Brazil were virtually shot dead by Germany in the first semifinal of the World Cup at Belo Horizonte on Tuesday and an autopsy of the catastrophic result is the demand of the time. Here is the post-mortem report of the disaster.
Overwhelmed by the occasion
Just before the much anticipated last four clash got underway, 90 percent of the spectators inside the stadium were cheering on their team robustly before they sang the Brazilian national anthem heartily. The entire Brazil line-up were featuring in their first semifinal and got overwhelmed by the occasion. Instead of channeling the support to their advantage, Team Selecao wilted under the pressure of the boisterous home crowd.
Lack of discipline and organisation
The occasion was the semifinal of the World Cup and there was added pressure but the Brazilian players failed to gel as a cohesive unit. The defence was in tatters, the midfield was nowhere to be found and the attack was toothless without Neymar. Fred has already been dubbed as the worst forward ever to take part in a World Cup for Brazil.
The Germans just required 10 minutes to realise the depth of the Brazilian aspirations and when they started their typical counter-attacks, it was all too hot to handle for the disorganised Brazilians.
The defence went AWOL
Without inspirational captain Thigao Silva, David Luiz had to shoulder the responsibility of the main-man in defence. The other central defender Dante, rightback Douglas Maicon and leftback Marcelo were too attacking minded and paid heavy price for their over-ambitious approach. Maicon and David Luiz overlapped in the very second minute of the game to assist the attack, leaving huge gaps for the speedy German counter-attackers led by Toni Kroos, Mesut Oezil, Thomas Mueller and Sami Khedira. The Brazilian defence was never in the right position to defend when the goals were scored. There were no zonal-marking or man-marking and the defence was a total mess.
No teamwork
Anybody who witnessed the game would have noticed that all the Brazilian players were too individualistic, rushing forward and trying to become a hero without working as a team. Everybody observed the vast number of strayed passes and loss of possession in an one-on-one situation. Brazil did not alter their style even though they kept losing the ball at the edge of the Germany box.
The Germans benefited from Neymar’s absence
If Neymar was there, the German defence and midfield definitely would not have enjoyed the freedom to explore the Brazilian territory so easily. As Neymar starts to initiate his run from a deep position, more often than not in front of the defence, all the opponents mark Neymar with one or two players continuously on his tail. Bernard was merely a shadow of Neymar and continuously failed to spark.
Lack of a leader and experience
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s team selections totally backfired as Dante and Bernard, who replaced Thiago Silva and Neymar, absolutely failed to fill up the vacuum.
All the players were new to the boiling conditions and after conceding the first goal there was a total lack of experience in the middle of the park. Instead of encountering the challenge with a cool head all the players lost their composure, there was less communication among the players as all of them were trying hard to contribute but failed to reach the target. They needed a leader like Thiago Silva who would have rallied his troops but all they had was David Luiz, who was anything but himself.