The team started the game against Haiti with a new tactical formation, with a trio in midfield (Casemiro in the center, Bruno Guimarães on the right and Paquetá on the left), two attackers (Raphinha and Vini Jr), in addition to Matheus Cunha centrally, between the midfield and the two attackers.
Vini on the left and Raphinha on the right entered diagonally and received the ball between the defender and the full-back or behind the backs of the defenders who were quite advanced. That’s how the three goals came out. And the team could have done others, made easier by the opponent’s fragility.
Vini, once again, was brilliant. In the second half, with victory assured, the team relaxed, but still created three more clear scoring chances. Several players entered and, as a result, the Brazilian team’s way of playing changed.
The tactical formation was ideal for this game. Probably, Ancelotti saw Haiti’s matches and organized the team according to the moment. In other situations, he will have to change the lineup and strategy.
This flexibility is one of the positive points of the coach’s career. He has already said that the team does not have a single identity. Based on this, against the strongest opponents I think the best tactical structure would be to retreat a little to counterattack and take advantage of the speed of the Brazilian attackers and the increased spaces in the other team’s defense.
The minimalist ace
After the first round, Argentina was the most regular team throughout the match, repeating the tactical structure and almost the same lineup as the champion team in 2022.
Messi acts freely, without needing to score, between the trio of midfielders and the center forward. It remains precise, concise, minimalist. Just a few movements are enough to clarify and define the plays with beautiful and efficient finishes.
England, like Argentina, was an organized and efficient team. It doesn’t have a Messi, but it has a plural playmaker, Kane, great in attack, midfield and even marking. Thomas Tuchel is a coach who defines the strategy and then chooses the players. I prefer the opposite, organizing tactical formation according to the quality and characteristics of the players.
France against Senegal played very poorly in the first half and brilliantly in the second, with beautiful plays from the attackers. Mbappé combines a lot of speed, skill and technique, an explosive playmaker.
Spain and Portugal disappointed for the same reason. The two attacks lacked individual and collective quality to overcome the opposing defenses.
Many things will change during the World Cup. Football is very complex, we are the ones who try to simplify it with our rationalizations and pretentious wisdom.
Brazil 70
On my daily walks, to strengthen my body and soul, a reader asked if it was true that, during the 1970 World Cup, I read Machado de Assis and prepared myself for the entrance exam, as shown in the Netflix film “A Saga do Tri”.
I read Machado de Assis, the Brazilian Shakespeare, but it’s not true that I studied for the university entrance exam, as I wanted to play football for a long time.
A few years later, I had to stop playing on medical advice, I took the entrance exam and became a doctor and professor of medicine. After about 20 years, I returned to football, as a commentator and columnist, where I have been for the last 20 years.
I have had several lives. I like them all. Life pulsates.
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