The Brazil fans are wearing T-shirts which proclaim that 'Tite is better than Guardiola' and for 45 minutes last night their team seemed to have brought a new dimension to the World Cup, demonstrating that the relentless press of these times is not necessary when you have players who can wait for their moment and then propel the ball around like volts of electricity.
But the search for an understanding of who might emerge as the tournament's threat remains elusive. After a Switzerland equaliser which asked uncomfortable questions about the Brazil defence, the Europeans were allowed to bully the five-time winners out of the game.
There were recriminations about the way that Manuel Akanji seemed to have his hands on Gabriel Jesus in the penalty area, 16 minutes from time — an incident which the ranks of fully kitted video referees did not see fit to draw attention to. But the unvarnished truth is that Tite's players went far too easily to ground too often and could not maintain the rhythm and control which made their opening 45 minutes of the tournament seem such a statement of intent.
0 Comments