WORLD CUP 2006
Brazil
Introduction
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If the World Cup had been held a year ago, Brazil would have walked away with the title. Adriano was at his best, Robinho was uninhibited and untainted by a move to Real Madrid, and Dida was solid in goal. Since then, things have gone worryingly downhill.
Several players have had unhappy seasons in Europe, variously suffering from loss of form, injury, lack of affection from their club’s fans or a combination of all three. Dida has made some howlers for Milan; Cafu, who will be 36 two days before the tournament begins, is returning from knee surgery; strikers Adriano and Ronaldo both seem to have lost their enjoyment for the game; and Roberto Carlos has been almost embarrassing at Madrid.
Meanwhile, Brazil’s preparation as a team has been very poor. Since beating Chile 5-0 last September to qualify, they have played only one serious game, the final qualifier at home to Venezuela the following month. Of their other games, one was against a club side, Sevilla, two were in farcical conditions – away to Bolivia at 12,600 feet above sea level and away to Russia in a temperature of -15°C – and the other was an 8-0 stroll against the United Arab Emirates. The Selecao’s only match before the World Cup is a friendly against New Zealand in Geneva.
Brazil remain hot favourites for a sixth title and, certainly, public opinion back home will not tolerate anything other than the Hexa. In fact, large sections of the media and most of the population regard it as a certainty.
In the past, Brazil have tended to flop in such circumstances, seemingly performing better when the odds were stacked against them, as in 1970 and 2002. But rather than talking down the team’s status as favourites, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira sees it as a chance to achieve something new by starting as favourites and actually winning.
Parreira shrugs off his players’ recent troubles. He insists Ronaldo is a big-occasion player and Cafu’s spell on the sidelines will mean he arrives fresh in Germany rather than jaded. The one player causing him concern is Ronaldinho, who has been playing virtually twice a week since August.
Brazil should get away with their lack of meaningful matches because Parreira decided on his line-up long ago and the same players have been together for nearly three years. If necessary, he can always bring in central defender Cris and midfielder Juninho Pernambucano, both of whom have been excellent at Lyon.
The draw, which pits Brazil against Croatia, Australia and Japan, has also been kind, giving Parreira plenty of chances to see who is not up to the job before the serious stuff begins in the second round.
Even if the odd player is off form and the defence slips up occasionally, it is still hard to see Brazil not reaching the Final, where maybe Argentina will be waiting to avenge last year’s Confederations Cup humiliation.
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