After winning Confederations Cup last year, Brazil became the biggest favorite in upcoming World Cup. Luiz Felipe Scolari managed to find his team an identity in 2013 and wants to build on that this year.
Same old
His call-ups were not surprising. He has a clear first XI and just wanted to added something new, maybe a little bit of depth.
He focuses on a center back partnership of Thiago Silva and David Luiz with Dante also at his disposal. There were suggestions in Europe that he should invite Miranda from Atletico but instead he chose Napoli’s Henrique, who also has an experience as a defensive midfielder.
Atletico also has an exceptional Brazilian in the left back position – Filipe Luis. He had an amazing season, but Scolari went for Real Madrid’s Marcelo and Maxwell of PSG. In both he as an offensive full back and a more solid, cautious one. But first and foremost – they’re both known to Scolari.
He knows that during the World Cup every game matters and it’s much different than building a club team. For him, the most important factor is team chemistry and special bond that was created last year, especially in the final against Spain.
Strong midfield and average striker
Brazil was happy to give La Furia Roja the ball and went for a more counter-attacking approach, using pace of Neymar and power of Hulk to start attacks. Central midfield duo of Luiz Gustavo and Paulinho was a rock solid foundation of pressing. Gustavo was then Bayern Munich player but was later sold to Wolfsburg and he had a good season. Paulinho on the other hand went to Tottenham Hotspur and although he was in the starting eleven at first, he lost a place in the team and never really recovered. Dubbed ‘the new Frank Lampard’ he did not fulfill hopes and expectations and he comes to Brazil on the back of an average season.
Same cannot be said about Chelsea’s number 10 Oscar, who was great in most part of the campaign in both attack and defence. Although he looks like a small boy, he is a beast in tackling and intercepting the ball and with all his creativity he knows how to pass the ball to his teammates in attacking third. It’s him and not Neymar who has the ability to guide his country to the sixth World Cup.
Scolari’s two problems lie in two different parts of the pitch. First, his best goalkeeper Julio Cesar looks past his prime – at least the transfer market says so. He played in QPR in the season they got relegated and then was sold to Toronto FC. World Cup will be his first contact this year with the highest echelon of football. Same can be said about Fluminense’s striker Fred, who had a great Confederations Cup but with the midfield that Brazil has, he should be scoring more goals.
Playing style
Although naturally connected with beautiful football and intelligent passing moves, Brazil will be much more pragmatic this year. Almost all of the players in the squad play in Europe and should be flexible enough to play both attacking and counter-attacking football. They could also park the bus and be sound defensively but not for a long time – the fans expect much more. Their best game in years was Confederations Cup final last year, in which they showed great pressing in midfield and sharpness in attack.
Coach
Luiz Felipe Scolari won the World Cup in 2002 with Brazil and knows how to deal with the pressure. He also guided Portugal to Euro 2004 final on home soil and is experienced enough to do the same with Brazil here. He is not known to be a shrewd tactician but is capable of building his team around a common goal.
Schedule and BETEGY predictions
12th June, Sao Paulo: vs. Croatia (2-0)
17th June, Fortaleza: vs. Mexico (2-0)
23rd June, Brasilia: vs. Cameroon (2-1)
Brazil should easily advance from this group (99% chance of doing that) and they should win all their games. BETEGY suggest that they’ll play in the semi-finals after beating Spain in Round of 16 and Italy in quarter-finals. They will though lose to Germany in semi-final 0-1. Brazil will finish third after beating Netherlands 4-1 in third-place play-off.
