Another three unimpressive points for Brazil. Australia never looked outclassed and with a little more composure they could have had a couple of goals.
Brazil has a lot of problems beyond Ronaldo. Was Cafu playing? Roberto Carlos is not a factor. Dida looks dodgy at times and there build is often slow and laboured.
Overall a very flattering scoreline for Brazil.
The bright spot was Robinho - he played with desire and some yest.
It would be silly to write off Brazil but Carlos Alberto Parreira needs to find a ruthless streak if this team is going to challenge.
Man of the Match - Ze Roberto. He was the one who did the hard graft for Brazil in midfield.
Brazil has a habit of playing down to its competition in the group phases. They build as the play progresses and while not sharp looked more cohesive today than game 1.
Totally agree ZE Roberto was a monster all over the pitch.
Was it me or did the Brazillian defense look awful. To me, thats a cause for concern because, your offense takes a while to gel but, if your defense isnt set by now, its not bound to get better against the elite competition still to come.
I am tired of hearing the American commentators criticize the various players, not to mention bringing their narrow view of political situations into their commentary.
In a distatseful comment today Ronaldo was called a "fat blob" and "waste of space". I am sure that Ronaldo as he is would be the best US player if he was on the squad.
In another comment last week, someone noted that a tie would be good enough for Iran. Hello... Everyone participating in the World Cup or sports in general is there to win.
Finally, the American commentators continue crediting Ghana's win over the Czech Republic to the Chechs' lack of effort as compared to their effort against the US squad. Come on, give some some credit to the winners! Not to mention, giving credit to the losers for keeping the games so close.
Ricky, I agree regarding the mindless drivel coming from some of the ESPN commentators...
During the Iran game, all they could do was go on and on about the political situation there, and the countries president... That's when I switched over to Univision.
Ricky - unfortunately, soccer interest in this country is relatively low as is the need for top-notch commentary for the sport. It #### but, I agree with ibrox, I switch to Univision.
I agree with your comments, the Ronaldo jokes are getting to be a bit much. I wonder how many of the fans and journalists (and yes even some Brazilian officials) calling him "fat" and "out of shape" could run the length of the pitch themselves. It's clear his form is not where it should be but the remarks I am reading are going too far.
Regarding the Czech-Ghana game, the Czech effort was not as good as against the US but not having Koller was a factor. However, one must give full credit to Ghana, they worked hard all match and closed down the Czech midfield effectively.
COmmentary overall has been woeful, it's been hard to concentrate on the games on my blog without ####ing about the vocals.. They even managed to mispell Sydney in a caption this game.
Socceroos gave a gutsy and unintimidated display, and Brazil showed their defensive frailties, as well as a surprising lack of midfield dominance. Full credit to Brett Emerton who was monstrous. A point against Croatia is all we need!
I really must agree with all the remarks about the commentaries. We should all thank ESPN for helping us all learn a bit more Spanish. The other problem I have is the bias towards Brazil by everyone including the refs. I love Brazil but every time a Brazilian falls down it is not a foul and everything they do is not wonderful. They just scarped a result against a very good Australian team (big shock to everyone outside Austaralia) and yet the commentators said they are gradually building towards form. England, Italy and Germany don't get that same preferential treatment.
Commentary not great...correct. Yeah, they save little factoids to arouse some reaction (players, coaches involved in the Italian scandal for example). But then again it's blatantly obvious that they are tailoring their broadcast to the average viewer who's tuning in like they do for the Olympics. It's a business and they just want more ratings. More viewership will probably go the way of attracting the viewer just described, not the soccer nut.
My biggest gripe though are the commercials. I had some stupid jingle stuck in my head that happened to be from one of the commercials that ran...neigh on 50 times! Sponsors aren't what they are in other countries so I'll just endure. I still prefer it on ESPN and if it annoys me then I mute it. Truly, it's no big deal. But that's just my opinion.
-Brazil is not "blowing" teams out of the match because teams play with one forward and everyone else packing the middle. There is no room for the Samba Boys to work their magic. That being said, it is a great tactic against Brazil and a well organized team, like Australia, will get some counterattack opportunities out of it. This looks to be the blueprint for the ONLY way to beat Brazil.
-Brazil is killing themselves by not counterattacking quickly enough. Speed in the middle of the field is one of their strengths and by slowing the pace from the back, they are just letting the opposing teams dig back into their trenches.
-Ronaldo is doing exactly what he should be doing at this point in the tournament. Like other forwards coming back from injury, he is playing himself back into shape. He needs game time and still shows moments of brilliance, if not also moments of rust(missed volley). It was his quickness of turn and holding the ball that drew 3 defenders to him and opened up Adriano. He ran MUCH more off the ball in the second game and I am sooooo tired of Alexi Lalas and Eric Winalda bagging on him. They are more clueless about the sport than I ever thought.
-Why does anyone expect more from Brazil than they have showed when Carlos Alberto Parreira, the same coach that brought us a rather uninspired Brazil in '94, is at the helm again. They beat USA 1-0 and had to take Italy to penalties in the most boring final to date...Sad. I hope the players can be inspired to play ABOVE the coach now that there are
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
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