"Such football is disrespectful to the fans." Brazil is Criticized for Another Failure in the World Cup Qualifiers
Both the coach and the players are under fire, especially Vinícius.
The Brazilian national team performs poorly in the 2026 World Cup qualifying cycle. This time, Dorival Júnior’s team lost away to Paraguay (0:1). Brazil’s fourth loss in the last five qualifying matches. The team is now in fifth place, eight points behind the leader. What do the media say about the latest failure of the five-time world champions?
UOL (Brazil):
“Vinícius is a fantastic player, but only when he plays for Real Madrid. Period. We comfort ourselves by thinking the Brazilian national team is full of star players. They perform well at their clubs, but none have become true national team leaders. It feels like they fall under a curse when they put on the Brazilian jersey. In the national team, they play much worse. Right now, this Brazil doesn’t look like a five-time world champion.
The team lacks creativity, aggression in attack, and intensity. Does anyone see anything positive in the current Brazilian squad? Two months ago, they had a miserable performance at the Copa América. Are you confident we’ll qualify for the 2026 World Cup with this kind of play? Watching this football is exhausting. Dorival's football is disrespectful to the fans. And we’re not idiots!”
Globo (Brazil):
“The team possessed the ball but didn’t know what to do with it. Yes, they had more approaches to the goal, but there was a catastrophic lack of smart shots and combinations. Speed, intensity, verticality — none was present on the field. Paraguay was happy to give up the ball because they knew how to defend. They’ve conceded only three goals in the qualifiers. It’s hard to explain Brazil’s poor performance.”
Ole (Argentina):
“Brazil has the ball but no team play. Everything ends with Rodrygo or Vinícius trying to beat opponents one-on-one without involving other players. Not to mention the full-backs. Danilo and Arana don’t have what’s in Brazil’s DNA. Plus, their defensive play can’t be called reliable. Dorival has serious work ahead of him, but so far, he’s only repeating that we need patience. Fans' concerns are recurring. The team didn’t impress at the Copa América and then struggled to beat Ecuador at home.”
TyC Sports (Argentina):
“Brazil played poorly again and didn’t show its best side. It even reached the point where Paraguay’s fans chanted ‘olé’ at the end — a blow to the opponent’s pride. If Brazil wants to go to the World Cup, they must improve in the upcoming matches.”
AS (Spain):
“Brazil is on the edge of a cliff. Dorival relied on the Madrid trio in attack, but they didn’t appear on the field. The disappointing Brazilian squad watched as Paraguay took advantage of their moment. Vinícius disappeared on the field, only seen in rare episodes. If Brazil expects success, they need Viní in top form.”
Marca (Spain):
“Brazil sinks in Asunción and complicates things for itself once again. The visitors played the wrong kind of football from the first minutes. Paraguay came out with a clearer plan and achieved the result. The hosts defended with all their might, and the opponent couldn’t even organize a semblance of a final push.”
Published by Patrick Jane
12.09.2024