Five times World Cup winners Brazil kick-off The EnglishFootball Association’s 150th anniversary year with a friendly at WembleyStadium next Wednesday. England v Brazilclashes have always had a delightful frisson mainly because in footballingterms: "Os Ingleses o inventaram, os Brasileiros oaperfeiçoaram" "The Englishinvented it, the Brazilians perfected it".
This symbiotic relationship was epitomised in the 1970 WorldCup quarter- final in Mexico between the greatest England team of all time - strongereven than their 1966 World Cup winning team - and the greatest ever Brazilianteam, who would annihilate the current Barcelona defence regardless of ‘tikataka’ trickery.
Brazil won that 1970 showdown 1-0 but the iconic moment waswhen the greatest player from each country swapped shirts; the immaculatedefender Bobby Moore and the legendary Pele. I interviewed Pele 20 years ago in Tokyo for the BBC when he helpedlaunch the Japanese League. I knew I was in the presence of greatness and Ifelt honoured to shake the hand of the charismatic man who eloquently definedfootball as “the beautiful game”.
England is better than Brazil! This startling conclusion isin keeping with FIFA’s statistical machinations measuring current internationalform. It places England 6th in world rankings (incredible as they haven’t wonanything for 47 years) and Brazil are at their lowest ever ranking of 18th,despite winning the last 2 FIFA Confederation Cup. Who works this out for FIFA? Is it President Sepp Blatter when he emergesfrom his self induced comas, courtesy of watching endless re-runs of hisnarcissistic speeches? Or maybe England Manager Roy Hodgson, who can only dreamof beating Brazil even while playing FIFA Manager 13 on his Xbox?
The current Brazilian squad lacks real quality and pressureis already mounting on the Seleçao to produce the goods in 2014, when they hostThe World Cup for the first time in 64 years. Nerves appear to be jangling withthe reappointment of Scolari as manager. This move is more in hope than beliefthat the Gene Hackman look-a-like will recreate the glory of his 2002 World Cuptriumph in Korea and Japan.
The crucial difference then was that Scolari had the 3 R’sto call upon; Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. The latter is the major benefactor of Scolari’s reinstatement.Ronaldinho has been called up to join the squad despite not playing for thenational team for a year and being 32. The goofy genius though, is back onmerit as the holder of the Bola de Ouro - the Brazilian League Player of theYear award. His appearance on Wednesday is part of the Scolari Schwarzenegger’splan to inspire Ronaldinho Stallone to bring the boys back together for onelast mission. `Search for Glory: The Remake”. Tagline “We did it before, we cando it again, this time on Zimmer-frames”.
The England team on the other hand, are still licking theirwounds from a disappointing Euro 2012 and are currently 2nd to the MightyMontenegro in their qualifying WC Group. The `Golden Generation’ tag that was bestowedto the Lampard, Gerrard, Beckham group of England players in early 2000’s nowappears laughable. A more reasoned and resigned calm has descended on thepreviously deluded expectations of English fans and pundits alike. Likecommuters who now accept that their train is never going to reach itsdestination, they make do again with a complimentary sandwich and predictableapologies for further delays.
Brazilian Captain Thiago Silva of PSG is out injured andReal Madrid bench-warmer Kaka doesn’t even make the squad but watch out forstriker Neymar. Ronaldinho anointed his young superstar-in-the-making team-matewhen he quipped: "In the language of football, the others are ridingbicycles while you are on a motorcycle." With that in mind will England andtheir the midfield bicycles of Barry, Gerrard and A.N.Other be able to catch upwith Brazil and the turbo charged Neymar as he surges into the penalty box toflick another goal past Joe Hart? Idoubt it, but who knows? FIFA’s bizarre rankings may prove otherwise and justlike their denials and protestations about corruption, it must be true. Surely?
Neil Dougan was a youth player for Glasgow Celtic Boys Cluband British Series Producer and Director for all the major UK broadcasters:BBC, Sky, Channel 4, and ITV. Herecently scripted, produced and directed `The Boss: 25 Years of Sir AlexFerguson’ for Manchester United TV. Hespends his time between Goa and the UK, with his wife and son.
In ‘Eye on the ball’ Neil Dougan will put his footballexpertise to paper “history and punditry with a generous pinch of personalexperience
