This World Cup is establishing as both a treatise or a coronation for Lionel Messi. He just lately collected his first main trophy with Argentina — 2021’s Copa America — however nonetheless wants the World Cup to face on the identical pedestal as Diego Maradona in most’s eyes. He’s coming to Qatar with unquestionably one of the best workforce round him that he’s ever had. He could also be getting outdated, however can nonetheless flip a match with a easy twist or feint, simply perhaps not fairly as typically. It appears like that is Messi on the gates, ready for St. Peter to grant him entry to essentially the most unique VIP room. It is one final checkmark to really stroll with the gods.
So why is it any totally different for Neymar, who nonetheless is in his prime?
The state of affairs at house isn’t any totally different. Nothing however the trophy will do for Brazil each match, which is identical in Argentina. He is definitely the face of the largest worldwide workforce on the planet. He has been for fairly a while. The workforce round him hasn’t at all times been as much as the usual that he consistently lives on. But when issues have gone pear-shaped, Neymar has been no much less within the firing line than Messi.
There are some variations. One, Brazil has seen what the workforce appears like with out him, each good and dangerous. In 2014, Neymar was knocked out of the World Cup within the quarters. They misplaced 7-1 within the subsequent sport. In 2019’s Copa America, Neymar missed the match by means of damage. Brazil received it at house at a canter. Neymar returned for the 2021 version. They misplaced…to Argentina…at house…within the ultimate. There isn’t any larger horror to the Brazil nationwide workforce.
Maybe the distinction is that Neymar is at all times linked to Messi, however not the opposite method round. Much like Bono has a Jesus advanced, however Jesus… Anyway, Messi is the true legend, maybe the best ever, who fairly merely has modified the sport. Neymar is the clearly, supremely gifted star, however hasn’t received something of notice with out Messi, so goes the road. Kind of an insult to France and their league, however due to some epic (and actually satisfying) collapses within the Champions League, it’s simple to show that right into a follow beat Neymar with. Sometimes Neymar was on the sector for these, generally he wasn’t, and neither absolves him of the blame that got here his method. In both case, he can’t be relied on.
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The real key to all this is that the world doesn’t love Neymar the way they do Messi. It’s some combination of the diving (not that Messi is above a flop on the reg. Ask Chelsea fans), his perceived more lackadaisical attitude to the sport or to work without the ball (as if Messi was some sort of pressing dynamo), the marketing campaigns, the results on the field, and now Kylian Mbappe’s reported distaste of having to play with him. None of these things have ever been attached to Messi, though he’s no less involved in marketing campaigns and Barcelona now have their own collection of comedic Champions League crashes themselves. Pssst…Barcelona never won a Champions League since Neymar left for PSG either.
(Also let’s get it all out there, Messi does not have a sexual assault accusation in opposition to him. Neymar does, although his workforce has denied the allegations.)
At the center of it, Neymar’s brashness, loudness, and panache have at all times been used in opposition to him. Where Messi has at all times been the quiet, humble supernova on the sector, if such a factor might be. We solely know Messi on the pitch, and he’s labored exhausting to maintain it that method. We know lots about Neymar off the sector.
Another distinction between the 2 is how they’re embraced by their house nation. Messi has, till just lately, had one thing of a distance from Argentina, partly on account of a variety of his childhood being spent in Spain, and never being the fiery character that Argentina legends of yore have been, added to the shortage of success with the nationwide workforce. Meanwhile, Messi has been embraced and cherished the world over outdoors of Argentina.
Neymar is quintessentially Brazilian. He’s a celebration on the sector and off, a strolling flash of daring and sprint. And but the soccer world for essentially the most half takes extra enjoyment of his failings than his triumphs (and I’ve been simply as a lot part of that). Perhaps what actually galls the soccer world is that Neymar has at all times appeared like he didn’t give a flying fuck about all that both.
Perhaps this match shaping up as pyramid-shaped, resulting in the sharp finish the place Argentina and Brazil will crash into one another within the semifinals, is the proper climax of all of this. Both gamers, each groups, will carry the after-effects of that match endlessly. In that sense, Neymar has no much less on the road. The notion, actuality or not, that it issues to him lower than it does Messi, is what galvanizes the dialogue. But ought to he be the one lifting the trophy, it will likely be no much less the signature picture of his profession.
So can Brazil do this? It can be close to not possible to indicate up with a extra loaded squad. Gabriel Jesus, presently the inspiration for the Premier League leaders, can’t get within the 11. Roberto Firmino, presently the main scorer for Liverpool, can’t even get within the squad. Bruno Guimarães, the linchpin of Newcastle’s flip into an actual energy, received’t begin both. Vinicius Jr., maybe the primary weapon for Real Madrid, isn’t a assured starter both. Gleison Bremer, who received the newest Defender Of The Season in Serie A, received’t begin as nicely. There isn’t any deeper workforce, particularly now with France’s damage issues.
And supervisor Tite might need discovered the proper mix of joga bonito and the European sport the place all his costs play. Unlike PSG, Brazil makes up for Neymar’s disinterest with out the ball by using Richarlison, Raphinha, and Lucas Paquetá as a urgent entrance three with out the ball. Fred is deployed behind Neymar, and although he’s removed from an ideal participant, Fred’s trade is never in query. Casemiro is the extra managed, clean harmful pressure to dovetail with Fred or Fabinho. Brazil can revert to their conventional 4-2-2-2, with Neymar combining with Richarlison, nevertheless it will also be a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-4 or 4-3-3 or perhaps a 3-2-2-3 with the ball. It’s pliable.
What may probably be their thermal exhaust port? The protection skews a contact outdated, nevertheless it doesn’t at all times must. Thiago Silva hasn’t been nice for Chelsea this season, and he’s 38. But he’s partnered with Marquinhos, who has a number of the similar PSG stink that Neymar does however can be top-of-the-line defenders on the planet. And once more, ought to they want it, Bremer is first off the bench, and Madrid standout Éder Militãois behind that. And ought to all of it break down, Alisson is in aim and he’s spent his season placing out all of the fires at Liverpool and may be one of the best keeper one-on-one on the planet.
Perhaps that all the pieces flows by means of Neymar will likely be seen as the issue, as a result of individuals need it to be. And he’s the fulcrum of your complete assault. He drops deep to get the ball off the holding midfielders and lasers passes of all distances and shapes to the three attackers forward of him. But there have been instances when each PSG and Brazil have discovered a wrestle when that route from Neymar is lower off. When he’s both crowded out or simply isn’t there. 2019’s workforce received to play a complete match and get accustomed to life with out him. But Argentina within the 2021 Copa ultimate discovered it fairly easy to nullify Brazil with Neymar (0.7 xG for Brazil regardless of trailing for an hour). It was principally the identical workforce because the one which will likely be in Qatar. Neymar had double the touches within the attacking third of any of his teammates, however created subsequent to nothing.
Can Brazil use him as a decoy when he’s blanketed? Will Neymar settle for not being the point of interest for a quarterfinal or semifinal? Can the workforce pivot that shortly if it must?
These questions aren’t any lighter than those for Messi. It’s simply that almost all everybody needs the unfavorable solutions for Neymar.
It isn’t the best group for Brazil. Cameroon will both use the match to shake off the cobwebs from final winter’s AFCON or to proceed the hangover. The Indomitable Lions have been cruising earlier than and through that match that they hosted. They blitzed their World Cup qualifying group, successful 5 of six with the one loss being away to Ivory Coast. Their run within the AFCON was fairly easy, waltzing previous Comoros and Gambia within the knockout rounds. But within the semifinals they received Quieroz’d by Egypt, dropping on penalties after a 0-0 draw that was merciless and weird to observe.
And since then, issues have been wonky. They squeaked by Algeria within the WCQ playoffs with a aim within the 124th minute of the second leg from Karl Toko Ekambi. They’ve misplaced to Uzbekistan and South Korea of their most up-to-date friendlies. This draw hasn’t been sort to them both, as their choice to need to play with the ball however to depart the extensive areas abandoned may very well be exploited by each different workforce on this group.
Serbia will convey one thing hardly ever seen nowadays within the trendy sport, and that’s an honest-to-goodness striker partnership. Assuming Aleksandar Mitrović is wholesome for the match, that’s. But if he’s, each he and Dusan Vlahović are real heart forwards, and as an alternative of getting a country-wide debate about who ought to begin, supervisor Dragan Stojković has simply employed a 3-5-2 system round them. They mixed for 12 targets in qualifying and one other 5 of their newest spherical of Nations League fixtures as they clobbered each Sweden and Norway. Dusan Tadić is often deployed behind the 2 because the timeless playmaker he’s been for Ajax, or he’s moved out extensive to accommodate Filip Kostić in that position, If anybody goes to check Marquinhos and Thiago Silva early, it’s these two forwards.
Switzerland will current the alternative facet of the coin from Serbia’s bruising wrecking ball of a strikeforce, as they like Breel Embolo’s tempo to get in behind, with a powerful throughline in the midst of the sector from Fabian Schär to Granit Xhaka to Xherdan Shaqiri. They can insert new hotness Noah Okafor anyplace on the frontline to provide it extra juice as nicely. That type of tempo and gamers like Shaqiri and Xhaka who can spring counters shortly make Switzerland harmful — ask France — to a workforce like Brazil or Cameroon that wishes extra of the ball and desires to stand up the sector. Brazil will really feel examined early.
Most probably supervisor to get despatched off
Seeing as how Cameroon’s Rigobert Song is one in every of two gamers to be despatched off in a number of World Cups — the opposite is Zinedine Zidane, funnily sufficient — he’s the plain decide.
Best jerseys
There are some horrifying choices on this group, with each Switzerland’s and Serbia’s away shirts trying like large title tags, and Cameroon’s with some unlucky striping selections that make their shirts appear to be a chest x-ray. So simply going with the standard Brazilian look, as a result of it’s by no means dangerous.
Schedule
Thursday, Nov. 24 – Switzerland v. Cameroon (5 a.m. EST), Brazil v. Serbia (2 p.m. EST)
Monday, Nov. 28 – Cameroon v. Serbia (5 a.m. EST), Brazil v. Switzerland (11 a.m. EST)
Friday, Dec. 2 – Cameroon v. Brazil, Switzerland v. Serbia (2 p.m. EST)