The Game, and What Tostão Said About It

Tostão was thrilled yesterday. Tostão did not hold back in his praise for Brazil's performance. He said, "With the new players, who had never trained together, the team became quicker, less predictable, and more talented. It looked like a great Brazilian team and not like a European team, as it did in the first two games."

Tostão mentions that at the end of the game the tv showed Parreira and Zagallo looking very serious, and he's sure that they were considering the problems that the new players have posed. He loves Juninho, as has been mentioned here before, and thinks that Juninho (and Robinho and Gilberto Silva) should stay in the team for Tuesday's game against Ghana.

And Tostão, as usual, is right. Let's start with Robinho. I have never liked Robinho, and I probably never will (although I still have hope). He is all style, no substance. But that's fine when he is on a team this good. Adriano is a much better forward (granted, Adriano is in the middle of a terrible slump), but he is too static a player. Robinho runs, and the defense has to pay attention. Even when he runs with to no particular effect, it opens space for Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Kaká, and Ronaldão. Robinho's presence, if not his actions, make the team better.

Juninho is, first and foremost, from Recife. His career began with Sport. Right there we have two excellent reasons to support his continued inclusion in the starting eleven. He is an intelligent player who runs and passes well, and who can also support the defense. When the crowd at the bar saw him in the starting lineup they cheered almost as loudly as if Brazil had scored a goal. When Juninho, our "neighbor" scored, the bar exploded. And then the Sport fans started chanting as if we were at the Ilha do Retiro watching Sport play. And then the Náutico fans responded, only to be shouted down. The Santa Cruz fans were strangely silent, but then again, if my team were likely to go until 2007 without winning another game, I would be silent, too.

Gilberto Silva is a more than capable defensive midfielder, and he seemed better on the ball than Emerson. But I think Emerson is good enough, and I wouldn't complain too much if Emerson came back. (Even better would be Zé Roberto in Emerson's position and Juninho in Zé Roberto's old position, but that will never happen.)

Tostão compared Ronaldinho Gaúcho to two of his teammates from the 1970 World Cup - Gerson and Roberto Rivellino, and said that when he plays for Barcelona he is a combination of Gerson and Zico. High praise, indeed, and well deserved. With Robinho opening spaces in front of him, Ronaldinho Gaúcho had the chance to show what he can do. We should all hope that Robinho stays in the starting lineup against Ghana.

"Courage, Parreira," says Tostão.