In Search of "Joga Bonito"

Disclaimer - I am no expert on football and only follow it around World Cup. And this post is just an outpour so that I can take it out from my system


So here we are. The World Cup is on the verge of its completion.

My Favorite Team - Brazil - is already knocked out of competition. So there are no emotions attached now. Will be watching matches only for the love of the game.

So as is with any end, there comes the time for retrospect and look back. Ideally I would have done it at the end of the Finals but as I said, it doesn’t matter anymore.

Coming back to Brazil's elimination first. Did I really believe that this Brazilian team is going to win the World Cup. Answer is a Yes and a No.

Yes, because it was Brazil. And No because of several reasons which I am mentioning below:

I never liked the attitude and strategy of Dunga the coach. I always liked him as a defender but as a coach I had my reservations.

First and the foremost I did not like him not including Ronaldinho in the team. Agreed he had a forgettable form last season. But a player like Ronaldinho even on bench would have psyched out opposite teams.

Secondly, there was no "Joga Bonito" or "Play Beautifully" this time. This was quite evident from the group stages. And more visibly so in the last group match with Portugal. A very "Cautious" approach resulted in one of the most boring games.

I mean we all love Brazil, but was this the same Brazil we supported over the years. Hmmm..

No fluid flow at the front or the invincible midfield to talk about. Defense looked better this time only to be thoroughly exposed against a quality attack.

Midfield, the backbone of any team, did not have a "fit" playmaker to fall back upon. Just today came to know about the "unfit" Kaka playing in the world cup.

So it all resulted in heartbreak in Quarter finals for millions of Brazilian fans (like me) across the Globe.

The first half was dominated by Brazilians no doubt, but I still can't fathom what happened in second half.

Till that self goal, Holland hadn't created a single opening. The goal should have inspired the five-time champion to produce their best football. The test of a champion side is its ability to perform under pressure when the chips are down. But Brazil never managed to do anything worth mentioning after that. In fact, the equalizer injected kilos of self-belief among the Dutch. They gradually became a more confident side. The second goal came from another needless defensive mistake. A corner was conceded from nowhere and Sneijder did what he was supposed to do. Heading final nail in the coffin.

Ideally Brazil should have bounced back with all its guns blazing, but may be it was not meant to be. They never looked as if they will recover . There was no pang in their attack. It was a classic display on how to lose World Cup in 45 minutes.

Anyways, enough of Post Mortem. Hopefully Brazil will be back with a stronger, more creative side in 4 years time. For all its limitations, every Brazilian fan knew this was a strong team. And deserved to be at least in last 4 or even in the Finals. Hoping to find "Joga Bonito" in coming days!!!!!


Signing off for now!!!!!

Happy Reading…