Why Arthur Elias Is The Right Person To Lead Brazil After Pia Sundhage

The post-World Cup period is always a time of transition in the world of international football. Most coaches’ contracts are set to expire around this time, as most federations set timelines in World Cup cycles.

The latest World Cup was particularly full of shocks and upsets, which meant that many major contenders seriously underperformed. That has led to much inquest and reflection after the tournament, which in turn has resulted in many coaching changes.

Among them was Brazil head coach Pia Sundhage, whose contract actually ran until the 2024 Olympics. However, following a shock group stage exit in Australia, she was sacked or stepped down from her post depending on who you ask. In any case, she is no longer in charge of the Seleção and Arthur Elias has been selected to replace her.

Sundhage’s Post-World Cup Departure

Legendary coach Pia Sundhage was brought in to take charge of Brazil right after the 2019 World Cup.

She led them team to some pretty decent results initially. They lost out on penalties in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to eventual champions Canada before going on to win the Copa América in 2021, which really was a bare minimum expectation given Brazil’s dominance in the region.

Sundhage’s position was not under a lot of scrutiny going into the World Cup, and things got off to a great start for her side. A 4-0 thrashing of Panama with an excellent attacking display seemed to be a statement win, but it all went downhill thereafter.

The real make-or-break match was the one against France, which was a thrilling end-to-end affair. It really could have gone either way, but unfortunately for Brazil, they came away with nothing from it. Consequently, their final group game against Jamaica was a must-win, however they could only manage a draw against the Reggae Girlz’s resolute defense and were thus eliminated from the World Cup.

Clearly, Brazil went down by fine margins and did not have an utterly disastrous World Cup. So, letting Sundhage stick around at least until her contract expired would not have been the worst of decisions, but there were some good arguments that could have been made in favor of parting ways with her too.

Chief among them was her tactical inflexibility. While she did afford a good deal of positional freedom to her players on the pitch, she stuck to her 4-4-2 formation in all matches and did not address certain issues like the lack of control in midfield because forward Kerolin was deployed there.

In short, Brazil’s decision to replace Pia Sundhage was an understandable move, but a lot rested on who they brought in to succeed her.

What Elias Brings To The Table

The good news is that the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) have identified and appointed a near-perfect candidate. Arthur Elias is someone who knows the ins and outs of Brazilian football, and specifically Brazilian women’s football.

The São Paulo-born coach started his career almost two decades ago in 2006 when he took charge of the University of São Paulo’s women’s football team. Three years later, he got his first opportunity with a club in the form of Nacional. After a couple of seasons there, he moved on to Centro Olímpico, who he would go on to lead to their first-ever top-flight league title in 2013.

In 2015, Elias moved on to Audax, who had just struck a partnership deal with local giants Corinthians. He enjoyed yet more success with them, winning the Brazilian Cup in 2016 and the South American Copa Libertadores in 2017.

When Corinthians opted to split and restart their own women’s team in 2018, they made sure of taking Elias with them. He has quickly forged the makings of a dynasty with them, winning four of the last five Brazilian league titles (and looking on course for another one this season) as well as two more Copas Libertadores.

Clearly, Elias is someone who worked his way upland went on to achieve immense success in Brazilian club football, so he naturally makes sense as a candidate for the national team post. Furthermore, his tactical ideas also seem to align with what the Seleção should like. He is not one to subscribe to rigid positional ideas but rather allows players to have a good deal of freedom when they have the ball in a possession-based style, as well as emphasizing defensive solidity and high pressing without the ball.

All in all, Elias seems the perfect person to lead Brazil in the Paris Olympics and beyond, both given his career background and preferred style of play. There can never be any guarantees of success especially in international football, but this seems as sure a bet as any.