The most striking feature of the Brazil squad picked by Carlos Dunga for the Copa America was the dire lack of strikers of real quality. For sure there was still plenty of attacking flair in his selection – Philippe Coutinho, Douglas Costa, Oscar, Willian – yet once Neymar announced that he was opting to go for Olympic gold rather than the continental title, Dunga had effectively run out of top quality strikers. That the thirty […]
With the slog that is the Brazilian state leagues finally behind us, the eyes of the country turn to the Brasileirão. The are story-lines aplenty, with Flamengo looking to return to relevance on the pitch, a heavily weakened Corinthians seeking to win back to back titles, and plenty of teams looking likely to make a run at the title. With those in mind, let’s take a look at the best and worst case scenarios of […]
This preview of the 2015 Brazilian season was written by Anthony Wood (@FRfutebolAnt) and Luke Butler (@FRfutebolLuke), who are Brazilian football experts for the football data and analysis company, Football Radar. After a few long and arduous months of state championship football, the 2015 edition of Brazil’s premier league competition, the Brasileirão, kicks off this weekend. The league has seen eleven different teams crowned champions over the past two decades and this season looks set to be as competitive and unpredictable […]
The Brasileirão has always been a place where many top players shine for the first time, and whilst that isn’t happening as regularly as it used to, there are still a few young players who have impressed this season. Here are some of them: Alison (Santos, 21 years old) Unlike previous promising players at Santos, Alison is a defensive midfielder. His good positioning and tackling have seen him called up for Brazil’s Olympic team on […]
The 2014 Brasileirão season will be broken into two parts, thanks to the mid-season break for the World Cup. The season starts on April 19th, breaking from June 2nd to July 14th, and will come to a close on December 6th. Here’s a look at all the participants, including their aims and players to look out for. We begin, perhaps unfashionably, with a look at the clubs in the north east of Brazil, written by The […]
Last week can only be described as ‘bittersweet’ for Flamengo fans all over the world. On Wednesday, Flamengo lost to Mexican side Léon in front of almost 60,000 fans at the Maracanã, and were eliminated at the group stage of the Copa Libertadores. Sunday, on the other hand, saw Flamengo draw 1-1 with arch-rivals Vasco da Gama thanks to a controversial goal scored in the 91st minute, which saw them win the State Championship for […]
The CBF have announced the 2013 Brazilian Série A team of the season, as well as the awards for Craque do Campeonato (best player / MVP), Revelação (newcomer / revelation / breakthrough), and manager of the season. The best XI includes four players from champions Cruzeiro, as well as three from the surprise package of the 2013 season, Atlético Paranaense. 2013 Brasileiro Série A Team of the Season Goalkeeper: Fábio (Cruzeiro) Right Back: Marcos Rocha (Altético Mineiro) Defenders: […]
Rio de Janeiro side Flamengo tasted Brazilian Cup glory last night, as they defeated Atlético Paranaense by two goals to nil in the Maracanã. The home victory gave them a 3-1 aggregate win in the two-legged final, after a 1-1 draw was played out in Atlético PR’s Curitiba home just over a week ago. The defeat ended a fairy-tale cup run for Atlético PR, which has coincided with some excellent form in the Brazilian league. They […]
Brazil Under 17s continued their dominance of group A, as they secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Honduras in their final group game in the FIFA U17 World Cup. Two goals from Boschilia in the first half gave Brazil a much deserved lead going in at half time, but the score-line could have been much worse for Honduras as the Brazilians boasted a possession statistic of 79%, and had several chances to add to their […]
Round three of the 2013 Brazilian championship was overshadowed somewhat by the game between Brazil and England at the Maracana, but there were a few games in the league which were well worth watching, and a welcome respite from the much hyped international match. The early games of the round saw Botafogo seize the initiative, as they beat Cruzeiro 2-1 at home with Lodeiro scoring twice. Flamengo drew away to Atletico Paranense with both teams […]