Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari faces the rather unenviable task of preparing his squad for the World Cup next summer without the benefits of competitive fixtures along the way.
More than a few stragglers would gladly switch places with the hosts in order to secure their spot in the draw, but the scenario presents its own series of challenges and complications. It is by no means straightforward to mold a squad capable of lifting the trophy on home soil on the basis of the Confederations Cup and a hodgepodge of friendlies.
No collection of one-off matches quite replicates the pressure of qualifying or reveals the way potential fringe players might react in harsher circumstances. Scolari understands this particular fact, but he is honor bound to do his best to place his players in positions to perform anyways.
The quest for further enlightenment – and perhaps a few extra dollars, too – brought the Seleção to suburban Boston to confront Portugal on Tuesday. The ensuing 3-1 victory offered a glimpse into the strides made since Scolari assumed control last November and reinforced the utility of the exercise for his blossoming side.
“This is a game like the World Cup, but the World Cup is even worse than this,” Scolari explained through a translator. “We have to be ready. That's why we are playing these exhibition games against teams with the quality of Portugal. Portugal plays very well. They keep the ball on the ground.”
So too does this version of Brazil, an increasingly formidable outfit capable of tearing good teams apart with incisiveness, movement and power. Those qualities emerged after a bright Portugal start as the Brazilians settled into their task and watched their emerging maestro lead them to victory against a capable opponent.
Brazil's hopes next summer fall squarely upon Neymar's shoulders. He proved his ample capabilities during his effervescent displays during the Confederations Cup, but he still needs some of the polish applied by wider exposure to seasoned, top-level outfits. The next nine months or so will hand him the opportunity to obtain it for club and country, though his considerable contributions against Portugal suggest he is already most of the way there.
The precocious 21-year-old followed his inch-perfect delivery for Thiago Silva's equalizer with a mazy solo run all his own. He collected the ball in the middle third and dashed through several Portuguese players left to grasp at the vacated space behind him. His deft control carried him through until he could round off the move with a delicate finish.
Scolari praised Neymar's virtues in the postgame press conference, but he spent much of his night focused on the wider picture with a handful of regulars unavailable. There are still holes to plug (a lack of cover at fullback), issues to address (tidier transition from the back four to the midfield three) and players to evaluate (Bernard, Fernando and Jô, for example). This pair of friendlies – including the 6-0 thrashing doled out to Australia on Saturday – clarified a few of those quandaries without solving all of them.
“There are a bunch of details that will probably make me change the way I am thinking about one player or another through injury or something else like it,” Scolari said. “Between the game against Australia and today's game, I saw that I can add one or two more players to that group of 17 or 18 players that I had. I think they will be players to play in the World Cup.”
At this stage, those thoughts represent mere conjecture. Brazil established its foundation during its successful procession through the Confederations Cup. The displays during that tournament – a mixture of flair and steel capable of gliding through teams or smacking them into submission – increased the expectations for a similar run during the primary objective next summer.
“It’s a great chance for us,” Fernando said through a translator. “The Confederations Cup, we had a spectacular experience with that. Our fans supported us in all the games for the full 90 minutes. So optimism in relation to that is very high.”
Based on this evidence and the previous exploits, the hope operates on firm ground. Scolari must now translate the continued promise into undeniable reality to ensure Brazil marches along its peculiar path to the World Cup in the proper fashion.
