Great teams have the ability to simplify the game – 01/16/2024 – Tostão

When I started studying psychoanalysis, I imagined that I would never understand Freud’s ideas, that they would be a subject for intellectuals, psychologists and philosophers. I soon realized that his texts were so clear, precise, convincing and simple that even the mysteries of the soul had logic. It was the life portrayed in his books. Freud brought order to chaos.

When I worked alongside Pelé, I saw that, in addition to his exuberant, unparalleled technique, one of his main qualities was making simple what was complex. With a few gestures, actions, everything lit up in front of him.

The great teams in history, like the current Manchester City, have, in addition to great players and great sets, the ability to simplify. The ball leaves the goalkeeper, from foot to foot, usually with one or two touches. They don’t complicate it. When the team approaches the opponent’s area, dribbling and goal plays emerge. When it is not possible to complete the moves, the ball returns, often to midfielder Rodri, who restarts the play. Everything simple.

At the weekend, in the 3-2 comeback victory over Newcastle, City lost 2-1. Without changing style, intensity or strategy, they continued to dominate the ball until scoring two more goals, which could have occurred at any point in the game. The team was in no hurry or heroic attitudes to win. Many times, a team is very close to turning a game around and the coach, without patience to wait, changes the way they play and replaces players. The team loses the chance to win.

Real Madrid, the second most enchanting team in the world, also stands out for its simplicity, the exchange of passes, its control of the ball in midfield, until spaces appear behind the defenders’ backs for the quick and skilful Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo. receive the releases. Thus, Real beat Barcelona 4-1 in the final of the Spanish Super Cup, a game held in Saudi Arabia because of money from a country that violates human rights.

Dorival Júnior certainly watched the game and must be thinking about the possibility of using the same tactical scheme as Real Madrid in the national team, with Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior forming an attacking duo. At Real, they have the company of midfielder Bellingham, who scores, makes precise passes and even goes on the attack to score goals. Paquetá could have Bellingham’s position in the selection. The main difference between the team and Real would be the Spanish team’s midfield trio, much superior to Brazil’s.

Vinicius Junior, who at the beginning of his career at Real Madrid made a lot of mistakes with his shots and often made the wrong decisions, corrected his mistakes, evolved a lot and is now a star player, the only Brazilian player chosen by FIFA in last season’s world team.

I hear and read different opinions about Dorival Júnior. Some think he is the right coach for the team, because he is sober, organized, has common sense, as well as having excellent technical and tactical knowledge. Others recognize these virtues, but think that he is a very predictable, undaring, unsurprising coach, and that Brazil would need a more inventive, courageous coach like Fernando Diniz, who should have been given another chance.

We need to wait for the facts, although there are strong arguments even against the facts, because in football and in life, today’s truth may not be the same as tomorrow’s. “Life takes many turns, life doesn’t even belong to us.” (João Guimarães Rosa)

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