Opinion – Tostão: Teams need to invest in the formation of inventive players in midfield

Cruzeiro is practically classified for Serie A. The two defeats to Fluminense, by the Copa do Brasil, confirmed that the team is very strong for the second division and weak to make a good campaign in the first. You will need reinforcements, not just signings.

At the weekend, the first round of the Brazilian Series A ends. Little by little, the teams place themselves in the table according to the expectation created before the start of the competition. The only ones that are out of the expected place are Flamengo, which should be among the first, and Fortaleza, which should be, at least, in the middle of the table. Probably, both teams will grow in the second round.

Team placements are much more a consequence of the quality of the squad than of strategy and tactical design. Even the midfield diamond, which was never used in Europe, due to the lack of socks on the sides, and which, a long time ago, was abandoned in Brazil, has reappeared in Flamengo, with victories, thanks to the talent of its three midfielders. and attacking midfielder Arrascaeta. If Cebolinha enters from the left, the coach will have to change the tactical design.

Strategy is a team’s positional reference, an important condition for playing good football, but what defines a team’s talent and efficiency is individual quality.

A very positive aspect of the football that is played in Brazil is the presence of several midfield players who are good with the ball, whether they are the ones most behind to start offensive plays with good passes, such as Allan and Danilo, or the midfielders, who act from one intermediary to the other, like João Gomes and Zé Rafael. The midfielder André, from Fluminense, unites the two characteristics.

Decades ago, more or less from the 1980s, there were important changes in the way of playing football. The Europeans played with full-backs, who did not advance, and the transition of the ball, from defense to attack, was made by midfield.

When Inter Milan signed full-back Roberto Carlos, before he played for Real Madrid, the coach selected him on the left wing, because the full-backs didn’t attack. In Brazil, it was the opposite. The full-backs advanced with skill, and the midfielders, two or three, protected the defenders, without going beyond the midfield. The transition of the ball was made by the sides or by means of kicks.

Over time, the Europeans began to import good Brazilian full-backs to support and form full-backs with these characteristics. Today, there are great supporting full-backs in the best teams in Europe. They take turns with midfielders in transitioning from the ball to attack.

In Brazil, the midfield has only recently become an area of ​​creation, alternating with the full-backs in support. Casemiro and Fabinho, who play in Europe, are among the best midfielders in the world. There are also good midfielders, playing in Brazil or abroad, like Fred and Bruno Guimarães, who should go to the World Cup, but this position lacks a great player, an important role for the soul and creativity of a team.

The coaches of the first teams and of the youth categories need to invest more in the formation of inventive players in the midfield. Against São Paulo, midfielder André, from Fluminense, who scores and has a lot of skill, advanced, at the exact moment, to receive the pass behind the opposing midfielders and finished with precision. A goal, collective and individual.