Brazil’s game plan for FIFA World Cup 2010
As the football fever starts to engulf countries around the world like a viral disease, the countries participating in the FIFA World Cup in South Africa are all trying to log in their final preparations.
A football crazy country by profession, Brazil has all its fans out for just one cause; to raise the World Cup above their heads once again. There Brazilian manager is no less behind in this philosophy as he aggressively stated that it is ‘all or nothing’ for Brazil, meaning that they are ready to go at all lengths to attain this coveted glory.
Dunga and his 23-men squad have vowed to take it as a challenge to bring back the trophy. The ‘canary yellow shirts’ are with doubt, placed in one of the toughest groups in the tournament but this is also true for them that they have one of the best team in the competition.
Dunga told the media in South Africa that he would expect nothing less from his team other than to be at the top of the group in the end of the group stages. It is also important for them to accomplish this feat. Otherwise, they would have to play against Spain to clear out a last 16 tie. The Spanish team on the other hand have assembled one of their best squad in time.
Spain opens their account in South Africa with an encounter with Korea DPR. Korea is one of the mediocre teams in the tournament and the match should give them the much required confidence and motivation for the next matches. Also, it may help them to play more openly, evolve and get used to their strategies.
Brazil should take full advantage of the match on the 15th of June despite facing a lack-lustre team. Nearly all their players participate in club football in Korea or Japan and this is their second qualification; the first coming in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. They have a 22-man squad and their lead scorer is Hong Yong-Jo who is also the captain for FC Rostov in Russia.
It is heard that they will play a defensive 5-4-1 formation. If this is true, then two defenders from the Brazilian squad will take up the role of wingers. The Brazilian strategy will be to create a wave of attacks against the Koreans. In this way, the Koreans will have a low chance of a long ball to their centre forward as they scamper for the ball where it goes.
On the 20th of June, the Brazilian team will face their first proper test against the aggressive Ivory Coast team. It is a team that has grown in stature over the years and has qualified for the World Cup after winning the Confederation of African Football group stages.
The Ivory Coast attack is led by Didier Drogba who is in top form after being the leading goal scorer in the English Premier League this season.
Along with Drogba, there will be a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of Kolo Toure, Didier Zokora and Yaya Toure who will not only have to contain Kaka and Luis Fabiano but make plays for Drogba as well.
The Ivory Coast team definitely has the capacity to deliver shocking performances. However, Dunga can let Lucio loose on him, just like he did earlier this season. In the end, Brazil’s mid-field will prove to be a battle-field; Dunga and his men should use their advantage of having better players in the team to outclass them.
The last encounter for the Brazilian football team will take place on the 25th of June. This will prove to be an interesting match as the Portugal team has quite an attacking line-up which includes Ronaldo, Danny, Simao, and Nani – players who love to put the ball at the back of the net.
On the other hand, Portugal has a plethora of average mid-fielders and defenders. But it is the rest of the Portugal team that gets overlooked as the team’s weakness. Players like Paula Ferreira, Miguel and Duda will guard the defence while Pepe and Ricardo Carvalho are expected to be the playmakers in the forward line. Even their goalkeepers are inexperienced. This will be a great edge for Dunga and his Brazilian side to exploit.
On the other hand, Brazil’s Maicon and Dani Alves can single-handedly cover the defence. If all goes as planned, even a draw against the Portuguese will be enough to power them into the next stage. However, the Brazilian team is more than capable of destroying its opponents and they should do that till they are on the podium with the gold in their hands.
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