Reply With Quotethanks nettooran..Originally Posted by nettooran
from Brazil Pato and Ganso were out with injury ...Midfeild was not strong enough..
Hollan teamil pala pramukha kalikkarum including sneidjer,vandevaart ,starting Goal keeper and van bommel were absent.
Man of the match was their Goal keeper though!! He saved atleast 5 sure goals..Brazil dominated but could not score.
thanks nettooran..
Every flight begins with a fall.
Brazilian legend Ronaldo will make his final appearance for his country on Tuesday night when the five-time World Cup winners meet Romania in a friendly. Ronaldo, a three-time FIFA World Player of the Year award winner, is set for his swansong at the Estadio Pacaembu in Sao Paulo and told reporters he is desperate to mark his farewell performance with a goal.
The 34-year-old striker said: "I'm very, very nervous and still shocked. It would be a dream if I can score a goal. I'm very happy for closing this part of my life with the national team. I have nothing to prove. I only have to thank the Brazilian people for their unconditional support."
Ronaldo, who has played 104 times and scored 67 goals for Canarinho, has been praised by fellow countryman Robinho, one of his successors in Mano Menezes' side.
"Ronaldo is my idol," said Robinho. "He has always been. He is a brilliant player and I've watched him since I was a child. I'm happy to be part of this event. I was shocked when I was close to him the first time and I am shocked today too."
Ronaldo retired from club football back in February after his club Corinthians were eliminated from this year's Copa Libertadores.
Every flight begins with a fall.
Brazilian football is not dead, but things need to change
By Tim Vickery
I well recall being in Londrina eleven years ago for the South American Under-23 Championships, which at the time served as the Olympic qualifiers. Towards the end of the group phase Vanderlei Luxemburgo’s Brazil, with Ronaldinho and Alex shining, had booked their place in the second round. Colombia seemed sure to join them. They had played well, and only needed to avoid a five goal defeat against the Brazilians to make sure of their slot. I interviewed the Colombian coach, Javier Alvarez, the day before the game. "It is not Colombia that need to be worried about Brazil," he said, "but Brazil who need to be worried about Colombia." He was so sure of the strength of his team that he left his best players on the bench - and then hurriedly had to bring them on as the goals started flying in. Whatever he did, he could not stop the flow. But the time the final whistle came Colombia had lost 9-0 and Alvarez was out of a job. There is a big lesson there - never be so foolish as to underestimate Brazilian football.
I thought of that story when I read in the Brazilian press about the latest issue of English magazine ‘Four Four Two.’ I haven’t read the magazine - I can only go on the repercussion in the Brazilian media. But Sunday’s version of sports daily 'Lance!' did helpfully print a copy of 'Four Four Two's' front cover, which proclaims 'The Death of Brazil.' It comes as a shock, especially as publications such as this one have spent years pushing the virtues of the so-called samba stars. So why the change?
Perhaps one explanation is that, as a result of the 2014 World Cup, the planet is starting to become acquainted with the deficiencies of football organisation in Brazil. The front cover proclaims that '2014's in chaos.' And indeed the state of preparation is a long, long way short of ideal.
But there is little new or unpredictable here. The big villain is the archaic and semi-feudal federal structure of Brazilian football. Brazil effectively knew that it would stage the 2014 World Cup in March 2003. The host cities were not announced until the end of May 2009 - and, for the first time, the decision was pushed to FIFA. Over six years were thrown away. Why? Because the power base of Ricardo Teixeira, long term boss of Brazil’s FA, is not formed by the clubs, but by the presidents of the federations in the 27 states that make up this giant country. Excluding cities - barring them from the party - would alienate part of this power base and turn them into enemies, and so, on political grounds, Teixeira passed the buck.
It is, though, for exactly the same reason that the calendar of Brazilian football continues to include the ludicrously obsolete State Championships, where the big clubs waste their time playing endless matches against tiny, insignificant opponents. Take away the State Championships and the State federations will have little to do. He who controls the small clubs controls the state federations, and therefore, the calendar of the Brazilian game, in a manner that sacrifices the interests of the big clubs. It is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog. It is the way Brazilian football is run - and was run while magazines such as 'Four Four Two' were fawning all over the 'samba stars.'
On the pitch, the magazine cover contends, Brazil's 'best players are defenders.' We could argue about whether Daniel Alves could really be classified as a defender, but there is something more fundamental here - which is that Brazil's defence resources are currently looking a little thin. Lucio is indeed a top centre back, though he is nearing the end of his career. Thiago Silva is a magnificent defender, while David Luiz is promising but erratic.
It is worth bearing in mind that in 1994 Brazil lost its two first choice centre backs, Ricardo Gomes and Mozer, on the eve of the World Cup. The next in line, Ricardo Rocha, was injured in the opening game. Even so, Brazil patched up a superb defence with Aldair and Marcio Santos - and superb centre backs such as Julio Cesar, possibly the best of the lot, and Mauro Galvao were not even called up. Now that was defensive strength in depth!
Going back further, it is mind boggling to consider how famous the likes of Orlando Pecanha or Domingos da Guia would have been in today’s globalised football. But Brazil's tradition of wonderful centre backs does not fit the image - which is totally misleading - of Brazilian football being all about fun and expression, of teams prepared to concede six as long as they can score seven. And here we reach the crux of the matter.
'The football's ugly,' screams the cover of 'Four Four Two.' It is backlash time!
Since the tie in with Nike in the mid 90s, an attempt has been made to capitalise on a global scale on the image of the Brazil national team as the great entertainers, the spiritual guardians of the soul of the game. In advertising terms, the product was oversold - which has now been laid as bare as the Emperor in his new clothes by the appearance and consolidation of a rival reference point.
The Barcelona/Spain school has now taken Brazil’s place in this regard. And the interesting aspect here is that the Catalan camp are doing things which many of Brazil’s coaches had been arguing were no longer possible. It is no coincidence that there it is all but impossible to find equivalents of Xavi and Iniesta in contemporary Brazilian football. Ever since Rubens Minelli in the 1970s the argument has been that the physical development of the game obliged the central midfielders to be tall. Also, the statistics seemed to show that there was no future in the passing style - if the move contained more than seven passes then the chances of a goal were reduced.
Based on these premises, Brazilian football looked to produce athletic players built for explosion. Midfield elaboration was old fashioned. The quick counter attack was the way forward, coupled with the skilful execution of set pieces.
Pragmatism, though, is all very well when it wins. When it falls short, when its failure does not leave the odd golden moment in the memory, then there are calls for change.
One of the most interesting things that Mano Menezes said when he took over as Brazil coach was the need to change the style of play, to come up with something more traditional in order to ensure that the home fans are fully behind the team in 2014.
It is still early days. But two developments can be highlighted.
One is the end of the Gilberto Silva figure, the central midfielder who is more like a third centre back, and whose lack of passing skills robs the team of rhythm. Lucas Leiva, a much more versatile, forward thinking player has been filling the role.
The other is the constant apparition of new talents, products of Brazil’s unequalled conveyor belt. Neymar is by no means the finished article, but at 19 he has already packed in plenty of experience as he hones his special talent. A year ago no one would have imagined that Lucas of Sao Paulo would be in the national squad, and that the fans would be calling for his introduction from the bench. Others will surely emerge in time for 2014.
This is a fascinating moment to follow Brazilian football, precisely because so many things would seem to be in a state of flux. Can the big clubs find the courage to break out of an antiquated structure? Can the coaches and players respond to the challenge of Barcelona/Spain?
Maybe, maybe not. But it hardly seems wise to proclaim the death of Brazil. Javier Alvarez made that mistake once.
http://www.sambafoot.com/en/news/205...to_change.html
Thanks nettooran
thanks nettooranji..
Every flight begins with a fall.
In a recent television interview, Mano Menezes spoke about a variety of issues surrounding the Brazil national team.
Fans of the Seleção booed their own team in the recent friendlies against the Netherlands and Romania, but Menezes has called for a reality check, saying that it takes time to make a great team.
"I never saw a squad ready in the first year of work," he said on the 'Bem Amigos' programme on SporTV. "If you do a certain thing wrong, in a fan's mind he will go nuts because he thinks that nothing is good."
Menezes noted the efficiency of his defence, and also praised his midfielders and forwards, but commented that it would take more time to improve them. "Everyone knows that the defence is easier to help, and the other areas are the final part. It takes time to work," he added.
He also spoke about why the Real Madrid duo of Marcelo and Kaka were not included in his Copa America squad.
Regarding Marcelo, Menezes spoke of how he had read an email that seemed to suggest the left back had missed previous friendlies and training camps because his club side had ordered him to do so.
Marcelo trained before the Scotland game but pulled out with an injury. However, he was soon back in action for Real, and Menezes said: "I was in Europe after the Scotland match and some things I saw confirmed what we were thinking.
"For me and the fans, the most important thing is the squad. I want the players to feel exactly the same."
Menezes also explained why he had not called up Kaka, citing his injuries and lack of match fitness: "In light of recent events, I did not feel he should be included in the squad."
Julio Cesar confronts his demons
By Tim Vickery 2011-06-07 10:42:00
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Julio Cesar made a rare mistake against the Netherlands last summer - Action ImagesOf all the games that are played, there are some that stand out, that can define a career or alter its course.
An obvious case would be that World Cup quarter final a year ago, when Brazil went down 2-1 to Holland. It is a result which has ensured that the reign of coach Dunga is generally seen as a failure, despite the two year unbeaten run that it brought to an end. And for the components of that team, it is a match that makes a villain of midfielder Felipe Melo, who was sent off in the second half for a vicious stamp. His many detractors see the incident as proof that he never should have been selected. Brazil were already 2-1 down when he was dismissed, his pass had set up Robinho’s goal and in his 22 matches this was the only time he was on the losing side for the national team - more than all the victories, though, it is the defeat against Holland that stands out in the popular consciousness when Brazilians think of Felipe Melo’s international career.
But perhaps there is one player who suffered even more from the events in Port Elizabeth last July 2nd. Because Felipe Melo’s loss of mental control was not entirely unexpected. His disciplinary record established him as a potential vulnerable point, and towards the end of the qualification campaign he had been sent off for a gruesome foul against Chile. Many had predicted that something like this would happen as the pressure built in the knock out stages of the World Cup.
But no one had predicted that Julio Cesar would make a mistake. In game after game Brazil’s goalkeeper had been the hero. There was an aura of infallibility about him - which collapsed eight minutes into the second half of that quarter final against the Dutch with just one error of judgement. Brazil were a goal up and in control. It was difficult to imagine how Holland would get back on level terms - until Wesley Sneijder sent in a speculative cross, Julio Cesar made an ill judged charge off his line, collided with Felipe Melo and allowed the ball to go straight in for the equalising goal. From that moment on it was a different game - and from that moment on Julio Cesar’s career would not be the same.
In recent years Brazil has been well blessed with goalkeepers, and has even become a big exporter of players in the position. Not since Valdir Peres in 1982 had a Brazil goalkeeper made a blunder in a World Cup. But now Julio Cesar’s mistake had caused the tide to turn against his team in a quarter final. It is little wonder that his aura of invincibility was shattered. Goalkeeper is a position where confidence is vital. It would be fair to assume that Julio Cesar’s confidence has taken a battering from that World Cup blunder. His performances for Inter Milan in the recent club season were strangely error prone, with each mistake making it harder for him to turn the clock back to the beginning of last July, when mistakes did not seem to be part of his repertoire.
But there was nothing fake about that aura that he gave off - and I write as one who used to doubt him. Julio Cesar came up the ranks with Flamengo in my adopted city of Rio de Janeiro. A decade ago the local press were already making a big fuss about him, but I could not see the justification. I watched him every week, and while I thought him a big and athletic shot stopper, I considered him to be weak on crosses and accident prone. His reputation was, I mused, more the product of the Rio press than anything that he was doing on the field.
But I don’t feel in any way vindicated by what happened last year in Port Elizabeth. In fact, I am happy to say that in the case of Julio Cesar I was proved gloriously and magnificently wrong.
All keepers make mistakes. And one error cannot wipe out a trajectory of success established over a period of years. Julio Cesar won me over in the 2004 Copa America. His mistake allowed Uruguay to take the lead in the semi final. But he came back strongly. He was the hero in the penalty shoot out, and then again in another shoot out in the final against Argentina, when he was also superb during normal time. He showed strength of character and ability, and as his confidence grew so the number of mistakes was reduced.
In the next few seasons his displays for Brazil and Inter Milan proved to himself and everyone else that he is a genuinely world class goalkeeper. In the last set of World Cup qualifiers Brazil conceded just 11 goals in 18 games , five fewer than the next best defence. True, the old firm of Lucio and Juan at centre back played a big part in this. But most of the credit must go to the last line of the defence.
Brazil beat Uruguay 4-0 away, the first time they had ever beaten the sky blues in the famous Centenario stadium. The result makes it seem as if the game was a massacre. But the corner count was 15-2 to Uruguay, and had the goalkeepers been switched round the result would surely have been very different. Altitude is usually a problem for Brazil sides, and in Quito they were totally dominated by Ecuador. They could easily have suffered a defeat of historic proportions, but Julio Cesar stood up big time and time again, and Brazil escaped with a draw. Unacclimatised keepers are often those who most suffer from the axtra speed of the ball at altitude. Julio Cesar made it look easy. It was a monumental performance.
After the games as the players were leaving the pitch Brazilian TV would normally seek out the goalkeeper for a post match interview. It was clear that he enjoyed his status as a hero. It fed his ego, boosted his confidence still further. It made him seem bigger in the eyes of opposing strikers, and the goal seem smaller.
But there have been times in the last season when the reverse has been true - hence the feeling that Saturday’s meeting with the Dutch in Goiania was much more than an end of season friendly for Julio Cesar - it was a chance to gain redemption against the very opponents who had shaken his sense of certainty.
He may well have been happy that in the first half he was the busier of the two keepers. Twice Afellay forced him to make smart saves, a block from close range followed by a swooping dive at the near post. After the first save Julio Cesar celebrated as if the game had all the importance of a World Cup final. Maybe for him it did. It could be that Saturday’s 0-0 draw was the day Brazil’s goalkeeper confronted the demons which have been plaguing his mind for almost a year.
Thanks nettooran...
Exactly 3 years left ....
VfL Wolfsburg have told Brazilian playmaker Diego he has no future with the Bundesliga club. Diego joined from Juventus last year in a deal until 2014 but failed to live up to expectations with the 2009 champions who narrowly avoided relegation. He angered club bosses when he walked out on the team after being dropped from the squad for the final league match of the season.
"After the discussion we had (on Friday), it was clear that working together would be a problem and that it would be better if we went our separate way," coach Felix Magath said on the club website.
Wolfsburg said the player will continue to train with the team but has been ordered to find a new club.
"I always felt well here but I did make a mistake," said Diego. "Now it is all about finding the best solution for the club and myself."
Every flight begins with a fall.
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