Neymar’s recent four match suspension caused Brazil coach Dunga a great deal of consternation as the Seleção embarked upon CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying. Prior to the opening qualifier with Chile in Santiago, the CBF went cap in hand to CONMEBOL and asked for their captain’s ban to be reduced. Dunga selected only 22 of his 23 squad allocation in case the governing bodies looked kindly upon Brazil’s pleas. It was to no avail. Hulk and […]
Corinthians may have wrapped up the 2015 Brasileirão title with three matches to spare, but that doesn’t mean the conclusion to the Brazilian football season will lack excitement. The relegation scrap is poised to be thoroughly entertaining, with 5 teams fighting for just 2 spots to avoid the dreaded drop to Série B. However, if not so great footballing sides fighting to avoid relegation mainly by parking the bus and hoping to poach a goal […]
Brazil move into third place in the South American World Cup Qualifying table after a 3-0 victory against Peru in Salvador. The three goal margin moved them ahead of Paraguay and Chile who’ve also notched up seven points from four games. The Brazil side, containing a healthy mix of domestic based players and European based stars, lined up in a 4-1-4-1 formation with Neymar leading the line. An early error from Willian led to an […]
The Brasileirão season is winding to a close and, for the third season in a row, the title will be won at a canter, this time by Tite’s Corinthians, who are a single point away from confirming themselves as campeões. With only four rounds of the 2015 season remaining, thoughts are turning towards the individual trinkets that will be handed out. In a season where they have won the league easily, with the best away […]
By now, it is apparent that Brazil’s cupboard is startlingly bare when it comes to attacking talent. The situation has been obvious in the country for some time, but it took the world a little while longer to catch on. The band aid of Neymar allowed the rest of the footballing world to blithely assume that the country was continuing its conveyor belt of jogo bonito action dolls. The stereotypes prevailed and were able to […]
Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness has described Brazil’s Zico and Junior as two of the best players he ever played against. Writing in his column for The Sunday Times, the Scotsman heaped praise on the iconic Brazilian midfielder. “From my own career, Zico stood out as a world-class player,” he said. “I played against him several times for Liverpool, Sampdoria, and Scotland but never got within 6ft of him, never laid a finger on him. […]
“I want to return to the Seleção, that’s my aim. It (the squad) will be announced on Thursday, and I deserve to be in the national team. I am the best Brazilian striker, I don’t see anyone better. I can be there, I can help teammates, either as false nine, on the left, on the right, but it’s Dunga’s decision.” So said Alexandre Pato, shortly before Dunga announced his squad for World Cup qualifiers against […]
Brazil’s impressive record in friendly matches continued as they defeated a poor USA side by four goals to one in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The last friendly Brazil failed to win was way back in August 2013, when a Daniel Alves own goal gave Switzerland a win in Basel. The United States, or the USMNT as they’re more commonly known, were coming into this game off the back of a 2-1 win against Peru, but their hopes […]
There’s a video on YouTube which shows Liverpool and Brazil midfielder Philipe Coutinho getting hold of the ball, slaloming past three defenders and then slamming it past the goalkeeper. It is a wonderful expression of skill and technical mastery; the fluidity of execution breathtaking. In this video, shown below, Coutinho isn’t in a Liverpool shirt. Nor is he playing for any of his previous European clubs; Inter and Espanyol. Indeed, he isn’t even on […]
After a feckless spell in Mexico with Querétaro, Ronaldinho Gaúcho returns to Brazil with Fluminense this month. Having turned 35 in March, he is winding down the final years of his career. He has never been the most fastidious player when it comes to his physical preparation, in fact, at times he has treated training as an optional part of a footballer’s existence. His peerless quality has masked his devil may care attitude in the […]