Mano Menezes is intent on making a statement in his first match since replacing Dunga as coach after Brazils World Cup quarterfinal exit last month. Menezes plans an attack-minded formation for Tuesdays international friendly against the United States,with Robinho,AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato and Neymar starting,a repudiation of Dungas choices. He wants players who are fast and agile from midfield forward. He talked about renovations the day he was appointed 8211; the job starts here.
Its important to make clear to us and to all that Brazilian soccer always had this kind of talent. Were not inventing anything new, Menezes said through a translator on Monday. Hes acutely aware that winning is a must at all times. The results,Im aware,its always important, Menezes said. With no results,projects cannot survive,and you can generate more doubts than certainties. And I know that I want to work here with certainties.
After replacing Dunga in the wake of the quarterfinal loss,Menezes selected just four of the Brazilians who were on the squad in South Africa: defenders Alves and Thiago Silva,midfielder Ramires and forward Robinho.
Hoping to restore Jogo Bonito the Beautiful Game and jettison Dungas defensive approach,Menezes chose 11 with no national team experience. Pele was expected to attend Tuesdays match and see a new-look Selecao squad meet an established-looking US team that set TV ratings records during the World Cup.
While the Selecao is missing Maicon,Lucio and Julio Cesar,its squad includes Pato,Santos scoring sensation Neymar,Santos midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso,Manchester United defender Rafael da Silva,Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva and Real Madrid defender Marcelo.
Ganso said Brazils young group may be better in some aspects than the veterans. In technical quality,possibly even higher than the previous one, he said through an interpreter.
Brazil has won 14 of 15 meetings and outscored the US 29-10. The lone American victory was 1-0 in 1998 at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Los Angeles,when Preki Radosavljevic scored in the 65th minute and goalkeeper Kasey Keller had 10 saves.
So less than one month after the World Cup,players from across the globe gathered for a high-profile friendly match. A dozen Americans returned home from Europe for match at the New Meadowlands Stadium.
Brazil had just two training sessions ahead of the U.S. match,its start of preparations for hosting the 2014 tournament. The U.S. had one practice.
More than 65,000 tickets had been sold for the match in the new 1.6 billion home of the NFLs Giants and Jets,where listed capacity of 82,500 includes more than 200 luxury suites and 10,000 club seats.
Batista shows the way
Argentina will begin the post-Diego Maradona era with a friendly against Ireland on Wednesday,looking to imitate the style of play that led Spain to World Cup glory last month. Interim coach Sergio Batista has Lionel Messi,Javier Mascherano and Gonzalo Higuain available in a squad selected last month by Maradona,whose contract was not renewed by the Argentina Football Association after the teams quarterfinal exit to Germany at the World Cup.
Batista,who is also Argentinas youth team coach,is seeking a victory that would further his claims to replace Maradona on a full-time basis,and believes the type of football played by Spain and the countrys leading club,Barcelona,is the way to go.
I think it is good to copy Spains system, Batista said. I like Barcelonas game and its what I want more than anything else for Argentine football. But the main priority will be to play as a team.
Batista,who will be in charge when Argentina play Spain in a friendly in Buenos Aires on September 7,is one of several names being considered for the vacant coachs position,with Estudiantes coach Alejandro Sabella and Claudio Borghi of Boca Juniors also reported to be in the running. Batista guided Argentina to gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Messi was part of that title-winning side and Batista claimed he had the backing of the Barcelona forward and the teams other leading players. I think Messi offered it because he knows how I am,how I handle a group, Batista said. I hope we can be together a long time.
Meanwhile, Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni was hospitalised with nausea on Tuesday,a day before the friendly at Lansdowne Road,leaving his assistant Marco Tardelli to take charge.