Tag Archives: Brazil

The perils of judging a football club by its size

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“Despite the disappointment for the player and Man City fans, loaning Robinho back to Santos seems a good fit for all the parties involved. The player has been given a chance to resurrect his season in time to make the Brazil World Cup squad, Santos have picked up one of the world’s most expensive players without paying a transfer fee and City have saved a reported £160,000 on their weekly wage bill. Robinho’s loan deal was also thought to be a way for City to secure the first refusal on two of Santos’ most promising players: Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso.” (WSC)

The return of Ronaldinho? Maybe

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“In a month’s time comes the lone FIFA date for international fixtures before the end of the European season — the only time teams preparing for the World Cup have the opportunity to be at full strength, with all their players available.” (SI – Tim Vickery)

Big Drop in Transfer Market

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“If soccer agents had powerful lobbyists working for them in the halls of government, you can be fairly confident they would be asking for a generous stimulus package right around now. Just as fears of an enduring economic slump can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy in the real world, as consumers “feel poor” and hunker down to save, slowing or even negating growth, so too can the perception of imminent doom affect soccer clubs’ spending. And, when teams stop spending, the first to be affected are the agents and middlemen who grease the wheels of the transfer market.”
(WSJ)

Adriano was greeted like a returning emperor and he delivered

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“In his first game after rejoining Flamengo, Adriano’s mere presence put an extra 50,000 on the gate. “The emperor has returned,” they chanted – and the 27-year-old striker was looking imperious from day one. His 19 goals – which made him the competition’s joint-top scorer – and his all-round attacking play were vital to the Rio de Janeiro club ending a 17-year wait to win the Brazilian Championship.” (Worlk Soccer – Tim Vickery)

South American sides gather African intelligence

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“Tournaments are like time speeded up – teams can suddenly come together, or fall apart. Each tournament has its own dynamics, so it would be unwise to draw definitive conclusions for the World Cup from a competition taking place six months earlier. But if the Africa Cup of Nations is a good opportunity for five World Cup-bound teams to get some competitive match practice, it is also a great chance for their future opponents to do some reconnaissance. From a South American point of view, there’s the possibility of Uruguay meeting Nigeria in the second round, just as Paraguay might face Cameroon, and Chile could come up against Ivory Coast.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)