By writing that Brazil lacked a player like Modric, an excellent one, I did not mean to say that he is a Pelé, or even a Didi or a Gérson, a midfield star. I wanted to emphasize that Brazil, for decades, has prioritized the formation of skillful midfielders and attackers and dribblers, symbols of individual talent, and has ignored the formation of midfielders, organizers, with great passing skills, symbols of the collective game.
Does this behavior reflect the individuality of Brazilian society? Tite, who, after the defeat to Belgium in 2018, dreamed of De Bruyne for four years, will spend four more years dreaming of Modric, two big star midfielders. It's not a coincidence.
Some commentators insist on using a trio in Brazil's midfield. Neymar is an attacking midfielder, who retreats only to receive the ball, and Paquetá, positioned in midfield, stands out when he attacks, as in the play with Neymar, in the goal against Croatia.
Almost every major team and national team in the world has a trio of midfielders, such as Croatia, Argentina, France, England, Portugal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Real Madrid, managed by Carlo Ancelotti. He would be a great option for the Brazilian national team, as has been said.
Argentina is in the final, deservedly so. Coach Scaloni assigned four midfielders to block Croatia's fine trio. It worked. The four scored, protected the defense, exchanged passes, and participated in offensive plays.
The first goal came from a long, beautiful pass by the young Enzo Fernández, one of the great revelations of the World Cup, followed by a penalty, taken by Messi. The second, by Julián Álvarez, was on a counterattack, with the help of errors by the two defenders. The third was again by Álvarez, after a wonderful play by Messi. An astonishment.
Unlike the numerous championships with qualifying games around the world, in which, from time to time, a small, inferior team wins the title, there has never been an underdog in the World Cup. One day it may happen. Morocco only conceded one goal in the Cup, even so against. There are no tactical secrets.
What we have is a great execution of what was planned. The team scores with two lines of four, compact, and close to the area. Sometimes, another player joins one of these lines. Every defender has a protector. Thus, he makes most of the teams across the world, that face superior opponents. Occasionally it might work.
The novelty is the consecutive victories of Morocco against great teams. In the 1994 World Cup, in the United States, Nigeria enchanted everyone, with its relaxed, offensive game with a lot of fantasy and individual talents. I was there. Two years later, Nigeria, with the same team, won the gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics, after eliminating, in the semifinals, Brazil, which had almost the same team as world champions in 1994, and Argentina, in the decision.
At the time, I imagined that, 20 to 30 years later, an African team would be featured in a World Cup. Morocco is in the semifinals, but with almost the opposite style of Nigeria in 1994. Football has changed and gone global.
France is the top favorite, but nothing is certain. Just as nature and the universe are indifferent to what happens in our lives, football, no matter how scientific it is, is often subjected to the circumstances of the moment and of the improbable.
Translated by Cassy Dias