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Santana's stars provide warning from past
By Mark Lowdon for Fifa.com
Brazil will go into the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals with two objectives; to lift the international game's most prestigious honour for a sixth time, and, in doing so, to exhibit a style of football that befits their reputation as the sport’s great entertainers.
Achieving the double target may be a tall order but after winning the FIFA Confederations Cup in such dazzling fashion earlier this year, the consensus is that the Seleção are capable of realizing their goals.
With a quintet of attacking players as rich in talent as coach Carlos Alberto Parreira currently has at his disposal - namely Kaká, Ronaldinho, Robinho, Ronaldo and Adriano – Brazil will inevitably start next year’s World Cup tournament as the overwhelming favourites. But triumphing in Germany is by no means a foregone conclusion and if the class of 2006 require a reminder of this, they need look no further than their predecessors’ ill-fated campaign at the 1982 FIFA World Cup finals.
The Dream Team
Brazil entered Spain 82 as the team to beat. The year previous they had inflicted defeats upon England, France and Germany in their own backyards, as well as winning all four of their World Cup qualifying matches.
Under the tutelage of attack-minded coach Telê Santana, the Auriverde’s team was awash with exciting players. Since his appointment, the tactician had moulded an eleven based around one of the most devastating midfield quartets the Brazilian supporters had ever witnessed.
Toninho Cerezo, who anchored the foursome, was a vital cog in the side and his boundless energy levels and ability to cover ground allowed the more creative talents of Falcão, Sócrates and Zico to flourish. Falcão, a cerebral footballer with the ability to orchestrate play, co-existed effortlessly with Sócrates, an elegant playmaker whose vision, execution of pass and knack of scoring important goals from midfield, was enough to strike fear into opponents. Completing the quartet was the irrepressible Zico, a master of the dribble whose flair was capable of illuminating any game of football.
But the offensive prowess of the Seleção did not stop there. In Leandro and Júnior, they boasted two fullbacks of considerable attacking prestige and in roaming forward Éder they had a player with a unique ability to summon thunderbolts from his left boot.
Misery in Spain
Brazil opened their account by coming from behind to defeat Soviet Union, before cruising to victories over Scotland and New Zealand. Qualifying for the Second Round as Group 6 winners, with the best record of any side in the competition, Telê Santana’s troops were then placed in a three-team group along with defending champions Argentina and Italy, with the winner progressing into the semi-finals.
The Albiceleste had been buoyed by the emergence of Diego Maradona, a young phenomenon threatening to challenge Pelé’s status as the game’s greatest all time player. But inside the Sarria Stadium in Barcelona, it was not Argentina’s brilliant number 10 that inspired his nation to victory but his Brazilian counterpart, Zico. In fact, Maradona was red carded during the closing minutes of the encounter as the Seleção ran out comfortable 3-1 winners.
Telê Santana and his constellation of stars required only a draw from their contest against Italy, to book a place in the competition’s last four, and they were able to take encouragement from the pre-match statistics. Italy had failed to win a single match during the initial phase, progressing as Group 1 runners-up with a record of three draws from three games. Additionally, the Squadra Azzurra had scored just four goals in four games, compared to Brazil’s thirteen.
But on an afternoon of surprise, the Seleção – who enjoyed much the better of possession - crashed out of the competition. Paolo Rossi capitalized upon Brazil’s defensive blunders to score a decisive hat-trick that guaranteed Enzo Bearzot's side a 3-2 win. Brazil had twice equalized through individual goals from Sócrates and Falcão but, ultimately, they were left to rue a number of missed chances – some of which fell to heavily-criticized striker Serginho – and a pre-tournament injury to Guarani goal machine Careca.
Quest
After long deliberation and eventual neglect of his negative instincts, Parreira has finally settled on an adventurous 4-2-2-2 formation. The system incorporates four of Brazil’s five offensive super-talents and the steel provided by midfield workhorses Emerson and Zé Roberto, enables the wingbacks license to join in the attacks.
Significantly, some of the deficiencies that cost Brazil in Spain are no longer apparent. While defensive frailties still exist, in Dida, Brazil has a superior goalkeeper to 1982 number one Waldir Peres and with both Ronaldo and Adriano in attack, there appears to be no danger of chances going begging as they did against Italy.
Off the back of an impressive 2005, the Seleção are promising to recreate the magic of 1982 in Germany next summer - and this time, they’re intent on securing a trophy to go with it.
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