Opinion – Tostão: The lineup of reserves in the Brazilian Championship is a great exaggeration

To my surprise, Casemiro left Real Madrid for Manchester United. He will play for another big club, but in an inferior team – although he won 2-1 against Liverpool on Monday (22). Real will make good money and hope to have a good replacement. , the young Frenchman Tchouaméni, who has been called up to the national team. It will be difficult to play at Casemiro’s level.

When Casemiro was in the basic categories of the selection and was already a starter for São Paulo, he was called a marrento and criticized for trying to give difficult and forward passes, one of the qualities of the current great midfielders. At the time, midfielders had to be brucutus, to disarm and just give passes to the side.

Casemiro evolved in positioning, tackling, passing and defensive and offensive aerial plays. Because of his physical vigor, he still makes a lot of fouls and sometimes receives yellow cards, which is the reason for some important absences, such as in the defeat to Belgium in the 2018 World Cup.

At Real Madrid, Casemiro was a central midfielder, with midfielders Kroos on one side and Modric on the other. At Manchester United, he will probably form a pair of defensive midfielders with Fred, as in the national team, although Fred was in the reserve against Liverpool.

Today, Casemiro, Busquets, from Barcelona, ​​Rodrigo, from Manchester City, and other leading midfielders in world football play centrally, with a midfielder on each side. So it was, on the drawing board, at the beginning of football, when teams played with two defenders, three midfielders and five forwards (2-3-5). The center midfielder, shirt number 5, was generally the team’s ace, due to his class and excellent passes. Over time, the symbol of ace became the attacking midfielder, the spearhead, the number 10, the one who gives passes and scores.

In the French team, which usually plays with three defenders and two wingers, midfielders Kanté and Pogba play from one intermediate to the other. One option has been to change one of the defenders for a more central midfielder, which could be Tchouaméni, with Pogba and Kanté more advanced.

The midfield of the four semifinalists of the Copa do Brasil has different details. Corinthians, on the drawing board, looks more like the Europeans, with a trio in midfield, although, against Atlético-GO, Renato Augusto played closer to the opposing area. Flamengo forms a diamond in midfield, with Arrascaeta close to the two forwards, with no fixed players on the sides.

São Paulo usually plays with three defenders, with two wingers, with a midfielder in the center and with four players closer to the goal. In Fluminense, due to the constant presence of several athletes close to the ball, it is difficult to define a tactical design. Only striker Cano is more positioned, more fixed.

This Wednesday (24), because of the Copa do Brasil, we will see the holders. Brazilian clubs value the cups more than the national championship. Coaches change teams every match. In the Brasileirão, before the games, the main subject of the sports programs is to find out what the lineup will be. Flamengo, who had a good chance of closing the gap to Palmeiras, selected the reserves. Other coaches do the same, like Vítor Pereira and Rogério Ceni. It’s a big exaggeration.

With that, they lose the chance to fight for more titles, in addition to being disrespectful to the fans, who want to see the best on the field. Fans don’t just want to cheer. They want victories and good football.