Brasileirão In Focus: Coritiba

Back in the Brasileirão after a year down in Série B, a Coxa are in the form of their lives, having broken the Brazilian record for the most consecutive victories (24). They made light work of the Série B last year, coasted to the trophy in the Campeonato Paranaense, and they crushed Palmeiras 6-0 in a historic first leg of the Copa do Brasil quarter final. These results and their attractive style have inspired certain people to refer to them as ‘the Barcelona of South America’.

They have formed a really good unit, everyone pulling their weight and playing for the team. They are organized, good on the counter and dangerous at set-pieces. They play in what looks like a standard Brazilian 4-2-2-2, but with a couple of alterations. Between the two attacking midfielders Davi and Rafinha, the former operates more in the middle in a number nine role, whilst Rafinha drifts out to either flank and pushes up to attack. The two forwards Anderson Aquino and Bill do something similar, with Bill staying in the centre, and Anderson Aquino drifting out to either side and sometimes dropping back in to midfield. (see diagram)

In the transfer market they adopted an interesting tactic, signing several fringe players from higher reputation clubs. This has worked out superbly, as they have managed to get a hold of a crop of talented, experienced and extremely motivated individuals. Defensive midfielder Léo Gago has proved to be a fabulous addition to the side, he was on loan at the side last season from Vasco and Coritiba will be delighted that they have managed to tie him down to a permanent contract. A good athletic player, does the simple stuff well but also provides a threat going forward, one to watch out for this year.

Several people will have their eyes on Marcelo Oliveira’s side this season, and I do not think they will be disappointed. This is a motivated team who will be looking to establish themselves amongst the top sides in the league. It might be a little too early for them this year, but I would not be at all surprised if they ended up in the top half of the table and with a Copa Sulamericana spot.

Expected formation:

Brasileirão In Focus: Corinthians

Corinthians, o Timão, the biggest team in São Paulo state and truly one of the giants in the Brazilian game. They have a significantly different team to the one that finished 3rd in last season’s Brasileirão, with the retirement of Ronaldo Fenômeno and the departures of Roberto Carlos, Jucilei and Elias. Despite these losses, they still managed to make the final of the Campeonato Paulista, partially thanks to the signing of former Sporting Lisbon forward Liedson.

This transfer window has been a busy one for Corinthians, and there seems to be a lot more to come. Bruno Cesar will leave in June to sign for Benfica, and striker Dentinho has sealed a move to Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk. The really interesting part is the players coming in. Since the end of the 2010 Brasileirão, o Timão have recruited names like Liedson, Fábio Santos, Adriano, Emerson and ex-Spartak Moscow midfielder Alex. Roma’s Fábio Simplício appears to be close to signing, and there are strong rumours regarding the signings of AC Milan’s Clarence Seedorf, Paulo Henrique Ganso from Santos and André of Dynamo Kiev.

This is a team who certainly have what it takes to win the league, with some of the best players in Brazil at their disposal, especially if they go on to sign any of the other names mentioned. Perhaps their only weak spot is their coach, Tite. Not a bad coach by any means, but since he has been in charge of Corinthians it has not seemed like the fans have been particularly won over by him. He failed to win the 2010 Brasileirão last season, was knocked out by Deportes Tolima in the qualifying rounds of the 2011 Copa Libertadores, and now suffered in the Paulistão final. You feel that Tite needs instant results, and any more disappointment in the near future will leave him out of a job.

Without knowing the extent of their activity in the transfer market, it is hard to pinpoint a formation for Corinthians, but with the players they have under contract currently, they will play a 4-2-3-1. Fábio Santos and Alessandro play left and right back respectively, dominating the flanks. In the midfield, Ralf is the holding man, and he is partnered by Paulinho, who is a little more athletic and mobile. The attacking three (for the time being) should line up with Jorge Henrique, Alex and Willian, and Liedson is the first choice at centre forward.

Expected formation:

Brasileirão In Focus: Ceará

Fresh from a dominant campaign in the Campeonato Cearense, during which they strolled to the trophy ending rivals Fortaleza’s run of four titles in a row, Ceará are looking forward to another Campeonato Brasileiro season. The Vozão performed well above expectations last year, spending a surprising amount of time in the top four, and ending up in 12th position with a place in the Copa Sulamericana 2011. Their home support was truly fantastic, with an average home crowd of over 20,000, a typical trait of clubs from the northeast region. This will be in threat for this year however, as their Castelão stadium has been closed for refurbishment for the World Cup in 2014, and they will play their home games in the Domingão stadium in neighbouring city Horizonte.

Ceará are currently on an extended cup run, taking on Coritiba in the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil. It has been an excellent campaign so far, in the quarter finals they eliminated Flamengo 4-3 on aggregate, showing great character over both legs. This series of results has earned the team the fantastic nickname of a Carroça Desembestada, the runaway train.

In the off-season they conducted a very good piece of business by bringing in veteran striker Iarley on loan from Corinthians, his experience is sure to serve them well in what will be a very challenging season for them. Along with the great form of their top scorer Marcelo Nicácio, they should be decent going forward.

Ceará go with the generic Brazilian 4-4-2 formation, but with their full-backs allowed to get really far forward, with one of the defensive midfielders tucking in to cover. In attack, they work as a fluid unit, midfielders Thiago Humberto and playmaker Geraldo orchestrate the attacks, while Iarley supports the centre forward, often dropping into midfield.

Certainly the Vozão are currently in very high spirits thanks to some great results, and rightly so, but I fear that they do not have the squad to keep up their form on more than one front. With the effort expended during the Campeonato Cearense and their extended cup run, not forgetting the Sulamericana later in the year, they may spread themselves too thin and their league position could suffer. Personally I hope they manage to stay in the league, as with the dominance of teams from Brasil’s south-east, it is about time that a team from the North-east got some success.

Expected Formation:

Brasileirão In Focus: Botafogo

Now we go on to the first out of the four grandes do Rio de Janeiro, Botafogo. A very traditional club with a lot of history, twice national champions, and was the home to such greats as Garrincha and Jairzinho. In recent years, the team has been performing fairly well but without reaching any grand heights. Joel Santana recently left his post as manager after 15 months in charge (a relatively long stint in Brasileirão terms) under strong pressure and criticism from the supporters, but since he took charge Botafogo have evolved in to an attractive attacking side.

Last year they ended up in sixth position after a fairly impressive campaign, during which they lost only one home match at the Engenhão. Since then there have not been very many changes in personnel, 21 year old Thiago Galhardo joined from Bangu and defensive midfielder Arévalo Rios was signed from Mexican side Monterrey, covering for the exit of Leandro Guerreiro who signed for Cruzeiro.

Botafogo have a squad with all of the makings of a title challenge, but they do not appear to be unified enough to construct such an assault. They play the traditional Brazilian 4-4-2 (shaped like 4-2-2-2), and are characterized by a strong spine, from national team goalkeeper Jefferson right through to Uruguayan talismanic forward Sebastian ‘Loco’ Abreu. Centre back Antônio Carlos provides quality in the defense, also he can be counted on for a few goals from set pieces throughout the season.

Moving in to the midfield, Marcelo Mattos and ‘Mago’ Maicosuel really give this side a great injection of quality. Marcelo Mattos is a defensive midfielder, mature, effective and a good passer of the ball, he is very valuable to the balance and tempo of the side. Maicosuel is an attacking midfielder, good dribbler, great touch, and capable of moments of real magic (which explains his nickname, mago = magician). He suffered a pretty serious knee injury in September and is only now returning to the team, and to announce his return he scored a fabulous solo goal in a recent friendly against Friburguense, giving the supporters something to look forward to this season.

Up front, the 193cm Uruguayan striker Sebastián ‘Loco’ Abreu leads the line. A truly fabulous character, he has become known worldwide after scoring the penalty kick that eliminated Ghana in the 2010 World Cup. The technique he uses to take his penalties, a gentle chip down the middle of the goal (known in Brasil as a “cavadinha”, a little dig) lead to a particularly bizarre event last season during a clássico against Fluminense, which completely defined his cult status.

In the second half of the clássico, trailing 2x1, Botafogo won a penalty which Loco Abreu took, a cavadinha as usual, but it was saved by the Fluminense goalkeeper. However, only two minutes later, Botafogo won another penalty. Loco Abreu grabbed the ball again, and with nerves of steel, hit another cavadinha, which this time beat the goalkeeper.

Alongside el Loco, they have the option of Caio and Herrera, both useful strikers who can bring something different to the attack depending on the situation.

Expected Formation: