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| Paradox of Fred divides Brazil after pratfall in opening game | Paradox of Fred divides Brazil after pratfall in opening game |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| What is the point of Fred? It wasn’t a proud moment at all and Brazilians themselves were embarrassed, hence the plethora of memes doing the rounds on social networks. | What is the point of Fred? It wasn’t a proud moment at all and Brazilians themselves were embarrassed, hence the plethora of memes doing the rounds on social networks. |
| But in a strange way Fred’s tumble that led to the award of a controversial penalty for Brazil in their World Cup opener against Croatia vindicated Luiz Felipe Scolari’s decision to stick with his paradox of a centre-forward. His pratfall was basically the only moment where the Fluminense striker came out of the shadows in a game where Neymar and Oscar had to bail out the Seleção. | |
| Fred’s stats, provided by Fifa, show no shots, no assists and a single run into the attacking third during the entire game. If it wasn’t for his reaction to the slightest of tugs by Dejan Lovren and the fact he actually lined up for the national anthem, one would be excused for doubting Fred had been on the Arena Corinthians pitch at all. | Fred’s stats, provided by Fifa, show no shots, no assists and a single run into the attacking third during the entire game. If it wasn’t for his reaction to the slightest of tugs by Dejan Lovren and the fact he actually lined up for the national anthem, one would be excused for doubting Fred had been on the Arena Corinthians pitch at all. |
| Still, barring injury, the former Lyon man will once again start for Brazil on Tuesday in a potential Group A decider against Mexico in Fortaleza. Never mind that Fred has struggled with injuries and his club form is nowhere near that of the glorious 2012, when he topped the Brazilian league scoring charts and was properly recalled when Scolari returned to the hot seat. | Still, barring injury, the former Lyon man will once again start for Brazil on Tuesday in a potential Group A decider against Mexico in Fortaleza. Never mind that Fred has struggled with injuries and his club form is nowhere near that of the glorious 2012, when he topped the Brazilian league scoring charts and was properly recalled when Scolari returned to the hot seat. |
| Under the previous manager, Mano Menezes, Fred had been blatantly ignored thanks to Menezes’s belief he was a creature of the past – a poacher who did not fit his rebuilding plans after the 2010 World Cup, which were based upon faster players and interchangeable positions up front. In fact, Menezes had even toyed with an emulation of Pep Guardiola’s “nineless” scheme at Barcelona. It looked interesting but, just as the team began to getting used to it, Menezes was fired by José Marin, the incoming president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), in November 2012. | Under the previous manager, Mano Menezes, Fred had been blatantly ignored thanks to Menezes’s belief he was a creature of the past – a poacher who did not fit his rebuilding plans after the 2010 World Cup, which were based upon faster players and interchangeable positions up front. In fact, Menezes had even toyed with an emulation of Pep Guardiola’s “nineless” scheme at Barcelona. It looked interesting but, just as the team began to getting used to it, Menezes was fired by José Marin, the incoming president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), in November 2012. |
| Scolari buried the Catalan experiment the minute he was announced as Menezes’s replacement. Historically a man who liked to play with somebody more present in the box, Scolari, for the second time in his history with the national team, had to gamble. | |
| In the buildup to the 2002 World Cup campaign, he was probably the only person in the world who believed that Ronaldo could pull off the mother of all comebacks after two years without playing. Now he wants to resuscitate Fred. | |
| From being Ronaldo’s understudy at Germany 2006, when he scored against Japan in the group stages, Fred never really followed up. His four-year spell at Lyon ended up with a lot of toys being flung from the pram and he was massively upstaged by the emergence of a youngster called Karim Benzema. Fred found refuge in Rio, where Fluminense, loaded with cash from their health insurance sponsor, were happy to sign him. | From being Ronaldo’s understudy at Germany 2006, when he scored against Japan in the group stages, Fred never really followed up. His four-year spell at Lyon ended up with a lot of toys being flung from the pram and he was massively upstaged by the emergence of a youngster called Karim Benzema. Fred found refuge in Rio, where Fluminense, loaded with cash from their health insurance sponsor, were happy to sign him. |
| He repaid their faith with 62 goals in 96 games, being instrumental in their 2010 and 2012 Brazilian League titles. He also loved Rio’s nightlife and Flu supporters would patrol hangouts in an attempt to bust him. | He repaid their faith with 62 goals in 96 games, being instrumental in their 2010 and 2012 Brazilian League titles. He also loved Rio’s nightlife and Flu supporters would patrol hangouts in an attempt to bust him. |
| Fred also was a one-eyed king in the land of blind, as the saying goes. At a time when Brazilian strikers had pretty much vanished from European club lineups – the last No9 to top the scoring in one of the big leagues was Grafite for Wolfsburg in 2008 – the Fluminense man stood out over younger competitors such as Alexandre Pato, he of the eternal unfulfilled promise. Back in the Seleção, Fred looked transformed, scoring against England, Italy and Russia before finishing the 2012-13 season as Brazil’s top scorer in the Confederations Cup. | Fred also was a one-eyed king in the land of blind, as the saying goes. At a time when Brazilian strikers had pretty much vanished from European club lineups – the last No9 to top the scoring in one of the big leagues was Grafite for Wolfsburg in 2008 – the Fluminense man stood out over younger competitors such as Alexandre Pato, he of the eternal unfulfilled promise. Back in the Seleção, Fred looked transformed, scoring against England, Italy and Russia before finishing the 2012-13 season as Brazil’s top scorer in the Confederations Cup. |
| Many of those goals came in games in which Fred otherwise went missing for 90 minutes, so Scolari can be forgiven for trusting a knack of being in the right place at the right time. | Many of those goals came in games in which Fred otherwise went missing for 90 minutes, so Scolari can be forgiven for trusting a knack of being in the right place at the right time. |
| At 30, Fred is also one of the six players in the Brazil squad who have actually played in a World Cup and experience is something highly valued in Scolari’s 2014 plans. Fred is one of his vice-captains as well. “I have to do my work and not worry about what people are saying,” he says. | |
| “The press can be funny. If you score they will moan you spent too much time in the box. If I leave the box to search for the ball I also get stick. The important thing is that the manager and my teammates have given me amazing support. That’s everything that I want.” | “The press can be funny. If you score they will moan you spent too much time in the box. If I leave the box to search for the ball I also get stick. The important thing is that the manager and my teammates have given me amazing support. That’s everything that I want.” |
| They were also very supportive of him last Thursday, when even Brazilian supporters criticised the awarding of that penalty. Fred left the stadium without stopping in the mixed zone, where journalists have the chance to talk to players – officially the CBF blamed the long waiting time on a mandatory dope test – and Fred spoke about the incident only a day later in a cringeworthy video released by the federation’s press office. | They were also very supportive of him last Thursday, when even Brazilian supporters criticised the awarding of that penalty. Fred left the stadium without stopping in the mixed zone, where journalists have the chance to talk to players – officially the CBF blamed the long waiting time on a mandatory dope test – and Fred spoke about the incident only a day later in a cringeworthy video released by the federation’s press office. |
| “It was a clear penalty,” he explained. “Fifa warned teams to avoid pulling and pushing in the box and my opponent took me out of balance when I was ready to turn and shoot.” | “It was a clear penalty,” he explained. “Fifa warned teams to avoid pulling and pushing in the box and my opponent took me out of balance when I was ready to turn and shoot.” |
| The incident, however, dominated a lot of the post-game talk in Brazil and was used to exemplify how the Seleção’s comeback was aided by decision of the Japanese referee, Yuichi Nishimura. | The incident, however, dominated a lot of the post-game talk in Brazil and was used to exemplify how the Seleção’s comeback was aided by decision of the Japanese referee, Yuichi Nishimura. |
| “Arigato [Thank you in Japanese]‚” wrote the Brazilian newspaper O Globo‚ and the media invariably mentioned that Nishimura had been the guy who officiated in Brazil’s quarter-final departure at South Africa 2010 at the hands of Holland, when he was perceived to have allowed Mark van Bommel to kick his opponents a tad too often. | “Arigato [Thank you in Japanese]‚” wrote the Brazilian newspaper O Globo‚ and the media invariably mentioned that Nishimura had been the guy who officiated in Brazil’s quarter-final departure at South Africa 2010 at the hands of Holland, when he was perceived to have allowed Mark van Bommel to kick his opponents a tad too often. |
| There may have been more sympathy had Fred’s goals not dried up for club and country. Fluminense were relegated on the pitch last season before bouncing back after their fellow strugglers Portuguesa were docked points for fielding a ineligible player. | There may have been more sympathy had Fred’s goals not dried up for club and country. Fluminense were relegated on the pitch last season before bouncing back after their fellow strugglers Portuguesa were docked points for fielding a ineligible player. |
| Fred has scored once in 12 months for the Seleção, although he also missed most of friendlies since Brazil’s defeat of Spain last June. | Fred has scored once in 12 months for the Seleção, although he also missed most of friendlies since Brazil’s defeat of Spain last June. |
| Still, it will take a lot more for Scolari even to think of dropping his poacher. | Still, it will take a lot more for Scolari even to think of dropping his poacher. |