Dorival Junior and the final of the Copa do Brasil – 09/23/2023 – Tostão

After two weeks of vacation, I try to catch up on what happened in football, in the country and in the world. After 90 days of absence, the Vasco team’s reunion party with their fans in the 5-1 victory over Coritiba, in the Brasileirão, was beautiful and exciting.

In the European Champions League, without Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Benzema, the most pleasurable thing was seeing Manchester City again. It is the union of individual and collective talent, of a beautiful and efficient game. Central midfielder Rodri, voted the main player in the previous competition, is getting better every day. He positions himself very well, starts offensive plays with great passes, disarms and even scores beautiful goals.

Casemiro, in the same position, has also evolved. Midfielders are often highlights of major European teams, which is not the case in Brazil, which is fascinated almost only by attacking midfielders, forwards and statistics on shots and goals.

Manchester City plays with an open, fast and dribbling left winger and has a midfielder on the right, who takes the ball to the center, which makes the midfield more populated. The Brazilian team, in the last two World Cups under the command of Tite and in the last two games in the qualifiers for the next World Cup, under the direction of Fernando Diniz, played with two fixed open wingers, two attackers (Neymar and Richarlyson) and two in the midfield. field. In this formation, there are many attackers and few midfielders.

Diniz should not give up on his dream, since Audax, of playing a different kind of football, with a lot of approach, controlling the ball in midfield and exchanging passes. Great teams unite thought and execution, individual and collective play, paced and fast, bold and prudent, systole (contraction) and diastole (relaxation), like the movements of the heart. Is life.

In the second half of Fluminense’s game against Cruzeiro, Diniz placed full-back and ball artist Marcelo in midfield. The stage lit up. When he was coach of Real Madrid, Zidane said that he just didn’t play Marcelo in the middle because the team already had several stars in the sector.

This Sunday (24) the final of the Copa do Brasil takes place. São Paulo, who have never won this title, have a little more chance of winning it, as they have a one-goal advantage and play at home. In the first match, Flamengo played with Bruno Henrique and Gabigol on the wings, also playing marking roles, in addition to center forward Pedro. Bruno Henrique and Gabigol are attackers to play diagonally, from the sides to the center, as happened in Jorge Jesus’ time.

Dorival Júnior was champion of the Libertadores and Copa do Brasil with Flamengo. At the time, the team played with two strikers (Pedro and Gabigol), as well as a trio in midfield, with Everton Ribeiro on the right midfield and Arrascaeta in front, forming a diamond. This is one of the main and countless options that Sampaoli has this Sunday.

If the team plays this way, it will be a confrontation between two strategies: that of Flamengo used by Dorival Júnior against that of São Paulo led by Dorival, which is different from the one used at Flamengo. It would be the tactical duel Dorival Júnior x Dorival Júnior.

The world and football are so strange that it won’t be a surprise if the Flamengo players, led by Gabigol, go to the São Paulo locker room to congratulate Dorival Júnior if the São Paulo team becomes champion, as Gabigol already did after winning the first match.

It would be a gesture that mixes greatness with protest to Flamengo’s management, for having fired Dorival Júnior.

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