FIFA World Cup 2010: Dunga Wants Brazil to Improve Ahead of Netherlands Quarterfinals Clash
This probably is a sign of champions: Brazil, who have been ruthless on their way to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, are still looking to improve.
Manager Dunga, who is a former World Cup winner himself, has said that he believes there is immense room for improvement in the team, and he knows the areas that the team can improve on, and will make sure that before the big clash with Netherlands he addresses the problem areas.
The 5-time World Champions made it to the quarterfinals with a big 3-0 win against their South American neighbours Chile, where Juan, Fabiano and Robinho were on the score-sheet.
Dunga said that his team needs to improve in all areas of play. The former Brazil captain added that Chile played some good football; they enjoyed good possession along with great passes, but still it’s goals that matter and that is why his team won.
So far, Brazil have conceded just 2 goals in the World Cup: one was in the first game against North Korea, and later it was Didier Drogba who scored for Ivory Coast in a 3-1 win for Brazil.
Brazil team came under some criticism after a less than impressive display in their final group match against Portugal, where in the 2nd half, Portugal were all over Brazil, dominating the former world champions and Brazil looked to have gone into a shell. Dunga, even after that match, had promised to look into the problems in the game play; and the results were there for everyone to see against Chile. It has to be noted here that Chile obviously did not pose the same challenge as Portugal did. So when Brazil line up against Netherlands in their next match, they may look back at how Portugal managed to squeeze Brazil and set up the team accordingly.
Kaka was serving a one match ban following his unfortunate red card against Ivory Coast; he was for sure a big miss in the match against Portugal, as he normally is the man at the heart of most of their creative moves.
In the match against Chile, the Real Madrid man made his way back in the side, and certainly did make a big difference, as there were number of attacks initiated from the midfield. He certainly continued on from the form he had shown against Ivory Coast, where he assisted 2 goals. And once again, in the match against Chile, he set up a beautiful ball for Fabiano for the 2nd goal. Regardless of his performance, Dunga still thought he was not at his best, and felt he faded away as the match went on. The manager, as a result, took him off 10 minutes before the end.
Dunga’s worries with Kaka do not end there, as after coming back from a red card suspension, instead of using a more cautious approach, Kaka instead picked up another yellow card when he fouled on Chile striker Humberto Suazo. If he picks up one more, he will miss the semi-final, given that they make it there.
Dunga said that this is clearly a problem, adding that he does not want Kaka to be out suspended. He said that perhaps players like Kaka are targeted by other teams and enticed to foul, which may be a part of the other team’s strategy.
The former World Cup winning captain said that he knows there is always high expectation from Brazil, but just being a tournament favourite does not win anyone anything; instead, it puts added pressure on the team. However, he believes his players are experienced enough to handle that.
Dunga has barred media access to his players, and is the only one speaking on the team’s behalf. His desire of not to settle for what they have and instead constantly trying to improve his team may prove to be the difference, not just in the game against Netherlands, but for them to go all the way to the finals, and perhaps even World Cup victory.
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