Tostão: Football lives on wonder and disappointment – 03/18/2023 – Tostão

Today, against Vasco, Vítor Pereira must repeat the tactical formation of the previous match, with three defenders, two wings, three in the middle and two forwards. Everton Ribeiro will remain out. The coach decided to keep the strategy he likes, instead of having two centralized midfielders and two attackers. Rarely does a team act this way.

Why did the formation with two central midfielders work with Jorge Jesus? Apart from what we don’t know, the team at the time was, individually, superior to the opponents than it is today. The team pressed further ahead and recovered the ball more easily. The defenders were faster, advanced in the marking and left less space between them and the midfield. There was also an excellent supporting left-back, Filipe Luiz.

The frequent defeats in games between teams with little technical difference, all over the world, and the many victories of inferior teams, as has occurred in the state championships and in the Copa do Brasil, make football more pleasurable and exciting, very different from decades ago, when booms predominated, tied and ugly matches.

There are countless ways for any team to organize a tactical scheme. Bayern plays with two skilful defensive midfielders, who score and advance, three midfielders and a striker. The midfield is more populated. Atlético-MG, on the other hand, exchanged, in relation to Bayern, one of the defensive midfielders for another striker. Against Millonarios, the two forwards (Paulinho and Hulk) shone again. Against stronger opponents, there will be a better assessment of tactical design.

Europe’s top big teams play with four defenders, a midfield trio and a line of three forwards. In recent games, Real Madrid and Barcelona have exchanged one of the fast wingers for another point guard on the side, Valverde, on the right for Real, and Gavi, on the left, for Barcelona. The midfield got even stronger. Manchester City did the same, in the 7-0 thrashing of Leipzig, by putting midfielder Bernardo Silva on the right, replacing the quick and skilful Mahrez. Haaland scored five goals.

Haaland is now the top scorer in world football. He unites speed, physical strength, height and precise finishing with his feet and head, in addition to being a good pivot, with his back to goal, between defenders. Paradoxically, Manchester City, after the arrival of Haaland, deteriorated in performance and in the number of goals scored. Before, the other players, from the middle forward, scored more goals.

I don’t think this was because of Haaland’s presence. There must be other reasons. Even so, City is second in the Premier League, behind Arsenal, and is in the Champions League quarter-finals. Will face Bayern. There is no favorite.

If City is champion of Europe, a title that the club does not have, which coach Guardiola only managed with Barcelona, ​​in addition to this competition being the main reason for hiring Haaland, the phenomenal striker, who is already a reality, will become one of the greatest in the history of football, even more so since, being Norwegian, no one will challenge him for not being world champion by selections.

Haaland is very young and only with time will we know exactly where he will end up. The world, and football even more, lives on excitement, wonder and also on disillusionment and disappointment. Everything is exaggerated. It’s all or nothing.

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