Five talking points from Brazil 3-1 Croatia

A few points of interest from the World Cup opener, in no particular order.

#1 Power vs playmakers: Croatia prevailed in midfield, but lacked the end product

In the centre of the pitch, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic faced off against Luiz Gustavo and Paulinho. The contrast in styles was stark: the two Croats are adept passers and technically perfect players, while the Brazilians have a more physical approach, devoid of creativity. In a sense this was skill vs brawn – but neither had a definitive impact on the result.

While Modric - practically unrecognizable without his locks - combined well with Ivica Olic to kickstart attacks down the left, Gustavo and Paulinho were unable to provide much of an outlet going forward. Gustavo at least was useful in ball retention, moving it sideways and backwards; but there was little attacking thrust from the Brazilian midfield. Croatia frequently counter-attacked in the first half, and battled on equal terms in the second, with Kovacic or Olic frequently storming into the box. None of these charges found the net, however, which was surprising considering how pedestrian the Brazilian defence was throughout (more on that in a bit).

Paulinho looked jaded, and it’s worth asking what he brought to the table: he offered little in attack, defence or passing.

#2 Centre-forwards as decoys

In 1998, Croatia came 3rd, and in 2002 Brazil won the World Cup. Both campaigns were spearheaded by Golden Boot-winning centre-forwards: Davor Suker and Ronaldo Luiz respectively. Tonight, both sides had a talented midfield that had to muster every ounce of attacking ability, since neither centre-forward was even a pale shadow of his predecessor.

To be fair, they had a role in putting their sides ahead. Nikica Jelavic ‘assisted’ Marcelo’s own goal; Fred won a penalty off Dejan Lovren. But neither for a minute looked likely to influence the game in any meaningful way, unless it was accidental. Croatia were missing Mario Mandzukic through suspension, and the 29-year old Jelavic is hardly of the same level. He sought to exploit his height advantage against Dani Alves and nearly got a goal in the 20th minute this way – but his shots rarely tested Julio Cesar. To his credit, he battled well with Thiago Silva, especially in the air.

At the other end, Fred had just 7 touches of the ball in the 1st half, and was hardly involved in any link-ups. His role in this side is really that of a decoy – he distracts defenders with his presence and movement, allowing Neymar to sneak in unchecked. Fred seemed to be interpreting that brief in a rather extreme way – he offered no goal threat whatsoever, and was absolutely peripheral to the match.

#3 Oscar\'s work rate

The absolute star of the evening was Oscar, who not only set up both of Neymar’s goals (including the final pass before the penalty), but covered an incredible amount of distance across the pitch. He started out centrally, then drifted to the left, forcing the dangerous Dario Srna back into his own half; then suddenly appeared on the right to cross for David Luiz in the box.

Throughout the game Oscar was the most attack-minded player on the pitch, winning challenges and bloody-mindedly hanging on to the ball when tackled. He was an utter nightmare to mark, pulling Modric and Rakitic all over the place. His final act was that of settling the result with a deserved goal. In this Brazilian team Neymar provides the finishing touches, but it is Oscar who will be fouled the most.

#4 Brazils defence is a mess

Brazil’s defence consists of 1. the most highly-rated centre-back in the world, 2. the most expensive defender of all time, 3. the best right-back around till maybe 2 years back, 4. the gamechanger in the recent Champions League final and 5. a goalkeeper who’s won a Treble. And yet, when combined they were abysmal. Brazil were lucky that Mario Mandzukic was suspended; had he started, the match could have been a lot closer.

Croatia exploited their height advantage particularly well, launching crosses into the box that Dani Alves struggled to deal with. Julio Cesar was noticeably rusty after a year out of serious football, often dropping catches and reacting too slowly at times. Marcelo didn’t look comfortable against the onrushing Srna, and often retreated onto the edge of his own box.

With captain Thiago Silva occupied with Jelavic; Kovacic and Olic repeatedly darted past Luiz Gustavo with ease into the box and tested Cesar. Gustavo’s passing was exemplary (35 passes attempted in the 1st half, all completed) but his defensive work left something to be desired.

David Luiz was also to blame – he can be infuriating to work with because of his positional indiscipline, but today his poor clearances made Marcelo’s job harder. Most of Croatia’s attacks came down the right side of goal, targeting Luiz specifically. Better sides will test him more severely.

#5 A very un-Brazilian display

Four goals, and none of them really worth remembering (or replaying). It’s true that international sides can take a while to gather steam; but today’s performance lacked conviction. Scolari’s Brazil are grinders rather than artistes in the Yellow and Blue we are used to; and today they grafted a workmanlike, uninspiring and, frankly, lucky victory. Neymar will take plaudits for his brace, but his first goal escaped Pletikosa too easily. His penalty for the 2nd was too slow and ponderous; Pletikosa guessed correctly, but again fumbled when he had a chance.

Nothing from this game was worth taking away. Neymar’s dribbling, Oscar’s determined runs, Modric’s guile, Rakitic’s tenacity – they provided their moments of excitement. But the contest lacked real quality, and we can only hope that’s down to being slow starters.