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World Cup Comment: Brazil’s Fantastic Four Ready For Glory

Goal.com’s Tim Sturtridge heaps praise on the kind of world class talent which is right up Dunga’s street.

Mar 3, 2010 2:00:00 AM

By Tim Sturtridge

More On : Brazil

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When Dunga took over the Seleção he inherited an a squad of underachievers dominated by the Magic Quartet of Ronaldo, Adriano, Ronaldinho and Kaká.

Brazil’s limp showing at the 2006 World Cup was blamed on the team’s overreliance on the four attackers. Ronaldo, Adriano and Ronaldinho were particularly singled after a laissez faire attitude seemed to infiltrated the camp in Germany.

Four years on it is only Kaká of the Magic Quartet that is guaranteed a place in Brazil’s starting line-up in South Africa.

There will be no place in Dunga’s squad for Ronaldo, while it looks as though Adriano and Ronaldinho will have to make do with watching the majority of the tournament from the stands.

There is however a dominant foursome emerging in the Brazil squad once more ahead of their trip to South Africa. Again it includes Kaká, but this time the other three members of the quartet play behind the Real Madrid man rather than in front of him.

The other three Brazilian players who are the best in the world at what they do are Júlio César, Lúcio and Maicon.

Kaká himself is the model professional and the perfect player to build a side around. He was central to both of Brazil’s goals against Ireland and would clearly walk into any team on the planet.

Júlio César was equal to everything the Irish could throw at him at The Emirates. In truth the Inter Milan goalkeeper did not have too much to deal with but showed his class with one save from a Kevin Doyle header.

Dunga is yet to be let down by his first choice goalkeeper and with Júlio César between the sticks Brazil have the perfect platform for success. Gone is the fallacy that Brazilian goalkeepers just come along to make up the numbers.

Next up, is Brazil’s buccaneering right-back Maicon. He really is as close as you’re going to get to the complete footballer. His surging runs from defense frightened the life out of the Irish as he seemed to be able to gallivant at will through anything thrown in his path.

After he had slipped in Robinho, it was the right-back who was on hand to pressure Keith Andrews into scoring an own goal.

The final member of Brazil’s new look Magic Quartet is a player straight out of their head coach’s mold - captain Lúcio. The defensive colossus is a much improved player since Michael Owen left him for dust at the 2002 World Cup.

While Owen’s one dimensional game has been found out since the Far East the Brazilian has perfected his role as a crunching centerback.

This latest Brazil side are a mirror image of all that their head coach holds dear in football. Organisation is king and everyone goes onto the pitch with a clear job to do.

With Dunga’s four world class players he has the sort of personnel who can do the job he asks of them better than anyone else in the world. Having just three of the four should be enough to win the Champions League, right, Jose?

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