On Soccer: Brazil Prepares to Open Cup Against North Korea Online Sportsbook Rankings
As Brazil opens its campaign for a sixth World Cup title here Tuesday against North Korea, the match features two coaches in jarring contrast. Dunga, 46, of Brazil is being raked by public criticism, while Kim Jong-hun, 53, of North Korea is being cocooned by FIFA, soccer’s world governing body. The coaches seem to have one thing in common, though — an impatience with prying reporters.
In Brazil, the public frets that the national team’s once dazzling samba style has assumed a more martial beat. Dunga has been widely criticized for relying more on the imposing, muscular defense of a player like Lúcio, galloping counterattacks by right back Maicon, and the set-piece artistry of Dani Alves than the beautiful game of the days of Pelé.
Brazil, along with Spain, is favored to win the tournament. But many Brazilians lament that victory would be achieved with insufficient elegance and flamboyance. Socrates, a star on the country’s 1982 World Cup team, recently said that Dunga’s style was “an affront to our culture.”
Tostão, a forward on Brazil’s World Cup-winning team in 1970, wrote in a newspaper column that except for forward Robinho, “the Brazilian team today has very little individual inspiration.”
Even Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, admonished Dunga for leaving a revived Ronaldinho, a two-time FIFA world player of the year and an ostentatious dribbler and passer, off the World Cup roster.
It should be noted that neither Socrates’s 1982 team nor Ronaldinho’s 2006 team won the World Cup. In 2006, the so-called magic quartet of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaká and Adriano delivered only five goals in five matches. Brazil exited after a 1-0 quarterfinal defeat to France, managing to aim a single shot between the posts.
So much for the beautiful game.
Several weeks later, Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri — better known as Dunga — was hired as Brazil’s national coach. The nickname, taken from Snow White and the seven dwarves, means Dopey in Portuguese. It was given by an uncle who thought that Dunga would never grow very tall.
He did grow forceful enough as a defensive midfielder to captain Brazil to a World Cup title in 1994. But Dunga had no prior coaching experience at the elite level, and no enthusiasm for those who questioned his methods. This brush-cut, no-nonsense coach seemed to say that if fans wanted ostentation, let them go to Carnival. There are no sequins on a soccer uniform.
“If we’re going to start up that debate again over playing pretty football,” Dunga said at the 2007 Copa América, which Brazil won over Argentina, “we’ll probably go another 24 years without winning the World Cup, which is what the others want. The Europeans will be having a party and we will be suffering.”
Dunga has a point. Spain plays the beautiful game, sure, but it has never won a World Cup. Pragmatism must accompany splendor. Soccer has evolved from the days of Pelé. In the era of team defense, modern players are more fit and athletic, determined to close space immediately.
As Bob Bradley, the United States coach, is fond of saying, “The window is small and it closes quickly.”
Brazil did not look overly defensive when it took 31 shots against the Americans here in the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup, erasing a two-goal deficit in a frantic, wildly exciting 3-2 victory.
There is a saying among sportsmen in Brazil that some people must be the piano players and some must be the piano carriers. In other words, players must be willing to sublimate personal glory to the group effort.
Or, as Dunga puts it, his team needs “Brazilian talent and tactical care of the Europeans.”
“We have scored more than 100 goals; we have to be somewhat creative,” Dunga said of his tenure on Monday. “We have only conceded 30 goals. We are a very balanced team.”
If reporters want to criticize him for closing recent practices, he said, that is fine, just be respectful. “You attack me from morning to evening,” he told Brazilian reporters. “If I answer, you guys tell me I’m out of line.” And, “You criticize me for 24 hours; I can only criticize you for one second.”
On this front, Kim of North Korea will no doubt have some sympathy. On Monday, a FIFA spokesman named Gordon Watson chided reporters not to ask questions of Kim related to politics. And he intervened any time a query came within a corner kick of being sensitive. Kim took care of the rest.
When a reporter asked about North Korea’s fast, counterattacking style, Kim said brusquely that his country should be referred to only as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
When asked what he thought of South Korea’s opening victory over Greece, Kim did not answer. What about the apparent gaffe of listing forward Kim Myong-won as a goalkeeper, which means he can only play between the posts? Kim wanted to be a goalkeeper and this was a favor to him, his coach said.
Kim Jong-hun did become animated in saying that North Korea’s famous victory over Italy in the 1966 World Cup had inspired him to become a coach. And he seems confident that another upset is possible against Brazil, even if North Korea is the lowest-ranked team in this tournament.
“I think they don’t fall behind any other players in the world,” Kim said of his players. “Their talents will be shown if we win. This will bring great happiness to our Dear Leader, Kim Jong Il. It will also show the people of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have a very strong mentality.”
And that the people of Brazil have very queasy stomachs.
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