Dunga's scheme grinds out draws

The man who has made it a mission to bleach Brazil of the memories of the Tele Santana era and has some success doing it his way with his system of prizing workman like players and sound technical skills over artistry and attacking play is having a hard time motivating Brazil in the World Cup qualifiers. They are presently 5th in the group with nine points, having survived a dreary draw against Argentina. The Seleccao have dropped points with draws against lowly Peru and Colombia, and then losing to Paraguay. Their one bright spot is a 2-1 win over Uruguay and a 5-0 drubbing of Ecuador.

The Brazilian press and the public have hammered Dunga's approach.

Dunga's playbook revolves around creating a seamless connection between the attack and the defense through his system of holding and attacking midfielders. Elano, Julio Baptista and Gilberto Silva figure as the featured players. The defense has cemented around Lucio, Juan, Dani Alves, and Maicon, with a decidedly physical style of play (Argentina learned this the hard way at the 2007 Copa America). However, in this scheme of play, it is the attack that has been susceptible to Dunga's vagaries and has a decidedly unsettled look.

Earlier tinkering saw lesser lights Vagner Love, Daniel Carvalho, Rafael Sobis, and Luis Fabiano getting the call once Dunga was made manager in the aftermath of Brazil's poor showing in the 2006 World Cup. This was probably natural as none of the marquee players played to their capability. Dunga did eventually recall Kaka. But Dunga's initial rejection probably accounts for the AC Milan star's lukewarm national commitment. Robinho's performance of late has been abysmal, Adriano and Ronaldinho's hard partying has attracted more news media than their no shows on the field. Fred has had a look in but the Lyon striker is not the easiest to discipline. Alexandre Pato remains the one bright spot having an impressive first season for Inter. The attack therefore has been very patchy going through goal scoring droughts.

Dunga has also shifted his emphasis from open field goals to set pieces and Elano, Julio Baptista and a 6' defense offers Brazil their best chance of scoring such goals. This leaves Brazil exposed to fast counter attacks which takes advantage of slow reacting or an out of position defenses. Paraguay was able to win through such means.