The fall of Titans
He never expected the Titans would one day become The Titanic.
Some cursed the coach, some blamed the defence, some rued over the free kick, that Ronaldinho missed in the dying moments.
He switched off the TV thinking, "Is it the unlucky T-shirt, or did I sit on the wrong side of the sofa?"
posted by b a l a j i at 5:57 AM
4 Comments:
Bala,
Ah..thats why they lost.
I was thinking it was because of me sitting down on the floor.
srivat,
it could be even because of subbu lying down.
Its none of it. Its the way the brazil has played check this article out to know more
South American World Cup view
By Tim Vickery
South American football reporter
The most surprising aspect of Brazil's World Cup defeat was that many people were so shocked.
Brazil's display against France was not significantly worse than anything they had produced previously in the tournament - the difference this time was the quality of the opposition.
Back in Brazil the endless post-mortems hark on about the team's lack of fighting spirit and a collective siesta at a free-kick - as if determination and concentration were magic words capable of winning World Cup quarter-finals on their own.
The real reasons for Brazil's defeat have more to do with football, with the performance of Zinedine Zidane making that abundantly clear.
The French number 10 gave a masterclass, stamping his quality on the game, setting the rhythm, prompting and probing and bringing the best out of his team-mates.
Where was the Brazilian equivalent? The sad fact is that Brazilian football is struggling to produce such midfield maestros.
The ability in the forward line is not a myth, Brazil can call on some truly extraordinary players.
But in football the stars appear when the team is working well and Brazil's passing and movement were too laboured to make their talent count.
They were a team dependent on sporadic moments of individual genius.
Against Ghana a linesman's error got them out of trouble. Against France they were beyond saving.
The magic quartet was built for the counter-attack. It worked like a dream a year ago in the final of the Confederations Cup. Argentina, understrength and exhausted, went out to attack, Brazil picked them off on the break and won 4-1.
But in the World Cup more cautious opponents pulled men behind the ball to take away the possibility of the counter-attack and Brazil lacked the midfield guile to break them down.
Ronaldinho selflessly struggled to provide it. For the first four games he dropped deeper and tried to thread passes through to the strikers. He had some success but it was clearly a sacrifice.
At Barcelona he has won over the world operating higher up the field, on the left flank. The ball arrives at his feet some 40 metres from goal, a distance that always gives him a chance to cut in and hit the penalty area.
He moved up front against France but the ball seldom came. Juninho came in to stiffen the midfield and his tears during the national anthem were an early indication that the occasion was too big for him.
Brazil used to parade central midfielders such as Didi, Gerson and Clodoaldo, Toninho Cerezo and Falcao.
They have not been replaced, a development that Brazilian football treats with an alarming passivity. The reasons for the change are complex - but some of it has to do with money.
Nowadays even a promising eight-year-old is dreaming of the move to Real Madrid, the house he will buy his mother and the big car he will drive.
The easiest way to catch the eye and fulfil the dream is to play up front and score the goals.
And if he makes the big time then Brazil's multi-national sponsors will base their marketing on his individual ability.
Brazil's stars are now global celebrities. They are great players, who deserve their success with European clubs. They genuinely tried to pull together and win the World Cup for their country.
But without more imaginative midfield play they lacked the tools to complete the job.
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