Brazil faces Japan in the second phase of the World Cup this Monday (29), in Houston. For Marquinhos, captain of the Brazilian team, the clash for a place in the round of 16 will be the team’s most special to date.
“Against Japan, it will be the most special game. Very difficult game, but we are ready. We did our training, our videos, our strategy of what we have to do. Defeat this Japanese team well, which is a very qualified team”, he stated.
The defender also highlighted the level of the opponent and the growth of the Japanese team in recent years.
“Japan had a great first phase of the World Cup. In these four years, playing against great teams from Europe and other parts of the world, they showed good results. They are a very disciplined team tactically, collectively, with a lot of mobility and strength”, he assessed.
Marquinhos also highlighted the evolution of the Brazilian team throughout the competition. The team debuted with and then won 3-0.
“We’ve been growing in these last few games. We started the competition, perhaps, not in the best way in the first game, but then in the second we improved, in the third even more”, he said.
The captain reinforced that the knockout stage requires total focus and that there is no room for projections beyond the next game.
“Now it’s a new competition that will begin. The group stage is one thing, the important thing is to qualify. We have to take it one step at a time, from our own experience in another World Cup, we saw how important it is to be focused at each moment.”
For Marquinhos, the balance of current football makes any confrontation more unpredictable, and he recalled recent examples to reinforce the warning.
“We don’t devalue any opponent. In the last World Cup we were disqualified against Croatia, who said we were much better. In the last Club World Cup, PSG lost to Botafogo. In today’s football, you have to show it on the field, in actions and performance.”
Despite this, the defender showed confidence in the work of the Brazilian team. “I respect our opponents a lot, but I respect our work a lot too.”
