Brazil at the World Cup

Manager: Dunga
Captain: Lucio
FIFA World Ranking: 1
World Cup Appearances: 18
World Cup Winner – 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002

Profile:

No World Cup would be the same without a bit of samba and it’s a pleasure to say that Brazil are well on course to book their rightful place in the South African World Cup next year. Their record in world cups is immense but what’s more staggering is that Brazil have never failed to qualify for a World Cup. That’s an immense feat and one that very few countries can boast. In fact, only Brazil can boast such a record and it comes as little surprise that every country fears the silky Brazilians.

Brazil will not only be a huge presence at this years finals but they’ll also be one of the frontrunners to win the competition outright. They have a squad more than capable of winning the world cup and every country will dread playing the Brazilians. Kaka, Robinho, Luis Fabiano & captain Lucio are to name but a few of the stars that could and should shine in South Africa 2010.

Manager:

With success comes great responsibility and the pressure of the most successful footballing nation will land upon the shoulders of former Brazilian great -Dunga, who already, has come under a fair bit of criticism in his time as manager. Dunga has tried to transform the Brazilians into a complete package rather then just being a phenomenal force in attack. For years, Brazil have been a force to be reckoned with in the final third but their defence has generally been their weakness and unfortunately, that hasn’t changed despite Dunga’s best efforts.

Dunga was of course a former Brazilian international and was capped no less then 91 times for his country, scoring 9 goals along the way. He won the greatest prize of them all when he guided Brazil to the World Cup back in 1994 as captain. Although he has added the FIFA Confederations Cup to his managerial CV as Brazil manager, he will desperate to get his hands on another World Cup and with the likes of Kaka, Robinho and Fabiano at his disposal, who could doubts his sides credentials.

Dunga only needs the World Cup to complete an historic treble as manager of Brazil. In 2007 he led Brazil to the Copa America, 2009 seen him win the FIFA Confederations Cup so victory in South Africa would see his name enter the history books despite Brazil not playing the attractive football the Brazilian supporters demand.

Key Players:

Lucio -

In what does look a precarious Brazilian back line, Lucio will look to be the calming influence. The Bayern Munich defender was given the armband back in 2006 and has not only repaid Dunga with some fine performances in defence but his last-gasp winner in the Confederations Cup final against USA earlier this year helped guide Brazil to the 2009 title. That’s what sets Lucio apart from most defenders – his ability to not only be Brazil’s rock at the back but his ability to also assert his aerial presence in the oppositions box. Not only that but  he can also strut his stuff with the ball at his feet and isn’t afraid to stride forward and help out in attack. What more do you want from a defender?

Kaka -

Words cannot do justice to how talented Kaka is and Real Madrid showed the entire footballing world how much they rated the former AC Milan player-maker when they shelled out around £60,000,000 for the Brazilian maestro, and we know he’s worth every penny. Every team needs a match winner if they want to win trophy’s and Brazil certainly have that in Kaka – There literally isn’t anything this lad cannot do. Bags of skill, immense pace and a lean shot makes for one lethal player. We feel sorry for any defence that has to face Kaka in the forthcoming World Cup, hopefully not England.

Strengths:

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Brazil’s most effective inventory is their attacking prowess. They have so many quality forwards that it puts other country’s to shame. Robinho & Kaka will be a handful for any defence while Luis Fabiano has been prolific in front of goal for Brazil. Dunga’s side will look to open up opposing defences with their lightening fast breakaways and you’ll often see Brazil scoring on the counter as their pace of attack is frightening.

Weakness:

It’s all dandy having a world class attack but if you can’t keep it tight at the back then you’ve got a big problem. Despite possessing the likes of Lucio, Maicon and Santos at the back, Brazil still find themselves extremely vulnerable in defence. The cause of the problem is their attacking mentalitiy as even their defenders cannot help but join the forwards in attack. Santos and Maicon will often bomb down the flanks, which is often very profitable for Brazil, while Lucio can be seen making the occasional forward run as well. All these forward thinking defenders is suicidal and their defence was exposed on more then one occasion in the 2009 Confederations Cup. Dunga will have his work cut out eradicating Brazil’s defensive frailties in time for the real test, in South Africa..

Qualification:

Sector: South America
Current Position: 1st
Win-Draw-Lose: 7-6-1
Goals Scored: 25
Goals Conceded: 6

Qualifying statistics:

Brazil are on the verge of stretching their record of 18 successive World Cup appearances.
With just 6 goals conceded in qualification, Brazil hold the best defensive record thus far in South America.
Brazil’s superiority in the final third has tolled with 25 goals in 14 games in qualifying.
Brazil’s only defeat in qualifying came against second placed Paraguay, losing 2-0.
Luis Fabiano has been found the net on seven occasions in qualifying. Kaka follows close behind with 5 goals.
Goalkepper Julio Cesar has spent the most amount of time on the pitch at 1260 minutes but Lucio’s playing time of 1170 minutes is the most for a Brazilian outfield player.

World Cup potential:           4/5

It won’t be a shock to say that Brazil could go all the way and record their six World Cup success on South African soil. However, despite being one of the favourites, we aren’t too confident in Brazil actually winning outright in 2010. Although their defensive record in qualifying is very impressive, their flaws were exposed for everyone to see at the FIFA Confederations Cup earlier in the year and they look too vulnerable at the back for our liking. Brazil are still a big contender for the title but we feel others have stronger claims.

Current World Cup Odds:         5/1 – Bet365

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