Dunga Must Find Perfect Balance to Restore Faith in Brazil Ahead of Copa America

With Roy Hodgson’s decision to load up his England squad with just about every available striker at his disposal, the national team boss may be going some way to shaking off the rather harsh label he has been given as a defensive coach.

Dunga, his counterpart at the helm of Brazil’s national ship, has faced similar criticisms during his second spell in charge of the Selecao.

However, heading into Brazil’s Copa America opener against Ecuador this coming Saturday, he could be afforded a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of those critics who believe his particular brand of football is dour and an insult to the country that brought such collective efforts as the 1970 World Cup-winning side, and creatively liberal individuals such as Garrincha, Didi, Pele, Zico and Romario, to name just five from a list of names that could frankly fill volumes.

For this tournament, Dunga has armed himself with options to be flexible tactically, something he was more than willing to try out against Panama on Sunday. Clearly, there will be sterner tests ahead but, with the absence of Neymar, the onus is on a new front line and creative midfield to find the goals.

Despite the seemingly constant doom and gloom (link in Portuguese), Brazil have weapons in their armoury and, with a defensive back line almost as good as confirmed, Dunga can focus his efforts on finding the right balance in the final third of the field.

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The back five of Alisson, Daniel Alves, Miranda, Gil and Douglas Santos is a solid foundation on which Dunga can build an adventurous attack. Added in the holding role is Luiz Gustavo and the bottom half of Brazil’s start almost picks itself for this competition.

The one doubt remains at left back. Following Champions League duty, Filipe Luis and Casemiro have now joined up with the squad to complete the 23-man group, and the former, having already displaced Marcelo in the starting lineup could reclaim his place over Atletico Mineiro's Santos.

But it is in front of the back four where the key is held to balancing the team. At last year’s Copa America in Chile, the influence of Gustavo was sorely missed in the holding role, and Brazil rarely looked comfortable going forward, never truly releasing themselves from the shackles for fear of being hit on the counter.

In addition to Neymar, the Wolfsburg enforcer is arguably the most vital cog in Dunga’s Brazil machine; a player who, according to WhoScored.com, managed over two tackles and two interceptions per game last season in Germany.

With Gustavo marshaling the defence, more freedom is given to his midfield partners, something that was sorely lacking 12 months ago. And, despite Casemiro's impressive run of form on Real Madrid's way to an 11th Champions League trophy, Gustavo is the man with Dunga's confidence.

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Further forward, the recent form of Willian and Philippe Coutinho have shown that their contribution is likely to be pivotal to any Brazilian success stories. On Sunday, Coutinho's range of movement was one of the most encouraging aspects of the night.

Willian, meanwhile, was one of the few players to escape from the recent Stamford Bridge soap opera with his reputation intact, and new Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly interested in bringing him to Old Trafford, according to the Sun (h/t the Independent).

It is not only his club form that has been first class; he was one of the top performers at last year’s Copa America as well, and the signs are there that the two of them could be a real threat for their country in the future.

Willian and Coutinho, buoyed by the security of the defensive platform offered by Gustavo, will be afforded the chance to interchange with central midfielders Elias and Renato Augusto. The team becomes less static, even if a target man is deployed, which was one of the greatest defects during Luiz Felipe Scolari's reign.

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Should Dunga opt to use a fixed centre-forward, and his initial selection against Panama suggests he may well do, then the connection and link-up play from a creative quartet of Elias, Augusto, Willian and Coutinho will be the silver service the striker is seeking.

Dunga has, understandably, earned a reputation for pragmatism. His career was carved out as the rearguard, the man employed in a team to stamp out the attacking flair and guile of the opposition. Yet there are clear indications he is willing to oversee a more expansive playing style.

It would arguably be helpful to see this tournament as a rehearsal for greener pastures—the Olympic Games later in the summer, the World Cup in two years’ time or even the qualifiers to get to Russia in the first place.

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The plethora of talent at Dunga’s disposal still runs reassuringly deep. In this part of the world, the well rarely runs dry, and whatever the scare stories splashed across newspaper columns and websites (link in Portuguese), all is not lost.

The pieces of the puzzle are there. Coaxing the best of the sum of their parts is now the task for the manager.

Following the functional 2-0 win over Panama on Sunday night, there were the usual catcalls in the Brazilian press complaining of Dunga, his methods and the team’s performance. In the midst of yet more criticism for the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), as reported by Fox Sports (link in Portuguese), and the national team boss, a player of Gabriel’s talent should feel like a breath of fresh air.

But success at international level is not measured by hitting Panama for six. Prior to the World Cup in 2014, Scolari managed to put together a string of nine successive friendly wins, including beating such heavyweights as Zambia and Honduras. When the tournament itself came around, the emotion simply overwhelmed the players, including captain Thiago Silva, and the end result was nigh-on disastrous.

It would seem Dunga can do little right. Even winning this tournament may inspire a mere raise of the eyebrows, an indifferent shrug, the whole event dismissed as a mere footnote to greater glories come and gone.

But this group, with the right balance, could restore a little of faith. This centenary celebration is important for Dunga and Brazil in a whole different context. The stepping stone to a brighter future and support for the man at the helm, rather than the immediate short-termism of the next result.