FIFA Confederations Cup 2013: Brazil vs Japan 3-0 - Five Talking Points

The Estadio National Mane Garrincha was packed with fans waiting to lap up the football on display. The atmosphere was brilliant, and noise was at a crescendo. The majority came to support Brazil, and they were not disappointed. The men in yellow showed some of the Brazilian flair of yore, but struggled for considerable parts of the contest. They got goals from Neymar and Paulinho, and even Jo got on the score-sheet. It was a typical Brazilian performance; they outplayed Japan, but were clearly not at their peak.

Here are five talking points from an interesting match of football-

1. The mercurial Neymar

Neymar lit up the tournament with his stunning half-volley in the third minute. It was a testament to his skill and self-belief that he managed to pull off such an audacious attempt. But after the goal, he had a mixed game. His passing was woeful and failed to make any useful contribution for his team. He was stopped three times by the Japanese right-back Uchida when he could have easily gotten past him, but decided to start showboating. The fans would want him at his best all the time, and he must try to be consistently good.

2. The impregnable Thiago Silva

He was at his best all throughout the match. Not once did the ball cross him. He almost single-handedly foiled Japan’s attacks and, as usual, was assured and precise in his passing. His positional sense was perfect and he used all his physicality to dominate the Japanese forwards. He is beginning to show his real ability, and it has to be said that he looks to be a likely candidate to replace the legendary Lucio.

3. The midfield general

Paulinho showed the world what he is capable of. A box-to-box midfielder, he completed both parts of his job. He mostly provided cover to his back-line and broke up Japan’s play, and was very effective going forward as well. He scored a goal, and was crucial in setting up attacks. With Luis Gustavo known for his defensive skill, it would come down to Paulinho to provide the creative spark from midfield.

4. Tracking back

Brazil’s attackers and wingers simply do not believe in the concept of tracking back. Many times, their defense and midfield were in danger of being run over, and it was the brilliance of Paulinho and Silva that kept the Japanese at bay. Had their opponents been Spain or Italy, Brazil would have been destroyed. Scolari must integrate the values of defending as a unit in his squad, or they might be in deep trouble.

5. Fluid movements

The Brazilians were an example of fluidity all through the game. Neymar and Oscar exchanged positions brilliantly. Sometimes they both popped up on the same wing, and at other times played intelligent one-twos. Hulk and Dani Alves, too, were cohesive down the right hand side, and Marcelo and Neymar seem to be forming a good combination. One thing Hulk did brilliantly was stick to his side of the field. Neymar and Oscar both gravitated towards the left and with Marcelo joining them, and the team became unbalanced at times. Hulk resisted the temptation to go into the center and provided a good alternative for shifting play.