Brazil still unable to get the best out of Vinicius Jr

LOS ANGELES – Dropping points, not being able to get star forward Vinicius Jr firing. Brazil did not get off to the best of starts in their Copa America Group D opener in Los Angeles on June 24, when they were held 0-0 by Costa Rica.

They dominated possession, but missed a string of chances and were left to rue a lack of quality in the final third with just three of their 19 shots on target.

“Now it’s about being honest with ourselves, creating chances, scoring, results are important in this competition. Points left at the beginning can complicate things at the end. It is simple logic, to win games – not just in the Copa America but any competition – you have to score goals,” Brazil defender Marquinhos said.

The Selecao’s poor showing in their goal-less draw has now dampened the enthusiasm surrounding their new coach and a revamped squad headlined by Vinicius.

After a gritty 1-0 win over England at Wembley and a hard-fought 3-3 draw with Spain at the Bernabeu earlier in 2024, fans were optimistic that Brazil had turned a corner under Dorival Jr but his side had no answers to Costa Rica’s five-man defence at SoFi Stadium.

As the clock ticked down and the five-time world champions’ frustrations grew, the coach decided to make his first two substitutions in the 70th minute.

His decision to take Vinicius out of the game came as a huge surprise. Even Brazil’s all-time leading scorer Neymar, who is recovering from a serious knee injury but was at the stadium watching the game as a fan, could not hide his dismay.

The broadcast showed his reaction in the stands when the stadium speaker announced the change, exclaiming “Vini?” repeatedly, with his arms open, looking at his friends in disbelief.

Vinicius had arrived at the Copa America as a strong contender to win the Ballon d’Or after a hugely successful season with La Liga winners Real Madrid.

The 23-year-old netted their second goal against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final as Real also claimed a record-extending 15th European Cup.

The jet-heeled forward torments defences and always seems to come to the fore when the pressure is at its highest, scoring 24 goals for his club last season.

He was rarely substituted during crucial moments by Real coach Carlo Ancelotti, who often said Vinicius was at his most dangerous late on in games and gave the forward the freedom to roam across the frontline.

However, things are different with Brazil. He is deployed as more of an orthodox forward wide on the left, and has scored only three goals in 31 games for his country.

Dorival’s decision to take him off brought back memories of the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals, when then coach Tite also substituted Vinicius early in the second half against Croatia, a game Brazil ended up losing on penalties.

Against Costa Rica, Vinicius struggled to make an impact from the left wing and exited without a shot on target.

Dorival insisted he tried moving Vinicius around before replacing him with 17-year-old forward Endrick, who will be moving to Real next season.

“We tried with him on the wing and we didn’t succeed. Then put him inside and we couldn’t find a way through either... he was very well marked,” he said.

“We had to find a solution, I was trying to make a change. We tried various alternatives, several situations were created but, in the end, we were unsuccessful with our finishing.”

The challenge now for Dorival in Brazil’s upcoming games will be finding a way to balance their attack without sacrificing his best player.

In the other Group D match, James Rodriguez inspired Colombia to a 2-1 win over Paraguay at Houston’s NRG Stadium.

He created both first-half goals for Daniel Munoz and Jefferson Lerma, while Julio Enciso netted the lone goal for the Paraguayans. REUTERS, AFP