It’s been four years since the Belo Horizonte tragedy and the Brazilians have lived with the pain every single day since then.
Now, as the World Cup 2018 nears, it’s time for the Selecao to write a new chapter—one that they would hope to have a happy ending.
Brazil manager Tite has brought a great change since taking over the national team in 2016, even guiding them to a 1-0 friendly victory over Germany to restore some pride. However, the real acid test for them is the tournament in Russia this coming June, and there’s no other acceptable result than a complete victory.
Today, as Brazil gear up for what could be the most important World Cup in their history, we take a look at what makes them different and why they are ones to watch in football’s biggest and grandest tournament.
New man at the helm
Hear it from Neymar on how their new manager changed Brazil, for the better: “Tite arrived and made adjustments. The players are not really different—it’s the way of playing.”
Indeed, from a group of talented individuals playing disjointed and uninspired football, the 56-year-old manager turned them into a compact team working as a single unit in less than a year. Not to mention that he helped the players regain the respect and confidence they lost following the nightmare “7-1” in 2014.
And the results are crystal clear: after languishing in sixth place in the World Cup qualifying games, Brazil became the first team to confirm their spot in Russia 2018.
The Selecao finished with 41 points, way ahead of other South American heavyweights Uruguay, Argentina and Colombia. For what it’s worth, Brazil are undefeated in qualifying since Tite took over, recording ten wins and two draws in 12 matches.
With Tite producing positive outcomes immediately, it’s no wonder why Brazil great Pele is high on the team to win the World Cup this time around. In a statement last January, the 77-year-old football legend—who won three World Cups with the nation—praised the manager and said that his arrival is “one of the good things” that happened to Brazil.
Less reliance on Neymar
Everybody knows the 2014 World Cup horror story in Rio. After Neymar suffered a tournament-ending back injury against Colombia in the quarter-finals, Brazil simply weren’t the same team.
Some even blamed Neymar’s absence as the reason for their humiliating defeat in the semi-finals.
Unlike four years ago, however, Brazil are no longer a one-man team. Heck, people can even start believing that the nation can win the trophy in Moscow without their 26-year-old super striker!
Sure enough, as what Coach Tite said, Neymar remains an essential part of the team. His ability to score is unrivalled, and Brazil need him to unlock and destroy defences—he makes things a lot easier for the Brazilians.
But make no mistake, Brazil are way better now and have more players who can step up when the going gets tough.
Juventus’ Douglas Costa, Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus and Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho, who were not part of the 2014 team, are now in the fold and have impressed so far. Jesus, in fact, has been huge for the Selecao in the qualifying, scoring seven goals in 10 appearances.
Neymar is coming off an injury, and it might take time before he returns to fitness after more than three months on the sidelines. Nonetheless, with his teammates’ quality, the €222-million PSG man can take his time recovering while watching his team breeze through the group stage.
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Stronger in all departments
While it’s easy to see the improvements of Brazil on the offensive end—thanks to Neymar, Jesus, Costa and Roberto Firmino—it’s not the only area where they have developed dramatically.
Many pundits recognized the combination of offensive fluidity and defensive stability that Tite created with the team. In the 12 qualifying matches that he oversaw, the team scored 30 goals and conceded only three.
Thiago Silva and Marcelo, who were cast aside by Dunga in 2016, have flourished since their return and are set to anchor the formidable Brazilian defence. Inter Milan’s Joao Miranda also adds depth and stability to their wall, with the 33-year-old starting all but one of their 18 matches in the qualifiers.
On goal, they have Ederson and Allison as their top two choices. Ederson is fresh from helping Manchester City win the Premier League title, while Allison also heads to the big event brimming with confidence after his spectacular Champions League stint with Roma.
There are still plenty of “what ifs” for Brazil, especially with the intense competition that they are set to face from other World Cup favourites such as Germany, Spain, France and Argentina. Nevertheless, Brazil’s revenge mission is four years in the making, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go all-out en route to the trophy.
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