[Ze da Fiel]

We've already got 6 points. The first game we were not all that but managed a win. The second game we played batter and the team was more relaxed plus the fragility of our opponents helped us play calm.

Now let's go to the third game quite relaxed. We might get the qualification tomorrow if Costa Rica and Turkey draw.

Felipao has announced that lpayers might be rested. Roberto Carlos is almost certain to miss this game as he picked up an injury.

Also, we will play with white shorts in this game as FIFA told us too!:devil:

I wish Felipao does not rest any player and get the team playing again, they need more time together as our preparation has been awful for this World Cup!

The team has holes in the defense, and the midfield is still not rolling as it should. PLus the attack is playing in a line of 3, which is not good IMO. It's just little adjustments that we need to get the team roling into the second round when the games will definitly be much harder than what we have seen!

 

[Tim]

...dum, dum, dum, ...and another bites the dust!

 

[jason_at_uofa]

I agree Ze. Dont make a B side fight this one out.

Either make a total keeper switch for the rest of the tourny or keep Marcos.
Keep the back 3.
And the wing backs
Plus Gilberto Silva.

Ronaldo and Rivaldo up front.


THAT LEAVES TWO SPOTS!! Ronaldinhio gets one last chance to prove his mettle. Same with Juninhio. If the midfield doesnt work I wanna see changes against Belgium

I would like to see kaka at the half behind Ronaldo and Rivaldo. And Richardino or Vampeta for Juninhio.

 

[falcao]

the only reason to rest someone is injury. resting people now is STUPID! the season is only 5 more games. all these players have already played 30-50 games this season, so 5 more is no problem. resting players screws up the continuity of the team. we need to keep out best players in there and keep winning. in 98, before the norway game, zagallo said winning leads to more winning. but brazil had already classified for the second round, lost its cool and then lost to norway.

psychologically, you can't win a world cup if you lose a game along the way. to win the world cup, you have to know that nobody can defeat you. that's why italy, france and argentina are already finished. even if they make the later stages, they're finished. psychologically, they know they can be beaten. they would fold in front of brazil.

brazil has to go all out and hammer costa rica 3x0 or 4x0. we have to let the world now that we have decided the world cup is ours.

i don't think felipao would make too many changes to the team. if anything, he'll wait for us to be up 2x0 at the half and make changes earlier than usual, but i don't think he would change the team before the kickoff.

 

[Ze da Fiel]

Looks like Felipao will put Ricardinho in the place of Juninho. Perfect call by Felipao....the guy is really pleasing me now! Remember taht i said this would happen when ricardinho was still in Brazil packing his bags!

btw, just like to share how this year i'm getting all my tips right. I said Corinthians would wint he double and we did. And more astonishingly, in the Globo.com prediction league, out of 100,000 candidates to get the score correct, I'm in #109! :tongue: Teh group of death the only result that i got wrong was that i predicted taht Argetina x NIgeria would be a draw....which Argentina won. BUt don't worry cause tehy will draw there next game!

Coming back to brazil. Ithink Felipao should put Edmilson back in the team. he is a goodplayer and was clearly nervous on the first game. He would get more used to the whole thing. I think he is better than Polga. Also Dida should come in, but i doubt that will happen.

The probable Felipao line up x Costa Rica should be this:

1. Marcos

3. Lucio 4. Roque Jr 14. Anderson Polga

2. Cafu 8. Gilberto Silva 7. Ricardinho 16. Junior

11. Ronaldinho Gaucho

9. Ronaldo 10. Rivaldo

Some other players maybe rested. The only one that is almost certain is Roberto Carlos.

Then we come on to the knock out staes to probably play Russia or Belgium. Can't remember of us playing Belgium in any World Cup. Russia we have played in 58 i believe , 82 and 94. And we won every single game!

Falcao,
I hope we only win 2x0...... the climate in BRazil is already that we will be World Champions. Even the most critical and pessimistic fans are believe more now. The critics are shutting there mouths up. So it would be bad for us if we hammer Costa Rica 5x0....cause the old overconfidence factor will start taking place. Let's take it easy like we have done so far, keep our feet in the ground, respecting our opponents!

Falcao,
Do you rememebr last year when i told you my dad hopes to lose the confederation cup, copa america and qualify in the last game for the WC. It all happened....the only thing that needs to happen in his prohecy now is: CAFU LIFTING THE CUP!

ANd that will happen!

 

[Manny]

I really hope Brazil will win this, else Turkey will be out. :depress:
I heard you will rest, R. Carlos, Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Cafu....your 4 best players.

How do you rate the substitutes for those players. Are they any good? Will Brazil be strong enough to win even when you rest your best players?

I hope Brazil will win with a big margin.

 

[Ze da Fiel]

The subsitute for Cafu is Beletti.... CAfu is much better than hm

RC - Junior. RC is miles better than Junior

Rivaldo it will probably be Edilson. The team will get much more dribbling and speed...that is bad for you

Ronaldo = Luizao. Luizao is a prolific goalscorer but does not have the skill of Ronaldo....however give him the ball in the box.....the goalies normally know were it will end up!

 

[Gaetan]

Roberto Carlos is injured? How serious is it though? I doubt it's that bad and if this was to be an important game he would have played if we for example didn't beat the Turks and didn't qualify yet. RC can rest if he needs to but at max I think it'll be safe to only make 2 changes to our normal starting linuep or else it's a dumb move. Big Phil will do the right thing, IMO.

Ricardinho-Ronaldinho having a chance to play right before the knock-out phase is great news, I am so happy right now. Ronaldinho should play the more free role in the middle behind the strikers and finally rule.

Cheers,
Paddle

 

[falcao]

ze, i don't care if we beat costa rica 2x0 or 20x0. i just don't want to see another disaster like 1998, when we lost to norway 2x1 after taking the lead in like the 79th minute. we have to play well in this game.

and i'm not in favor of resting anyone unless it's a case of injury. some players, like cafu or roberto carlos, could be rested because they have so much experience and would easily be able to come right back into the team the following game like nothing happened. but i don't want to see too many changes in the lineup. the world cup is seven games, and we need to go out there and win all seven with our best players. now is not the time to be resting.

maybe we can put costa rica to bed by halftime and then make substitutions. but i'm nervous about making lineup changes before the game.

i agree about dida, ze: bring him in! he's spending too much time sitting on the world cup bench: must be some kind of record. and, in the single-elimination matches, he can save all the penalties like taffarel.

ze, yes, i remember when your dad said he wanted brazil to lose all those games in confed cup, copa america and eliminitorias so they could win the world cup. he was right. that guy knew his football!

edmilson NEVER should have been dropped for the second game. everybody is nervous in the first world cup game of his life! how is edmilson supposed to get better and be more confident if the coach puts him on the bench? that's gonna make him more nervous. felipao made a bad decision. he needs to put edmilson back in for costa rica and the rest of the tournament.

 

[falcao]

read these quotes by roberto carlos and rivaldo below, and you will know why we are going to win the world cup:


^BC-Sports-Soccer-WCup-Brazil<
^Modest Brazil plays down World Cup success<
^By PETER MUELLO=
^Associated Press Writer=
¶ SEOGWIPO, South Korea (AP) _ France, Italy, Argentina, Portugal _ top teams suddenly are struggling in the World Cup. Perhaps surprisingly, Brazil is not among them.
¶ The four-time world champions knocked off China 4-0 on Saturday to take a commanding lead in Group C with six points. Following a 2-1 win over Turkey in its opener, Brazil has all but mathematically clinched a spot in the second round.
¶ What's surprising is that the Brazilians came into the Cup discredited even among their own fans. After turning in their worst qualifying campaign in history, Brazil looked like a long shot to win a fifth Cup title.
¶ Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, the third coach in less than a year, was slow to produce results and antagonized fans by picking stolid but loyal players such as Luizao over proven stars like Romario.
¶ As Brazil lost a record six games in qualifying and was humiliated by Honduras in the Copa America, the team fell from first place to third in FIFA world rankings and currently is tied with Argentina for second.
¶ The Brazilian bravado suddenly was gone. Scolari didn't even talk about winning the title _ instead, he promised only to reach the final four.
¶ Today, however, Brazil's travails in qualifying look like a blessing in disguise.
¶ The team isn't under pressure to produce a masterpiece each time it takes the field. The players slowly are assimilating Scolari's ethic of hard work, simplicity and respect.
¶ "This is an important moment for us," Roberto Carlos said after the match Saturday. "We're training and playing with responsibility and respect for our opponent. We're getting ready to be world champions."
¶ The upsets that have befallen many of the early favorites also have made an impression on Brazil.
¶ Defending champion France lost to newcomer Senegal, hasn't scored a goal in its two matches and could be out in the first round. Portugal was blindsided by the United States, Argentina fell to England and Italy was overtaken by Croatia.
¶ "Many teams that are considered favorites are losing to non-favorites," Rivaldo said. "That's why Brazil has to go in prepared, respecting all teams and not giving them a chance."
¶ If the Brazilians were resting on its laurels, they aren't any more, the Barcelona star said.
¶ "You can't think you'll win on your name alone, because you're Brazil or Italy or Argentina," said Rivaldo. "You have to show it on the field."
¶ After Brazil won and Italy lost on Saturday, Scolari was asked if his team now was a favorite. In typical fashion, he dismissed the idea.
¶ "Brazil is working conscientiously and is improving," he said. "But we've been facing newcomers to the Cup. It's very different from facing teams like Croatia and England, that have played four, five, six Cups."
¶ China is making its debut in World Cup play, while Turkey last reached the Cup finals in 1954.
¶ "We have faced fewer risks," Scolari said.
¶ Still, if the relatively easy first round has not tested Brazil's mettle, it gave ailing stars time to heal and allowed the team to jell. And while Argentina and France may have peaked last year, Brazil is improving day by day.
¶ "These two games allowed Ronaldo and Rivaldo, who are returning from injuries, to warm up their legs and get in shape," Scolari said. "Brazil is progressing, each day a little better."

 

[Gaetan]

Here's the latest news I've heard, Rivaldo & Ronaldo are set to take a break. Cafu & Roberto Carlos too. That's not too bad, if you ask me. Here's the starting XI, I expect to be fielded.

1. Marcos

3. Lucio 4. Roque Jr 5. Edmilson

13. Belletti 8. Gilberto Silva 7. Ricardinho 16. Junior

11. Ronaldinho Gaucho

20. Edilson 21. Luizao


Cheers,
Paddle

 

[independente]

costa rica is the best after brazil in it group, but it ins´t enough for be a difficult team to beat...

 

[falcao]

i don't like the idea of resting 4 starters. i hope felipao knows what he's doing.

if costa rica beats us, we would end the group phase in second place and would have to play the group h winner, probably japan. that's not a tough game, but i'd rather win our group, go into the second round on a 3-game winning streak and face a second-place team.

edilson and luizao are quality strikers up front, but they're not ronaldo and rivaldo.

with our b-team against costa rica, this might be a really good game. 2x1 for us.

 

[Gaetan]

I don't think resting 4 starters is exactly a 'B' team and I still think we should atleast win 2-0 or 3-0. Big Phil might even play Rivaldo or Ronaldo though because he said the only reason they won't is if they personally don't feel fit enough to play.

Cheers,
Patrick

 

[Ze da Fiel]

Ptraick ,
your line up is wrong.

the expectations of who will be rested are: RC, Roque Jr., ronaldnho gaucho and Denilson. Basically is who is feeling a slight pain (RC) and who has been booked. It all sounds good.....if the players taht receive a yellow again they wil not play in the final 16..... while if they don't play...the yellow card score will be zeroed!

The team shuld be:

1. Marcos

3. Lucio 5. Edmilson 14. Polga

2. Cafu 8. Gilberto Silva 7. Ricardinho 6. Junior

19. Juninho

9. Ronaldo 10. Rivaldo


Expect Kaka to come in the second half to get a little glimpse of World Cup action!

 

[jason_at_uofa]

If Ronaldo is rested how can he possibly score a goal in EVERY game like Scolari and Ronaldo both said he would?

 

[Ze da Fiel]

who said ronaldo is gonna be rested??

 

[kaiserh]

Brasil will play better with Ricardinho.May be Kaka will get a few minutes to play.
Brasil 3 Costa Rica 0

 

[jason_at_uofa]

Kaka should be preferred as he was on the team first and I wanna see this guy play bad!! I dont get Brazilian league games!

Also I hope ronaldo and rivaldo both score 2 and Brazil win 4-0. Ronaldo needs to keep close to Klose hehehehe.

 

[Ze da Fiel]

The correct team is EDILSON on the place of RICARDINHO

BAd move IMO. But anyway, its costa rica.....let's go to bombard them with dribbles and goals.....Ricardinho should come on the second half and start the next game hopefully!