Palmeiras returns to the World Cup rested and with more tactical variations

A year after registering the weakest campaign of a South American team in the Club World Cup, Palmeiras has the chance to seek a better result. On Tuesday (8) of next week, the alviverde team will debut in the 2021 edition of the tournament, trying to leave the bad memories of 2020 behind.

This time, with significant changes in the squad and a longer preparation time, there is the expectation of fighting for the title. Something that was distant in the previous competition, with defeats to Tigres (MEX) in the semifinals and to Al Ahly (EGI) in the dispute for third place.

Never has a team from South America finished the World Cup without at least one triumph. The four representatives from the continent who previously lost their debut match —Internacional (2010), Atlético-MG (2013), Nacional-COL (2016) and River Plate (2018)— prevailed in the duel for third place.

Shortly after the failure of 2020 – already in 2021, in the run-down pandemic calendar, which also left the 2021 decision for 2022 –, coach Abel Ferreira said that the group was leaving Qatar with “scars”. But he noted that the brands would make players “better prepared to respond in the future”.

The possibility of giving that answer presents itself now, in the United Arab Emirates, but not all who were part of the bad campaign will have the opportunity of redemption. Three of the holders in the match with Al Ahly —Viña, Felipe Melo and Willian— are no longer in the squad. Luiz Adriano is also close to leaving.

None of the departures interferes with Abel’s plans to repeat the formation used in the game that won the Copa Libertadores in November. The lineup was used again in the debut match this season, the 2-0 victory over Novorizontino, and it was only not repeated in the sequence because the holders Weverton and Gustavo Gómez were in the service of their national teams.

With no injury problems or other unforeseen events, Palmeiras will face the winner of the clash between Monterrey (MEX) and Al Ahly with: Weverton; Mayke, Luan, Gustavo Gómez and Piquerez; Danilo, Zé Rafael, Gustavo Scarpa and Raphael Veiga; Dudu and Ron.

With Luiz Adriano down and close to goodbye, there is no typical striker. The board looked for a man for the position and even had advanced negotiations with the Argentine Lucas Alario, from Bayer Leverkusen (ALE), but was not successful in the negotiation.

Even so, the team is very different from the one that failed in the previous edition of the World Cup. There were pieces incorporated into the squad throughout 2021, in the case of striker Dudu, and newcomers who offer options to Abel: Marcelo Lomba, Murilo, Jailson, Atuesta and Rafael Navarro.

For Paulo Vinicius Coelho, columnist for leaf, the current team has more ability to build plays with the ball at their feet. There is still strength in the counterattack, but there is a greater variation in strategies. Without changing the names, Palmeiras can alternate systems with three or four athletes on the defensive line.

PVC believes that the scheme will have four defenders if the opponent in the debut is Monterrey, who usually play in 4-1-4-1, with a variation to 4-3-3. If the rival is Al Ahly, says the commentator, the green and white formation should have three defenders.

But the distinction of Palmeiras from the 2021 World Cup in relation to Palmeiras from the 2020 World Cup is not only in tactical planning. “The big difference for this year is the preparation time”, says Coelho.

Last year, the World Cup debut took place on February 7, just a week after the triumph over Santos in the Libertadores final. In the extended season, there were 77 games between Paulista, Brasileiro, Copa do Brasil, Libertadores and Mundial.

Now, the problem may be the lack of rhythm, but it’s not fatigue. After the victory over Flamengo in the South American decision, on November 27, Abel Ferreira gave the main players of the squad a vacation. And yourself. Nor was he on the bench in the final three rounds of the Brazilian.

The coach traveled to Portugal to stay with his family and, feeling refreshed, returned to the pre-season on January 5th. Palmeiras started the year easily beating Novorizontino (2-0) and Ponte Preta (3-0). Full of reserves, he drew with São Bernardo (1 to 1).

The team will still face Água Santa, this Tuesday (1st), before departing, on Wednesday (2nd), to the United Arab Emirates. There, with less hurried preparation and more tactical variations than he had in Qatar, he really hopes to fight for the world title.