Opinion – Tostão: Football has several intersecting logics

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After the draw away from home, Flamengo’s chances of winning the Copa do Brasil increased, but nothing is decided. Corinthians lacked more courage and inventiveness at home. In the middle of the second half, with the substitutions of Renato Augusto and Róger Guedes, the team became physically stronger, balanced the match, but diminished the individual quality and the chances of winning. There is no contradiction.

The game of football is much more than a set of rules, strategies and statistics. It is a combination of possibilities, of attempts to fill the void of uncertainty and indeterminacy.

The strategy used by Corinthians in Itaquera, with a lot of marking and few risks, is the ideal one to face Flamengo at Maracanã. Corinthians can make it 1-0 or be champion on penalties.

Football has several logics that intersect. Marcelo Viana, director-general of the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics, wrote in his column on Wednesday in Folha that, in probability theory, the usual thing is to seek information about effects from causes. He, with scientific explanations, said that the inverse probability also occurs, that of seeking the causes from the effects.

Goals and emotions were not lacking in the middle of the week, for the Champions League. Barcelona and Inter Milan drew 3-3, with a goal each in the last few minutes. Despite some great performances in previous games, for the Spanish Championship, the hiring of excellent players, such as Raphinha and Lewandowski, and the technical growth of several young people, such as Pedri, highlight of the team and the Spanish national team, Barcelona is very close to being eliminated in the group stage of the competition.

Liverpool made it 7-1, away from home, against Rangers, from Scotland. Firmino scored two goals, and Salah, three. Too bad Salah and Haaland won’t be at the Cup. Firmino’s goals and good performances heat up the dispute for yet another center forward spot in the selection for the World Cup. Gabriel Jesus and Richarlison are practically right.

PSG, without Messi, played badly and drew, at home, with Benfica. News has returned that Mbappé, once again, wants to leave, despite personal requests from the French president, who wants him to stay.

One detail is certain. Mbappé is dissatisfied with playing in the centre-forward position, with his back to the goal, as he has always shone in the French team and in the national team playing from the left to the middle, where he takes advantage of his speed and dribbling towards the goal.

This is the position that Neymar currently occupies in the team. It was in this position that Neymar had the best period at Barcelona. Today it’s even more comfortable for him, as he doesn’t have to come back to score from the left, as he did in the Catalan team, since PSG play with three defenders and two wingers, who attack and defend on the flanks.

Today is classic day at the Brasileirão, between Palmeiras and São Paulo. I still haven’t seen 16-year-old Endrick play, except for a few shots. When I saw the first matches of some young people, future phenomena, like Pele, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Ronaldo, Neymar and others, I got goosebumps.

At Endrick’s age, I was already a starter and one of the highlights of Cruzeiro, which was a much more modest team than Palmeiras. If it were today, at Palmeiras, I would be on the bench, learning and dreaming of becoming a great player or a doctor. I fulfilled both wishes.

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