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The talk about the Brazilian national squad going through difficult times in international soccer has returned after the blowout loss against Germany in World Cup semifinals last year at home and the loss to Paraguay in the quarterfinals of this year’s Copa America in penalty kicks.
Although it is true that several important pieces: goalkeeper Diego Alves, defender Marcelo and midfielders Luiz Gustavo and Oscar dos Santos, were injured, it’s not a good sign that to accompany Neymar in the attack they had to dust off the forgotten Robinho or search the Far East for thirtysomething Diego Tardelli.
Brazil has exhibited a marked shortage of attackers for several years. Internationally, except for Barcelona forward Neymar, no other strikers played prominent roles in the elite leagues.
Besides the lack of offense, the national squad does not display a dazzling group as in the past when there were four or five superstars in the Brazilian first team. The group in Chile was only highlighted, except for Neymar, by Dani Alves, Neymar’s teammate at Barcelona, and Thiago Silva, who plays with PSG in France.
Incidentally, Neymar was the lone representative of Brazil within the 23 finalists for the Golden Ball 2014, while Germany slipped in seven players and one in the final trio, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Also clubs in Brazil, which dominated the Copa Libertadores from 2010 to 2013, in 2014 did not hold any of the first four places in the competition.
Another negative signal is the low attendances to the stadiums. Since 2011 Brasileirao A has drawn less than 15,000 fans per game, which has brought the country of samba out of the top 15 countries in terms of fan attendance.
There are those who argue that Brazil has lost the compass of his game. "We don’t know who we are or where we are going," wrote Tostao, a member of the champion team in Mexico 70, in his popular column posted in the Folha de Sao Paulo.
"Our guys are losing the taste for the game from an early age. When before the Brazilian national team was a single star ...?. It is urgent to rescue our values and philosophy of football," said journalist and historian Celso Unzette who lives in Sao Paulo.
Speaking of philosophy, when discussing Brazil’s failings at some point you have to point to the position of coach and the fact that in recent years the office has belonged to Luiz Felipe Scolari, Mario Menezes and Dunga, all of them living experiences that seem like a roller coaster.
The 2018 World Cup is around the corner. Brazil has to win its spot in the qualifiers against the nine other national squads in South America. The long process will begin soon, and Brazil has its work cut out for it.
In order to be a finalist in big tournaments in the coming years, Brazil will need to rely on more than just Neymar. Brazil needs to develop some fresh young talent, and fast.
For example, midfielders Lucas Silva and Rodrigo Caio, and right-back Danilo,are all 21 to 23 years old and should get a shot at the big time to see what they’re made of.
Also there’s Bernard, who stands out for his sensational ball handling, his skills in the one against one, his vision and his ability to be aggressive in the opponent's area.
If you search deeper you will find Gabriel, a Santos striker who has already scored 20 goals in the first division. Other potential stars to consider are Lucas Evangelista (Udinese), Yuri (Botafogo Brazil) and Thalles (Vasco da Gama, Brazilian second division).
