Sao Paolo and Corinthians continued their battle for supremacy in the Campeonato Paulista table with victories on Sunday.Sao Paolo improved to three straight victories with a 3-0 defeat of visiting Santo Andre, with Dagoberto (9), Lucas (59) and Casimiro (67) all troubling the scorers.Corinthians rebounded from their midweek loss to Ponte Preta to edge Mirassol 3-2, despite going down to 10 men with the loss of Jorge Henrique to a second caution in the 50th minute.Serginho put Mirassol ahead 1-0 with a goal in the 26th minute, but a Willian brace after the break put the visitors in a strong position.Esley looked to have stolen a point for Mirassol when he equalised in the 89th minute, but Bruno Cesar nabbed a thrilling goal late in injury time to deny them.Sao Paolo and Corinthians join Santos on 28 points at the top of the table, separated only by goal difference.Santo Andre remain one point clear of escaping the relegation zone, while Mirassol fall to sixth following back-to-back losses.Elsewhere, Paulista rose to seventh on the table with a 2-0 win at struggling Americana, who have lost four games in a row, following goals to Hernane (65) and Fabio Gomes (74).Oeste recovered from back-to-back losses to defeat visiting Bragatino 2-0, with Jose Fabio (39) and Anselmo Ramon (71) ensuring Oeste’s slide down the table stops at eighth.Finally, Ituano and Portuguesa fought out a goal-less draw at the Estadio Romildo Vitor Gomes Ferreira.
Sepp Blatter is wrong. Hardly a revelatory sentence. In fact I could blindly announce said statement every time the FIFA supremo made a public utterance and be fairly confident (by at least a margin of 90%) that I’d be bang on the money every time. This time however, the former president of the World Society of Friends of Suspenders and current and seemingly everlasting FIFA head honcho has tempered his wrongness with a rightness. All be it a rightness that should’ve been a given 5 long years ago.
Blatter’s announcement that he and his illuminati brethren will “look into” goal line technology, but not consider video replays is kind of like the announcement that President Obama will “look into” human rights, but not even consider the prospect of universal health care. Video replays are exactly what should be being looked into now, goal line technology should’ve been implemented years ago.
In 2005, after the infamous Pedro Mendes winner that never was for Spurs at Old Trafford, FIFA started “looking into” goal line technology seriously, and as a result, the famed “ball and chip” thingy was developed. This monumental step forward was heralded the world over and Blatter himself claimed then that FIFA would trial the device at various junior competitions in 2007. Did they? No of course they didn’t. They did nothing and shelved the idea, as they more than likely will do this time.
Back in March when the IFAB ruled to permanently ditch the idea of technology in football, I registered my disapproval on this site, (which you can read here – https://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/fifa-living-fear-irobots) writing; “I’d expect more howls of consternation in the coming months as more errors are made, and I’d dread to think what would happen if anything dodgy were to occur at the World Cup. In fact no, I don’t dread it, I’d welcome it in fact, because it’s quite frankly getting absolutely ludicrous now and maybe only such a high profile and dramatic balls up (or across) would shake the arrogance out of these people”
Whilst it’s never nice to have your words come back and bite you so viciously on the back side, the fact the finality of the decision has now been reversed is somewhat of a comfort (well that, and the fact that England would almost certainly have gone on to lose anyway had Lampard’s goal actually counted.)
But the fact that the man who waged war on pantyhose back in the 70s has transferred this finality to the prospect of video replays has brought said disapproval bubbling back to the surface again. Sepp Blatter is wrong. As always.
Of the 473 bad refereeing decisions at the 2010 World Cup so far, only the one has had anything to do with whether a ball crossed a line or not. What makes this statistic even worse is that of these 473 (a possibly erroneous number) the overwhelming majority of them have occurred a split second before the play was stopped. FIFA has three default arguments it wheels out in a cart marked “archaic” when pestered for the umpteenth time with a plea for technology in football, and the first one is always that it would “break up the natural fluidity of the game.”
I don’t know how many football games Sepp and co watch, but your average football match runs unbroken for about 5 minutes. In fact when you add up all the stoppages in a game of football, you usually arrive at a sum of about half an hour. Not that this means football should be broken up more of course, or that the idea of constant enforced stoppages are at all a good thing to contemplate, but when you’re in a position where the game has already stopped, and the players on the field are actually increasing the length of said stoppage by arguing futilely with the officials, what harm can there possibly be in using said time a tad more productively.
Of the two occurrences on the 27th of June 2010 that forced Blatter to apologize to both the English and Mexican FAs, the English one was clearly the more scandalous. A ball actually crossing a line unseen is a far more unusual and unfair occurrence than your common or garden offside error, of which you’ll see up and down the world of football on a weekly basis. But of the decisions made that day by on the pitch – and pitch side – officials, the one made in the Mexico-Argentina game was unquestionably the most ridiculous.
We can be completely sure that despite it being incredibly obvious to even a blind agoraphobic badger, neither the linesman nor the referee in the England – Germany encounter knew if the ball had actually crossed the line. We cannot however, say the same thing in the other game. Because as the Mexican players encircled the linesman causing – wait for it – a prolonged stoppage in play, the incident was replayed on the in stadium big screen, prompting the lino to question, nay review his decision and consequently inform the referee. Whether he knew his error concretely or not, only he can say, but there was unquestionably doubt cast on the decision, and the reaction of the players, fans and officials in that instant all implied they were at least in some way aware an error had been made. Yet nothing was done. The referee, in full awareness of the contentiousness of such a ruling, ruled anyway, more in fear of his job and the arcane rules of the football illuminati than the principles of right, wrong, and justice.
Imagine, if you will, an extreme comparison. Say a judge was just about to announce a guilty verdict, but at the last minute was approached by the clerk of the court and informed that a video had come to light that exonerated the defendant completely. What if he was then shown this video instantly on an iPad? (Which would be a momentous occasion in itself – a useful application of the iPad.) What would you expect this imaginary judge to do in this instance? That’s right, ignore it completely and send the man down anyway. Of course. Pukka! According to Sepp and co evidentially. While the decision may not have spared the Mexicans the eventual Argentinean goal fest, it was never the less scandalous to award a goal in full, or even partial knowledge of it’s illegitimacy.
Almost every other bad decision you can instantly recall from this World Cup has similarly occurred with such a stoppage forthcoming anyway. Luis Fabiano’s lovely juggling display against the Ivorians. Kaka’s vicious act of standing still into someone’s face that same game. Fernando Torres’ Charlie Chaplain impression against Chile, itself an homage to the sterling earlier work of Daniel De Rossi. All of these have caused the play to stop. Quickly viewing any of these incidents on a pitch side monitor would all have taken no more time, and in most cases likely less, than the ensuing break in play they entailed anyway. If the officials had earpieces it could be done even quicker of course. Sorry what? They already have them you say? Oh right. Lovely.
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The two other default arguments FIFA use are just as pathetic for the record. The game doesn’t need to be equal at all levels, and isn’t as it is anyway. I’ve so far failed to spot the under pitch heating, professional quality grounds staff, officials, floodlighting and footwear on Hackney Marshes. In fact I’ve failed to notice it at many professional lower league games too. Nor have I yet been aware of anyone’s job or livelihood riding on a Monday night kick about on Clapham Common. Maybe Blatter should try and make sure that’s all sorted out before he claims it would disrupt the utopian ideal of football to use tech at the very highest, stake crammed level. But it’d probably be too expensive. That’s another sub-argument proposed against technology too though isn’t it? Damn.
The thin end of the wedge excuse relies on the idea that once it’s in, there’d be no limiting its usage. This of course depends entirely on who is in charge and control of bringing it in and implementing it. Essentially FIFA are saying they don’t trust these people to not go mad. Except that these people would be them. Duh! So if they can’t trust themselves, why on earth should we? I don’t for the record, and I wouldn’t with a rubber spoon, let alone a multi million pound organization.
If, how and when to use video replays is admittedly a much longer discussion than I’ve relayed here. But it is never the less precisely something FIFA should be “looking into” at this juncture. Instead, they’re looking into something that should already be a mainstay by now. Thank god Blatter and co weren’t in charge of football at its beginnings, or we’d still be debating whether nets were a good idea or not.
You can follow Oscar on Twitter here; http://twitter.com/oscarpyejeary, where you can, like, you know…follow him and…stuff.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas has dedicated his side’s 2-1 win over Everton in the Carling Cup on Wednesday night to under-fire skipper John Terry.
The England international defender was left out of the squad to travel to Merseyside, as allegations of racism in The Blues 1-0 defeat to QPR at the weekend are currently being investigated by the FA.
After the hard-fought victory, the Portuguese coach admitted the players had their captain in mind.
“The spirit of the players took us through. I think all of the players would like to dedicate the win to John Terry,” Villas Boas told Sky Sports.
Salomon Kalou had given the visitors the lead before Louis Saha forced the game into extra-time, where Daniel Sturridge converted the winner for the London outfit.
With Toffees midfielder Royston Drenthe and Chelsea’s goalkeeper Ross Turnbull both dismissed, the away team’s trainer was delighted to progress through to the next stage.
“We deserved it for what we put on as an effort and for the football we played.
“To be fair, I think we had the worst of the draws. It was a difficult game to play, Everton would like to challenge for silverware and the commitment they had to this competition made them a strong team.
“When you triumph in a game like this, you cannot toast the individuals you have to toast the collective spirit of a squad that once again goes down to 10 men.
“We wanted to avoid it but it happened and we saw the game through,” he concluded.
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Chelsea have no respite as the fixtures come thick and fast in November, with Arsenal their next opponents at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
This week the excitement surrounding Liverpool’s youngster Raheem Sterling has been fascinating, especially as the Reds boss Kenny Dalglish has named him in the squad for the Europa League tie in Sparta Prague tonight. Video highlights have circulated the internet showing Sterling scoring 5 goals against Southend United in a FA Youth Cup tie on Monday night where Dalglish watched happily from the stands and it is no secret that ‘King Kenny’ highly rates this promising 16-year old.
Watching the highlights, I was not surprised to see Sterling weave in and out of challenges, with his change of pace, quick feet and excellent ball control – let’s not forget a brilliant end product. But it only joins other videos and compilations of the player since the age of 14, and despite his size he could feature for the first team tonight in Prague which would make him Liverpool’s youngest first team player. If or rather ‘when’ Raheem does start to feature in the first team it will only be a mixture of emotions for me with Sterling being a product of QPR’s youth system.
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Being a Queens Park Rangers supporter, I’ve not had much to shout about over the years having seen us relegated twice and promoted once. Even more so the club has not had a strong history in producing young talent especially in my time as a fan, with only Kevin Gallen being the only strong example of a player who broke records at youth level and was rewarded with a Premier League debut at Old Trafford. However, Gallen along with the likes of Richard Langley, suffered bad injuries at a young age that harmed his progress into what would’ve been a regular Premier League player at the very least.
I would have loved to have seen Raheem Sterling stay at the Rangers and break into the first team, which he probably would have done by now. It would fill me and R’s supporters alike with a sense of pride given his exceptional talent, but you can’t deny the player’s ambition for wanting to play for a huge club like Liverpool. Also, I’m actually quite happy that this loss of a young promising talent looks to be worthwhile with the possibility of first team football. It was not long ago that another talent from ‘our’ (QPR) youth set-up was snapped up by Tottenham Hotspur at 15 years old, but since then Dean Parrett hasn’t made the ‘Rooney’ type impact that was talked about. Despite a first team appearance in the Europa League, Parrett has since been on loan to Aldershot and Plymouth – which makes me shout “you should’ve stayed at the Rangers!”
We’ve also been extremely unlucky with our youth players in recent years and I am not just talking about the ‘bigger’ clubs taking them away. The tragic death of young striker Ray Jones, who looked to be a player with huge potential and had already made 37 appearances in the first team at just 18 years of age, was a very sad day. Personally, I highly rated Jones despite only scoring 6 goals – we were a cash strapped team fighting off relegation. If I liken him to a player today, it would be Liverpool’s multi-million pound signing, Andy Carroll.
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If Sterling is to feature in tonight’s game then it can only be great for the player and for the club (both Liverpool and QPR) because the Reds get to display one of their many talented youth players whilst Rangers are due some add-on fees depending on appearances and success. Whatever happens tonight, Liverpool certainly have a superstar in the making.
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Yesterday, I did something quite unheard of. My computer remained off, anything I had been working on remained unworked on and I donned a pair of gloves to keep goal with my friends in a kickabout in a local park. To be honest, it’s not that unheard of, but saying it was made for a much snappier opening than “yesterday I played some football with my friends.” And it wasn’t really a park, either, it was just a football pitch near a road.
Normally, as the goalkeeper, it falls upon me to retrieve the ball on the (incredibly) numerous occasions it goes behind the goal. So you can imagine my delight when the one who was tasked with bringing the ball turned up with a brand spanking new, Adidas Jabulani – the football that has been largely uncontrollable when international football players have been shooting in this year’s World Cup.
We’re not international football players. In fact, to call us players would be an exaggeration, given that we do to football what Lily Allen does to music. Nevertheless, I found myself moving to recover fewer wayward shots than I expected – partly because the ball wasn’t as uncontrollable as expected, but mainly because everyone else was desperate to get it so that they could have a quick ogle of the attractive lady in the low cut top sunbathing on the far side of the field.
Certainly one of them was all too eager to get the ball after shooting wide. In fact, I suspect he may have just been thumping the ball in her direction.
Anyway, I digress – because there is a point to that tale.
After the final whistle was blown at Upton Park on the final day of the football season and I was no longer able to watch my team domestically, my thoughts immediately turned to the World Cup. If I’m being honest, I’m a very cynical man, so I never fell for the big build-up of the tournament and the whole ‘England-might-actually-go-and-bloody-win-this-based-on-no-evidence-again’ vibe. I don’t feel the connection with England that I do with my team, Manchester City, but, while I don’t have flags on my car or hanging out of my window, I’d like England to win as much as the next man.
Equally, I didn’t feel in the depths of despair when we failed to score against Algeria. Call it the blind optimism of being a Manchester City fan, but I never truly felt worried that we wouldn’t qualify from the group.
The thing is, once the football season was over, I was looking forward to enjoying some quality football from the best teams in the world. While there have been some brilliant games, there has been a lot of rubbish, with an extra side-order of crap, served up, too. I can’t begin to offer an explanation for this, but it hasn’t, in my opinion, spoilt the tournament, like several pundits have suggested.
And, according to most teams, coaches, players and managers, it’s the ball that is to blame for this. It bounces too much, it moves a lot in the air and, for some reason, it’s too round. It’s political correctness gone mad. Or something.
The bouncy bit of the argument I can buy – having played with a Jabulani that was actually quite on the flat side, I can confirm that it bounces like Tigger on a pogo stick at a trampoline convention. Although we’re not international players, we can still kick a ball, and it didn’t do too much moving in the air (one shot did go through me, but the sun was in my eyes and it hit a bobble and you can add some more feeble goalkeeper excuses here) and I didn’t find that it was any rounder than any ball I’d played with in the past.
Though I do wear glasses, so the edges of it are slightly fuzzy.
What has annoyed me about this World Cup isn’t that some of the games have been below par. In a month of football, not every game would be an edge of the seat, nail-biting job. What I have found particularly annoying is the regular moans – be it of the ball, the vuvuzelas, the people who moan about the vuvuzelas, the people who moan about the people who moan about the vuvuzelas (and now, by definition, me), and the terrible jokes everybody seems to think are funny based on how the World Cup loosely mirrors the Second World War.
Lord help me if I see another one of those jokes.
Though England’s facing Germany did seem to please the British press, who were able to wheel out the pun writers for their headlines. I can only presume the editors will have their fingers crossed that we beat the Germans and meet Argentina in the next round, just for the punning opportunity again.
The worst thing about this World Cup by far, however, is that hideously cringeworthy, over-the-top, painfully horrific, dreadfully awful nightmare that is that bloody Prin-gooooooals advert. Closely followed by Nicklas Bendtner’s finishing – the reporter for BBC Radio Five Live at Hull vs. Arsenal last season said of Bendtner’s last minute tap in: “He’ll never score an easier goal.”
And he didn’t know how right he was.
I’d also like to put it on record that I don’t particularly mind the sound of the vuvuzela. It might just be me, but I find it quite a happy sound – there’s something of a party atmosphere about a stadium full of people blowing horns. I wouldn’t go as far as suggesting their introduction to the Premier League, but I think a bigger deal has been made of them than is warranted.
However, what I don’t understand is, having had the opportunity to play with the new ball for a short while before the tournament, why have there been constant complaints? The players are all internationals, they all know how it’s been behaving and they’re all playing with the same ball… You’d think they’d do some practise with it.
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There is always the possibility, I suppose, that they have been practising, but there’s been an attractive lady sunbathing in a low cut top a long way behind the goal.
Tottenham have made a £12 million bid for Yann M’Vila, according to The Telegraph.
The north London side are restructuring under new boss Andre Villas-Boas, and have already added Jan Vertonghen and Gylfi Sigurdsson to their squad this summer.
The France international midfielder has outgrown Ligue 1 side Rennes, and has been linked with a move to Arsenal, Inter and Zenit St Petersburg.
However, the Spurs boss is thought to be an admirer of M’Vila and wants him at White Hart Lane.
Rennes chairman Frederic de Saint-Sernin has admitted that the French side have received a concrete offer from an English team for M’Vila’s services, and reports across the channel state that Spurs are the team interested.
Tottenham may face losing Luka Modric this summer, and as such Villas-Boas is keen to bolster his options in the centre of the park.
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Newcastle’s Hatem Ben Arfa has spoken of the trails of recovering from a broken leg, and is now looking forward to getting back to playing football for the Premier League club.
The Frenchman suffered a horrific leg break in a challenge with Manchester City’s Nigel De Jong last October, but made a return in the Carling Cup against Nottingham Forest in midweek.
After intense rehabilitation, the winger is now ready to return to the Tyneside club’s first team.
“My leg was shattered in two places. One bit pointing this way, the other pointing the wrong direction, but now it has finally healed, and it is straight again! It took a year, there were setbacks along the way but now it is right. It is a massive relief,” he told Mirror Football.
“It was 11 months. I was sad and a very frustrated at times but I had to keep calm. I wanted the whole process to hurry up. I wanted it to be ready immediately.
“I have not been depressed, but I have certainly been sad. It has been hard watching the team play and not being involved. It is difficult to come back from a big injury like the one I suffered, but now it is finished and I will put it behind me,” he admitted.
Ben Arfa is looking to use the injury as a reason to appreciate his career, and feels he is stronger because of it.
“So many things went through my mind. It was not just worrying about football. It was life in general. It is difficult to explain, but it has made me a bit more patient, I appreciate my career now.
“I think it can make me a stronger person, coming through that sort of trauma. My heart is stronger. I have to make sure that, in the long run, it becomes an experience that I learn from – a good experience, in a way. Now it is finished, though.
“I am very happy to be playing again. It has been a difficult year, a long, hard time for me physically and mentally. I am delighted now to have got back on the pitch,” he concluded.
Newcastle host Blackburn at St James’ Park on Saturday, with Ben Arfa likely to be used as a substitute.
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Arsene Wenger is in a bullish mood this morning claiming the North Londoners can end their trophy drought by landing a historic quadruple this season. I am sure most Arsenal fans will settle for one, despite their manager’s bold claims.
In the papers this morning there has been a mixed bag of stories that include Ferguson hailing the form of Nani; Lampard reckons England need Redknapp, while Manchester City fear a summer raid on Carlos Tevez.
*
Fergie hails improved Nani – Sky Sports
Arsenal can win quadruple, says Wenger – Guardian
Lampard: England need Redknapp – Daily Telegraph
City fear summer raid for Tevez – Sun
FA backs Bernstein proposal – Sky Sports
FA distances itself from Wembley prices – Guardian
Ferguson is hot on Rod – Sun
Atletico plan summer swoop for homesick Manchester City star Silva – Daily Mail
Ancelotti casts doubt on Chelsea future – Guardian
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Carroll can be a Kop Idol, says Kenny – Mirror
David Bentley closes the book on Tottenham – Daily Mail
Jose Mourinho has said that he has always wanted to coach Real Madrid after signing a four-year contract with the Spanish giants.
The former FC Porto and Chelsea coach left Internazionale last week after guiding the Italian club to a famous treble of Serie A, Champions League and Coppa Italia titles.
Mourinho, who is Real's ninth coach in six years, replaces the former Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini who spent one season in charge at the Bernabeu.
Real have paid Inter a reported eight million euros in compensation for the 47-year-old, who said:"I don't know if I was born to coach Real Madrid but I was born to be a football coach. I love important challenges.
"I am Jose Mourinho and I don't change. I arrive with all my qualities and my defects.
"My attraction to Real Madrid is due to its history, its frustrations in recent years and its expectations to win. It's a unique club and I believe that not to coach Real leaves a void in a coach's career.
"Luckily, I've had a beautiful career and it makes me proud to have come here. I am very enthusiastic. I want my players to think that way. The beauty is not so much to train or play at Real, but to win at Real Madrid.
"I think four years of contract is enough to win, to build a strong team for the present and the future.
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"The sacking of Pellegrini doesn't make me happy. I am never happy when a coach is sacked but football is like that.
"I have a lot of confidence in my players, I have the hope that my new players have confidence in me."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
History would suggest the archetypal Brazilian’s adaption to the Barclays Premier League is usually one fraught with danger, but there appears to be something of a new generation; one that at the very least, fancies itself to conquer rigours of English football. Are the likes of Chelsea new boy Oscar et al, ready to break the hoodoo of their underperforming predecessors?
When you think of dodgy imports, you wouldn’t usually associate Brazilian footballers with suspect polo shirts from Eastern Europe. But whilst both have the capacity to make you look like a bit of a lemon, a penchant for fake Lacoste won’t set you back several million quid. You’d imagine Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson would rather don a truckload of counterfeit clobber than fork out another £12 million for Afonso Alves.
It might seem unfair to use Alves as the flagship for Brazilian quality in the Premier League, but there has been something of a negative trend set by many of his countrymen in the English top flight. Kleberson and Roque Junior both came to England with lofty reputations, and left with egg on their face. Robinho and Heurelho Gomes impressed in parts, but ultimately failed to have enough of an impact on the Premier League. And the likes of Claudio Cacapa and Mineiro were simply so bad, we’ve erased them from memory.
Of course, for every Mario Jardel, there is a Lucas Leiva. But even the Liverpool midfielder, who has since won an array of plaudits, saw his Premier League career move to the edge of a cliff before he fired on all cylinders. Ramires, David Luiz and Sandro all have a lot of quality, but it is perhaps only former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva who has left a real, sustained legacy in English football.
And maybe it won’t be until any of the aforementioned players produce the goods consistently, over a number of seasons like Gilberto did, that this perceived hoodoo will ever be broken. But with the level of Brazilian talent that’s currently about or ready to arrive on these shores, surely it is only a matter of time.
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Chelsea new boy Oscar arrives with at least the reputation to match the price tag. The attacking midfielder has shown he has genuine magic in his locker during his short career with Internacional, but at 21, he has every chance of succeeding in the Premier League. And he seems to be part of a growing trend amongst his countrymen. Tottenham’s Sandro arrived from the same club at the same age. The Da Silva twins both went to Old Trafford before their 18th birthdays. Lucas Piazon has already made a huge impression at Stamford Bridge behind the scenes – he came to England aged 17.
Coming to England at such a young age has given all of the above the best chance of succeeding in English football. To a certain extent, they’ve all finished/are finishing their footballing education in England. They’re learning as much as they are acclimatising. But even then, it seems difficult to understand that Brazilians have some intrinsic inability to adapt to a faster or more physical brand of football. Carlos Tevez was no more aware of English football than Kleberson was when he came from South America. Sergio Aguero was just as established in Spain as Robinho was once upon a time.
It’s not as much that Brazilians have just suddenly figured out how to play in England. It feels more as if the Premier League has evolved into an environment better suited to their strengths.
The Premier League today is an almost completely different beast to what we saw ten years ago. Both are massively entertaining models, but tactically, English football has evolved – in no small part due to the influx of foreign players and the culture that they’ve brought with them.
It’s not a cliché – rigid 4-4-2’s built around a fast-paced, physical and, in some parts, largely aerial game are not particularly commonplace back in Brazil. And whilst the top teams in the Premier League were more accommodating to more fluent styles back in 2002, the rest of the league perhaps wasn’t. Footballers can adapt to all formations and cultures given time. But England probably offered the least likely chance of success to South Americans moving over to Europe.
But we’re now experiencing a level of tactical fluidity and evolution in the Premier League that feels a lot more continental. The 4-4-2 is never going to be consigned to history, but we’re seeing a lot more teams adopt the more astute 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3. This is naturally more likely to aid the acclimatisation of the traditional Brazilian footballer – technically accomplished, tactically aware and better with the ball on the deck.
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Debunking myths isn’t an easy task in football. Stereotypes stick in all walks of society, but they’re almost bred in the beautiful game. In reality, there have been just as many failed Italian and South American imports, as there have been Brazilians. Gianfranco Zola, Ossie Ardiles and Jurgen Klinsmann, to a certain extent, don’t particularly represent the majority of their countrymen in terms of the impact they had on English football. But we’re still waiting for a real samba-induced legacy in the Premier League.
But if there is something of a stigma that Brazilians carry when English clubs are looking to purchase, surely that is now set to be blasted into oblivion. There is now real, genuine Brazilian talent within the league and at the age of which so many of them are, they have a superb opportunity to go and put their watermark on English football. Oscar’s transfer may just be the catalyst for a Brazilian revolution.
High hopes for the current crop of Brazilian talent? Sick of hearing how they can’t prosper in this country? Tell me how you see it on Twitter, follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me your views.