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2014 World Cup: How Bad Will Neymar and Brazil Be in Their Home Tournament?
Published: June 3, 2013
The host nation's preparations for the 20th edition of the biggest tournament in football do not seem to be going well off the field—and they appear to be having similar troubles on it.
In April, the Canarinha slipped down to 19th place in the FIFA World Rankings, below the likes of Ecuador, Switzerland and Belgium. Before 2011, the traditional powerhouse of world football had never fallen below sixth place, and spent the majority of the years since the rankings began in the top slot.
Of course, the FIFA Rankings often fail to reflect the true ability of the listed teams, and Brazil's unprecedented drop is skewed by the fact that they haven't played a competitive game since July 2011 (friendlies are given much less weighting in the rankings).
This lack of competitive action, however, may have had an adverse effect on the Selecao as they prepare to host their first World Cup since 1950. In recent friendlies they have thumped sides like China and Iraq, but when the standard of opposition has been—such as their bouts with Argentina or England—they have faltered.
Brazil's last competitive win against a top side was a 2009 win over Italy in the Confederations Cup.
Since then, they have exited both the World Cup and the Copa America at the quarterfinal stage—not the kind of tournament progression expected of a team who are among the favorites in every competition they play.
After a disappointing year in 2012, coach Mano Menezes was relieved of his duties and replaced with Luiz Felipe Scolari, the man who spearheaded their success at the 2002 World Cup. The appointment, however, has been viewed by many in Brazil as a desperate attempt to recreate the magic of the past.
"Scolari's time has passed," s...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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