World Cup preview: Brazil

The Road To The World Cup

As hosts of the tournament, Brazil qualified automatically for the World Cup and avoided the two-year marathon that South American teams must get through in order to book their place. While direct qualification means a lack of competitive games, Brazil’s performance at the Confederations Cup proved the team will be more than ready come June.

Group Stage Schedule

Formation: 4-2-3-1

How far Brazil have come in a year-and-a-half. Entering 2013, there were doubts about whether the Selecao possessed the talent to compete at a World Cup they would be hosting. But a fourth Confederations Cup title combined with a string of excellent performances in friendlies have turned Brazil into the team to beat in June.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about Brazil’s current side is the return to samba futebol, the fast-paced, free-flowing, creative style of play that values enjoyment as much as winning and provides flashes of individual brilliance. 

At the last World Cup in 2010, pragmatic coach Dunga had Brazil playing more defensively than the team had ever played. They sat deep and relied heavily on counterattacks, something uncharacteristic of a team that is usually relentless going forward. But with players such as Neymar, Oscar, and Paulinho in the current side, Brazil have endless channels to attack through. 

Full-backs Marcelo and Dani Alves also mean that the Selecao can build up the attack on the flanks with overlapping runs and cuts into the box, a throwback to legendary players such as Carlos Alberto and Roberto Carlos.

Manager: Luiz Felipe Scolari

Felipao is back. 

The man who put a fifth star on the iconic yellow shirt in 2002 will be looking to give Brazil its sixth World Cup title and its first on home soil.

Since cementing his place in the heavens of Brazilian football 12 years ago, Scolari has kept busy. Taking over as Portugal's head coach in 2003, he led the team to the finals of Euro 2004 and the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup. 

In 2008, he took over at Chelsea, but a string of poor results and the impatience of owner Roman Abramovich saw him lose his job after less than a year.

Scolari also managed Uzbekistani side Bunyodkor and Brazilian club Palmeiras in recent years, but he returned as head coach of Brazil’s national team at the end of 2012 following the firing of Mano Menezes.

“Big Phil” has done an excellent job building on the work that Menezes did during his time as manager. Menezes helped guide Brazil away from the counterattacking football Dunga had the team playing, and some of the Selecao’s current players were by no means obvious choices until Menezes inserted them into the lineup. 

Following Brazil’s 5-0 thrashing of Honduras in a recent friendly, Scolari declared “Brazil will be world champions”

Projected Starting XI

GK: Julio Cesar

LB: Marcelo

CB: Thiago Silva

CB: David Luiz

RB: Dani Alves

DM: Paulinho

DM: Luiz Gustavo

LAM: Neymar

CAM: Oscar

RAM: Hulk

FW: Fred

Substitutes

GK: Jefferson

GK: Victor

DF: Dante

DF: Maxwell

DF: Maicon

DF: Henrique

MF: Hernanes

MF: Ramires

MF: Bernard

MF: Fernandinho

MF: Willian

FW: Jo

The Captain: Thiago Silva

Paris Saint-Germain centre-back Thiago Silva will be wearing the armband at the World Cup and will also be responsible for commanding the team’s back line.

After being diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2005, Silva's career was saved at Fluminense, where he helped the Rio de Janeiro club concede only 39 goals in 38 games. It was no surprise when AC Milan subsequently came knocking for his services.

An expert in breaking down attacks from the opposition and moving the ball back up the pitch, Silva is as fluid of a defender as one could ask for. His tackling skills are on another level and his presence both on the ground and in the air leaves opposing strikers struggling to find an inch of space.

But more important than anything, for Brazil at least, is how Silva compliments Chelsea centre-back David Luiz, who often pushes forward into the role of a defensive midfielder and is more comfortable with the ball at his feet. Silva ensures that Brazil’s back line remains solid no matter how far David Luiz pushes up the pitch.

The Star: Neymar

It’s entirely possible that Neymar will be one of the greatest footballers we witness in our lifetime.

He may have struggled here or there while settling in at Barcelona this past season, but his 15 goals put to rest any suggestions that he’s over-hyped and would be unable to adjust in Europe, while his 11 assists silenced those who branded him as a selfish player.

Let's also remember that he's playing at a club where the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kerrison, and Javier Saviola, among others, have flopped. Blending into's Barcelona's possession-oriented style of play is by no means an easy task, and Neymar is clearly up to the challenge.

A perfect combination of intelligence, technical ability, and creativity, few players are as terrifying as the 22-year-old is with the ball at his feet. Although he's usually deployed nearer to the left flank, his pace and ability to humiliate defenders means he can flourish anywhere on the pitch. And of course, his individual moments of brilliants, which can be seen all over YouTube, are an added bonus.

Just like Pele, Neymar started his career as a young boy at Santos. And should the wacky-haired phenomenon lead Brazil to World Cup glory in June, the comparison between the two will only grow narrower.

The Young Gun: Oscar

It became clear at the 2011 U-20 World Cup that Oscar had a bright future with Brazil’s national team. The 22-year-old scored a hat-trick against Portugal in the final to give the country its sixth title and he hasn’t looked back since. 

Oscar, who moved from Internacional to Chelsea in 2012, is stronger than his small frame would have you think. For an attacking midfielder, he possesses a great ability to defend, win the ball, and feed strikers with mind-numbingly precise passes. He may very well be the most well-rounded midfielder Brazil has produced in a long time.

The Swan Song: Julio Cesar

It seems odd that no Brazilian keeper has stepped forward to take Julio Cesar’s place in the national team. But whether it’s because Scolari values his experience or because Brazil haven’t produced an abundance of top-tier keepers recently, there should be no denying that the 34-year-old is still worthy of starting between the posts for the Selecao. 

Few jobs in the world carry the same pressure as keeping goal for Brazil, and Julio Cesar has proven he can cope with the fact there’s no margin for error. At the Confederations Cup, he he won the tournament’s Golden Gloves by keeping three clean sheets and crucially saving a penalty against Uruguay’s Diego Forlan in the semifinal.

Three Questions

1. After a Confederations Cup where Brazil consistently opened the scoring early, how will the team react if they concede a goal in the opening minutes of a game?
2. Will this be yet another international tournament where Neymar has no trouble tearing apart opposing defenses?
3. Brazil may be carrying more pressure into the World Cup than any other side in history. How will they cope with the expectation of winning the tournament?

Trivial Matters

Nickname: A Selecao, Canarinho, Verde-Amarela.

Most caps: Cafu (142).

Top scorer: Pele (77).

First international: September 20, 1914. Argentina 3 - Brazil 0.

World Cup appearances: 19, beginning in 1930.

Best World Cup result: Champions (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002).

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