I think there is a good few players in that team that shouldn't play for there country no more, just not good enough. A complete overhaul from top to the bottom, new manager, new ideas, few players dropped and replaced and a different philosophy implemented into the team.
It's not just the fortunes of the national team, but the whole of Brazilian football is an institutional shambles. The CBF is corrupt to the core (Havelange, Texiera and co who've dined at the top table at FIFA have ran it into the ground) and a humiliation like last night has been a long time coming. Their national league system is a joke. They have state championships that run for half the year (a waste of time in itself unless you're in Rio or Sao Paulo where there's at least several big clubs) and then a national championship on top of Copa Libertedores, all kinds of domestic cups and constant national team friendlies (at the behest of the pay masters). As a result Brazilian-based players play a ridiculous amount of games every year, they never get a break and the style of play in the league is horrible with poor quality football. It's full of Scolari-type coaches who coach players to spoil games and kick the opposition rather than caress the football. As a result they produce more midfield hatchet men than top forwards now. The Academy system is a joke. The game in Brazil is just so disorganised and corrupt that it's a miracle Brazil can compete at all and they get by on a football mad population which produces a steady stream of players. If it was run properly they could have a league to rival the best in Europe. The big clubs are so well supported.
Totally agree with this post, the whole structure of Brazilian football needs to change. I personally think that the state championships can be done away with tbh, poor attendances, unnecessary extra games, more injuries to players etc. Do what Tim Vickery once suggested and have an expanded Copa do Brasil, allow teams from the very bottom of the pyramid to enter and if they get the chance to play a giant like a Flamengo/Corinthians, let the lower league side play at home, this gets these lower teams more money and it might help some of the WC stadiums which could become white elephants after the WC get full up every now and again. Eg: A side from Manaus in the 4th level of Brazilian football playing against Flamengo at the Amazonas Arena, it would be a full house as Flamengo have legions of fans all over Brazil. Shorter, sharper and far better than the unnecessary state championships. As for changing the style, that could be more difficult, one could argue they are suffering a similar problem to England now in Brazil, their tv rights deal for the top flight is the 3rd or 4th highest in World Football, therefore, if you are a Vasco da Gama for example, who have suffered relegation to the second tier (where the tv money I would assume is none existent) then you will prioritise safety first play and negative tactics. Equally young players, especially creative ones, might be seen as too much of a luxury by these clubs when points to avoid the drop are vital. Results take priority over the development of young players. Look at a player like Ganso, he came on the scene as this exciting young playmaking Number 10 in the Riquelme mould at Santos, yet never really kicked on his skills and development. As for Scolari, he is a goner, had he made the final and lost, I reckon he would also have been a goner, any Brazil coach who fails to bring home a World Cup always pays the penalty with their job. Brazil will now turn to Muricy Ramalho or should do at least, he in my opinion is the best qualified coach to take the job, three consecutive Brazilian league titles with Sao Paulo between 2006-08, a Brazilian league title with Fluminense in 2010 and the Libertadores Cup with Santos a year later. My squad for the Copa America would include the likes of Rafael, Filipe Luis, Cassio (promising young goalie at Corinthians), Coutinho, Lucas Moura, Marquinhos etc. Brazil have nothing but friendly matches from now till next summer, might as well blood some youngsters and give them an opportunity to settle into the team before the important 2015 Copa America, 2016 Rio Olympics (which they will be so desperate to finally win now and the WC 2018 qualifiers. As for Texiera, this scandal at FIFA recently has brought his downfall and hopefully his ilk will never grace the CBF again, hopefully the new people can bash together a few ideas like the ones above to help Brazilian football rediscover its place at the top of the international footballing tree.
Great posts Richie and Riccardo as per usual, it's fantastic hearing about your insights into international football.
@The Hitman those are amazing puns, esp Khedira and Benard If I were Brazil, I'd apoligies for maicon session.
It stems from the coaching. If the coaches in Brazil play Scolari-esque football, and that's the default setting, then the league is f*Cked. Tim Vickery mentions that in Brazil there's typically 80 odd fouls a game, it's just constant stoppages because all the players do is foul. The games are obviously badly officiated and the teams aren't coached well. There was certainly better players available to Scolari that weren't picked as touched on elsewhere. Miranda and Felipe Luis are half of the best defence in Europe last season. Anyone who watched Alves last season can tell you he's well on the decline and Maicon was hopeless at Man City, even if he did have a better season in the slower Serie A. Lucas Moura clearly a better talent than Bernard and Coutinho worth a place in the squad at least and could have offered more than the clearly burnt out Oscar, another victim of the ridiculous amount of games Brazilian players are exposed to at a young age which sees them burnt out quicker. Ronaldo being the biggest tragedy as he could have been the best ever, I'm pretty sure the guy in post now is a Texiera protege though and there's no desire for change regarding the structure of the game over there with the player movement for a better structured football season shouted down at every turn. That defeat is that bad and humiliating that things will have to change though which should be to the long-term benefit of the Brazilian game. Or maybe Brazil wins the Copa Americas in 2015 and 2016 (the centenary one) and then ends their Olympic hoodoo on home soil and it's forgotten about.
On Bernard, wasn't he mainly a sub at Shakhtar this season, so they actually have a bunch of Brazilians that are better at his club alone...?
Only managed 11 appearances this season, how he was chosen over the likes of Coutinho, Moura or Firminho is criminal.
Firminho is another one. He was one the best players in the Bundesliga last season and could have made the same sort of impact as a Sterling. Bernard looked and played like a kid in a man's game. Fred and Bernard starting a World Cup semi final for Brazil is ridiculous. And the reason Diego Costa ended up going to Spain was due to being overlooked by Scolari for Fred and Jo for the Confederations Cup last year and not really being given a chance.
Diego Costa is a perfect fit for Scolari's setup as well, and totally not suited for tiki taka. Funny how thats worked out.
He could have had more of a team like this: Cesar Adriano/Rafael Thiago Silva Miranda Felipe Luis Gustavo Luiz Fernandinho Lucas Moura Neymar Diego Costa And a much stronger bench: Marcelo, Oscar, Hulk, Firminho to bring on as well as Paulinho, Willian etc.
