FIFA World Cup 2014 – Brazil vs Mexico: Tactical Battles and Probable Lineups

Neymar after Scoring against Mexico in Confederations Cup

Having won their opening matches, both Brazil and Mexico will be looking to take a huge step towards qualification by winning this game in Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza. This is the same stadium where Brazil played Mexico almost a year ago in the Confederations cup. On that day, a Neymar inspired Brazil ran out 2-0 winners.

Brazil Tactics

Brazil is one of the most settled teams in this World Cup. Fitness permitting, Scolari has almost always picked up the eleven that started against Croatia. Injury to Hulk might force Scolari to make a change as he faces a late fitness test on Tuesday. If he is deemed unfit, he will most likely be replaced by Ramires or Bernard. Ramires is a more defensive option while Bernard offers more in attack.

Against Croatia, Scolari played his usual 4-2-3-1, but changed the positions of his players slightly. Neymar, who usually plays on the left of the front three, came into the center. Oscar was shifted wide to the right and Hulk played to the left. This was done mainly to give Neymar more space as Croatia play without any defensive midfielder, so there was bound to be space between the lines in the center. This change did not work particularly well as Hulk was marginalized on the left, and Neymar wasn’t at the top of his game. Both the first and third goals came from Oscar moving through the centre, winning the ball and then quickly moving it forward.

Against Mexico, Brazil are likely to revert Neymar and Oscar to their usual playing positions. Although Neymar steals most of the headlines, Oscar’s role is equally crucial to the side as his incredible workrate allows him to drop deep and link the midfield with attack. If Oscar is not on his game, this Brazil side can appear broken.

Most of the width here is provided by the fullbacks. While Alves and Marcelo are great going forwards, they do leave space at the back which the Mexican full backs can run into. Luiz Gustavo and Paulinho will need to provide cover to the fullbacks while also defending against the guile of Giovanni dos Santos in the middle.

Mexico Tactics

Mexico play a 3-5-2 formation which morphs into 5-3-2 while defending. They also do not have any natural wide players, rely on the full backs for width. Striker Oribe Peralta is in good form and will start over Javier Hernandez.

Mexico rely on Giovanni do Santos for their creativity. While an incredibly inconsistent player at club level, he has repeatedly given strong performances for the national team. His combination with Peralta is especially good, as he can both provide through balls and run beyond Peralta to get into goal scoring positions. This was repeatedly seen in the first game against Cameroon where he scored 2 goals both of which were wrongly ruled out for offside. His battle against Luiz Gustavo is likely to decide how much danger Mexico pose to Brazil.

In defence, Mexico have Captain Rafa Marquez playing in his incredible 4th World Cup. He will be stationed in the middle of the back three and will sweep behind the other two central defenders. He is also incredibly good with the ball at his feet and often starts the Mexican attacks with accurate balls out of defence. The major worry for Mexico is Fransico Rodriguez, who will be the man responsible to mark Neymar when he cuts inside. Rodriguez is a good defender in the penalty box, but can struggle against quick movement and rapid interchange of passes which Neymar specializes in.

Conclusion

This should be a cracking game with both sides’ willingness to attack and deficiencies in defence. The match will likely be decided by 3 tactical battles:

1. Neymar against Rodriguez and Aguilar: If Neymar is afforded time and space to come inside and shoot, he can be deadly.
2. Luiz Gustavo against Dos Santos: Luiz Gustavo will need to be in top form to stop Dos Santos. If he succeds, Mexico will struggle to create chances.
3. Battle of Full Backs/Wing Backs: Both sides rely on their full backs for width. A congested midfield means whoever wins the battle of the fullbacks will have a great chance of winning the Match.

Probable lineups

Brazil : Ceaser, Alves, Luiz, Silva, Marcelo, Gustavo, Paulinho, Neymar, Oscar, Hulk(Bernard), Fred

Mexico: Ochoa, Rodriguez, Marquez, Moreno, Layun, Aguilar, Guardado, Herrera, Vazquez, Dos Santos, Peralta.