Felipão says he will make changes to the team for the game against the Netherlands.
Brazilian national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said this Friday (11) that he will make two changes to the team that started the game against Germany in the semi-final stage of the World Cup; "I will change one or two positions in that team that started against Germany, also because there are players who have played little or not at all. I will make one substitution because I understand that a player in a certain position will be good," he said.
Brazil Agency - The coach of the Brazilian national team, Luiz Felipe Scolari, said today (11), in a press conference, that he will make two changes in relation to the team that started the game against Germany, in the semi-final phase of the World Cup. The objective, according to the coach, is to give opportunities to athletes who have played little, but he also indicated that the tactical structure of the team should change to face the Netherlands, tomorrow (12), in Brasília.
"I'm going to make one or two changes to the starting lineup from the game against Germany, partly because some players haven't played much or at all. I'll make one substitution because I think a player in a certain position will be good," said the coach. The return of defender and captain Thiago Silva to the team, who was suspended for the last match, is certain, but the coach didn't explain if this is one of the two planned changes or if there will be other changes to the starting lineup.
Felipão also sought to show that the team is motivated for tomorrow's match and that the Brazilian national team should value third place in the World Cup. He cited the example of the German national team, which he faced in the third-place match at the 2006 World Cup when he was coaching Portugal. "I lost to Germany 3-1 in the third-place match and I saw how much they valued that game."
Defender Thiago Silva, present at the press conference, emphasized that the group wants to honor the jersey in this final match of the World Cup. "The motivation is as high as possible. It's not first place that's at stake, but rather honor and dignity. We have to honor the national team jersey above all else." The team captain didn't hide his frustration at missing the final, but stressed that the players learned from the elimination.
"It's frustrating, yes, because I spent many sleepless nights thinking about this World Cup, this final, and it's not going to happen. But we have to learn from our mistakes, and this mistake from the last game makes us stronger," said Thiago, who again mentioned the team's so-called "blackout," which resulted in four German goals in six minutes.
Felipão also said that he made a point of valuing the work of the team and the coaching staff. For him, "a misfortune" cannot erase all the work and considered that finishing among the top four "is not the end of the world". He also said he did not regret making the fans believe that the title would come.
"I also have to send a message of optimism to our people, to our fans. In 2002, I said that if we finished in the top four we would be satisfied. But if I did that [in the World Cup] in Brazil, I would be out of favor. I don't regret having conveyed the idea that we could have been champions. We're only not in the final because we didn't play a good game."
Luiz Felipe Scolari (Felipão) gave no clues as to whether or not he will remain in his position after the World Cup. He said that the first stage of his work ends after the World Cup and the decision on whether or not he will stay will be made by the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), José Maria Marin, and by Marco Polo Del Nero, the president already elected for the period from 2015 to 2019.