Coach Tait has often lamented the absence of games against Brazil. european team In the current cycle of the World Cup, which will be played in Qatar at the end of the year. And the alas exist right: the lack of confrontation against teams from the old continent is one of the biggest in the past seven decades. With only one match against them since the World Cup in Russia, the current cycle has only been overtaken by preparations for the 1954 World Cup – that is, before Brazil became champions for the first time.
In the years prior to that World Cup, which was played in Switzerland, the team had faced only South American opponents apart from a clash with Mexico. Now, there is only one friendly match against Czech Republic played in Prague in March 2019. Brazil won 3–1, reversing – Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Jesus scored twice, with coach Tite’s team scoring goals.
The lack of games with Europeans is mainly driven by the absence of dates. Two factors proved decisive: the accumulation of consecutive matches in the South American qualifiers, prompted by postponements due to the pandemic; and the creation of the League of Nations, which filled practically all the dates available by European teams.
With the end of the qualifiers scheduled for this month, the team will have a maximum of five dates to play friendlies before defining the list of players going into the cup. However, hardly, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) will be able to completely fill them with a struggle against the Europeans. At least one of these games must be against Argentina – either a match rescheduled by the qualifiers, or Superclásico das América, as provided in the contract with the sponsor. The second one will be against an Asian team.
But ever since Brazil made it to the Qatar World Cup, coach Tite has repeatedly reiterated the importance of facing European teams. For him, without these friendships, it is difficult to draw a parallel between Brazil’s current stage in relation to the main teams there.
“We can (at the moment) assess the level of the European qualifiers and the level of the South American qualifiers,” Koch said in one of his press conferences. “Frankly, no (you can compare. We can probably answer, but we can’t point it out, so it doesn’t become a shallow talk. We don’t have that confrontation, so it’s doubtful.”
statistical
None of Brazil’s five titles came without at least six clashes with the Europeans before the World Cup. In the not too distant past, matches between Brazilian and European opponents were common. In the pre-World Cup cycle played in the country, for example, in 2014, there were 19 matches. At that time, the number of doubles was increased by the fact that Brazil did not play in the qualifiers, apart from hosting the 2013 Confederations Cup.
However, before that, trips to Europe were common. “We went on tour once a year, played five matches in Europe. I took England, Germany, France, Hungary … you had this contact, you saw what the football was like, the pace, the marking, how they played. Short, this exchange is good. And it’s good for both sides. Tit regrets it”, recalled Tetra coach Carlos Alberto Pereira in a recent interview. estado,
historical
Tite took on Brazil in mid-2016, and before the 2018 World Cup in Russia, they had little room to face teams from Europe. There were five games, including two, with a group of players called to compete in the World Cup.
The lack of conflicts also highlights another disappointing statistic. Of the five titles won by Brazil throughout history, none came without at least six clashes against Europeans prior to the dispute.
The first victory in Sweden, for example, in 1958, was preceded by 14 games against European teams. There were six matches for the 1962 World Cup in Chile. Brazil went to the Copa de Mexico in 1970, with 11 doubles against the Europeans in the bag. In 1994, at the United States World Cup, Tetra came in with 15 matches, with Carlos Alberto Pereira as coach. In the end, 14 games against European teams prepared Brazil for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
