Opinion – PVC: The Brazilian’s timid tactical evolution

When wishing Scarpa good luck, in his press conference after receiving the trophy against America, coach Abel Ferreira unintentionally exposed the tactical delay of the Brazilian Championship, compared to Europe: “I told him that he will have to score more and touch the ball less.”

Even knowing that the ball is also less touched in Spain than in England, it’s scary to know that Abel’s speech is for real even with Scarpa replacing the Brazilian champion for the third from last place in England – he was the lantern, on the day of the interview.

It’s just not a tragedy, because the Brazilian concluded on Sunday (13) had auspicious signs, from a technical, tactical and organizational point of view. It closes with 20,700 paying spectators per game, the third highest average of paying public in the last forty years, 21 thousand spectators present, second best index.

If the games were bad, there wouldn’t be so many people in the stands. But this represents, at most, what England had back in 1996, when it handed over international broadcasting rights on a plate, as Brazil currently does.

The presence of Abel Ferreira, Vítor Pereira and Luís Castro expand the tactical repertoire, mixing practical and theoretical knowledge. Pereira didn’t interfere as much with Corinthians as he could because he got the squad ready – and aged. He always made clear his intention to score by pressure. He didn’t make it due to the excess of games and the age of his team.

Fernando Diniz transformed Fluminense into an exclusive team in the world, with the agglomeration of midfielders, wingers and sides on one side of the field, to produce challenges of three or four tricolors, against two or three opponents, always with more people from Diniz’s team than than rivals.

Fernando Diniz needs to write about what he does and how he trains and it will be indispensable literature for coaches both here and in Europe. There are advances in the way of playing shyly exposed in the Brazilian Championship, some brought by foreign coaches, others by our own professionals.

Flamengo is not in it, because Dorival Júnior has a team with empty spaces allowed to rivals, similar to what happened when Renato Gaúcho was praised, on the eve of the Libertadores 2021 final.

The difference is the result. Renato was fired, Dorival considered for the selection after one lost and another won the Libertadores.

Luís Castro has the exact tone to understand Brazil. He says that we analyze the game based on the quality of the players, as if it were an individual sport, only played by eleven against eleven.

This is one of the aspects that need to change in the coming years, the collective understanding. It is not about training ball players, but professionals in a sport where there is less and less space and, therefore, it must be played with rehearsal and attack and defense strategies.

The other is political. There will be no quality as long as advisers influence weak presidents to change coaches every five games. There were 23 exchanges in 38 rounds. In England, nine. Less training sequence, more dependence on the individual game.

A Brazilian player, Scarpa will have to score more and touch the ball less to do well in England.

THE REFLEX

The first World Cup with Brazilians called up from clubs abroad was in 1982: Falcão and Dirceu. Today, there are 23 out of 26, a record. You can’t blame the national team coach. Brazil is no longer a cultural hub of football. It needs to be again.

THE CHANGE

The Brazilian league must be born in 2025, a promise made by those who run football in Brazil. And it has to be the first step, winning or losing the Cup. Either it starts now or Brazil will spend more decades on the cusp of wisdom, and football today lives on knowledge.