Messi for success. That may be The 63-year-old flagged his intentions by United States was a timely reminder for Didier unfair though. Sampaoli has talent in his squad, including turning to Japan’s old guard, in particular talis- SPAIN Deschamps’ side that they still have work to do.