Brazilians in Europe

There are so many of them!  Everyone from AC Milan to Shahktar Donetsk has at least one or two Brazilians, often as many as seven or eight.  Some of the lesser known clubs from places like Romania have more than half of their team consisting of Brazilians.  Not a lot of defenders in that group though.  Or more importantly, holding midfielders.  Now I am not talking about destroyers, everyone has those, I am talking about cultured ballplayers who get stuck in, as the English would say, but also pull the strings and play the passes that create the opportunities for the more attacking players.

World Cup - Brazil

Everybody has been saying that the perennial favorites did not look their usual selves against North Korea, but I disagree. While the Koreans discovered new and (un)exciting ways to park the bus in front of the goal, Brazil basically played the way they have for the past 16 years, since they won the World Cup in 1994. They are pragmatists.

We all (myself included) love the idea of the 1970 or 1982 Brazil teams just trying to outscore everybody with the most talented offensive players in the world, but Brazil is not that team anymore. Joga Bonito is the stuff of myth and legend, not fact.

Don't get me wrong, Brazil is still a very talented squad, with several players who can really turn on the flare when necessary. But they play a very practical formation with two holding midfielders and an emphasis on defensive positioning and a lot of running.

Brazil are an excellent squad, and Dunga is certainly one of the best managers at this tournament, but don't expect an 6-5 matches from this team. In fact, I would get used to 2-1, we may see it from them another five or six times.