It took time for Brazil’s defeat against Belgium to sink in. I felt sadness, there is no doubt about that, but defeats are part of sport. Having played in many important tournaments for my clubs and my country I know that we do not live just through wins, we have to live through defeats as well.
Brazil were beaten by a team with a very good strategy and they were helped by the fact Brazil’s players were not able to finish off their chances. It was not a disaster and, even though the expectations placed on the team were huge, we have to remember that there are other great teams – and Roberto Martínez’s Belgium is one of them.
Belgium have a lot of quality and were extremely disciplined. Their marking was superb throughout and they made the game very compact and benefited from that. They also had a plan for how to attack Brazil and executed it well.
After the defeat against Belgium there has been some speculation about Tite getting sacked but I think he should stay. His work has only just started and the positives have far outweighed the negatives.
People sometimes get too attached to the results and say things like “if we don’t win the World Cup we have to change the coach”. However, they forget the process that the team have been through and they forget all the improvements that Tite has been responsible for since he started.
He must be given more time and we must have continuity so that we can start working towards winning our sixth World Cup in 2022.
Being eliminated from a World Cup is hard – I know that from my own experience. The tournament takes place every four years. Going out is a delicate situation and each person deals with it differently. All players share the sadness but we deal with it in different ways.
After a heavy defeat I have always wanted to stay with the team. I have not wanted to be on my own, there is no way I could have isolated myself.
As the saying goes: when we win, everyone wins; and when we lose, everyone loses. I never felt comfortable being on my own but I respect people who would rather collect their thoughts that way.
As for the Brazil players it is difficult to pick out one who was better than the others. There were high hopes for Neymar to be miles ahead of the others but that is a bit unrealistic and during the matches we have seen that many players can step up and take that responsibility.
In some games Philippe Coutinho played really well and in others Neymar and Willian were dominant. However, I always think it is important to stress how vital it is that the team works together and that all 23 players are valued. For example, Douglas Costa came on and changed the game against Belgium.
Another player who performed well was Casemiro and there is no doubt that Brazil missed him in the quarter-final. He offers so much in midfield – he gives balance to the team and he also makes the other players believe. He gives them the knowledge that they have security in midfield and it was clear that was not the case against Belgium all the time.
As for Neymar, he has, at times, made the most of challenges that have been made on him – but he has been very heavily marked as well. But everything is a learning curve and there were times, especially against Belgium, that he did not try to exaggerate the tackles that were made against him.
As France eliminated Uruguay and Brazil fell to Belgium we have two semi-finals without a South American team. It is the first time since 2006 that has happened. Why? It is difficult to say but it is not as if Brazil were that far away from getting an equaliser to take the game to extra time. Uruguay with Edinson Cavani would have been a tougher opponent for France while Colombia were eliminated on penalties against England.
South American football has always been, and still is, known for its technical nature. That has not changed and I do not think there is one reason for all the teams failing to reach the semis. We did not lose the “ginga”, our way of play and our individuality, but the European teams have improved a lot.
What can Brazil do going forwards? Simple: we have to analyse the mistakes we made in the defeat and work on how to erase them. They should not happen the next time we have an important game.
As captain, I always think it is a good idea to show the rest of the group that there were positives as well as negatives in a tournament. We have to keep in mind what was good, what was positive in our performances, because one single defeat cannot define the future of the team. We must keep our heads up and always try to improve because football is the same as life – we are all human beings and we should always look to improve, whether it is on the pitch or off it. We make mistakes – and then we try to learn from them to ensure we do not repeat them.