Opinion – Tostão: Brazil, its football and its defenders need to take some steps forward

A few days ago, Milton Nascimento turned 80. He, Fernando Brant, the Clube da Esquina gang and so many other artists and poets of this generation cradled the dreams of my youth, at the time of the disastrous dictatorship.

In the current war of hate and fake news, it’s a good thing, to counterbalance, that there are football, art, friendship, love, passion, ethics, professional seriousness and the company of so many dear people, who help me to keep dreaming. “It’s dark, but I sing.” (Thiago de Mello)

Emotions continue in football. This Saturday (29), the Libertadores decision takes place. Even if Athletico is defeated, it is already one of the strengths of South American football.

There is a worldwide trend, which arrived in Brazil, of financial and technical dominance of a few teams, such as Flamengo and Palmeiras. Last year, Atletico rivaled the two, but had a fall this year.

Palmeiras is already, deservedly, Brazilian champion. The dispute for the last spots in Libertadores and to escape relegation will be exciting at the end of the championship. Inter, already guaranteed in the Libertadores group stage, has a very organized team. Mano Menezes regained the prestige he had lost in recent years.

At Fluminense, Fernando Diniz is learning that the game is much more than a dispute over concepts and personal strategies. It is necessary to go further, create variations, according to the moment and the opponent. Cano doesn’t stop scoring goals. He knows, before anyone else, where the ball is going. How does he know? Knowing. There is a knowledge that precedes reasoning and thought.

It will be bad if Corinthians loses coach Vítor Pereira. He, in addition to being a good coach, is a good teacher, who helps in the evolution of Brazilian football. It is not enough to train, it is necessary to know how to teach.

Atlético is a disappointment, due to the expectations created. If it was bad with Hulk, it was worse without him. Anyone who hasn’t seen Atletico’s current players play so well last year will say that the current squad is not great and that the team urgently needs several signings.

A team that pleases and surprises is Botafogo, for their performance and for having several players that were unknown, like Tiquinho and Jeffinho. The two are in the right place, directed by a good coach and good teacher, the Portuguese Luís Castro, who, in addition, likes diminutives, an affectionate language characteristic of the Portuguese.

Fortaleza, when it finished the first round in the bottom, was characterized by the enormous distance between the result in relation to the performance. Now, the team is fighting for a spot in the Libertadores. Doubt teams that play poorly and win. Football also has logic.

América, which still has a chance of getting a spot in Libertadores, is already a victorious team for not having any chance of returning to Serie B, which had happened in other seasons.

I repeat, Brazilian teams have improved their strategy on the field, although they still have several deficiencies, such as the rush to reach the goal, the excess of crosses to the area and the little construction in the midfield. Another deficiency is that, when they advance, they leave large spaces between the defense and the midfield, as the defenders remain glued to the penalty area. This is no longer necessary, as goalkeepers do well in coverage.

Brazil, Brazilian football and defenders need to take some steps forward.