Dunga Left Staring into Brazil Abyss After Disastrous Copa America
The dust is slowly beginning to settle on what has been—and there really is no way to sugar-coat this—a shameful showing from Brazil at the Copa America Centenario.
Even with enthusiasm for the Selecao at what must be one of the lowest ebbs following their humiliation at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and subsequent premature elimination from continental competition in Chile last year and struggles in World Cup qualifying, this felt like a new low.
The sorest issue is that this new exit hasn’t been met with surprise in the national press, more a weary shrug, a sullen acceptance that, perhaps, this is just how things are these days.
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In competitive fixtures under Dunga during his second spell as Selecao coach, Brazil have managed a pair of victories over Peru, a further two against Venezuela and that thrashing of Haiti.
"7-1 won’t leave" one headline screamed on Monday morning, Brazil’s collapse at the World Cup seemingly having ushered in a new era in Brazilian football. Of course, Peru’s winner on the night should have been disallowed for as deliberate a handball as you could care to see, but Brazil’s displays, in particular their second-half performances against Ecuador and Peru, were barely worthy of progress in the tournament.
As noted prior to kick-off, this Copa America, coming right on the heels last year’s event in Chile, was hardly a priority for Brazil. There are the Olympic Games later this summer, a tournament the country seems increasingly obsessed with winning.
That need is even more pertinent this year, given Brazil are playing on home soil and the chance that came so close but ultimately went begging in London against Mexico four years previously.
Not to mention, with qualifying for the 2018 edition of the World Cup going far from smoothly, upcoming games in September would be given precedence over this 100-year celebration.
But the autopsy into Brazil’s monumental failure in such a straightforward group cannot be limited to just one man, although the slice of the blame Dunga takes away with him is substantial. For far too long against supposedly limited opponents, Brazil looked bereft of ideas, imagination and guile.
The coach’s attempts to minimise the importance of "Neymar-dependencia," as the country’s reliance on the Barcelona "craque" has become known, have been blown to smithereens. Ironically, despite netting seven against a hapless Haiti side, it was in attack where Brazil looked desperately lacking.
Shorn of Neymar and Douglas Costa, the side nevertheless could still count on Willian and Philippe Coutinho, both coming off the back of excellent individual seasons for Chelsea and Liverpool, respectively.
But what the side was clearly missing was a genuine central threat in attack, a focal point, a spearhead. Dunga has tried several; Diego Tardelli, Robinho, Luiz Adriano, Ricardo Oliveira, Jonas and now Gabriel.
What has desperately let Brazil down in the final third is a lack of pace, something that the 19-year-old Santos forward brings to the table. If Gabriel manages to improve his finishing, the side have another fine prospect on their hands, but starved of service against Peru, he cut a peripheral figure, reminiscent of an impotent Fred against the might of the German machine in Belo Horizonte.
Yet where Brazil paid the heaviest price was in midfield and the foolhardy decision to take to the field without a holding player. What a Dunga side always offers is organisation and efficiency, something that seemingly went out of the window on Sunday on the back of the euphoria of putting seven past Haiti.
Having lost Casemiro to suspension, the boss had a decision to make about who to put into the vacant spot. Lucas Lima, one of the most creative players in the Campeonato Brasileiro, or Walace, a more like-for-like replacement in that the 21-year-old would sit in front of the back four, thereby giving the full-backs the freedom to bomb forward at will.
There were voices in the Brazilian media crying out for Lucas Lima to start (link in Portuguese), and Dunga acquiesced, changing shape but not style of play.
Against Peru, Dunga swapped his 4-1-4-1 for a 4-2-3-1, which ultimately threw the team off balance. Lima played in a more offensive role but only succeeded in obstructing the space that Coutinho loves to use to cut into from the left.
Confusion reigned, and Brazil struggled to find an answer. That was the standout failure of this competition, not just against Peru. It was a recurring theme throughout Brazil’s short stay in the United States.
When faced with a team that made tactical tweaks, Brazil and Dunga failed to adapt, to adjust his own team or introduce a Plan B. In the second half in the first and final group games, Ecuador and Peru were far more vigilant in pressing the ball.
In both instances, Brazil plodded on relentless, changing nothing about their game plan or tactical approach, resulting in the side sleepwalking off a cliff on Sunday evening.
Between Peru’s goal and the final whistle, there were 16 minutes of normal time to play, plus a further six of injury time. The only substitution Dunga deemed worthy of making was Hulk for Gabriel, a forward who has never scored for Brazil in a competitive fixture.
For the full 90 minutes, Brazil retained the same 4-2-3-1 shape and Peru were put under little pressure as the clock wore down. Surely, with the tournament and possibly your job slipping away, a final roll of the dice, in the form of Lucas Moura, Paulo Henrique Ganso or even Jonas would have been worth a punt?
Dunga stuck to his guns. It was an apt end to an anti-climactic week, the balance of the side hopelessly wrong as the rigidness of the side’s setup was laid horribly bare.
The problems in Brazilian football run deeper than a simple change in personnel. Changing the man in the dugout, or the latest veteran to have a stab at pulling on the No. 9 shirt has made precious little difference over the past 24 months.
Now, with rumours in the Brazilian press that Tite is indeed prepared to take over one of the biggest jobs in world football (link in Portuguese), the end of the road would appear to be nigh for Dunga. After two years in the job, the principal problem of what to do in Neymar’s absence has been joined by a host of additional doubts.
Instead of offering consolidation, this tournament has thrown up more questions than answers: Is Alisson really the right man to stand between the sticks? Shouldn’t Brazil always play with a dedicated presence in holding midfield? Will the country continue their thus far elusive search for a No. 9? When will the side start to move the ball through midfield at greater pace?
Whatever those answers may be, it is increasingly likely Dunga will not be the man to answer them. The buck does not stop with the coach, but his marriage to a single, uninspired style of play now looks costly.
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