Robinho Ready to Fill Neymar's Shoes at Copa America
The hottest ticket in town even when he’s not around, much of the talk about Brazil’s progress into the knockout stages of the Copa America continues to revolve around Neymar.
Now, with the 23-year-old set to bid the Selecao squad goodbye as he serves the remainder of his four-match suspension, perhaps the fever will diminish a little, and Dunga and his training staff can pick up the rest of the pieces to form a new-look puzzle.
This Saturday, Brazil take on Paraguay in the quarter-final, the side that held them to two draws at the 2011 edition of the continental tournament, before eliminating them on penalties in the last eight.
Jefferson, Daniel Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Elias, Neymar and Robinho were all part of Mano Menezes’ squad in 2011. And with Neymar now out, it may well fall to the 31-year-old Robinho to pick up the mantle and drive this team toward the crown.
Now back at Santos for his third spell, the forward is a different proposition to the bright young spark that departed for Real Madrid over a decade ago. Accusations have followed the star that he has perhaps failed to realise the enormous potential he demonstrated when helping Santos to Campeonato Brasileiro titles in 2002 and 2004.
In the early years of this century, he was the latest hope for the nation off the seemingly never-ending conveyor belt of Brazilian talent. Now he is the veteran ordered to lead from the front, the voice of experience, and his disciplined and productive performance against Venezuela gave strong indications it is a role he can perform with aplomb in this team, having not managed to make it off the bench in the first two group games.
Now back at his childhood home, he is finding his finest form once again. According to the print edition of Brazilian sports daily Lance, in 20 games for Santos in 2015, Robinho has notched eight goals and made five assists.
Not to mention, Dunga, Robinho and the Copa America have history. It was the first title Dunga won as Brazil boss back in 2007, and included a comprehensive 3-0 win over arch-rivals Argentina in the final.
Furthermore, Robinho finished the tournament with the Golden Boot, having found the back of the net on six occasions, the highlight of which was a double in the 6-1 mauling of Chile in the quarter-final.
This time around he was not supposed to be the focal point of the attack. But circumstance has forced Dunga’s hand, allowing Robinho another forage into the limelight as the spearhead for this flexible Brazilian attack.
Alongside Philippe Coutinho, Willian and Roberto Firmino, there remains the creativity and ingenuity to take Brazil beyond Paraguay this weekend. But with Robinho’s new role comes the responsibility of leadership, of talking to those around him, almost coaching them through the game.
Robinho has been here before, and his vast experience in national colours—he has 29 goals in 95 games for the Selecao—can be of enormous benefit to those taking their first steps on the international stage. Right now, Robinho has far more to offer beyond mere footballing talent.
As one of the leaders, one of his most immediate tasks will be to prove that Brazil can win without Neymar. While there were no scenes of raw emotion that could compare to those before the semi-final of the World Cup last year, when the Brazilian side walked onto the field to lift Neymar’s shirt into the air, Thiago Silva’s immediate reaction upon opening the scoring against Venezuela was to point to Neymar in the stands and raise 10 fingers.
This obsession must be put to rest, offering only a melodramatic sideshow to the business of attempting to win a football tournament. With 15 titles to his name throughout a successful if not glittering career, including the 2007 Copa America and 2009 Confederations Cup with Brazil, Robinho knows what it takes to reach success at this level.
Ironically, Brazil’s finest performance at the tournament so far came in the last game against Venezuela, without Neymar. The idea of "Neymar dependencia" is not only relevant to the Selecao—he is the main focus of attention of opposing defences. However, now with the task of creating and converting chances split across the front sector, it becomes less clear for sides just who should be occupying their attention.
Right now for Brazil, it is all about balance. Get it right in midfield, and players have the freedom to create without fear, which in turn feeds the front line. If Brazil really are to be continental champions for a ninth time, they will need to do it without Neymar.
In a more mature and responsible Robinho, Dunga may have found the perfect solution.
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