Opinion – Tostão: Everything indicates that the winds will blow in favor of Brazil in Qatar

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In the middle of the week, for Libertadores, Sudamericana and the European Champions League, we had several beautiful and well-played matches, with many joys, sadness and emotions. It’s life pulsing on the lawns.

Athletico showed, once again, that it is one of the greats of Brazilian football. Palmeiras, who won in the last two Libertadores thanks to competence and some unpredictable details, such as the penalty missed by Hulk and the serious error by Andreas Pereira, was eliminated because of the efficiency of the Paraná team and also for details, such as the expulsion of defender Murilo.

Flamengo is in another final. Talent is to make clear, simple, what is complex, as Dorival Júnior did when climbing the best in the right positions. Not to be confused with simplification, with diminishing the importance of what is great.

São Paulo, on penalties and with the help of the vibration of athletes and fans, reached the final of the South American Championship.

In the Champions League, three great strikers, Haaland, Lewandowski and Richarlison, shone in the new teams. I, who sometimes have to see it to believe it, had doubts about whether Haaland and Lewandowski would adapt to Manchester City and Barcelona, ​​two teams that exchange a lot of short passes, that face tight defenses and that were not in the habit of playing with a classic striker.

The opposite has happened. As City and Barcelona press and the ball is always close to the opponent’s goal, both, because they are tall and strong and because they are positioned very well, have more chances to score goals. In addition, Haaland has an impressive dash, from a few meters, to reach small spaces and between defenders, to finish. Lewandowski has shown, at Barcelona, ​​much more skill and fantasy than he had at Bayern.

In the wave of seeing is believing, I feared that Vinicius Junior, for what he played in his first year at Real Madrid, would become one of dozens of dribblers and fast wingers, spread around the world, who have little lucidity and technique to become great players. . Vinicius is getting better every day. He learned from Benzema and from coach Ancelotti, as Tite said, to also be an associative player.

But the great thing of the week, apotheotic, was Neymar stopping the ball in the middle, sticking his foot under it, like a spoon, and throwing it over several defenders, to land in the right place and time, for Mbappé to finish. with accuracy.

Due to the importance that Neymar has for the national team, Tite has a big doubt, which is also mine and everyone’s, whether Neymar is selected with or without a striker in front. The option changes the player’s positioning and the structure and lineup of the midfield, as there is no place, together, for Paquetá, Vinicius Junior, Raphinha or Antony, Fred, Casemiro, Neymar and one more striker. Someone would have to stay out.

Whatever Tite’s option, Neymar should play from the middle to the goal, as he has done at PSG, with the new coach, without retreating to receive the ball in his own field, as he used to, nor returning to score from the left, because that is made by the winger of the French team, in the scheme with three defenders. In the selection, this marking from the side would be made by Vinicius Junior. Neymar’s only defensive participation would be to mark the midfielder, on the way out of the ball, as Tite wants.

Everything indicates, conspires, that the winds will blow in favor of Brazil in Qatar. But I have to see it to believe it.

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