Will it work this time?
With Mano Menezes as coach and a star-studded team like Neymar, the expectation is to overcome a historic trauma in Brazilian football and bring home an unprecedented gold medal from London. The team has a friendly match six days before its Olympic debut against Egypt.
Lucas Reginato _247 - No Olympic gold medal is as eagerly awaited by Brazilians as the one in football. The unprecedented medal has been a dream for the country for years, and at the London Games, Neymar carries on his shoulders the responsibility for years of Brazilian incompetence in the tournament. This is because, for the competition, only players under 23 years of age can be called up – with the exception of three athletes chosen by the coach, who can be older. While hopes are high, not only with the Santos number 11, but also with Ganso, Alexandre Pato, Leandro Damião, Lucas and Oscar, among others, the group drawn on the 24th placed Brazil in a path with teams that, apparently, do not pose a great threat.
The Brazilian Olympic team, coached by Mano Menezes, will make its debut on July 26th against Egypt in Cardiff, Wales, as in this sport not all matches necessarily need to be held in the same city. The team will then travel to Manchester to face Belarus, and Newcastle to play against the modest New Zealand team.
Before the official matches begin, however, Mano will have the opportunity to test his squad in a friendly against the United Kingdom national team, which will be reunited for the first time in 40 years -- the teams from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland played separately. The match takes place on July 20th in Middlesbrough, 14 days after the final announcement of the Olympic team squad.
Everyone wants to be chosen by Mano, who has already released a preview with 52 names to calm things down. Among those under 23, there should be few surprises, but Ronaldinho Gaúcho's inclusion generated controversy. Other nominated players who are no longer of Olympic age were goalkeepers Diego Alves, Jefferson and Júlio César, defenders David Luiz, Dedé, Luisão and Thiago Silva, midfielders Elias, Fernandinho and Hernanes, and forwards Hulk and Jonas.
Everything, therefore, seems favorable for Mano Menezes to bring the gold medal to the country in this sport. The team is full of big stars and the path seems to be very smooth until the knockout stage. In all previous editions, Brazil also entered as a favorite, but always disappointed against some other team. In the 1984 and 88 Olympics, Brazil won silver (see the videos), taking bronze in 1996 and 2008.
The main adversary facing the Brazilian national team seems to be, increasingly, the pressure that the "country of football" faces for never having reached the highest point on the Olympic podium in its specialty.
Click on the image to enlarge it and watch the "almost there" moments in video.