ClapWhat do you think of when Brazilian football comes into your mind? Is it the flair, is it the world class players they’ve been able to utilise over the years, or is it their overwhelming success on the world stage? Any and all of those answers are appropriate to say the least, but above all else, they’ve just been known as one of the best international football (or soccer) nations for longer than most of us can remember.
It’s hard to think back to a time when they weren’t relevant on the world stage, because it always seems like they’re lingering around the next corner, just waiting to explode into life. However, in the last few years, it really has felt like that has taken a backseat.
Heading for a downfall?
The modern era of the beautiful game doesn’t seem to have been all too kind to the Brazilians, and we mean that both in an individual sense and as a team. The days of Ronaldo and Pele are long gone and whilst we aren’t exactly expecting them to replicate those glory days overnight, we also aren’t big fans of the idea that Neymar and Coutinho are the ones that should be leading this country into the future. It just doesn’t feel right.
As reported by BBC and Sports Mole, Brazil were unable to get the job done against Venezuela in the Copa America as they fell to a 0-0 draw. Not only is that a bad result regardless of VAR and the stakes at play, but it’s even worse because Brazil are the hosts of this year’s tournament.
We aren’t going to pretend like they haven’t won games along the way too because they’ve also beaten Bolivia recently, but even with that being the case, this just doesn’t seem to be a time for success in Brazil – especially in sports.
Just look back to the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2014 FIFA World Cup as the two perfect examples. At the time those events may have seemed larger than life and incredibly spectacular, but upon closer examination in the years following, it doesn’t seem to have done Brazil as a nation much good at all.
What’s next?
Something is missing right now, and to be truthful, we think it’s the heart of the team. They just don’t seem to be capable of producing those gutsy performances anymore, and they don’t seem capable of laying it all out on the line like we’ve seen time after time after time.
It’s disappointing but not all too surprising, and it leaves us wondering what the next step is going to be for them. They’ve got this tournament to try and put things right, but when anything less than lifting the trophy is considered to be a failure, the pressure can often grow tremendously.
We want Brazil to be big time players again and we aren’t the only ones, but it isn’t going to happen overnight. They need to get their affairs in order and quick, because the boos against Venezuela seemed to indicate that the fans are tired of waiting around.
