Brazil - The Search For A Number 9

Brazil head into their third match in the World Cup 2014, bereft of a functional center-forward. THT takes a look at the scenario.

The host nation for this yearai??i??s World Cup, Brazil is under tremendous pressure to succeed in front of their home crowd. Amidst the social turmoil engulfing Brazil for quite some time, 11 players have been entrusted to erase the painful memory of Maracanazo. It was a different scenario a year back when they hosted the Confederations Cup, a tournament where Brazil triumphed Spain in the final. Protests were more widespread and police had to take extreme actions at that time. Fast forward to this year and we see that Brazil has spent as much as 13 billion dollars to host the World Cup for the first time since 1950. Although there still have been protests, the general nature of those have been quite mild in comparison.

Moving from the street to the field, we see almost the same group of players who lifted the Confederations Cup almost a year back. Scolari has indeed created continuity by retaining almost the same bunch of players although the lack of experienced heads has raised quite a few questions, e.g. the exclusion of Kaka from the roster. Granted, he is not the force he once was and he has lost a lot of pace and flair that made him world-class, still he is one of the most experienced players in Brazil, having been in the team when Brazil lifted the trophy in 2002. Kaka might not have played more than few substitute appearances if he had been selected, but his experience would have been invaluable to the team in general.

Brazil started their first match in the World Cup 2014 on a nervous note when Marcelo scored an own goal. Already under pressure to perform, Brazil suddenly felt the weight of expectation weigh down on them as they were chasing the game from the very onset. Suddenly it became apparent that they have to score at least twice or else face the wrath of their fans. Playing in front of a home crowd is a double-edged sword ai??i?? it can either be extremely uplifting or it can be the most demoralizing thing in the world. Thankfully for Marcelo and Brazil, Neymar came to the rescue soon enough. The frail footballer is the new poster boy of Brazil and needless to say, he carries enormous amount of expectation to lead this team to glory. And therein lies the problem. This Brazil side is over dependent on Neymar to star in every single match.

After scoring a brace in the first match, Neymar tried to be on the scoresheet against Mexico. However, some out-of-this-world goalkeeping kept him at bay. He was at his skillful best against Mexico, including some amazing drag-backs and dribbles. However, it came to naught as the match ended in a stalemate. That brings us to the main pain area with the current Brazil squad ai??i?? the lack of a proper number 9.

There have been many players who had auditioned for the central striker role but none of them have been successful. The void left by the departure of the legendary Ronaldo is yet to be filled and it can become a major bottleneck for the team if their central striker continues to misfire match after match. The only two realistic contenders for the striker spot in the current team are Fred and Jo, and needless to say, neither of them is world-class. It was different in the Confederations Cup last year when Brazil attacked in swarms. However, Brazilai??i??s play in the World Cup so far shows a different game plan and strategy.

Fred was rightly replaced in the second half against Mexico by Jo, who offered more agility but both of them were equally ineffective. Had Diego Costa not chosen to betray his homeland, he would have owned that position in the team. Sadly, he chose to play for a team which underutilized him and could not make him play to his full potential. If he reason behind Costaai??i??s betrayal is the fact that he was overlooked for the Confederations Cup, then it has to be said that he was impatient and impulsive in making his decision.

The only available forward in Brazilai??i??s arsenal who can play as a center-forward is Hulk. In the match against Croatia, Hulk was shunted out on the left, which hindered him to a great extent. Being a naturally left-footed player, Hulk is at his destructive best when he is deployed either on the right or at center. Pushing him to the right gives him the option to either run infield or go straight and lob the ball. With Ramires failing to control his emotions (and getting a card in the process), Scolari should drop him from the starting line-up against Cameroon. When the former was withdrawn in favor of Bernard, Brazil played at a different pace and was much more effective going forward.

The best option for Brazil at this moment will be to bench both Fred and Jo for their last group match. Playing Hulk as center-forward, the right flank can be taken up by Bernard from the start. If he is to prove ineffective, Brazil can then move Dani Alves up the right flank, playing him more as a right winger rather than a full-back. Alves plays at a high position at Barcelona and it will be beneficial to deploy him in that position. That will leave the right-back position open, which can be taken up by Maicon. That way, Brazil will have 5 defenders while out of position and in attack, they can have an extra player out wide. The onus should be to lessen the burden on Neymar and allow him and Oscar to do what they do best ai??i?? mesmerize and thrill.

Brazil – The Search For A Number 9

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