AMID all the furore over the refereeing of Brazil’s victory over Argentina in the semi-final of the Copa América this week, there emerged a curious side story as the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) issued a statement insisting it had no intention of replacing Tite, the coach. Which of course immediately set alarm bells ringing.
Why would they say that unless there were a genuine chance he might leave? It’s a possibility that, frankly, defies all reason.
The general belief seems to be that the CBF wanted to make clear that if Tite leaves it is of his own volition, that he has not been pushed.
BOOM!
CBF has denied all the rumours regarding Tite possibly leaving after the Copa America. pic.twitter.com/nA2Vol556p
— Brasil Football (@BrasilEdition) July 4, 2019
It is true that he’s been unhappy about the way certain members of his coaching staff – notably the former Arsenal duo Sylvinho and Edu have left, and it is true that there has been a certain amount of public dissatisfaction following the World Cup exit to Belgium, allied to a more general drop-off in performance. But still, to an outsider looking in, Tite seems the most sensible man in Brazilian football, somebody who has taken significant strides in moving the game on from the prehistoric days of Luiz Felipe Scolari and Dunga to a more modern approach.
To an extent the downturn is only to be expected: no team can be perpetually at its peak and the South American schedule is more punishing than most. But what was revealing was the reaction to that win over Argentina. There was some chauvinism, for sure, but there was also a surprising recognition that Argentina had been a little unfortunate, hitting the woodwork twice and getting the rough end of a couple of refereeing decisions.
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Brazil, it’s true, have not been consistently fluent in this tournament. But it’s also true that there have been flickers of real excitement. The link-up between Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Jesus is growing match by match – whatever your thoughts on the Dani Alves challenge on Sergio Aguero in the build-up, Brazil’s second goal was a thrilling breakaway that showcased their relationship. Everton, cutting in off the flank, was probably Brazil’s most dangerous player in the group stage. Philippe Coutinho, after a miserable season at Barcelona, has shown in spells his capacity to create the play from the front of midfield.
There is the nucleus there of something very exciting, a front four that is mobile and dynamic, that has technical ability and ruthlessness and will be able to press as Tite would like his sides to. Romantics may even wonder if in time a place could be found for the return of Oscar, who thrived alongside Coutinho as Brazil won the Under-20 World Cup in 2010 and who was hard-working and tactically astute enough to be respected by both Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, before removing himself from the limelight by moving to Shanghai SIPG.
But there is, of course, a problem, a huge one, and it is Neymar. At the last two World Cups, Brazil have been damagingly reliant on Neymar. Everything has had to go through him. Everything has had to be about him. Long periods of games would go by in which nothing happened but Neymar lying on the ground, complaining. Opponents targeted him in part because everything Brazil did went through him and in part because he was so susceptible to being targeted. He has done as much as anybody in the past five years to disrupt Brazil’s rhythm.
And that’s before you even begin to address, most seriously, the rape allegations, but also his entourage, all the trappings of celebrity he brings with him and which cannot but be a huge distraction. Tite seemed to handle him as well as anybody reasonably could be expected to, but the political power of Neymar must have been a constant shadow. What if he left out a player Neymar liked? What if he asked him to perform duties he didn’t fancy? The team Tite picked against Belgium in the World Cup, with a flimsy left side, was wholly uncharacteristic for a manager who usually demands balance.
The sense at the moment for Tite, even if, as expected Brazil beat Peru on Sunday, is of a job half-done. The World Cup is still the real prize. But faced with an arduous qualifying campaign, with all the problems of reintegrating Neymar, with all the expectations of the nation – and it is not insignificant that supporters of the right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro have taken to wearing yellow – perhaps the job just isn’t that appealing anymore.
