How good are Dunga's Brazil?
Posted by Sport.co.uk on: 29 June 2009 - 15:47
Author: Jonny Abrams
Carlos Dunga’s Brazil side clinched the Confederations Cup last night after coming from two goals down to beat the USA 3-2.
But the defensive frailties which have come to characterise their squads almost as much as their array of attacking talents were still very much in evidence as Clint Dempsey and Langdon Donovan gave the USA a 2-0 half-time lead. And, despite most of the play taking place in their own half, they could have added another.
Kaka, Fabiano, Robinho and co eventually managed to overwhelm their opponents with wave after wave of attacks but that first half demonstrated how vulnerable they still are when it’s not quite clicking for them going forward.
And this will invariably happen for spells against any side that’s at least half-decent. It’s the nature of the beast – they might need time to get into a rhythm, or figure out how to unlock a system that’s designed to stop them. It should be cause for concern then that they still don’t appear to be especially adept at riding out these spells with defensive solidity.
It did not matter when they steamrollered a feeble and aging Italian side 3-0. And it didn’t matter in their first match against the USA, who started the tournament poorly before reaching the final by beating a poorly-set-up Spain side 2-0.
However, Egypt managed to breach their rearguard three times before a last-minute Kaka strike gave them a 4-3 win. As USA’s goals last night showed, Brazil are still very vulnerable when faced with a counter attack, so much so that Europe’s top strikers may be licking their lips at the prospect of facing them at next year’s World Cup finals.
So much for the organisation and resilience that Dunga was supposed to instil. He was a solid, defensive player himself and, while a squad containing that many flair players is never going to be conducive to him building a side in his own image, he needs to figure out how to align his own virtues with the players’ natural inclinations. If he does, they will be unstoppable.
As things are, though, there is little indication of this New Brazil. Melo is a good player but he cannot be expected to single-handedly break up every counter attack when full-backs like Maicon or Alves have already bombed up the other side of the pitch.
But, although replacing an attacking threat to bolster the middle of the park would give the backline more protection, it would also remove a cog from the irresistible attacking force which pummelled the USA and others into submission. Fine-tuning is required, while Dunga and Brazil have one year to figure out how to switch from one approach to the other effectively.
International football, sporadic as it is, does not lend itself well to long-term planning, transitional periods and the laying of solid foundations. Even Spain’s successful short passing unit is under threat if Vicente Del Bosque persists with trying to field a side with more width.
As things stand, most of the recognised ‘top’ international sides have an Achilles heel that requires more than a little walking off. The 2010 World Cup could be all the more exciting for it.