Roy Hodgson's England dismantled a Brazil side who didn't deliver on the audacious talent anticipated by the footballing masses. An early Ronaldinho penalty and rebound, awarded for an arguably dubious handball against the Man Of The Match Jack Wilshere, was commendably saved by Joe Hart, who responded to recent criticism with a stellar performance. Twenty-seven minutes into the tie however, the deadlock was broken as Rooney scored with a measured finish after a surging run and perfectly weighted pass from Wilshere resulted in a rebounded Theo Walcott shot. After the break, the highly rated PSG midfielder Lucas and Fluminese striker Fred were introduced and it was the latter who capitalised on Gary Cahill's error, dispatching the ball past a flailing Joe Hart with his left foot to equalise. However, the victory was salvaged in some style as Frank Lampard curled a half volley in off the post from the edge of the area, reiterating his claim for Premier League football with his beloved Chelsea.
England looked fairly comfortable throughout in an unfamiliar approach (4-3-3) under the reign of Roy Hodgson. The midfield trio of Gerrard, Wilshere, Cleverley operated efficiently with Gerrard adopting a slightly deeper position, marshalling the team and spraying passes to the pace of the front three, in order to accomodate the attacking threat of Wilshere and Cleverley. Wilshere was phenomenal, dribbling through masses of Brazilian defenders and adeptly threading passes behind the defensive line. Both Wilshere and Gerrard appeared confident in the formation, who knew exactly what their respective roles were. Contrastingly, Cleverley's performance was, whilst hard-working, sub-par and offered little to either the defensive or attacking aspects of the game. Possession was kept intelligently as Wilshere prowled, waiting for an opportunity to expose the Brazilian defence. Particularly with the pace of Walcott and Welbeck, and the shrewd movement of Rooney, holes were not difficult to find. Walcott utilised his pace intelligently, drawing Adriano (the Brazil left back) towards him and then knocking the ball past him and accelerating, taking advantage of his opponent's shift in momentum. The highly rated Barcelona left back was made to look distinctly average by Walcott's blistering speed and was replaced in the final third of the match. Wayne Rooney's alertness and superior technical ability allowed him to trouble and draw away the Brazilian defence to create space for Welbeck and Rooney. Welbeck was possibly the weakest of the front three despite his impressive domestic performances.
The England defence was led by Chelsea centre half Gary Cahill. Although usually a consistent performer, his defending was ridden with errors and it was his own mistake that lead to the Brazil goal, as he strode forward with the ball with misplaced confidence before surrendering possession, leaving the England defence completely isolated. Despite this, having defenders who are comfortable in possession is essential to the success of the 4-3-3 formation, so perhaps he can be forgiven. In the heart of defence, he was accompanied by Manchester United right/centre back Chris Smalling, who produced an unconvincing display. For me, he was a surprise inclusion as a player who is only ever good enough to play out of position in an unfamiliar role for Manchester United, never mind at centre back for his country; a position that requires leadership and decisiveness. Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole ( making his one hundredth appearance ) both performed solidly as England regulars. Joe Hart contrasted his domestic form, pulling off a series of stellar saves, which will dissuade any doubters of his class.
Brazil, on the other hand, failed to live up to the hype. Luis Felipe Scolari had an extraordinary amount of talent at his disposal, from old to new, from the household name Ronaldinho, to the prodigious talent of Neymar. Both disappointed. The Brazilian strike force failed to exploit the frailties of the English back line, lacking in both fluidity and sharpness. Two experiened camaigners in Ronaldinho, who now applies his trade for Atletico Mineiro in Liga Do Brasil, and seasoned striker Luis Fabiano also playing domestically in the Liga Do Brasil for Sao Paulo, contributed next to nothing. The charismatic flair of Ronaldinho had vanished from his toothy-faced grin and he displayed none of the expected skills and tricks, like the elastico (or flip-flap) which he has become renowned for. Even his distribution was a let down, failing to weight the pass to perfection even when rare glimpses of an opportunity presented itself, often not created by their own play, but by the mistakes of England players. Luis Fabiano failed to produce a shot that would class either as on target or off target. Nevertheless, it was the absence of an awe-inspiring demonstration of Neymar's supposedly sublime talent that disconcerted the fans enjoyment of the match. Neymar is a player who is considered to be in the same league of ability as Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo. Whilst he did exhibit signs of pace and some dribbling ability, his overall performance was poor, missing Brazil's best chance of the entire game, blazing wide of the gaping goal as he slid in from no more than five yards out. Perhaps, it was the accolade surrounding the individual skills he performed that relentlessly circulate the internet that cloud football fans perception of his class. Coupled with the fact that he plays in the Liga Do Brasil, his true ability cannot be verified as he is yet to face top class opposition.
One highly touted prospect did however, deliver an exciting performance, PSG's attacking midfielder Lucas Moura, who replaced Ronaldinho at half time, reflected a passing on of the torch from one talented generation to another. PSG splashed out forty-five million euros to acquire his services from Sao Paulo in the recent January transfer window. Lucas Moura outshone his attacking counterpart vastly, with outstanding pace and close control. Chelsea's Oscar, who was arguably Brazil's best player also impressed in a Brazil shirt as he orchestrated any attack with a range of passing and nimble footwork. Fluminese's Fred was a surprise package, clinically finishing courtesy of his weaker foot after a Gary Cahill error. Fred also clipped the crossbar just minutes after his goal, curling in a wicked effort from the edge of the box. Julio Cesar, who has been lavished with praise succeeding his domestic performances for QPR, had a mixed performance in my opinion. I believe he is over-rated. Although his reactions and shot-stopping are consistently spectacular his handling and decision-making leave a lot to be desired, and this was no more apparent than in this fixture. Cesar made an almost ridiculously good save from no more than three yards from a Gary Cahill header. However, he often punched the ball away, conceding possession unnecessarily and spilling the ball sporadically after a comfortable save. Brazil's defensive line were average with the exception of Dani Alves who nullified Danny Welbeck's pace and looked a threat offensively, galloping down the right -hand side touchline.
England and Brazil are both supremely talented national sides that have failed to accomplish over the last decade. Although Brazil may be superior in terms of raw talent and ability, in this fixture, England looked more organised and well-drilled than their South American opponents, mainly due to the influence of Roy Hodgson. This was key to their success and England appeared to have better team chemistry, rather than a team of individuals. Brazil and England are also both teams that seem to be building for the future, particularly with the rise of the England u-21's who demolished Sweden u-21's in midweek without some of their most promising of talents. And Brazil, who every year, produce the next line of superstars like an assembly production line. But the question has to be asked, when will these two teams finally get it together and challenge Spain for the world's top spot, and Roy Hodgson and Luis Filipe Scolari will hope it will be sooner rather than later, if at all.
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