World Cup 2010: Under Dunga, Brazil trades style for substance
By Juan Forero
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 10, 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/09/AR2010060902962.htmlBrazil is there, as in every World Cup, a five-time champion that is the perennial favorite to win it all. But when the Selecao takes the field for its first match in South Africa against North Korea on June 15, the team won't be the Brazil of Pele, which played "the beautiful game," or the Brazil of the 1982 World Cup, which was so gifted that its attack was compared to poetry in motion.
Gone is the razzle and dazzle.
What Brazil brings to the world stage this time is pragmatism, workmanlike teamwork, hustle. Ronaldinho, a temperamental star who at his best is perhaps the best in the world, did not make the cut. Instead, Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri, the head coach better known as Dunga, has built a team on defense. Goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who excelled at Inter Milan, is the anchor, and among six sterling defensive midfielders will be tough enforcers such as Lucio and Maicon.
It is not pretty, say irked fans in Brazil, who place nearly as much importance on style as winning. But the new team's mantra is do anything it takes to bring home the World Cup title, and few doubt that Dunga's squad will, at the very least, make the semifinals.
"We have stars here, but they must play together on the field because that is the most important thing," Dunga told reporters in late May. "We have to play as a team or we will not progress."
So far, that formula -- preparation, teamwork, caution -- has helped make Brazil a team to fear in South Africa. Under Dunga, Brazil won the Confederations Cup in South Africa last June and the Copa America in 2007. In World Cup qualifying matches, the Brazilians conceded only a handful of goals and throttled opponents, including another power, Argentina.
For years, Brazil fielded teams of spectacular strikers, from Pele to Ronaldinho to Ronaldo, who has scored more World Cup goals than any other player. They were the stars who embodied the traditional Brazilian way of playing soccer: fast-flowing, offensive-minded, full of trickery, creativity and almost dancelike ball movements. It is a style that, in essence, reflects the soul of the South American giant.
But in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Ronaldo was criticized for showing up overweight and Ronaldinho failed to ignite the team. France unceremoniously dumped Brazil in the quarterfinals, triggering recriminations as the nation began a collective soul-searching.
Enter Dunga, 46, who brings a decidedly militaristic approach to coaching.
As a player, he learned from the disciplined, defensive-minded German and Italian schools of soccer. On the Selecao, he patrolled the middle of the pitch as a defensive midfielder in the 1990s. In 1994, he was captain of the squad that won the World Cup in the United States. He wears a drill sergeant's crew cut and says little to reporters.
Once he was named coach, one of the first things he did was ban reporters and fans from practices. And then he got down to work, announcing that no one player was bigger than the famous yellow shirt that represents the country.
He got rid of Ronaldinho and also cut Adriano, another superstar. That does not mean the team does not possess some magic. Dunga kept an explosive striker in Robinho, a washout at Manchester City who now plays for Santos back in Brazil. The playmaker is the creative Kaka, who plays for Real Madrid in Spain's La Liga and is known for his work ethic.
But the heart of the team -- and the emphasis -- is on defense. It means smothering offensive-minded teams, leaving them exhausted while controlling the ball and looking for the swift counterattack. The back line that Dunga has put together is perhaps the best in the game.
"These players are winners," Dunga told reporters in Sao Paulo last month. "There is no doubt that they are prepared to help Brazil reach its goal.
Kaka, who is 28 and played in the World Cup four years ago, told London's Observer newspaper that he and the other players believe in Dunga's approach.
"Dunga captained Brazil in two World Cups and was always one of those players who loved playing for his country," he said. "He has always stressed an idea of equality in the group and that was important for confidence. The results are there."
Lucio, captain of the team, recently had this to say about his coach's philosophy: "To those who complain about style, I just say nothing is more beautiful than winning."
Alex Bellos, author of "Futebol: The Brazilian Way," a book about Brazil's love affair with the sport, said the team of today is, in a way, a metaphor for modern Brazil, economically vibrant, efficient, an increasingly influential and serious player on the world stage.
"They're sort of tough and swarthy and sensible and reliable," Bellos said by phone from England.
The oddsmakers have the Selecao playing for the championship against Spain, which in this World Cup is the team known for heady stars and creative play. Bellos, though, said that even this Brazilian team will delight fans.
"They are the favorites because you cannot beat them," he said. "They may not be that fancy.
But even the most donkey-like Brazilian is a ballerina compared to players in most countries."
