WORLD CUP 2014: WHY DID I DISMISS BRAZIL FROM THE LIST OF LEGITIMATE CONTENDERS?

Now, after the new calamity entered Brazilian football folklore, after the collapse which befell the Brazilians at Bello Horizonte, it's time to explain why from the first moments of this World Cup I dismissed Brazilian chances, using expression "disjointed team". It all started before the final of the Club World Cup match between FC Barcelona and Santos, won by Barcelona comfortably 4:0. Prior to that game, Brazilian press, pundits, and many more, were expecting Santos victory and Neymar's first big win on the world stage. What followed was the total humiliation of Neymar and Santos, who reminded me of boys playing against intelligent, professional team, guided by brilliant coach. I saw football as played by the great technically and tactically Barcelona against gifted technically individual players of Santos, totally falling apart in midfield and in defense. Messi scored twice and look like a wise man in comparison to Neymar. From the first match of this tournament I could see how a team like Croatia was able to start taking apart the Brazilians, yet soon the referee and the linesman interjected themselves into the game, Neymar scored twice, and Brazilians were able to win 3:1. Out of four defensive players, only one Thiago Silva could defend, whereas Dani Alves, David Luiz and Marcelo, cared about nothing but about glory awaiting them at the opponents goal, so they roam forward most of the times, whereas nobody from the midfield tries to secure their vacant defensive positions. One can understand one, sometimes even two defenders joining the attack, but three of them? The midfield usually consisted of two or three defensive holding players. However, when those holding players were taking care of defensive duties in midfield, there were only Neymar and Hulk on the flanks, left responsible for creating the game. In most of the other disciplined teams that would have been fine but not in this Brazilian team. Both Neymar and Hulk, are players on a mission for personal glory. Also, Neymar is young and doesn't know better, even though he spent one seaon in La Liga. Instead of trying to do some playmaking and create occasions from flanks for the poor centre-forward, Fred, they most of the time cut in from the flanks toward the middle and attempted to score themselves. Because of this egotistical play, playmaking did not exist in this Brazilian team, whereas the centre-forward has been left most of the time isolated among the opposing defenders. Neymar from time to time was successful, thanks to his unpredictability, yet it was not enough. More good would have been done by him, or by Hulk, if they created spaces with dribbling on flanks and then by passing the ball to Fred, or Oscar, playing a bit behind him. Also, Scolari seeing that Neymar and Hulk play immature egotistical football, should have instead played a proper playmaker, like Hernanes, or Willian more often, yet he did not. I blame Scolari for not being able to force Neymar and Hulk to play for the team, and for not stepping in and introducing creative and team-minding Hernanes and Willian. The only good tactically match the Brazilians played against Colombia, when they used three holding players, who constantly abused James Rodriguez. But again, none of the three looked good in playmaking department, however, Brazilians were lucky as they were able to convert two dead ball plays; the first was the Thiago Silva goal after a corner kick, and the second goal, directly from the free kick by David Luiz. Had the second Colombian goal stood, Brazil would have gotten beaten by the Colombians because their luck on the dead ball plays ran out. How they could dream about beating the brilliant technically, astute tactically but also methodical (as in the old times) German team was beyond my comprehension. I knew and predicted Brazil losing, particularly without Thiago Silva to organize the last four line. I thought Brazilian loss even by two or three goals was possible, but 1:7? After 0:3, it wasn't funny any longer, the whole world had to participate in ritual slaughtering of sacrificial lambs. Brazilian footballing philosophy needs some fresh ideas. Brazil has to wake up and comprehend the fact that all the classy European teams dream to have Brazil on their way in any World Cup, for two reasons: first, because playing against Brazil for footballers all over world is like being touched by God and his glory; second, because it is so easy to beat the Brazilians as they are like children in the fog - they follow their instincts and inner fears instead the tactical templates of their coach. When the players don't have any template of responsive behavior coded into their brain, they immediately are about to fall apart when the fear strikes ... like Brazilian national team in Bello Horizonte did. And that is how Maracanazo was replaced in football folklore with Mineirazo.

Janusz Andrzejewski is a New York City based attorney, writing on legal and other important community topics. You can contact him by telephone (212) 634-4250 or by e-mail: janusz@januszandrzejewski.com

WORLD CUP 2014: BRAZIL EMBRACED AGGRESSION AND REAPED THE REWARD, BUT NOT WITHOUT PAYING THE PRICE

I favored Colombia to beat Brazil, yet they have been eliminated in quarterfinals of World Cup 2014 by the hosts, who came out on to the pitch to make war. The match in Fortaleza was marked by humongous doses of energy, adrenaline and aggression boiling out from the Brazilians, subjected to so much criticism for their poor displays in the prior matches. Their intent was clear: destroy physically Colombia's poster boy, playmaker and executor in one person, James Rodriguez. It appeared that Rodriguez would not finish the match without broken leg or arm, such was the physical abuse he had to suffer from Fernandinho and Co. At one occasion Colombians had to swarm in around Rodriguez, to protect the youngster from Brazilian players, who isolated him during one of plays in the middle of the pitch and manhandled him, almost grotesquely. Thanks to this accumulation of Brazilian aggression and Spanish referee Carlos Carballo's leniency, by allowing the hosts to commit foul after foul, without penalizing them with yellow cards (incidentally, the referee has shown first yellow card only in 64th minute), the Brazilians, at the end, had to pay the price themselves. Thanks to the aggressive posture, Brazilians took the lead early, when after a corner kick Thiago Silva bundled the ball into Colombian goal. After, Brazilians continued with their brutal play, attempting to eliminate Rodriguez. Bewildered by the referee's appeasement of Brazilian aggression, Colombians lost their patience eventually and decided to retort. As a result, Neymar, who himself should have been shown at least a yellow card for almost breaking a leg of a Colombian player, was attacked by Armero who pushed his knee against Neymar's back, causing the young Brazilian to suffer a fractured vertebrae, and to end on a sad not his involvement in World Cup 2014. That Neymar's colleague, Fernandinho, was not expelled from the pitch, or moreover, wasn't even shown a yellow card, for his brutal and constant abuse of James Rodriguez, is mind boggling. The referee whistled 31 Brazilian and 22 Colombian fouls, the highest amount in this World Cup, yet in addition to four yellow cards, he should have shown at least several more yellow and possibly two red cards. Perhaps, if he did so, Brazil still would have fit Neymar to play in this world cup. When Colombia shook off Brazilian aggression and started to get more of the ball's possession and create, suddenly, against run of play, Brazilians were granted a foul 30 yards from Colombia's goal and David Luiz, with his great and emphatic free kick, struck by the inside of his right foot, increased the hosts' lead to 2:0. Colombians threw what they had at the Brazilians but except for the Rodriguez's goal, his six in the tournament, scored from penalty, they were unable to equalize, despite the fact that they scored another goal, ruled out by the referee's assistant who spotted an offside, which wasn't that obvious as too many players were involved in the melee and it was not clear who touched the ball first. Colombia out of this World Cup, but watch out for their youngsters in four years from now. Brazil will play the Germans, without Neymar and Thiago Silva. I do think, that they should be better as a team without Neymar, and we might see more use being made of Fred. Up to now, neither Neymar nor Hulk were interested in creating opportunities for Fred, their no. 9, as they were taking their chances themselves. Perhaps now Brazil will acquire some cohesion and team spirit in their play?

Janusz Andrzejewski is a New York City based attorney, writing on legal and other important community topics. You may contact him by telephone: (212) 634-4250 or through e-mail: janusz@januszandrzejewski.com