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An old face, but a new era for Brazil?

Most of us have not forgotten the most revealing match from the 2014 World Cup? And you can be su...



An old face, but a new era for...
Soccer

An old face, but a new era for Brazil?

Most of us have not forgotten the most revealing match from the 2014 World Cup?

And you can be sure Brazil haven't. The 7 - 1 semi-final humiliation at the hands of Germany will live longer in the memory than Di Mannschaft's win over Argentina in the final.

As Brazil try to waft away the nasty odour from that tournament, they reached back into the past to find the replacement for manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.

That man was former captain Dunga who left the role in 2010 after falling to Netherlands at that summer's World Cup.

His new start in the role has yielded 1 - 0 friendly wins over Colombia and Ecuador, Neymar named captain, and a squad featuring just 10 survivors from the World Cup disappointment on home soil.

Whether there are real seeds for optimism is another matter and is one BBC South American football correspondent Tim Vickery has been examining.

"If you analyse what happened on the field [in the two friendlies], you can see that Brazil's road to recovery is going to be long, hard and arduous," he told us tonight.

He also explained why Neymar was the standout choice for the captaincy even if the previous incumbent Thiago Silva returns to the side.

"It's not only a reflection on his importance which is huge. It's also a reflection on the lack of suitability of the other candidates. Thiago Silva, the World Cup captain, we know is not going to return as captain and will return as a player. I think Dunga was disappointed with what we saw at the World Cup," said Tim, referencing Silva's inability to control his emotions in the tense penalty shootout win over Chile. 

Tim believes that Dunga was "rushed in" as manager in a bid to "forestall debate" about the need for change in Brazilian football at a time when its flaws are there for all to see.

While Dunga's philosophy has not changed, the target man favoured by Scolari seems to have been put aside, although increased fluidity is hampered by the lack of midfield passers.

"There is a glaring lack of passing ability in the centre of Brazil's midfield," said Tim, who added that it is a problem that originiates from the grassroots of the club game.

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