I like football me.

I LIKE FOOTBALL ME IS ON THE MOVE!!!

2011-08-09T19:52:00.000+01:00

Good evening sports fans.
Your beloved I like football me has moved to its new home at http://ilikefootballme.wordpress.com

The move is just simply down to wanting to try something new in terms of layout and style, and I was getting very frustrated with the Blogger interface...

Please bookmark/favourite the new site and keep following the blog!! There will be plenty more stuff there and I will need everyone's help to get it on the map.

Thanks//Obrigado//Gracias

VISIT THE NEW SITE!

Campeonato Brasileiro 2011 preview: Round 15 (part two)

2011-08-06T18:02:00.001+01:00

Continuing on with the preview of this weekend's Brasileirão, let's turn our attention to Sunday's afternoon matches.

Santos x Ceará (Sunday 7th - 16h00 Pacaembu)

Both Santos and Ceará have been struggling of late, so a win for either side would be vital. Ceará are coming into this game off the back of an extremely disappointing defeat at home to Avaí, where they were completely outplayed and beaten 3x0. Santos, the 2011 Copa Libertadores champions, are also in a poor phase, losing their last three matches and gaining heavy criticism from their supporters.

Against Ceará, Santos should not really have many problems and will more than likely win comfortably. They will be without wonderkid Neymar, who is suspended, but they will still be able to field a strong lineup capable of seeing off the Vozão.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Internacional x Cruzeiro (Sunday 7th - 16h00 Beira-Rio)

Internacional and Cruzeiro face off against one another in Porto Alegre in what could certainly turn out to be the game of the round. Both teams have slumped a little over the past month, but they possess strong squads and we should see in exciting yet even match. Inter and Cruzeiro are both poised to go on a good run of form, and a win in this match could be perfect to kick that off.

Inter remain with several selection issues, Guiñazu, Zé Roberto, Bolatti and Gilberto are all injured, Oscar and Juan are away with the Brazilian U-20 squad, and Kleber and Wilson Matias are suspended. Coach Osmar Loss has been using a 4-5-1 formation recently, but with so many injuries in the midfield, it is expected that he will have to change his shape.

Cruzeiro aren't without their own problems either, Thiago Ribeiro and Roger remain on the sidelines injured, but coach Joel Santana can still count on Montillo and Wallyson going forward. This will be an intriguing match, where we should see some goals and excitement. In my opinion, Cruzeiro will come through as narrow winners, but in truth this game could go either way.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Atlético-PR x Corinthians (Sunday 7th - 16h00 Arena da Baixada)

Leaders Corinthians continue on their run of favourable fixtures, in the past week they have faced 17th placed Avaí, 20th placed América and now they take on Atlético Paranaense in 19th place. This game could be dangerous though, as o Furacão have hit some decent form of late and look tough to beat at home in Curitiba.

Corinthians have had their leader credentials well tested over the past few weeks, and some cracks are beginning to appear. Their defence does not look as assured as it was earlier in the season, and some particularly poor performances from young goalkeeper Renan has now made coach Tite axe him in favour of their terribly inexperienced third goalkeeper Danilo Fernandes. With their opponents visibly rattled by recent results, Atlético will be going all out for the upset.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

América-MG x Fluminense (Sunday 7th - 16h00 Arena do Jacaré)

InternaciIn the last of Sunday's afternoon matches América Mineiro host last year's champions Fluminense in Sete Lagoas. América, currently in 20th position in the league standings, have been in some real trouble of late and team morale appears to be at an all-time low. Fan's favourite Givanildo has came in as their new manager to try and steady the ship, but they will find it extremely hard against this Fluminense side.

Fluminense coach Abel Braga looks to have finally settled into the job and Fluminense are on their best run of form of this season so far. This week the club has been rocked with speculation surrounding the possible exit of national team striker Fred, with the 27 year old claiming he has recieved death threats from certain sections of the Fluminense support. They will continue without him this weekend, with Rafael Moura and Rafael Sobis playing up front.

In Brasil, scandals like this often seem to affect on-field performance, but Fluminense are looking too good at this moment and should win this match comfortably.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

There you have it, Sunday's afternoon games all previewed. The final part of the preview is coming soon, a look at the three matches on Sunday evening, which includes an interesting clássico.

Campeonato Brasileiro 2011 preview: Round 15 (part one)

2011-08-05T22:32:00.001+01:00

The 2011 Brasileirão continues this weekend with another card full of interesting ties and a nice clássico on Sunday night. Read on for previews of the weekend, starting with the three matches on Saturday.

Palmeiras x Grêmio (Saturday 6th - 18h30 Canindé)

Round 15 kicks off with an interesting clash between two traditional giants, Palmeiras and Grêmio. Both sides came away with a draw in Round 14, but the morale in the respective camps could not be more different. Palmeiras were away from home against Coritiba, and despite playing a large portion of the second half with only ten men, they managed to draw 1x1. Grêmio were at home to Atlético Mineiro and drew 2x2 after conceding a very late goal. Grêmio coach Julinho Camargo was sacked the following day after only 33 days in charge, and he has been swiftly replaced by Celso Roth, who will be managing the Tricolor for the fourth time.

Palmeiras will be without Luan and Thiago Heleno who are suspended, but they should be buoyed by the inclusion of centre-back Henrique for his first start since returning to the club from Barcelona. Playmaker Douglas returns for Grêmio, and he will play in Roth's favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. Grêmio may be able to pull off a surprise result as so often occurs when a team brings in a new manager, but Palmeiras have a great record against Grêmio and are heavily favoured in this one.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Flamengo x Coritiba (Saturday 6th - 18h30 Engenhão)

In Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo will be trying to continue their assault on leaders Corinthians with a home match against Coritiba. Fresh from a vital 1x0 win over Cruzeiro, Ronaldinho Gaúcho &co will take the game to Coritiba and are clear favourites to win. Coritiba played well against Palmeiras on Wednesday, but could not find a winning goal and left very disappointed with their 1x1 draw.

Flamengo are without Ronaldo Angelim and Airton - suspended after picking up a third yellow card against Cruzeiro - but will have battling midfielder Willians back in the team. Coritiba should field the same side that played against Palmeiras, the only change should be the inclusion of Jonas ahead of Maranhão at right back. Coxa will give it everything they've got against Flamengo, but a resounding win for the home side is the safest bet.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Atlético-MG x Figueirense (Saturday 6th - 21h00 Ipatingão)

Atlético Mineiro take on Figueirense in Saturday's late game. Despite an excellent and unexpected win over Botafogo mid-week, this is a Figueirense side that appear to be losing momentum and feeling the pressure. Atlético Mineiro look to be returning to form after a disappointing start and will be expected to win this one and climb up the table.

O Galo will make one change to the side that drew with Grêmio on Wednesday, with Giovanni Augusto entering in the place of the suspended Caio. Dorival Junior should keep the team in the same 3-5-2 shape with André and Magno Alves up front. This will be a closer game than some are predicting, but I would still expect Galo to come out on top.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

There you go, that's all of Saturday's games done, I'll be back very soon with the seven Sunday games, both afternoon and evening.

Campeonato Brasileiro 2011 preview: Round 14 (part two)

2011-08-03T20:19:00.002+01:00

We are back with the preview for Round 14 of the 2011 Brasileirão, we still have two move games tonight to cover, and then tomorrow's match-ups.

Cruzeiro x Flamengo (Wednesday 3rd - 21h50 Arena do Jacaré)

Cruzeiro host Flamengo in Sete Lagoas in what is certainly this week’s headline match. The home side have had some difficulties of late and after some good performances in the past month or so, they have now suffered two straight defeats against lesser opponents. Sitting in mid-table, they will be desperate to claw their way back up into a Copa Libertadores place. Cruzeiro are still without Thiago Ribeiro and Roger, but will have a strong line-up to call upon.

Flamengo are the league's form team at the moment and they remain as the only unbeaten side in the Brasileirão. Craque Ronaldinho Gaúcho is hitting form and sits at the top of the goalscoring charts, while Thiago Neves is putting in some excellent performances in the midfield. On paper, this one looks like a nailed-on Flamengo win, but Cruzeiro have an uncanny knack of beating Flamengo, in fact they have been victorious in the last six league meetings between the sides. Expect an even game without many goals.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Coritiba x Palmeiras (Wednesday 3rd - 21h50 Couto Pereira)

The last time that Coritiba and Palmeiras met at the Couto Pereira, the home side recorded a historic win, defeating Palmeiras 6x0 in the Copa do Brasil. Times have changed now, Palmeiras are a much stronger side who are secure in defence and Coritiba's momentum seems to have slowed down.

Palmeiras welcome back ídolos Marcos and Kleber to the starting 11, and new signing Henrique makes in the squad, although he will most likely start on the bench. Coritiba are the favourites for this one, despite Palmeiras' high league position. This should be an interesting match, with Coritiba investing their hopes in their attack and Palmeiras doing the same only in defence. Expect a tight scoreline, perhaps even a 0x0 draw with plently of missed chances.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

São Paulo x Bahia (Thursday 4th - 21h00 Morumbi)

Moving on to Thursday's games, we start at the Morumbi as São Paulo take on Bahia. New São Paulo boss Adílson Batista has had a pretty unconvincing start to his reign, especially at home. His only two home games in charge have ended in disappointment, with a defeat to Vasco and a draw against Atlético-GO. On Thursday they will be looking to bounce back against a Bahia side struggling in defence.

Bahia are a side that have been suffering from similar problems, they have managed good results against big sides away from home, but their home form is lamentable. O tricolor baiano should make it very difficult for São Paulo, and if their defence can manage to stop São Paulo's wonderkid Lucas, they might just be able to sneak a result.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Fluminense x Internacional (Thursday 4th - 21h00 Engenhão)

Internacional travel to Rio de Janeiro to take on a rejuvenated Fluminense side at the Engenhão, and with the return of some key players for the away side, we could be in for a cracking match. Since Abel Braga took over as Fluminense boss, the morale amongst the squad has beed good, but results have been poor. Last weekend though, Flu managed a 4x0 win over Ceará in what was certainly their best performance of the season so far. Forwards Fred, Souza and Marquinho all seem to be in good form, and they will certainly be very hard to beat at the moment.

Their opponents Internacional are trying to pull themselves out of a disappointing phase, littered with injury problems and unconvincing results. However striker Leandro Damião will make his return against Flu and when he is in the side the whole team seem to function better. Zé Roberto is still injured and Oscar and Juan are with the Brazilian under-20 squad, but Inter are starting to get their big men back. This promises to be an excellent game, both sides are needing the points and there should be goals.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Atlético-GO x Atlético-PR (Thursday 4th - 21h00 Serra Dourada)

The last game of the weekend sees a battle of the atléticos as Atlético Goianiense take on Atlético Paranaense in Goiânia. This match may be forgotten amongst the other more high profile encounters, but it promises to be an intriguing game with both sides making big improvements over the past few weeks. The home side are unbeaten in their last three games, and when you consider those games were against São Paulo, Cruzeiro and then Internacional, that is even more impressive.

Atlético Paranaense, o Furacão, had a terrible start to this year's campaign, only picking up two points in their first ten matches. However, wins against Botafogo and Santos (a thrilling 3x2) in the past ten days has breathed new life into the players and lifted them up off the bottom of the league. The signing of Uruguayan striker Santiágo 'Morro' García has given their attack some much-needed firepower and who knows how far this resurgence can take them.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Campeonato Brasileiro 2011 preview: Round 14 (part one)

2011-08-03T01:54:00.003+01:00

We are rapidly approaching the half-way point already in this year's Brasileirão and the league table is really starting to take shape. Round 14 is another midweek round and we have all twenty teams in action in some potentially fantastic match-ups.

Corinthians x América-MG (Wednesday 3rd - 19h30 Pacaembu)

League leaders Corinthians kick-off Round 14 with a home game against bottom-side América. Playing at home in São Paulo, Corinthians will be widely expected to dispatch of o Coelho rather easily and pick up another three points, but things may not be that simple. On Sunday, Corinthians suffered their first loss away from home this season against 19th placed Avaí and that has definitely left an air of doubt and uncertainty around the Timão squad.

On the other hand, América are going through some tough times of their own. With one win from thirteen games and a goal difference of -14, this is a side that has really struggled since their promotion this year. Fan's favourite Givanildo Oliveira has taken over as manager to try and steady the ship, but he will only be watching from the stands on Wednesday night. With the return of Corinthians captain Chicão, and the obvious gap in quality between the two sides, I would expect nothing less than a convincing win for the home side in this one.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Grêmio x Atlético-MG (Wednesday 3rd - 19h30 Estádio Olímpico)

Over in Porto Alegre, we have a battle between two underachievers as Grêmio host Atlético-MG. Both of these sides are traditionally big clubs in Brasil, but at this stage of the championship they both find themselves hovering precociously above the relegation zone. Without a win in their last three games, Grêmio go in to this one absolutely desperate for points. Manager Julinho Camargo has only been in charge for a month and already he is under pressure. Grêmio will more than likely be without forward André Lima, who is suffering from a muscle strain, young Leandro should replace him.

Atlético have actually been making some progress over the past few weeks under new coach Dorival Junior, but they have been hurt by some very unfortunate defeats, particularly Saturday's 3x2 loss to Palmeiras. O Galo have Dudu Cearense and Toró back from suspensions, and it is expected that ex-Santos and Dynamo Kiev striker André will get his first start for the club alongside Magno Alves. This is certainly going to be a close match, with goals from both sides expected. It is very hard to pick a winner here, but if I was a betting man my money would be on a score draw.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Figueirense x Botafogo (Wednesday 3rd - 19h30 Orlando Scarpelli)

Despite a fabulous start to the season, newly promoted Figueirense appear to be in freefall. Figueira are without a win in their last six league games and are dropping down the league table at an alarming rate. On Wednesday night they host Botafogo, who appear to be on the opposite trajectory after winning their last two games.

Botafogo should field the same side that defeated Cruzeiro at the weekend, the only change being Fábio Ferreira returning to the centre of defence. Talismanic Uruguayan striker Sebastián 'Loco' Abreu leads the line alongside Argentine Germán Herrera, and they will both be looking for goals against a fragile Figueirense side.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Ceará x Avaí (Wednesday 3rd - 19h30 Presidente Vargas)

In the last of the early evening games on Wednesday, Ceará host southerners Avaí in a match which sees both teams looking to get their respective campaigns back on track. Ceará started superbly this year, having a great run in the Copa do Brasil and achieving some excellent results in the first few rounds of the Brasileirão. Recently, things have gotten considerably tougher for the Vozão, underlined by their heavy 4x0 defeat at the hands of Fluminense on Sunday.

Avaí have been in trouble ever since the season started. A terrible defence and less than impressive attack sees them firmly in the relegation zone, but they have started to get things together with their only two wins of the season coming in the last two weeks. However on Wednesday night they will have an extra obstacle to overcome, as the climates in the north and south of Brasil differ greatly, especially at this time of year. Today in Avaí's home town Florianópolis, the temperature reached a maximum of 16 degrees celsius, while in Fortaleza, where Wednesday's game will be played, the temperature reached 28 degrees celsius. This is often very taxing on players from the south, and it gives Ceará a clear advantage on Wednesday night.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Vasco x Santos (Wednesday 3rd - 21h50 São Januário)

Going on to Wednesday's late games, Vasco face Santos in what is a truly mouthwatering tie for the neutral supporter. Vasco are in superb form of late and are unbeaten in their last five matches, whilst Santos come in to this game off the back of two consecutive defeats.

The home side will be without a few important players, star man Juninho Pernambucano will miss out through injury, and left-backs Julinho and Márcio Careca are both suspended. Jumar should continue to deputise at left-back, and Eduardo Costa will come in to replace Juninho. Santos have no new selection worries and should play the same side that lost to Atlético Paranaense on Sunday, which means starts for Neymar and Ganso.

Oddly enough, both of these sides are already guaranteed a place in the 2012 Copa Libertadores - Vasco through winning the Copa do Brasil and Santos as reigning Libertadores champions - and in Brasil this sometimes leads to complacency throughout the remainder of the league season. No such complacency should be expected in this match however, and we should see plenty of action and excitement.

EXPECTED FORMATIONS

Without wanting to overload you with information, that will be all for today. I'll be back tomorrow with the second part of the Round 14 review, covering the rest of Wednesday's games and the three ties on Thursday.

Copa América review: BRAZIL

2011-07-25T19:21:00.002+01:00

Now on to the five-time world champions, winners of eight... Ah forget it, they need no introduction. Let's talk about BRAZIL.

After a poor showing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, big changes had to be made to the Seleção with the next World Cup taking place on home soil in 2014. The CBF (the Brazilian football association) moved swiftly, sacking Dunga and bringing in ex-Corinthians and Grêmio boss Mano Menezes. The transformations brought about by Menezes have been well documented and I myself talked about this at length in a previous article over at BornOffside.net (shameless self-promotion, I know!).

Even with the public more focussed on preparing for 2014, anything other than victory still means disappointment in Brazil. This time, the Seleção were eliminated at the hands of Paraguay in the quarter finals after topping Group B. Things started slowly with two draws in their opening two matches, but they secured a vital 4x2 win over Ecuador in their final group game. In the quarter final, Brazil played well and were certainly the better team, but they failed to score and were beaten on penalties.

Mano Menezes' tactics (as touched on in my previous article) were to set up in a 4-2-1-3 formation and attempt to be more creative without relying on counter-attacks. The central midfield duo changed from Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo to the much more athletic Premier League partnership of Lucas Leiva and Ramires. Santos' highly rated midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso sits in the playmaking role behind the three forwards. Menezes tinkered with the shape a little, especially during the group match with Paraguay, but the strategy was generally the same.

Against Venezuela in La Plata, Brazil made a superb start and they were in control for the majority of the match. However, Venezuela's defensive midfield pairing of Rincón and Lucena grew into the tie and marked Ganso very well, forcing Brazil to alter their focus. Ganso's position was far too high for his role, meaning that Brazil struggled to link up their midfield and attack, the only direct link they had was the forward runs of Ramires. However that brought about its own dangers, as whenever Ramiers burst forward his midfield partner Lucas Leiva was left totally exposed to the counter attack.

Formations for Brazil x Venezuela [Note Ganso (10) playing very high, leaving the Brazil shape disjointed]

In the second half Menezes brought on Fred, Lucas and Elano to try and change the match, but the ended up relying on set-pieces and long balls and the match finished 0x0.

Against Paraguay, Menezes altered the formation a little, bringing in Shakhtar Donetsk's Jadson (whom Menezes trained in Internacional's youth team) for Robinho. This switch nudged the shape of the forward quartet a bit, resulting in something close to a slanted 4-2-2-2, the same formation used by Dunga at the 2010 World Cup. Jadson seemed like a good addition and he formed an impressive partnership with Ganso, the two combining well for Jadson to score the opening goal. Oddly enough, after a great first half performance Jadson was substituted at the half time break.

Menezes' standed 4-2-2-2

Going into the second half, it became plain to see that Brazil's defence were having an off day and Paraguay really started to take an advantage. Daniel Alves was particularly poor, exuberant winger Estigarribia gave him the run-around for the entire match. Paraguay scored twice and it looked like Brazil would be defeated until substitute Fred scored a last minute equaliser.

In the all-important final group match against Ecuador, Menezes went back to the 4-2-1-3 by reinstating Robinho at the expense of Jadson. Maicon also started ahead of Daniel Alves at right back after the latter's shocking performance in the previous match. The game was very open, with Brazil's attack playing well and looking like an improved version of the Venezuela match. Ganso played in a much smarter position closer to the midfield and Brazil managed to create chances and put four goals past Ecuador. At the other end of the field though, the centre back pairing and goalkeeper Júlio César looked very suspect. Júlio made some glaring errors and Ecuador managed to hit the back of the net twice as the game finished 4x2.

That three points meant that Brazil ended up winning Group B and progressed to the quarter finals to play the second best third-placed side, which happened to be a rematch with group rivals Paraguay. For that clash, Mano Menezes maintained the same side that defeated Ecuador and Brazil probably played their best football of the tournament, creating well and controlling the match.

The only problem was that they could not seem to score the opening goal and thanks to some heroic saves from Justo Villar in the Paraguay goal, the match stayed goalless throughout the ninety minutes and subsequent extra time. So, the decision went to a penalty shoot-out and everyone looked on open-mouthed as Brazil missed all four of their spot-kicks and were eliminated.

As I mentioned at the start of the article, anything less than victory spells great disappointment when it comes to the Brazilian national team, but it was hard to find many reasons to blame the squad for this particular exit. Granted the execution of the penalty kicks was an aberration, but throughout the match Brazil were the better team and played some really attractive football.

Something that was picked up on by the media outside of Brazil was the percieved failure of the Seleção's two big rising stars Ganso and Neymar. The Santos duo were hyped-up greatly before the tournament, but both only managed to display brief flashes of the quality that they do possess. Although something that has to be kept in mind when talking about their performances is that their inclusion in this tournament was purely about integrating the two into the national side, giving them tournament experience that will be invaluable when that all-important 2014 World Cup comes around.

Another promise for the future, Lucas Moura of São Paulo, was brought into the side and I am not completely sure thats this tournament turned out to be a particularly positive experience for him. Personally, I share the somewhat unpopular view that he should not have been in the squad for this tournament, instead he would have been better suited going to the U-20 World Cup in Colombia next month. There, Lucas would have been the main man in attack and the experience of leading that team would have been considerably more useful for him as opposed to some frustrating minutes off the bench for the senior side.

But it is back to business as usual for Mano Menezes and this Brazil side. As I write, the squad for Brazil's upcoming friendly against Germany has just been announced with six of the Copa América squad cut, and Brazilian eyes are all firmly fixed on the big party in 2014.

Copa América review: COSTA RICA

2011-07-24T20:00:00.001+01:00

Now to the fourth and last of the sides eliminated at the group stage, the second invitee from the CONCACAF region, COSTA RICA.

As guests, Costa Rica, like Mexico, brought their Olympic squad with under-23 players to this tournament. Along with that, twelve of this Copa América squad were members of the Costa Rican party that participated in the 2011 Gold Cup in the United States the month before.

Without many high expectations weighing them down, this youthful Ticos side gave a great account of themselves, narrowly missing out on qualifying for the knockout stages. In Group A alongside Argentina, Colombia and Bolivia, they managed three points in a 2x0 win over Bolivia, a result which was sandwiched in between a tight 1x0 loss to Colombia and a rather humbling 3x0 defeat at the hands of hosts Argentina.

One of the more intriguing elements to consider regarding this Costa Rican side was their unorthodox and exciting tactics. With eccentric Argentine coach Ricardo La Volpe on the sidelines, enthusiasts have learned to expect the unexpected and in his bizarre 3-5-2/3-3-4 system, el Bigotón ('the Moustache') certainly delivered.

The system is probably best defined as a 3-5-2, but there are a number of quirks in its application that make it very different. The main source of confusion is the role of the left-sided player, usually Cerro Porteño's Diego Madrigal. In a standard 3-5-2, Madrigal would be the left wing back, sitting a little higher than the centre back line and attacking when the opportunity presented itself (like the right-sided Salvatierra). However, Madrigal's position approached that of a forward's, as he was often the highest player up the pitch but still made big retreating runs back to defence. Another important aspect is the forward runs of the midfielders, but we will go on to discuss that very shortly.

La Volpe's 3-5-2

In their opening match against Colombia they found themselves in trouble very early on, as their captain Randall Brenes was sent off within the first half hour. Colombia then took the initiative and made a tactical switch which really exploited their man advantage. Los Ticos struggled to deal with the alteration and fell a goal behind, but still managed to play a solid game for the rest of the ninety minutes, not conceding more than once.

In their next match against Bolivia, their unconventional system worked perfectly as they brushed off la Verde 2x0. Forward Joel Campbell dropped deep and worked in the channels where he was offered a lot of space. The forward runs from the midfielders (particularly substitute Guevara in the second half) were left largely untracked, and it resulted in Costa Rica having four against four in attacking situations.

Animation of Costa Rica moving into an attacking phase. Note the four defenders having to deal with the four attackers. (CLICK TO PLAY ANIMATION)

In their final game against Argentina, La Volpe attempted to play a little more cautiously against the country of his birth, but their lop-sided and disorganised shape left them exposed and they were picked apart by Lionel Messi. The best player in the world had a delightful match, picking out countless perfect passes to his team-mates as Argentina strolled to a 3x0 victory.

With three points from three games leaving them in third place in Group A, Costa Rica had to rely on results in the other groups to go in their favour to have a chance of qualifying. Unfortunately for Los Ticos, the match between Paraguay and Venezuela finished as a draw, leaving Costa Rica as the worst third-placed team and thus eliminating them from the competition.

Despite the early exit, this was certainly a positive performance from Costa Rica in this year's Copa. One of the main plus points was the continued emergence of young forward Joel Campbell of Saprissa. With the sending off of team captain Randall Brenes in their first match, Campbell took on the job of being Costa Rica's main attacking threat. He impressed throughout the three matches, particularly against Bolivia where his direct dribbling, pace and trickery was a constant thorn in the side of la Verde.

All things cAfter the match against Bolivia, Campbell was subject to interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs, with Arsenal reportedly agreeing a transfer worth around $1,5million. However the move broke down, with Campbell himself stating that he did not want to sign with Arsenal at the present time, believing his own stock will rise further after the upcoming 2011 Youth World Cup. The 19 year-old was the only member of the Costa Rican national pool who played at the Gold Cup, then in this Copa América and now is in the squad for the youth tournament in Colombia.

Copa América review: ECUADOR

2011-07-24T01:15:00.001+01:00

Continuing the series, still with the teams eliminated in the first stage, let's take a look at ECUADOR.

Just one point and two goals from three games represents a rather disappointing return for a side that qualified for both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, but Ecuador went in to this tournament with fairly reduced expectations anyway. When speaking of Ecuador's present team in relation to the World Cup qualifying-teams, it is important to remember how huge an achievement that was at the time.

Ecuador traditionally had the reputation of being 'whipping boys' in the CONMEBOL section and could never seem to build a side strong enough to reach anywhere near World Cup qualification. An important change came in 1996 with the restructuring of CONMEBOL's World Cup qualifying system, moving to a round-robin format where every team would play each other home and away. This meant that the team played more competitive games, resulting in a more unified squad.

Currently managed by Colombian coach Reginaldo Rueda - the man who took Honduras to the 2010 World Cup - they appear to have assembled a decent squad with promising home-based players and some top talent with European pedigree. Manchester United's Antonio Valencia - the first Ecuadorian to play in a Champions League final - is the team's big name, but Rubin Kazan's Christian Noboa is also gaining notoriety on the European scene.

On the pitch, Rueda opts for a 4-4-2 shape with lots of movement amongst the midfield quarter. Cristian "Chucho" Benítez plays an energetic role up front, supporting centre forward Felipe Caicedo and shuttling back and forward into midfield. In their first game against Paraguay, Ecuador played fairly well and caused a great deal of problems for their opponents, but the game still finished 0x0.

The first half of that match saw Paraguay well in control, but an injury to Antonio Valencia forced Ecuador into making a half-time change which actually tipped the balance in their favour. Rueda brought on San Luís' exciting winger Michael Arroyo and played him on the left side, switching Édison Méndez to the right. The aggression of Arroyo managed to pin back Paraguay's enthusiastic right back Iván Piris, which meant that Ecuador's left back - team captain Walter Ayoví - could start to make an impact on the match.

Illustration of the tactical change in the second half (CLICK IMAGE TO PLAY ANIMATION)

In their second match against Venezuela, the story was largely the same. The match was tight and Ecuador again failed to find the net. Near the end Venezuela scored the winning goal, which was probably deserved considering how the match played out.

In contrast to their first two matches which were tight and low scoring, Ecuador's final group game against Brazil was wide open and had plenty of goals, finishing 4x2 to the Seleção. Rueda made one change from the side that played the second half against Paraguay and started against Venezuela, with defensive midfielder Oswaldo Minda coming in to replace Segundo Castillo.

Ecuador knew they had to win the match to qualify, so they pushed forward a lot more and managed to score twice against a poor Brazil defence. However on the other end of the field, Ecuador stood off Brazil far too much, giving them space and inviting their creative players to play.

All things considered, this was still an intensely disappointing tournament from Ecuador. With their dominant second half performance against Paraguay they were very disappointed not to come away with the win. Against Venezuela they fell to a late goal, and against Brazil they did very little to stop the strong attack of the five-time world champions.

There were some good performances from certain players, particularly Arroyo on the wings, and it appears that the forward pairing of Felipe Caicedo and Chucho Benítez are forming a great understanding. Despite this, it still seems like Rueda and his team have their work cut out to try and construct a team to rival the squads of 2002 and 2006.

Copa América review: BOLIVIA

2011-07-23T02:27:00.002+01:00

Continuing on with my series of nation-by-nation reviews, we move on to this year's 11th ranked side, BOLIVIA.

Ranked 93rd in the world and without a win away from home since 2007, no-one was really expecting much from Bolivia in this Copa América. Furthermore they were drawn into Group A alongside Argentina, Colombia and Costa Rica, and even given the 'honour' of playing the hosts in the tournament's opening match. In the end they only managed to register a paltry one point, but that certainly does not tell the full story of their campaign.

The manager Gustavo Quinteros - a member of the Bolivian team when they last qualified for a World Cup in 1994 - selected a well-balanced and experienced 23-man squad, with only five of them playing their club football outside of Bolivia. La Verde shocked everyone when they managed to draw 1x1 with Argentina in the tournament's opening match, but they later succumbed to two 2x0 defeats against Costa Rica and Colombia.

Tactically Quinteros had Bolivia set up in a very simple fashion, a defensive 4-4-2 with two solid banks of four playing behind the forwards. Their style worked superbly against Argentina's 4-3-3 in the first game, but struggled in the other two games when they were expected to play more football.

Against Argentina, Bolivia were excellent, staying compact and narrow and giving nothing away to Argentina's jewel-encrusted forward line. Team captain Ronald Raldes in particular gave a fabulous performance in the centre of defence; constantly spurning the hosts' attacking advances.

Line-ups vs. Argentina. (Note Bolivia's two narrow defensive lines, congesting the play and frustrating their opponents)

Bolivia took a surprise lead at the start of the second half when Argentina's Éver Banega let a back heel from Edivaldo Rojas sneak under his foot and roll into the net, and at that moment it looked like la Verde might manoeuvre a famous victory in La Plata. Their defence remained resolute, but eventually they conceded an equaliser through a stunning volley from substitute Sergio Agüero.

The script was quite different for their next match against Costa Rica, as Bolivia were coaxed into opening up and trying to win the match. They lined yp with a 4-4-2 again, but against Costa Rica's unorthodox 3-5-2/3-3-4 formation they ran in to real problems. This game will be discussed further when we cover Costa Rica, but essentially Bolivia's rigid shape struggled to deal with Costa Rica's fluidity and they found it hard to track the forward runs of the Costa Rican midfield.

Bolivia ended up losing the match 2x0, and things got even worse with the sending off of both Ronald Rivero and Walter Flores. This left la Verde needing a win in their final group match against the impressive Colombia to retain any chance of qualifying.

In that match against los Cafeteros in Santa Fe, Bolivia fielded a partially changed side due to the suspensions to Rivero and Flores. Santos Amador and Ronald García filled in at central defence and central midfield respectively, while there was a change at full-back, Christian Vargas coming in to replace Gutiérrez.

Bolivia looked to try and stay narrow like against Argentina, but Colombia's rampaging full-backs made that impossible, leaving the Bolivia defence stretched and full of holes. Colombia's wide midfielders Ramos and Moreno were happy to stay more central and occupy the Bolivia full-backs, which left Colombia's full-backs Armero and Zúñiga with the entire flank to operate in.

Formations vs. Colombia [Note how Vargas (14) and Álvarez (4) are occupied, allowing Colombia to control the flanks]

Despite this obvious advantage down the flanks for Colombia, the first goal went in courtesy of a through ball through the centre of the Bolivia defence. Lacking the regular partnership of Rivero and Raldes, Bolivia looked shaky and disorganised, and a well-timed run from Falcao left him clear on goal and allowed him to finish well.

The second goal however, was a prime example of Colombia's dominance on the wings. Pablo Armero made a huge run down the left flank, burst into the area and was tripped for a penalty. Falcao coolly dispatched the spot-kick and Bolivia were well and truly sank.

Looking back on the tournament, the Bolivia squad and staff will probably be quite disappointed. Despite punching considerably above their weight with their performance in the opening match, they still finished fourth in the group and only managed to score one goal. However there were certainly some huge positives to take from the tournament, namely the draw against Argentina in front of a capacity crowd in La Plata.

Now Bolivia will have their eyes on the 2014 World Cup qualifying, where they will attempt to pull off a few more famous results. At home in La Paz, they are capable of beating any opposition, but their main focus will be to improve their dreadful away record.

Copa América review: MEXICO

2011-07-22T20:56:00.003+01:00

This is the first part of what will be the bulk of my Copa América writing. I will be reviewing all twelve nations in order of their tournament performance and talking results, tactics and players. First off let's take a look at one of the invited teams from CONCACAF, the only side not to record a point in the 2011 tournament, el Tri of MEXICO.

Mexico, fresh from a buoyant triumph at CONCACAF's Gold Cup in June, travelled to Argentina with a squad predominantly made up of players under the age of 23. All but one of the squad was based in Mexico, and that one player (Giovani dos Santos of Tottenham Hotspur) accounted for almost half of the total senior international caps of the entire 23-man party.

Despite bringing a 'weakened' squad, el Tri were very motivated and battled hard in all of their three group games. This effort was not enough however, and they lost all three matches in Group C starting with a 2x1 against Chile in their opener, and two 1x0 losses to both Peru and Uruguay.

Their tactics were fairly unequivocal; they played a standard Latin American 3-5-2 in their first two matches, and only switched to an unfamiliar 4-4-2 in the meaningless final match against Uruguay. The 3-5-2 is based around the front two, with Giovani dos Santos supporting Rafael Márquez Lugo, and the energy of the two wing backs-cum-wide midfielders Paul Aguilar and Dárvin Chávez.

In their first match against Chile, the previously mentioned duo of Aguilar and Chávez were pinned back by Chile's own attacking wide players Beausejour and Isla. Consequently Mexico found it very hard to link their midfield and attack, with almost all of their hopes placed on the shoulders of dos Santos, who was expected to do everything.

Line ups vs Chile (Note the restriction of the wide players and large gap between midfield and attack

Mexico did manage to take the lead in that match from a Nestor Araujo header, though it was mainly due to Chile's defensive errors as opposed to Mexico's quality.

Mexico lost their lead in the second half due to a tactical masterstroke from Chile's boss Claudio Borghi (which we will discuss in more detail when it's Chile's turn), and ended up losing the match 2x1.

Next up, Mexico took on Peru in Mendoza. Coach Luis Fernando Tena kept the same team and formation from the match against Chile, and once again el Tri struggled for ideas and were overrun in the midfield.

Mexico struggled with the quality of Juan Manuel Vargas on Peru's left wing, and if it had not been for a strong display from goalkeeper Luis Michel, then Peru could have won this match by a much larger deficit. In reality, Michel made some excellent saves and kept the score down to 1x0 to Peru.

As had happened against Chile, Mexico looked extremely one-dimensional in this match. They did manage to register a few attempts on goal during the 90 minutes, but never really deserved anything more than a defeat.

In their final match against Uruguay, Tena altered the team and moved to a 4-4-1-1 shape, seeming more interested in giving his players match experience rather than chasing a result. The only personnel change from the 3-5-2 saw Miguel Ángel Ponce come in to the side to replace Javier Aquino, but the player's positions were tweaked considerably. Hiram Mier moved from the centre back trio to right back - leaving Reynoso and Araujo in the middle - and Dárvin Chávez dropped deeper to left back. Ponce played as Chávez's replacement on the left hand side of the midfield, with the rest of the side was kept the same.


The 4-4-1-1 formation vs Uruguay

Against Uruguay they went 1x0 down early on, but still had an impressive first half and did not give much away to Uruguay's similar 4-4-2 formation. At half time however, Tena decided to make two substitutions and brought off dos Santos and Aguilar, certainly two of el Tri's more impressive players.

Regarding Mexico's best performers in the tournament, you cannot really look past midfielder Jorge Enríquez of Chivas Guadalajara. Enríquez, who played every minute of Mexico's group games, was imposing in the midfield, showing good dribbling skills and exceptional determination.

So where do Mexico go from here? Well, eight members of the squad (including Enríquez) will join up with the under-20 side to contest the 2011 Youth World Cup taking place in Colombia which runs throughout August.

Copa América at a Glance: ARGENTINA

2011-07-01T23:36:00.005+01:00

Writer’s note: This mini-series is essentially just sulf-indulgence/Copa América excitement. Tactics are not my specialty, and I do not claim to be a tactics expert. Take these articles for what they are, some information, a couple of observations and some nice visual aids.

First of all, let’s have a look at the hosts Argentina. With Sergio Batista they have evolved from their tactically naïve 4-4-2 used at the World Cup to a more rational and functional 4-3-3, based on Barcelona’s style (I explain this transition here). The main aim of this formation, as has been mentioned several times previously, is to try and get the best out of Lionel Messi.

Above you can see Argentina’s primary formation. The defence sits a lot deeper than Barcelona’s due to the lack of pace of the two centre-backs, and they are protected by team captain Javier Mascherano who sits in front of them. The two full-backs, Zanetti and Rojo, provide a service going forward as well in defence, with the former expected to be a little more reserved in going forward.

Valencia’s Éver Banega is the key in the midfield, as he is employed in the all-important ‘Xavi-role’. There are not many players in the world that can do what Xavi does, but with Banega’s slick passing skills and positional discipline, he is certainly a worthy replacement. Alongside Banega, the evergreen Esteban Cambiasso shuttles back and forward in the midfield. Expect to see Cambiasso at both ends of the field, whether it be helping to secure the defence with Mascherano or charging forward to provide Banega with an option to his left. Cambiasso’s positioning also allows Rojo a bit more freedom on the left, as he knows that he will have that extra cover should he get caught out.

Finally the attack, Lionel Messi (no introduction needed) sits in the middle in the much talked-about false nine role, where he drops back in to midfield to link up with Banega. This leaves the two wide players, Lavezzi and Tévez to come inside and provide an attacking threat. These two are probably the key to whether this system will work successfully or not, as it still remains to be seen if they are properly suited to the wide attacker roles in the Barcelona 4-3-3.

Lavezzi is suited to that position, it’s very similar to the one he plays at Napoli and he has impressed greatly in Serie A. Tévez on the other hand, is not particularly accustomed to playing out wide and cutting inside, at Manchester City he plays in a central role, not dissimilar to Messi’s position. El jugador del pueblo is an extremely talented player however, and should be able to adapt as long as he stays motivated.

If things go wrong, or if Batista fancies a change, he is blessed with a wealth of options on his bench and has previously tested some alterations to his system to fit them in. Here are a few examples:

1st option: Javier Pastore

Palermo’s attacking midfielder Javier Pastore has been a little unlucky recently on the national scene, as after a magnificent season in Italy he still cannot seem to hold down a regular place in the Argentina side. This is less to do with Pastore’s performances, and more to do with the fact that his elegant number ten role does not really have a place in Batista’s 4-3-3.

However, Batista would be a fool to leave him out completely, and when he is used (most likely as a substitute for Esteban Cambiasso) Batista switches the midfield to this shape seen below:

As you can see, Pastore is allowed to function in his preferred playmaking role, with Banega taking over the job of shuttling on the right side and Mascherano dropping even deeper in front of the two centre-backs. This will probably be a set-up used in the second half of matches against sides like Colombia or Chile to try and finish the game off, or possibly at moments when the team is looking for a single goal.

2nd option: Gonzalo Higuaín

In a nation where the farewell match of Boca’s lumbering centre forward Martín Palermo overshadowed Vélez Sarsfield becoming national champions, the absence of a big man up front will be one of the first tactical criticisms directed at Batista should something go wrong. In Gonzalo Higuaín, they have a fantastic centre forward, big and strong but also athletic, a much more modern version of the aforementioned San Martín.

Higuaín’s introduction sees an alteration in the attacking three, with Messi moving out to the left and Higuaín taking the central target man role.

All diagrams with help of the fantastic Tactical Pad

Campeonato Brasileiro 2011 preview: Round 6 (part two)

2011-06-26T06:38:00.000+01:00

Following on from yesterday’s part one, here is the final part of the Brasileirão round six preview. All six games on Sunday are covered.

The Pacaembu is the only place to start on Sunday as Corinthians take on São Paulo in one of the biggest clássicos in the country. Both teams have had strong starts to their respective seasons, both are unbeaten, with São Paulo maintaining a 100% record and sitting atop the Brasileirão table. Corinthians have played one game less than the rest of the league, after they were due to play Copa Libertadores champions Santos last week (that match has been re-scheduled for August), and after a very tough run of fixtures to open the league they can be very happy with their ten points.

Corinthians will only make one change to their last time out, captain Chicão returns from suspension and takes the place of Wallace at centre-back. They were served a blow earlier this week when they were told they would not be able to play new-signing Alex from Spartak Moscow. The player has not been fully registered in time with the league, and it looks like he will have to wait until next week to finally make his debut, over a month since he signed.

São Paulo boss Paulo Cesar Carpegiani has quite a few changes to make from his side that defeated Ceará last weekend. Rodrigo Souto and Juan are both suspended, while star man Lucas is away with the Brasil squad for the Copa América. O Tricolor should line up in a 4-4-2, Luiz Eduardo deputizing at left-back with Bruno Uvini covering at centre-back. In the midfield, Ilsinho and Carlinhos Paraíba come in to play on the wings, with Casemiro and Wellington marshaling the middle of the park. Dagoberto returns up front alongside Marlos.

Many will be backing São Paulo to continue their rhythm and record their sixth straight league win, but Corinthians’ pedigree for clássicos is undeniable, o Timão have not lost a Paulista clássico at the Pacaembu since 2007. In that time they have played Paulista rivals sixteen times, winning twelve and drawing four.

Expected Formations

Next, back to the Engenhão in Rio de Janeiro as Botafogo host gauchos Grêmio. Both teams could only draw their respective matches last week, and will be hoping to kick on with an important victory.

Botafogo have a few players missing from their preferred starting eleven, Egidio Arévalo and Loco Abreu are still away with the Uruguayan national team, and since last week goalkeeper Jefferson has joined up with the Brasil side. Left-back Bruno Cortês picked up an injury in the Flamengo match last week, and Márcio Azevedo will deputise. Apart from that, their system remains largely the same, and they should line up 4-5-1 as they did last week.

Grêmio will be making a significant change to the side that drew with Vasco last week, moving to a 3-5-2 to try for a different approach after being criticized when playing 4-4-2. Captain Fábio Rochemback is suspended, and goalkeeper Víctor is with the Seleção and they will be replaced by Fernando and Marcelo Grohe. Junior Viçosa and Saimon are dropped, and new signing Marquinhos and Rafael Marques will play in their absence. Lúcio and Gabriel will be moved out to wing-backs, with Rafael Marques, Mário Fernandes and Neuton playing at centre back. Marquinhos will play centre midfield, supporting playmaker Douglas who plays just off the lone centre-forward Lins.

I will be expecting another draw for these sides here, when you have a look at the two formations on paper, both defenses appear to be well positioned against the respective attackers. Game-changing players like Maicosuel, Elkeson and Douglas will be looked towards to provide the all-important spark.

Expected Formations

Bottom side Avaí host reigning champions Fluminense at the Ressacada, and a win for either side would be extremely welcome. Avaí’s problems are clear to see, bottom of the league, only one point out of fifteen, and a dreadful goal difference of -13. Fluminense are having their own troubles however, and new boss Abel Braga will be absolutely desperate to record his first victory after taking over two weeks ago.

With morale low after their 5x0 thrashing at the hands of Palmeiras, Avaí will surely be doing anything they can for some points this week. There will be some changes to the squad for this match, George Lucas and Róbson are dropped, with new loan signing Daniel and the returning Rafael Coelho being introduced. Centre-back Cássio is injured and should be replaced by new signing Welton Felipe, who only joined the club on Wednesday.

In the absence of Fred, who is with the Seleção, Fluminense will alter their formation to a 4-5-1 for Sunday’s game. Marquinho and Diguinho are re-introduced to the first team, with Valencia and Ciro making way for them. Rafael ‘He-Man’ Moura will start as the lone striker in the place of Fred.

Conceding an average of 3.4 goals per game, Avaí’s defence has been truly woeful so far. If Fluminense can capitalise on this they could secure a very important morale-boosting victory. Anything other than a win is unthinkable for the reigning champions.

Expected Formations

The last of the Sunday afternoon games sees Ceará face Palmeiras in Fortaleza. Both sides have had good starts to the season by their own standards, with Palmeiras impressing the most in 2nd place with the most goals scored in the league.

Vozão coach Vagner Mancini has just about a full squad to choose from, with the returns of Boiadeiro, Fabrício and fan favourite Geraldo. Their only worry is central midfielder Michel, who is trying to shake off a knock picked up last week. Ceará should line up as follows: Fernando Henrique, Boiadeiro, Fabrício, Diego Sacoman, Vicente; Michel, Heleno, Thiago Humberto, João Marcos; Osvaldo, Washington.

With the suspension of last week’s goal hero Luan, Felipão will make a tactical change from his side that defeated Avaí 5x0 last week. Defensive midfielder Chico should replace the forward, and Palmeiras should line up with three deep midfielders, congesting the centre of the park. Wellington Paulista may lose his place in the starting line-up to Adriano, with Felipão looking for a more mobile forward to support Kléber.

Palmeiras look like they will have enough about them to pull off an important win this afternoon, Felipão’s anticipation of his opponents looks like it will neutralise Ceará’s central threats. If I was a betting man I would put my money on a 1x0 Palmeiras win.

Expected Formations

Moving on to the two late games, first of all we have two southern teams facing off, with Internacional hosting high-fliers Figueirense. Figueira have been one of the stories of the season so far, winning all three of their home games, drawing with Copa do Brasil champions Vasco and only losing to top side São Paulo in the Morumbi. The away game at the Beira-Rio, a traditionally difficult ground to play at, should prove to be a stern test for the newcomers. However Inter are yet to win at home this season, so the florianopolitano side may well fancy their chances.

Inter have had a very indifferent start so far, their fans being frustrated at the points they have dropped and the several chances that their forwards have passed up. There should be only one change to their side from last week’s draw with Coritiba, with midfielder Oscar returning to the starting line-up. Defensive midfielder Glaydson should make way for his return, with Tinga dropping back to replace the gap left in his absence.

Figueira have some niggling selection problems in their squad, strikers Reinaldo and Lenny are still out injured, while Rhayner joins them after earning a suspension last week. Midfielder Wilson Pittoni suffered an injury last week and will miss out, it will be between Coutinho and Túlio to take his place in the middle of the park.

Figueirense have every right to believe that they can get something out of this match, but Internacional are a team of great quality that appear to just need one result to kick in to a good phase, and this match – at home to a newly promoted side – could be just the fixture they need.

Expected Formations

Finally, the weekend is rounded off at the Serra Dourada in Goiânia, as Atlético Goianiense host Copa do Brasil winners Vasco. Atlético, o Dragão, have had an excellent start to the season by their standards. Before the season began, they were tipped by just about everyone to be one of the four relegated teams, but they have started fantastically, sitting in 8th position. Vasco are only one point ahead in 7th place, and their supporters are still in ecstasy after their Copa win and subsequent Copa Libertadores qualification.

Atlético are completely unchanged from the team that drew 2x2 with Atlético Mineiro last week, while Vasco will make a couple of changes. Left back Ramon and defensive midfielder Allan will miss out, with Márcio Careca and Eduardo Costa taking their places. A victory for either side would put them in a fantastic position after six rounds, and with both sides scoring and conceding their fair share of goals, this one should be exciting.

Expected Formations

Campeonato Brasileiro 2011 preview: Round 6 (part one)

2011-06-25T08:12:00.000+01:00

We have arrived in the sixth round of matches in this Brasileirão season. Here's a quick preview of the weekend's action starting with Saturday's matches. Part two will be posted tomorrow

First up on Saturday is a mouth-watering clash between Flamengo and Atlético Mineiro at the Engenhão. Both sides are under some pressure from their supporters after poor recent results, Atlético have now gone three games without a win, while Flamengo have yet to win since the opening round of the season.

With the suspensions of Willians and Bottinelli, Flamengo will adopt a different strategy on Saturday, opting to play an extra central defender and arranging themselves in a 3-5-2 shape. Luiz Antônio keeps his place in midfield after debuting in last week’s 0x0 with Botafogo, Wanderley comes in for Diego Maurício up front and Ronaldo Angelim will play as the aforementioned third centre-back.

O Galo welcome back full-backs Patric and Guilherme Santos for this weekend, Giovanni Augusto makes way for Dudu Cearense to start in the midfield and Guilherme – the scorer of last week’s all important equalising goal – starts up front in the place of Mancini.

What we have here is two teams desperately looking for a win, and we should expect quite an open match with opportunities and (hopefully) goals, a stark contrast from Flamengo’s uninspired stalemate last week. Fla’s left back Junior Cesar spoke this week at a press conference ahead of the match and his comments were very revealing about the mentality at the club. He said that the players realise their performances have not been up to standard, and that “to win is more important than playing well”.

Expected Formations

Atlético Paranaense face Bahia on Saturday in Curitiba with the home side suffering heavily in this early part of the season. We are five games in and Atlético have only registered one point and scored only one goal. The recent signing of former Nacional striker Santiago García is a superb piece of business and certainly a step in the right direction, but it is generally accepted that o Furacão will need more than only the 20 year old Uruguayan.

On Saturday, both teams should keep very similar line-ups to those of the last round. With Santiago García not yet eligible to make his debut, Guerrón and Nieto will once again start up front for Atlético. For Bahia, forward Júnior will receive his first full start for the club after he replaced the injured Souza in last week’s win over Fluminense.

O Tricolor will also be able to call upon Jobson, who returned to Brasil on Thursday after a hearing in Switzerland in regards to his doping case of 2009. The case has been well publicised, (I touched on it here) and this hearing is to judge whether he will have to serve his full two year suspension, which was previously reduced to six months. The committee have six weeks to make their final decision, in which time Jobson will be free to play for Bahia.

Expected Formations

The late game on Saturday is an interesting encounter between Cruzeiro and Coritiba in Sete Lagoas. Only a few months ago, while Cruzeiro were turning over every team in their Copa Libertadores group, and Coritiba were charging through the Copa do Brasil, these two teams were widely regarded as the two form teams in Brasil. Since then, that form has escaped both clubs, with Coritiba losing in the Copa do Brasil final and sitting in 16th position in the league. Cruzeiro have fallen even harder, being knocked out in the Libertadores last 16 and yet to record a win in this year’s Brasileirão, a Raposa find themselves in 18th position.

After last week’s draw against América-MG, Cuca left his post as Cruzeiro manager, with experienced carioca Joel Santana taking the reins. There will be a few changes to the Cruzeiro side from last week, with injuries to both full-backs Gilberto and Pablo, defensive midfielder Marquinhos Paraná will deputise at left back and Diego Renan starts at right back after recovering from a nasty hamstring tear. Also coming in is midfielder Everton, who should form a trio of central midfielders alongside Henrique and Fabrício, with Montillo as the advanced playmaker.

For Coritiba, they should maintain the same team that drew 1x1 with Internacional last Sunday. The only possible change comes in the shape of fan’s favourite Marcos Aurélio, who has spent the start of the season injured. If Marcelo Oliveira decides to start Marcos Aurélio, he will play up front alongside Bill, most likely taking the place of Everton Ribeiro.

Expected Formations

Campeonato Brasileiro 2011 review: Round 1

2011-05-23T22:50:00.000+01:00

After a frantic few months of state championships and cup competition for clubs in Brasil, the real work starts here as the Campeonato Brasileiro 2011 got underway this weekend with every team in action. Join me each week for a complete review of the round of games, along with weekly awards and highlights.

The 2011 season kicked off on Saturday evening at the Moacyrzão in Macaé, Rio de Janeiro as Flamengo strolled to victory against Avaí. It was quite a one-sided match as with one eye on their Copa do Brasil semi-final on Wednesday, Avaí did not look completely motivated and failed to deal with Flamengo's attacking threats. Goals from Bottinelli, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Thiago Neves and Diego Maurício gave a 4x0 win to the Mengão.

In Minas Gerais, Atlético Mineiro got their season off to a wonderful start with a 3x0 win over Atlético Paranaense. Another game that was never really in doubt, an early goal from defensive midfielder Toró and then two headed goals from Magno Alves sealed the points for o Galo. Atlético Paranaense have reasons to be worried in the light of this result, as they failed to put any real pressure on their opponents and were very one-dimensional in attack.

Ceará and Vasco, two sides who are looking forward to vital Copa do Brasil semi-finals on Wednesday, faced eachother in Brasil's northeast and Vasco ran out 3x1 winners. There is not terribly much we can take from this match, as both sides fielded changed line-ups, resting almost all of their preferred XI. The game itself was a good one, with fringe players on both sides striving to impress. Ceará centre back Cleber gave the Vozão the lead, but three excellent goals (two from Bernardo and one from Jéferson) won the game for Vasco.

Saturday night's late game resulted in a 1x1 draw between Santos and Internacional. This game was one of the most hyped of the opening round, but with Santos fielding a complete second-string XI ahead of their Copa Libertadores semi-final this week, the match turned in to a bit of an anticlimax. Keirrison gave Santos the lead from the penalty spot after Tiago Alves was fouled by Daniel. Zé Roberto equalised for Inter before half time, converting a cross from Oscar. Both sides had chances in the second half, but neither could find the winning goal.

Moving on to Sunday afternoon, and out in the São Paulo countryside in São José do Rio Preto, Palmeiras got off to a winning start by beating Botafogo 1x0. As many had expected it was a tight game, neither side dominating completely, but Palmeiras had the edge and sealed the three points with a stunning goal from captain Kléber. There was more good news for the Verdão when club ídolo Pierre made a late substitute appearance. The defensive midfielder had been suffering from a long term injury, his last match coming in November 2010.

In one of the biggest games of the weekend, Grêmio and Corinthians faced off in what was a tight clash, ending 2x1 to the away side Corinthians. Grêmio took the lead with a penalty from Douglas after Chicão was adjudged to have fouled Leandro inside the area. O Timão equalised with their own penalty kick not long afterwards, Liedson being tripped by Lúcio, and captain Chicão made up for his earlier error by tucking away the penalty. Corinthians sealed the comeback ten minutes later through Liedson, the former Sporting Lisbon hitman pulled off a lovely bit of technique with a flying volley from six yards.

The other two afternoon games threw up some surprises, Coritiba falling 0x1 to Atlético Goianiense, and newly-promoted Figueirense pulling off an excellent 1x0 win against title favourites Cruzeiro. The former was a tight affair, with both teams making several mistakes in the midfield and struggling to establish a rhythm. The match was won with fifteen minutes left, with o Dragão's giant striker Marcão latching on to a Thiago Feltri cross.

In Florianópolis, Figueirense pulled off the shock of the week against Cruzeiro, and they were well worth the three points. Figueira found it difficult in the first half, but after taking the lead through a fortuitous own goal from Cruzeiro midfielder Marquinhos Paraná, they pressed their opponents and looked likely to score a second. Cruzeiro may have reasons to be worried.

The evening games on Sunday kicked off with Fluminense taking on São Paulo at Vasco's São Januario stadium. São Paulo ran out 2x0 winners, but it was not a particularly impressive display from either side. The first half was filled with errors from both teams, with Dagoberto's opening goal the only highlight. In the second half, São Paulo improved slightly while Fluminense did not, and wonderkid Lucas increased the lead with a superb goal.

The final game of the round was perhaps the most exciting, as two newly-promoted sides América Mineiro and Bahia faced off against eachother in Sete Lagoas. The match began at an excellent pace, with Bahia in the driving seat, and they took the lead with the weekend's fourth penalty. Thiago Carleto handled the ball in the area and Souza converted the penalty to put Bahia 1x0 up.

In the second half it was América who took control, equalising in the 3rd minute with a debut goal from Rodriguinho. O Coelho kept up the pressure, and could have won the game with the chances they had, but they got there in the end, with substitute Alessandro making it 2x1 with only three minutes left to go.

PLAYER OF THE ROUND: Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Flamengo)

Photo: Fábio Castro

Hated on Friday, loved on Saturday, Ronaldinho Gaúcho's performance at the weekend paints a clear picture of the fickle nature of Brazilian football supporters. After being criticised, booed and ridiculed after Flamengo's Copa do Brasil exit, Ronaldinho won over the haters by turning in a man-of-the-match performance in Fla's 4x0 win over Avaí.

His little touches, flicks and nutmegs made you feel like you were back in the Camp Nou in 2005, and his goal was very well taken also. If Ronaldinho can stay fit and in this type of form, it would be hard to look past Flamengo for the title.

VILLAIN OF THE ROUND: Marcelo Oliveira (Coritiba)

Photo: Paulo Pinto

Manager of the league's 'surprise package' Coritiba, Marcelo Oliveira could not have had a worse start to the 2011 season. With their first game at home to relegation candidates Atlético Goianiense and with a vital Copa do Brasil semi-final against Ceará on Wednesday, it was expected that Oliveira would select a changed side and allow his big players extra rest before their cup match. However, Coritiba took to the field at the Couto Pereira with a full strength side, battled hard but lost 1-0 to their organised opponents.

What does this mean for Coritiba? Well, with a full strength side they failed to win at home against a side who are certain to be battling against the drop this year, and on Wednesday they will be playing Ceará who did decide to rest their main XI this weekend. If the Coxa make it through their semi-final safely then this result will be forgotten, but if they do not, Coritiba fans will surely point the finger at the manager.

GOLAÇO DA RODADA: Lucas (SÃO PAULO vs Fluminense)

The first golaço da rodada award of the season goes to Lucas of São Paulo for his magnificent solo effort against Fluminense. The hotly tipped young attacker picked the ball up just inside the Fluminense half, played a quick one-two with Carlinhos Paraiba and then set off on a wonderful dribble, showing off his superb acceleration and leaving the Fluminense defenders floundering, before cutting inside away from Gum and finishing coolly past goalkeeper Ricardo Berna. A truly excellent goal from a young forward who is set to have a huge season this year.

So there we have it, the 2011 Brasileirão is fully underway, and already there is plenty to talk about. Will Flamengo stroll to the title with the good form of Ronaldinho Gaúcho? Did the experts get it wrong with Coritiba? Do Cruzeiro really have a team capable of winning the title this year? We can not possibly know the answers to these questions yet, but it's certainly going to be fun to find out!

This week we have the second legs of the Copa do Brasil semi-finals on Wednesday, as Coritiba play Ceará (first leg 0-0) and Avaí take on Vasco (first leg 1-1). Wednesday also brings us Santos' Copa Libertadores semi-final first leg against Paraguayans Cerro Porteño. The two sides were in the same group in the opening stage of the tournament, drawing 1x1 in Paraguay and Santos coming out 2x1 winners in São Paulo.

At the weekend we also have another full card in the Brasileirão, the pick of the action coming on Sunday afternoon as Palmeiras travel to Sete Lagoas to play Cruzeiro.

ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Flamengo 4x0 Avaí
Atlético Mineiro 3x0 Atlético Paranaense
Ceará 1x3 Vasco
Santos 1x1 Internacional
Palmeiras 1x0 Botafogo
Coritiba 0x1 Atlético Goianiense
Figueirense 1x0 Cruzeiro
Grêmio 1x2 Corinthians
Fluminense 0x2 São Paulo
América Mineiro 2x1 Bahia

Brasileirão In Focus: Palmeiras

2011-05-21T01:07:00.000+01:00

The team of the green half of São Paulo, Palmeiras are one of the most successful teams in Brazilian football history, having won the most national championships (8, tied with Santos). Since the return of talismanic coach Luiz Felipe Scolari (Felipão in Brazil), they have made steady progress after a disappointing phase.

This year they finished 2nd in the main stage of the Campeonato Paulista, boasting a superb defensive record, but they lost in the semi-finals on penalties to arch rivals Corinthians. Their performance in the Copa do Brasil was not so great either, as they were eliminated by Coritiba at the quarter-final stage after losing 6-0 away from home, a result that plunged the team in to a mini-crisis.

There is no doubt that there are some problems in the team, but I feel they may be slightly overstated. The Verdão have some of the best talents in the league, but there always seems to be a problem with them. For example, in central midfield, Marcos Assunção is still one of the best set-piece experts in the country, and provides a deadly threat from long shots, but it would appear that he has lost his legs and is no longer able to do the work required of a defensive midfielder in this Palmeiras side, so he often ends up being a burden to the team.

Another example is Chilean attacking midfielder Jorge Valdivia. El Mago is a stunningly talented player, and on his day he is capable of picking apart any defence in Brasil, but his form has been erratic and he has been extremely injury prone. In attack, Kléber is one of the best players in the league, extremely hard-working and dedicated (explaining his nickname, o Gladiador) but he is so often relied on too much, and left isolated up front, due to having to play there by himself.

Last month the club signed Wellington Paulista, who formed a successful strike partnership with Kléber while the two were at Cruzeiro, and he will be expected to start as the main centre-forward with Kléber playing off of him. Another positive is the signing of Santos’ very impressive young forward Maikon Leite, who will join in July. These additions should improve the attack as a whole, but perhaps more importantly, will help to take a little of the pressure off of Kléber.

Palmeiras play a 4-4-2 formation, and with everyone fit and available, they would play with Valdivia and young Patrik behind the forwards Kléber and Wellington Paulista. This current ‘crisis’ at Palmeiras may have come just at the right time, as the problems in the squad have been identified before it is too late for their season. They do not have as good a squad as some of their league rivals, but with Felipão on the bench, they should perform well enough over the course of the season to achieve a good finish.

Expected formation:

Brasileirão In Focus: Internacional

2011-05-21T00:56:00.000+01:00

O Colorado, the other big side in Rio Grande do Sul state and the reigning Copa Libertadores champions. Inter had a pretty good campaign last season, but one that was mainly focused on pursuing other trophies (Copa Libertadores then the Club World Cup). As we remember their Club World Cup campaign did not go well at all. They rested their top players for more or less the whole second half of the Brasileirão in preparation, and then they were embarrassed by TP Mazembe in the semi-finals.

They have had a mixed start to 2011, they were eliminated in the second round of the Copa Libertadores by Peñarol, but they strolled to victory in the Campeonato Gaúcho. There was some activity in the transfer market, wonderkid Giuliano was sold to Dnipro in Ukraine, also centre-forward Alecsandro left to join Vasco. Some improvements were made, in particular, defensive midfielder Mario Bolatti who was signed from Fiorentina and has slotted straight in to the first team.

The big story at Internacional has been the meteoric rise of young centre forward Leandro Damião. Last season, he could not get in to the first team, but since Alecsandro’s departure he was given a chance up front on his own. Damião performed superbly, racking up tons of goals and earning a call-up to the national team in the process. A really excellent young striker, he has presence, awareness, and he can play with his back to goal, something that is so important for lone strikers.

O Colorado play a 4-2-3-1 formation, Nei and Kléber provide width from fullback, and Andrezinho and Oscar do the same in the attacking midfield trio. Andres D’Alessandro slots in as the playmaker, often drifting around left and right, and Leandro Damião is the lone target man up top.

They still have a great squad and will surely be in with a chance of winning the league, especially without Copa Libertadores or any other tournament to distract them. You get the feeling that after years of great performances on the continental stage, the Internacional fans would love to see their team pursue their fourth national championship.

Expected formation:

Brasileirão In Focus: Grêmio

2011-05-21T00:48:00.000+01:00

Now we turn our attentions to two two giants from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, starting with o Imortal, Grêmio. They are a club with a great history of winning trophies, both in Brasil and in continental competition. Last year they had a season of two halves, they were very disappointing in the first half, placing in and around the relegation zone, but were irresistible in the second half of the season, unbelievably turning their season around and finishing in 4th place with the most goals scored in the league.

They have lost some real key players since last season, most notably the 2010 Brasileirão top scorer Jonas, left-back Fábio Santos and midfielder Souza. These players really have not been sufficiently replaced, and they have been restricted to bringing in some squad players on loan, notably ex-Porto and Vasco midfielder Carlos Alberto, Boca Juniors’ Damián Escudero and Lokomotiv Moscow’s centre back Rodolfo.

They still do have undoubted quality in the side, Victor is another wonderful Brazilian goalkeeper and should be Júlio César’s backup at the Copa América and ex-Sporting Lisbon midfielder Fábio Rochemback plays a commanding role in the middle of the park.

Up front, 18 year old attacker Leandro has been getting a lot of playing time up front with Grêmio’s lack of replacements. He is an exciting young player, great dribbler, pacey, tricky and intelligent. Perhaps the most important observation made about Leandro this year is his maturity. In the small time he has had in the first team, he has played in the Copa Libertadores and against Grêmio’s bitter rivals Internacional, the kind of games where you need confidence and maturity to play well, and Leandro has so far passed the test.

They play a 4-4-2 with full-backs pushing up and providing width, Fábio Rochemback in the holding role in the middle, Lúcio and Adilson slightly more advanced and Douglas as the playmaker behind Leandro and Junior Viçosa up front. The defense does not look terribly secure, and their power in attack does not quite make up for that.

Expected formation:

Brasileirão In Focus: Fluminense

2011-05-21T00:41:00.000+01:00

The reigning champions of the Campeonato Brasileiro and another of the grandes do Rio de Janeiro. Fluminense were worthy winners last year but as happens so often in Brazil, it will be very tough for them to repeat that feat this year. This is partly down to losing manager Muricy Ramalho, after poor performances in the Copa Libertadores and Campeonato Carioca led him to resign from his post. Muricy was instrumental in transforming the team into the Brasileirão winning side they were last year, and without his winning experience, they seem at a disadvantage.

Since last season, striker Emerson (nicknamed “the sheik”) left the club and has now joined Corinthians and veteran striker Washington “Coração Valente” (braveheart) hung up his boots leaving Flu a little short up front. Rafael “He-Man” Moura was signed to fill the gap, along with defensive midfielder Edinho and midfielder Souza.

Their key player comes in the shape of the club captain, striker Fred. Recently re-called to the Brazilian national team, Fred has been in fantastic form since the start of the 2010 season, scoring plenty of goals and contributing so much to the team in attack. When he is not playing, you can really see the difference amongst the Fluminense players.

Flu also have Argentine playmaker Dário Conca, the undisputed best player of the 2010 Brasileirão. A superb player, an absolute joy to watch. Superb touch, fantastic vision and bags and bags of technique. Another endearing quality to his game is that despite his slight figure, he is both strong and tenacious, you will rarely see him giving up on a loose ball. The only worry for Flu fans is that he has not quite recaptured his form of last year, but once we get in to the regular season he should be able to kick in to that rhythm.

Expected formation:

Brasileirão In Focus: Flamengo

2011-05-20T21:27:00.000+01:00

The biggest and most supported team in Brasil. This year they were far and away best team in the Campeonato Carioca, winning both the Taça Guanabara and the Taça Rio. They recently crashed out of the Copa do Brasil after a thrilling two legs against Ceará, to the disappointment of the Mengão faithful.

They had a difficult season last year, only just avoiding relegation, but considerable squad changes during the transfer window have reinstated them as one of the favourites for the league title. There have been a few departures, unsuccessful loan signings Diogo and Michael have returned to Europe, left back Juan has gone to São Paulo, and Kleberson has been sent out on loan to Atletico PR.

The arrivals have been the more important part, Ronaldinho Gaúcho ended huge speculation about his future when he finally signed for the rubro-negro in January, and the other big arrival came in the shape of attacking midfielder and former Fluminense ídolo Thiago Neves, who signed from Al-Hilal. Besides the two big names, there have been some other very useful additions, left back Egídio returned from his loan at Vitória, goalkeeper Felipe signed from Sporting Braga in Portugal, and Argentine Dario Bottinelli arrived from Universidad Católica to provide an extra option in attack.

Flamengo's signing of Ronaldinho Gaúcho will have all eyes on the rubro-negro. Photo: AP/Felipe Dana

The squad looks strong, in defence Leo Moura is still one of the best right backs in the country, and the returning Egídio has made the left back role his own, linking up superbly with Ronaldinho Gaúcho when he goes forward. Willians is a natural Brazilian volante (defensive midfielder), great engine, great stamina and a good ball winner. Alongside him, Renato Abreu has been converted into a defensive midfielder from his favoured central attacking position. He is a hard worker who is known for his ridiculously powerful shot. In attack, if Flamengo can keep Ronaldinho and Thiago Neves fit and scoring goals, they could be very successful this year.

The opposing argument is that this team is one with too many big names, and not enough of a team spirit. If they hit a slow patch, coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo could be shown the door and a promising team could turn into a disaster.

Expected formation:

Brasileirão In Focus: Figueirense

2011-05-20T21:02:00.000+01:00

Another newly promoted side from the Série B, the Figueira always used to be the biggest side in Santa Catarina state, often as mid-table mainstays in the Brasileirão. In recent years they have been overshadowed by little local rivals Avaí, who have made a meteoric rise while the Figueira have floundered in lower divisions.

They had a very successful Série B season last year, unspectacular yet effective, and finished in 2nd position, boasting the league’s best goal difference. They have few recognizable names in their side, so it looks like they may lack the quality to compete in the top league.

Two players who may catch the eye this season are two of their attacking options, Lenny and Wellington Nem. Lenny, 23 years old, was a youth prodigy in his years at Fluminense and Palmeiras, but his problem is that he is ridiculously injury prone. At Palmeiras, he was always regarded as a star of the future, but whenever he managed to get a run in the first team, he would be struck down with an injury. When he plays, he is obviously talented, unbelievably fast and a big danger to the defence. If he manages to stay fit, he will be a definite starter for the Figueira and hopefully he will start to live up to his potential.

The other is 19 year old attacking midfielder Wellington Nem, on loan from Fluminense. Left footed, superb dribbler, and with superb intelligence for someone his age. I have watched him for a long time through various youth levels, and he looks like a player who can make it on the big stage, certainly at a mid-table side in Brasil. He should get a lot of playing time this season, so this is going to be his most important year yet.

It is quite hard to predict how Figueirense will get on this season, they could go on a surprising run pulling off some big results, but over the course of the season I think they will struggle for consistency and fail to stay in the league.

Expected formation:

Brasileirão In Focus: Cruzeiro

2011-05-20T20:46:00.000+01:00

One of the really serious contenders for the national title this season, Cruzeiro are looking for another successful season in their long, proud history. Runners-up in the Brasileirão last season, Campeonato Mineiro champions for 2011, they are widely regarded as the best team in South America.

Generally dominant so far in 2011, they strolled through the Campeonato Mineiro, dropping only four points in the regular stage and cruising through the knockout round. However, they suffered a surprise exit from the Copa Libertadores at the hands of Colombians Once Caldas, despite playing absolutely brilliantly in the group stage.

Since last year they have made some useful tweaks to the squad, some fringe players have been cut, youngsters have been sent out on loan, and useful additions have been recruited in the shape of defensive midfielder Leandro Guerreiro, Paraguayan forward José Ortigoza and Uruguayan centre back Mauricio Victorino.

They have some wonderful talents in their squad, goalkeeper Fábio is another awesome Brazilian talent in that position, great shot-stopper, and wonderful at facing penalties. In the midfield, Argentine playmaker Walter Montillo orchestrates the attack and shows week-in-week-out why he is one of the best midfielders in the league. He is such a fabulous player to watch, he dictates the tempo of the match, creates chances with wonderful through passes, and can carve open opportunities for himself with fantastic darting runs through the opposition defence.

Another huge talent in the squad is 21 year old attacker Wallyson. He has really made the step up this year with dazzling performances in the Libertadores and state championships, after he was restricted to playing a peripheral role in the team last season. Traditionally a supporting striker, he has adapted to playing as a right winger and has fitted in perfectly to the attack. One to watch for this season, and a possible candidate for top scorer if Cruzeiro performs as expected.

Wallyson is looking forward to his best season yet. (Photo: Valeska Silva)

Similar to the likes of Barcelona, they are a rather predictable side. Manager Cuca never makes too many alterations to their formation or squad selection, which has helped them form a unit of players who are able to build consistency every week. Their system is a 4-2-3-1, the aforementioned Wallyson and Roger in attacking midfield roles with the former drifting out right, and Montillo as the playmaker. Thiago Ribeiro should be preferred up front coming back from injury, but they have some other useful options for that spot like José Ortigoza and former l’OM striker Brandão.

They really have a very good chance for the title this season, as long as the team stay motivated and do not lose confidence. Alongside their strong starting XI, they have decent depth in their squad which is absolutely integral to a title challenge in the Campeonato Brasileiro. Their Libertadores exit is a worry, but over the course of a league season they should perform very well.

Expected formation:

Brasileirão In Focus: Coritiba

2011-05-20T20:01:00.000+01:00

Back in the Brasileirão after a year down in Série B, a Coxa are in the form of their lives, having broken the Brazilian record for the most consecutive victories (24). They made light work of the Série B last year, coasted to the trophy in the Campeonato Paranaense, and they crushed Palmeiras 6-0 in a historic first leg of the Copa do Brasil quarter final. These results and their attractive style have inspired certain people to refer to them as ‘the Barcelona of South America’.

They have formed a really good unit, everyone pulling their weight and playing for the team. They are organized, good on the counter and dangerous at set-pieces. They play in what looks like a standard Brazilian 4-2-2-2, but with a couple of alterations. Between the two attacking midfielders Davi and Rafinha, the former operates more in the middle in a number nine role, whilst Rafinha drifts out to either flank and pushes up to attack. The two forwards Anderson Aquino and Bill do something similar, with Bill staying in the centre, and Anderson Aquino drifting out to either side and sometimes dropping back in to midfield. (see diagram)

In the transfer market they adopted an interesting tactic, signing several fringe players from higher reputation clubs. This has worked out superbly, as they have managed to get a hold of a crop of talented, experienced and extremely motivated individuals. Defensive midfielder Léo Gago has proved to be a fabulous addition to the side, he was on loan at the side last season from Vasco and Coritiba will be delighted that they have managed to tie him down to a permanent contract. A good athletic player, does the simple stuff well but also provides a threat going forward, one to watch out for this year.

Several people will have their eyes on Marcelo Oliveira’s side this season, and I do not think they will be disappointed. This is a motivated team who will be looking to establish themselves amongst the top sides in the league. It might be a little too early for them this year, but I would not be at all surprised if they ended up in the top half of the table and with a Copa Sulamericana spot.

Expected formation:

Brasileirão In Focus: Corinthians

2011-05-20T19:12:00.000+01:00

Corinthians, o Timão, the biggest team in São Paulo state and truly one of the giants in the Brazilian game. They have a significantly different team to the one that finished 3rd in last season’s Brasileirão, with the retirement of Ronaldo Fenômeno and the departures of Roberto Carlos, Jucilei and Elias. Despite these losses, they still managed to make the final of the Campeonato Paulista, partially thanks to the signing of former Sporting Lisbon forward Liedson.

This transfer window has been a busy one for Corinthians, and there seems to be a lot more to come. Bruno Cesar will leave in June to sign for Benfica, and striker Dentinho has sealed a move to Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk. The really interesting part is the players coming in. Since the end of the 2010 Brasileirão, o Timão have recruited names like Liedson, Fábio Santos, Adriano, Emerson and ex-Spartak Moscow midfielder Alex. Roma’s Fábio Simplício appears to be close to signing, and there are strong rumours regarding the signings of AC Milan’s Clarence Seedorf, Paulo Henrique Ganso from Santos and André of Dynamo Kiev.

This is a team who certainly have what it takes to win the league, with some of the best players in Brazil at their disposal, especially if they go on to sign any of the other names mentioned. Perhaps their only weak spot is their coach, Tite. Not a bad coach by any means, but since he has been in charge of Corinthians it has not seemed like the fans have been particularly won over by him. He failed to win the 2010 Brasileirão last season, was knocked out by Deportes Tolima in the qualifying rounds of the 2011 Copa Libertadores, and now suffered in the Paulistão final. You feel that Tite needs instant results, and any more disappointment in the near future will leave him out of a job.

Without knowing the extent of their activity in the transfer market, it is hard to pinpoint a formation for Corinthians, but with the players they have under contract currently, they will play a 4-2-3-1. Fábio Santos and Alessandro play left and right back respectively, dominating the flanks. In the midfield, Ralf is the holding man, and he is partnered by Paulinho, who is a little more athletic and mobile. The attacking three (for the time being) should line up with Jorge Henrique, Alex and Willian, and Liedson is the first choice at centre forward.

Expected formation:

Brasileirão In Focus: Ceará

2011-05-20T03:42:00.000+01:00

Fresh from a dominant campaign in the Campeonato Cearense, during which they strolled to the trophy ending rivals Fortaleza’s run of four titles in a row, Ceará are looking forward to another Campeonato Brasileiro season. The Vozão performed well above expectations last year, spending a surprising amount of time in the top four, and ending up in 12th position with a place in the Copa Sulamericana 2011. Their home support was truly fantastic, with an average home crowd of over 20,000, a typical trait of clubs from the northeast region. This will be in threat for this year however, as their Castelão stadium has been closed for refurbishment for the World Cup in 2014, and they will play their home games in the Domingão stadium in neighbouring city Horizonte.

Ceará are currently on an extended cup run, taking on Coritiba in the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil. It has been an excellent campaign so far, in the quarter finals they eliminated Flamengo 4-3 on aggregate, showing great character over both legs. This series of results has earned the team the fantastic nickname of a Carroça Desembestada, the runaway train.

In the off-season they conducted a very good piece of business by bringing in veteran striker Iarley on loan from Corinthians, his experience is sure to serve them well in what will be a very challenging season for them. Along with the great form of their top scorer Marcelo Nicácio, they should be decent going forward.

Ceará go with the generic Brazilian 4-4-2 formation, but with their full-backs allowed to get really far forward, with one of the defensive midfielders tucking in to cover. In attack, they work as a fluid unit, midfielders Thiago Humberto and playmaker Geraldo orchestrate the attacks, while Iarley supports the centre forward, often dropping into midfield.

Certainly the Vozão are currently in very high spirits thanks to some great results, and rightly so, but I fear that they do not have the squad to keep up their form on more than one front. With the effort expended during the Campeonato Cearense and their extended cup run, not forgetting the Sulamericana later in the year, they may spread themselves too thin and their league position could suffer. Personally I hope they manage to stay in the league, as with the dominance of teams from Brasil’s south-east, it is about time that a team from the North-east got some success.

Expected Formation:

Brasileirão In Focus: Botafogo

2011-05-20T03:26:00.001+01:00

Now we go on to the first out of the four grandes do Rio de Janeiro, Botafogo. A very traditional club with a lot of history, twice national champions, and was the home to such greats as Garrincha and Jairzinho. In recent years, the team has been performing fairly well but without reaching any grand heights. Joel Santana recently left his post as manager after 15 months in charge (a relatively long stint in Brasileirão terms) under strong pressure and criticism from the supporters, but since he took charge Botafogo have evolved in to an attractive attacking side.

Last year they ended up in sixth position after a fairly impressive campaign, during which they lost only one home match at the Engenhão. Since then there have not been very many changes in personnel, 21 year old Thiago Galhardo joined from Bangu and defensive midfielder Arévalo Rios was signed from Mexican side Monterrey, covering for the exit of Leandro Guerreiro who signed for Cruzeiro.

Botafogo have a squad with all of the makings of a title challenge, but they do not appear to be unified enough to construct such an assault. They play the traditional Brazilian 4-4-2 (shaped like 4-2-2-2), and are characterized by a strong spine, from national team goalkeeper Jefferson right through to Uruguayan talismanic forward Sebastian ‘Loco’ Abreu. Centre back Antônio Carlos provides quality in the defense, also he can be counted on for a few goals from set pieces throughout the season.

Moving in to the midfield, Marcelo Mattos and ‘Mago’ Maicosuel really give this side a great injection of quality. Marcelo Mattos is a defensive midfielder, mature, effective and a good passer of the ball, he is very valuable to the balance and tempo of the side. Maicosuel is an attacking midfielder, good dribbler, great touch, and capable of moments of real magic (which explains his nickname, mago = magician). He suffered a pretty serious knee injury in September and is only now returning to the team, and to announce his return he scored a fabulous solo goal in a recent friendly against Friburguense, giving the supporters something to look forward to this season.

Up front, the 193cm Uruguayan striker Sebastián ‘Loco’ Abreu leads the line. A truly fabulous character, he has become known worldwide after scoring the penalty kick that eliminated Ghana in the 2010 World Cup. The technique he uses to take his penalties, a gentle chip down the middle of the goal (known in Brasil as a “cavadinha”, a little dig) lead to a particularly bizarre event last season during a clássico against Fluminense, which completely defined his cult status.

In the second half of the clássico, trailing 2x1, Botafogo won a penalty which Loco Abreu took, a cavadinha as usual, but it was saved by the Fluminense goalkeeper. However, only two minutes later, Botafogo won another penalty. Loco Abreu grabbed the ball again, and with nerves of steel, hit another cavadinha, which this time beat the goalkeeper.

Alongside el Loco, they have the option of Caio and Herrera, both useful strikers who can bring something different to the attack depending on the situation.

Expected Formation: