Following Brazil’s heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat in the Copa America quarter-finals, Brazilian fans have taken to social media platforms like X and Instagram to voice their frustrations. While some are rallying behind Endrick and Rodrigo, who were victims of brutal fouls, a large segment of fans and media are directing their anger towards Brazil’s midfield trio: Gomes, Guimarães, and Paquetá.
“Whether it’s intercepting, organizing, driving forward, or making passes, Brazil’s midfield’s operation was all wrong,” stated a report in Lance!. A Brazilian Serie A player added, “Since the start of the Copa América, the Brazilian midfield has been making errors at a rate far exceeding other strong teams.”
Some criticisms were sharper, like “What’s the defining characteristic of Brazil’s game? It’s this: there’s no midfield.” Another commented, “I’ve been watching Brazil for years, and I’ve never seen such a weak, pathetic midfield!”
Other fans employed figures of speech, with João Gomes being described as a “charity thief disguised as a thief.” What does this mean? Well, Gomes made 5 tackles, seemingly like a thief “stealing” the ball from opponents, but his poor footwork resulted in numerous giveaways through lost passes, bad dribbling, and unnecessary errors. He ended up “giving away the ball” more often than he “won it back.” This gave the impression of a thief, but he was actually gifting the ball to the other team—a “charity thief disguised as a thief.”
The majority of fans agree that Brazilian midfield quality has been declining. The last time Brazil won the Copa América was in 2019, when the midfield was a star-studded affair. Coutinho and Arthur hailed from Barcelona, Casemiro from Real Madrid, Fernandinho from Manchester City, and Willian from Chelsea—all top-tier players. But now, Brazil is relying on João Gomes from Wolves, or AC Milan castaway Paquetá. If not for them, the team would have to look to São Paulo or Palmeiras for players. The decline in midfield quality is undeniable and unquestionable.
This article is from a user submission and does not represent the views of Soccer News Pick. If you repost it, please indicate the source: https://www.soccernewspick.com/copa-america/10113.html
