SA Blog Number 14: South American World Cup Fortunes - Brazil And The ´Group Of Death’
December 15th 2009
Anyone who managed to see past Charlize Theron’s benevolent mockery a couple of weeks back and actually noticed who got who in the World Cup draw would have observed mixed fortunes for the five South American nations competing in South Africa next summer. This week, we will take a look at Brazil’s ‘Group Of Death.’
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Cost, Portugal
‘It´s a very interesting group,’ said Dunga after the draw had been made, ‘The big question mark is with North Korea. I will have to take a close look at them.’ And a close look he will most certainly take. Gone are the days of that Brazilian swagger, of a mercurial group of men waltzing into major competitions without a moment’s thought for who they would actually be playing. Their ultra-pragmatic coach will prepare his team meticulously for the match against the team ranked 84th in the world. In fact, some Brazilians might just be more worried about this ‘banker’ than their other group fixtures. This Brazil team struggles against lesser opposition who are unwilling to come forward, leaving little space in behind for Dunga’s trademark counter-attack.
Ivory Coast, or Côte d´Ivoire as I think we are now calling them, are the one side who will definitely be able to match Dunga’s giants for athleticism, ‘Côte d’Ivoire are going to make us work very hard,’ he admitted. They cruised to qualification with an unbeaten record, failing to win just one of their six fixtures and finishing with a +19 goal difference. Brazil will pay close attention to, but still be relatively confident in their ability to deal with, Mr Drogba. Roma defender Juan will be back to full fitness by the summer, taking his place alongside Lucio; both defenders stand at well over 6ft. Currently, it’s almost a toss-up between the disciplined Elano (honestly) and the reliable Ramires for the third spot in midfield alongside an uninspiring Felipe Melo and downright lugubrious Gilberto Silva (who just makes me sad). Dunga will most likely go with the combative Benfica man Ramires in the hope of winning the all important midfield tussle against Barcelona man Yaya Toure and friends.
Old Dopey (the Snow White character Dunga inherited his name from) also met the emergence of old colonial rivals Portugal with trepidation, ‘against Portugal, with their style of play and their players it will be like Brazil against Brazil.’ Now, more than ever before, that statement is right on the button. After their well publicised struggles during qualification, Carlos Queiroz rebuilt his side on base of a rigid, organised defence and a quick counter-attack; sound familiar? The decision to play Brazilian-born Real Madrid centre back Pepe just in front of Ricardo Carvalho and Bruno Alves was inspired, and one that saw Portugal concede just two goals in their final ten qualifiers. With pantomime villain Cristiano Ronaldo up top alongside another Brazilian-born naturalised Portuguese in Liedson, they might even have some goals in them this summer. Despite being the final game of the group, a goalless snooze-fest is probably on the cards when these two do battle on June 25th.
Elsewhere in South America
Domestic football in Argentina and Brazil has drawn to a close;
Banfield Crowned Apertura 2009 Champions
Flamengo Crowned Champions As Coritiba Are Relegated amid Riots
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