Brazilian football's Olympic lesson

Brazil’s excruciating wait for an Olympic gold medal is set to parade itself for another four years. In retrospection, they will be wary not to actuate any claims of being an all conquering side. Their recent loss to Mexico will also pile pressure on them as they get set to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Brazil, despite their rich talent pool, have failed to develop a well-knit team. And in London, they learnt it the hard way. Whenever their much embellished attack failed, their defence crumbled too. Brazil had presented shoddy defending throughout the tournament. The fact that they conceded twice against Egypt and Honduras goes to show the kind of second-rate defending they had resorted to. Their brittle defence left the lush forward line with too much to do and it only rendered them vulnerable.

This was a defensive arrangement that saw Thiago Silva, Rafael and Juan thronged together. On paper, it reeks of a heady amalgamation of flair and assurance. And it seems virile enough to not wither under pressure. But they performed rather complacently; ignoring all the monitory bells that Honduras and Egypt had rung. And their intermittence was appropriately exploited by Oribe Peralta when he steered home the opener after just 28 seconds – the quickest goal ever in the Olympics. Peralta’s second was an act of charity from the Brazilian defence that cared not to mark him, so much so, he had enough space around him to manipulate the goal.

A thoroughly berated Rafael made way for Lucas Moura amidst open dissent from Juan. Not only was Rafael at fault for the lightning opener, he was constantly dragged out of position, much to the disappointment of Mano Menezes. Rafael’s substitution was definitely too little, too late. Juan, too, was in no way inculpable for Brazil’s defensive woes. And Brazil succumbed to an avoidable defeat.

Brazil had failed to script Olympic success even after Spain, Uruguay and Britain lunged to premature exits. And this failure will linger firmly in the football-worshipping nation. It is only natural to expect paralyzing pressure from the Brazil fans in 2014. They will settle for nothing less than a sixth world title.

To put that into perspective, it is crucial to recall the morose that prevailed after their 1950 World Cup loss to Uruguay. As expectations rocketed, Brazil surrendered to Alcides Ghiggia’s timely poke as Uruguay pipped them 2-1. Brazil have plundered five World titles since then, but that loss still invokes anger, agony and disappointment in their hearts. Yes, the tension will be palpable, the pressure unbearable, and Brazil will have to overcome their nerves if they are to gratify their fervent supporters. And this is where a gold at Wembley would have come in handy. However, the country now demands glory at all costs.

If one were to believe they were under pressure at Wembley, they have not seen anything yet. Two years from now, the current crop will step into a furnace-like atmosphere – where every miniscule passage of play will entice or deject an entire nation.

It is quite impractical to expect Menezes to be at the helm, given his most recent failure. But the likes of Neymar, Moura, Maicon and Thiago Silva will definitely be around. This is why it is of paramount importance that Brazil find a middle ground between an overloaded attack and brittle defence. The defence has failed to exhibit cohesion. Dani Alves’ inert performances for the national team will need bettering if he finds his way back. Marcelo, too, has not been able to replicate his club form. He has managed to become a vital component of the Madrid defence but he will have to learn to keep his head and curb his attacking instincts.

Maybe there is too much emphasis on attack. Ever since 2000, Brazil have thrown five attacking men to compensate for the lack of rigidity in defence. And in this age of tactical excellence, it becomes far too easy to counter such monotonous surging play.

It is essential that Brazilian football rises above its superstars. To bring about balance, players must be chosen to suit a formation. Both Dunga and Menezes have catered to the fancies of their superstars and tailored a formation around them, thereby engineering one of the most disappointing decades in Brazilian football. A thorough soul searching could well garner that balance without desolating their typical freestyle attacking ideals. This bout of disappointment swallowed at London should serve as a high road to resurrect their glory.