Brilliant Brazil Dazzles Ahead Of World Cup

In many ways, Tunisia represented the final test for Brazil. At a feverish Parc des Princes, dotted with red shirts and the colors of Esperance, the Tunisia supporters, who had snapped up all tickets in a matter of days, provoked the five-time world champion Brazil, by booing the national anthem, using laser pens and, damningly, throwing a banana toward Richarlison.

Tunisia’s players did not shy away from hard tackling and rough challenges. It seemed they wanted to prove a point in front of their fierce fans. In the 42nd minute, the Carthage Eagles were however reduced to ten men after Dylan Bronn had targeted Neymar one time too many.

For a moment, even Brazil coach Tite, fired up by the hostility around him, lashed out at Bronn, but his team was composed and crucially already 4-1 up. Tunisia had tried to bully its opponent and failed. By half-time, the African side was out of the game, mirroring Ghana’s despair a few days earlier in Le Havre.

Brazil again employed a 3-2-5 formation when attacking. Fred pushed up and full-back Danio slotted into central midfield alongside Casemiro. The double pivot allowed Fred, Paqueta, Neymar, Raphinha and Richarlison to swarm the Tunisian box. With Flamengo’s Pedro, thundering home the last goal in the 73rd minute, and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior off the bench at half-time, Brazil ran out 5-1.

The latest boy wonder, Vinicius Junior, 22, is instrumental to Brazil. His skillset aside, Vinicius’s understanding with Neymar is blossoming. Above all, his emergence has relieved the burden of the number 10. Brazil has for the longest of times been dependent on Neymar. The last World Cup was a case in point. With weary legs, Neymar dragged himself and Brazil through the tournament. Too often, Brazil passed the ball to their lodestar in search of a solution and when Thibaut Courtois tipped over his curling last-minute strike in the last eight, Brazil was out. Kazan had truly become the graveyard of the great.

That defeat rattled Tite. He has admitted losing sleep over the heartbreaking elimination. Brazil tends to react predictably to World Cup eliminations: inquisition and soul-searching; a new manager arrives, and fields more defensive midfielders. The strategy works in the regional qualifiers but unravels at the World Cup. A new inquisition follows and the cycle repeats itself.

In 2018, the CBF broke tradition and maintained Tite at the helm, the first coach to stay on since Mario Zagallo in 1970. But Tite was under pressure, from the fans to win the 2019 Copa America and from himself to rebuild a team. Gradually, he did, often repeating his mantra that the performance matters more than the result. He developed a team with great tactical flexibility in the final third, moving all of Neymar, Vinicius Junior, Richarlison and Raphinha around, but never truly trusting Lucas Paqueta’s defensive qualities enough to play him in midfield, a way to accommodate all of those four attackers at once.

Brazil breezed through the qualifiers and impressed against both Ghana and Tunisia. The South Americans have scored 27 goals in 2022, but the form and raw data belie Tite’s ultimate concern: how will his team react when facing Europe’s elite teams in Qatar? It is three years since Brazil last played an opponent from the Old Continent, resulting in a 3-1 victory against the Czech Republic. In the run-up to the Russia World Cup, Brazil faced the tournament host, Germany and Austria. Tite was keen on tests against European teams and obsessed over how to take on 5-man defences.

With the introduction of the Nations League, Brazil no longer has the luxury of testing against Germany and other European heavyweights. Before the 2026 World Cup, the CBF had wanted to modernize South America’s ten-team marathon World Cup qualifying format to open the door to participation in the Nations League. Unfortunately, Chile had already sold its broadcast rights for the 2026 cycle, leaving the Brazilians with no alternative but to accept the current format.

So, there will be nerves when Tite walks out at Lusail Stadium on 24 November to take on Serbia. Brazil should have no problems progressing from the group stage, but then Europe’s best await in the knockout phase. In 2002, Brazil was the last South American team to win the World Cup. Ever since Europe has cemented its dominance of the global finals, but Tite has called Brazil’s current run of 15 unbeaten matches his team’s best spell yet. With less dependence on Neymar, tactical flexibility and European top teams seeking their form, the stars might well be aligned for Brazil’s sixth.