By Tim Vickery, South America Correspondent July 7, 2024 12:56am ET
It might have been better to cancel Saturday’s Copa America quarter-final between Brazil and Uruguay and go straight to a penalty shootout.
There was little football excitement between the two teams in Las Vegas, with the highly anticipated match halted by fouls and misplaced passes. That’s partly because the pitch being used for this edition of the Copa is much smaller than usual, a problem that has plagued Brazil throughout the tournament. The smaller the pitch, the more potential for friction.
But above all, Brazil left the tournament a victim of its own overstrain, a team burdened by history, struggling to pay the price for which its current players are not responsible, and everyone looking over their shoulders.
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Monday marks the 10th anniversary of hosts Brazil’s 7-1 defeat to Germany in the semi-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. On that fateful day in Belo Horizonte, young striker Endric had just turned eight years old. The only victory he can remember, apart from the old Confederations Cup like most people do, is the 2019 Copa triumph.
It was Brazil’s only win in six previous Copa tournaments, and the country has now failed to win the big prize in five World Cups. A generation of Endrick’s age, or even a little older, has never had the joy of seeing their country crowned world champions, something that was once considered a birthright. Frustration is building, warping psyches.
There was no reason to risk Vinicius Junior, who had already picked up a yellow card in the final group game against Colombia last Tuesday. With a place in the quarterfinals all but assured, Brazil did not need to engage in a fierce battle for dominance with a booming Colombia. With Vinicius receiving another yellow card, Brazil’s most potent attacking weapon was sidelined in a crucial match.
It must have been a mistake by Dorival Junior to send Vinicius into the game against Colombia. With his experience, he was meant to be a calming presence for the team. But he too seems to have succumbed to the disease, engaging in lengthy rants on the touchline about refereeing decisions. Every manager has three main jobs: select the team, define the strategy and set the emotional tone of the job. Dorival Junior was a disappointment in this third job on his debut. A rigid manager produces a rigid team.
The symbol of Saturday’s defeat came in the 87th minute, when Andreas Pereira was rolling on the ground trying to send off another Uruguayan player. Time was running out and Uruguay was already down to 10 men. Instead of rolling on the floor, Brazil was trying to get the ball rolling as much as possible to break the deadlock.
A theme in this Copa has been the difficulty of playing with a man down. Many outcomes, including the U.S. elimination, were sealed by early red cards. Indeed, in this case, Uruguay went to 10 men late in the game; right-back Nahitan Nandez was sent off with about 20 minutes to go. But Brazil hardly took advantage of that advantage. In fact, they barely did anything at all throughout the game.
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Rafinha caused problems down the right wing in the first half, but the only shot on target in the final 45 minutes was a weak effort by Endrick from outside the area that was easily saved by Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rocher.
Dorival Junior’s strategy seemed to be to play deep and draw Uruguay forward, hoping to catch up on the counter-attack. In keeping with the desperate atmosphere, this was all based around punting forwards. The ball rarely penetrated the midfield, which is a serious issue Brazil need to address.
Brazil’s counterattack, when done well, is one of the most devastating weapons in world football. But they rely too heavily on it. There’s not enough explanation. Bruno Guimarães has yet to establish his ability to dominate Brazil’s midfield. Against Colombia, Brazil had great difficulty advancing the ball up the pitch, especially in the second half. And when Uruguay fell back with one man down, the Brazilian team seemed to have little idea how to break them down. Until Brazil expands their repertoire, major titles will be out of reach.
There’s a way to look at this Copa and come to the conclusion that the glass is half full. Brazil ended up exiting undefeated. Late last year they lost to Colombia and Uruguay in World Cup qualifiers. This time they’ve drawn with both, clearly improving from their 2023 mess. Something big and terrible would have to go wrong for them to stand a chance of missing the expanded, 48-team World Cup in 2026.
But a more realistic view is that the glass is half empty. The Selecao have a lot of work to do if they are to become serious contenders in two years’ time, the 18 months since Qatar have been largely a waste, and defeat in this latest Copa only adds to the pressure, adds to the burden of the debt the players feel responsible for, and gives them more reason to be nervous in future matches.
