Should Brazil break with tradition and hire a European coach to win the elusive sixth World Cup?

Brazil is the only country to win World Cup five times. And in any case, the person in charge is Brazilian. So most Brazilian coaching fraternities say that it is not necessary to start a revolution through the appointment of foreigners to the national team.

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For some, the idea of ​​an outsider commanding Brazil’s most important national symbol is the curse. But there are problems with this way of thinking. For starters, it’s completely outdated. It fails the “what have you done for me lately?” test? More than two decades have passed since Brazil last lifted the world cup in 2002. At that time, every campaign ended as soon as they met a European team in the knockout stages. And what’s worrying is that European teams are getting smaller — where they used to be France and GermanyNow that’s true Belgium and Croatia.

Another problem with the conservative view is that it misunderstands the history it seeks to revere. There is a widespread belief that Brazil’s golden age was the result of having the best players and sending them out on the pitch to express themselves, without focusing on trivial details like the defence. Good mythology, bad history. Brazil’s heyday was extremely organized. For example, they pioneered the four-back formation, and when it was first introduced at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden – still the only time they won in Europe – they failed to concede a goal. any goal until the semi-finals.

Paving the way to the glories of 1958, 1962 and 1970 was a mentality with a remarkable open mind and willingness to experiment – a process to which non-Brazilian coaches have contributed significantly at the level. club. The Argentines and Uruguayans were important in the early years, and the team in 1958 was effectively promoted by Ondino Viera, from Uruguay, and Bela Guttmann, from Hungary.

Third, the truth must be faced. With Tite stepping down after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after six and a half years leading the national team, there isn’t a single prominent, or even powerful, Brazilian candidate to take over. Brazilian coaches are losing ground at home, and without a doubt, these are the three most impressive coaches in Brazil over the past few years. Jorge Jesus, from Portugal, created a sensation when he built an energetic Flamengo that could wipe them all out in 2019. Another Portuguese, Abel Ferreira, used an approach. a much more pragmatic approach, taking Palmeiras to two continental titles and one domestic title in the past three years. And Juan Pablo Vojvoda from Argentina made a small miracle on a much lower budget with Fortaleza, getting them promoted and into CONMEBOL Libertadores.

Meanwhile, Brazilian trainers are rarely found elsewhere in South America and are almost never found in Europe. The fraternity complains that this is because their level of training is not recognized in Europe. This may be true, but it’s mostly irrelevant. There is simply no need for them. Luiz Felipe Scolari did a great job with Portugalbut his time with Chelsea is a disappointment, like Vanderley Luxemburgo’s with Real Madrid. Both seem to be stuck in Brazil, hurling full-backs forward and finding space behind them when opponents move ahead of them frequently.

All of this puts the Brazilian Football Federation in a dilemma. Which way should they go? Some time ago, they had a plan – bring in Xavi Hernandez as an assistant, get everyone familiar with the idea and then let Xavi take over Qatar. But Xavi couldn’t be seduced from Barcelonaand now they have to start all over again.

And they ran into an obvious problem. The best Brazilian players are in Europe. This hurts many in the local game, even as some seek to deny it. But it is clearly true. This century, occasional forays into home-choice policy often end badly. And the best players are transferred at an earlier age than ever before, meaning they don’t really know or have contact with some of the Brazilian names that are thought to be contenders, such as Fernando Diniz, the coach. by Fluminense.

And so Brazil’s focus will likely be on top European coaches, who, with the help of Brazilian legend Ronaldo’s contact book, are being approached behind the scenes. Carlo Ancelotti is considered the ideal, but he has a job at Real Madrid and it is difficult to give up that job to lead Brazil. Among those not currently employed, the name of Zinedine Zidane and especially of the former Spain Coach Luis Enrique has been rumored.

However, none of this has detailed knowledge of Brazilian domestic football – and this knowledge will be important from a diplomatic point of view, winning people over by showing interest and curious. In particular, Luis Enrique has never shown much interest in cultivating this kind of delicate diplomacy. Any foreign coach will face difficulties from the media and local coaches, especially the older ones, but the task will be made much easier by showing effort. involved in Brazilian club football and occasionally called up some homegrown players. .

Then maybe the happiest medium is to go with one of the non-Brazilian coaches who have achieved success in this country. This requires a step down from the top shelves of the big names. But there are advantages to being able to stand between both worlds, to have the ability to simultaneously engage with Brazil and be part of a global network.

But Brazil have expressed a desire to use an attacking coach, which would seem to rule out Ferreira. Vojvoda’s experience is limited to South America, leaving Jorge Jesus (now in Fenerbahce) the one ticking most of the boxes. But whether the chosen one is him, a bigger name in Europe or a lesser-known Brazilian, the road ahead is fraught with pitfalls.