Brazil's Copa America Exit Proves How Far Selecao Have Fallen

Brazil woke up to the taste of bitterness yet again on Sunday morning. The scenario from the 2011 Copa America was played out in front of an increasingly disengaged public, as Paraguay overcame the eight-time continental champions, eliminating the Selecao at the quarter-final stage for the second successive edition of the cup.

It was a tournament in which Brazil failed to get going and their 10 friendly wins on the bounce with just two goals conceded proved to be a false start. Brazil did not keep a clean sheet in the four games they played in Chile, and in at least two of them, the goals were completely avoidable, the kind of basic errors that would make you wince at a Sunday morning park game.

The mix-up between David Luiz and Jefferson against Peru before the competition was even three minutes old was in fact an indicator of the tournament's key theme. Thiago Silva's handball as he rose with Roque Santa Cruz on Saturday night was a moment of pure folly that ended up paving the way to the side's elimination.

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But going back to that first game again, that match was only won thanks to the ingenuity of one man, Neymar, whose goal and astute pass for Douglas Costa's late winner served to underline just how much this team relies on their No. 10.

There are other qualities they rely on from their players. The industriousness of Willian, the sleek guile of Philippe Coutinho and the pinpoint crossing of Dani Alves have all been weapons utilised to a certain degree by Dunga this month.

But the uncomfortable truth remains that, for the time being, this is a side worryingly reliant on one man, and if his actions against Colombia are anything to go by, the pressure and responsibility are beginning to weigh on someone who only turned 23 in February.

Brazil have of course had craques throughout the generations. It is one of the most romantic images of the country, the samba star from the most successful nation on the planet, and it's why Alex Bellos, in his excellent book Futebol, quoted an agent as saying it is “easier to sell a crap Brazilian than a brilliant Mexican.”

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But while the likes of Pele, Garrincha, Jairzinho, Zico and Romario were all world-class players, they were also surrounded by a core of top-quality teammates. What has become evident is that this is a luxury Neymar has not been afforded.

But while the talent pool has seemingly dried up, the pressure and demand has not. At last summer's World Cup, the principal storyline before a ball was even kicked was Brazil righting the wrongs from 1950, exorcising the ghost of the past, as if defeat was something that could be swept under the carpet.

The 7-1 humiliation against Germany was supposed to be a wake-up call, but despite a few glimpses, there has been relatively little for fans of the Selecao to be excited about at this tournament.

Dunga made a late call to replace Luiz with Silva in defence following that comical error in the group opener. No competent substitute was found for holding midfielder Luiz Gustavo, though, and throughout the competition, Brazil struggled to find the right balance in midfield.

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Coutinho and Willian did their utmost to replace the Neymar-shaped hole in the offensive third, but filling in for the player who is already the fifth-highest scorer in Brazil's history and looks likely to beat Pele's longstanding record of 77 goals is a thankless task.

What remains out of Dunga's control for now is his lack of options for the No. 9 role. Oh for a Ronaldo, even a Luis Fabiano, who produced such an effective partnership with Robinho during Dunga's first spell in the Selecao hot seat.

A few names have been tried and tested. Apart from Diego Tardelli and Roberto Firmino, Shakhtar Donetsk's Luiz Adriano was given a run out, but beyond the names of Leandro Damiao and Alexandre Pato, two out-and-out strikers who have failed to kick on in the way their early careers promised, Brazil are short-changed in a vital area of the pitch.

The most urgent concern for Dunga is perhaps that this result was not such a great surprise. The side played poorly since arriving in Chile, and the apathetic manner of their exit only serves to underline just how far this current crop has fallen from the glorious standards of previous generations.

Perhaps that is part of the problem: Brazil sides will always be compared to those golden generations. Instead of building for the future, Brazil are looking back to glories gone. Until they are put to rest, the Selecao will continue crawling toward the abyss.