In the great and intense game for the English Championship between West Ham, with Paquetá, and Newcastle, with Bruno Guimarães, the two Brazilians shone, each in their own way. The two teams are not among the strongest in England, but they are very good.
Bruno is a modern, regular, efficient midfielder, with great technique and who plays from one midfield to the other. He scores well, builds and often attacks. Paquetá is a more offensive midfielder, very creative, fanciful, with beautiful moves and who plays having fun with the ball, like in childhood.
In the Brazilian team, Bruno is a starter alongside Casemiro. Paquetá disputes the position with Matheus Cunha. Paquetá is more inventive, a playmaker, and Matheus is more intense, an attacker. Paquetá can also play deeper, forming a trio in midfield with Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães. When Raphinha returns, he will be able to play more advanced in the center or be a striker on the left, as he does at Barcelona, or in the place where he played most, from the right to the middle.
Ancelotti has many variations from midfield to forward. Vinicius Junior, who has played more centrally and advanced in the national team, can play on the left wing instead of Rodrygo. In addition to Vinicius Junior, there are five more players called up capable of playing in the center of the attack (Matheus Cunha, João Pedro, Rodrygo, Richarlison and Vitor Roque).
The coach has other doubts and the World Cup is close. In midfield, to replace Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães, he called on the experienced Fabinho (Al Ittihad), who would have similar characteristics to Casemiro. Andrey Santos (Chelsea) is another one called up for the sector.
The big question mark is on the sides. Flamengo’s experienced and good left-back, Alex Sandro, has a great chance of being the starter at the World Cup. The others called up for both sides are technically modest for the level of the Brazilian team. Ancelotti, as he said in the interview, will be able to use defender Danilo on both flanks.
In terms of game strategy, the team improved under Ancelotti, but it is not yet a very compact team, as we saw in the defeat to Japan. The team needs to evolve in this posture, in getting the ball out of defense and in pressing to recover the ball.
The lack of compactness is a serious problem for several Brazilian teams.
In the defeat to Corinthians, Grêmio’s defenders remained glued to the area, even when the midfield advanced, leaving huge spaces between the two sectors for the talented Memphis and Garro to operate freely. The same thing happened at Corinthians, although less seriously.
I have the impression that Brazilian coaches with longer careers, such as Mano Menezes, Dorival Júnior and others, have difficulty adapting to new strategic models, such as intense pressure to recover the ball and compression. This is not the case with Ancelotti.
The defeat to Japan was a warning that coaches, even great ones like Ancelotti, don’t win games, they help a lot.
Blue Train
My condolences to Lô Borges’ family. I lived my youth surrounded by the songs and dreams of Lô Borges, Milton Nascimento, Fernando Brant and other stars from Clube da Esquina.
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