PHILADELPHIA — Brazil — as in the entire nation, fans, media and probably even Christ the Redeemer — was looking for a bounce-back after the disappointment of the 1-1 draw with Morocco in their FIFA World Cup Group C opener last week. (Which, by the way, perhaps should have been more of a contained disappointment, given Brazil, sixth FIFA World Ranking, sit just one spot ahead of Morocco … but then when you have five stars on your jersey, the bar is set very high.)
They got it with a 3-0 victory against Haiti, wrapping up the game by halftime and seeing some of the most scapegoated players after the Morocco draw either perform considerably better (Lucas Paquetá, Casemiro) or not perform at all, because they were left out altogether (Roger Ibañez, Igor Thiago), which is what public opinion wanted.
They also got two goals from Matheus Cunha, who showed he can be a viable World Cup center forward, and a standout performance from Vinícius Júnior, who chipped in with a goal and an assist and seemed much more present in the game than against Morocco.
All well then? Normal service resumed? Not quite.
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Raphinha had to limp off after 39 minutes with a muscular injury (he’ll undergo tests on Sunday) and the fact that he was replaced by Rayan, who is 19 and an entirely different profile (as coach Carlo Ancelotti himself pointed out postmatch) suggests Brazil will need to redraw their script if the Barcelona star is unavailable.
And then there’s the fact that it was, well, Haiti. After a physical, intense start they ran out of steam and Brazil’s technical superiority came to the fore.
You can only beat what’s in front of you, true, but for many, the jury will still be out. Not necessarily for Ancelotti, however.
“Every game is hard,” he said when asked whether Friday night’s performance would have sufficed against, say, France. “Obviously France is stronger than Haiti. But I think we can compete with anyone, including France … and including Haiti.”
What’s pretty clear too is that Ancelotti needs — and will use — a bunch of contingency plans. He wouldn’t commit to Cunha at center forward, despite the two goals, saying: “For this game, Mateus Cunha was the right profile to create problems for their defense .., he could be a solution for the next game … or I might change it.”
Why? Partly because Cunha may be needed deeper, in the role he often plays for Manchester United. And partly because he doesn’t want to shut the door on Igor Thiago or, just as importantly, Endrick.
The teenage striker (he turns 20 years on Sunday) has been hailed as some kind of savior by parts of Brazilian media unhappy with the other center forward options, rather than a guy who has scored all of six goals for club and country in the past 12 months. Endrick entered with half an hour to go to rousing applause, scored a goal that was then disallowed and did little more to stand out. He may be the answer up front, but if he is, it will depend on the questions the opposition asks of Brazil and not on sheer talent (and hype) alone.
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Brazilian players react to their 3-0 victory over Haiti
Ancelotti’s contingency plan extends to the formation, too. When Paqueta — Brazil’s best passer, by some distance, especially with Raphinha out — came off, Ancelotti changed the entire system into a de facto 4-2-4, with Gabriel Martinelli and Rayan wide and Vinícius and Endrick through the middle.
It’s the sort of setup that effectively bypasses the middle of the park, but one worth trying. You’re short on passing midfielders, long on wingers: Life gives you lemons, make lemonade. It also brings Vinícius closer to the goal, which is important given the form he’s in.
“Vini was dangerous in that role, not just with his one-on-ones, but with his movement and passing too, he had a very good game,” Ancelotti said, before cracking a joke. “Will this be Vini’s World Cup? I don’t want it to be his World Cup … I want it to be Brazil’s World Cup!”
The Seleção needed a mental boost, and this should do it. They petered out a bit in the second half when the intensity dropped, but that’s understandable — no point in running up the score. “We also need to think about the upcoming games,” Ancelotti said.
But cycle back to Ancelotti’s earlier quote, the one where he talks about Brazil being able to “compete” with anyone. That’s the kind of term newly-promoted club teams or countries in their first-ever World Cup use: compete. This is the green-and-gold with the five stars.
Especially in the city of Rocky Balboa, this isn’t necessarily going to fly. After all, when Adrian woke up from her coma in “Rocky II,” she didn’t say “Compete, Rocky, compete!” She said “WIN!”
But for this Brazil side — gifted, but certainly not the most gifted in the tournament — that might actually be the path to the “W.” Some teams they won’t be able to outplay, they’ll have to outfight and outstrip, outsmart and outcompete. A bit like Rocky did.
