The Day I Played with Ronaldo

Regarding the Brazilian team losing this game, the Brazilian domestic media criticized this Brazilian team as if the Brazilian team had already lost the championship.

Except for Fabiano who scored the goal, the rest of the players were picked up and criticized.

"Brazil three teams lost to Paraguay and now have to start a 2000km trip". "Reims Sports Daily" began the description of the game with such a sentence. The so-called "Brazilian Three Teams" by "Lance Sports Daily" is aimed at the substitute players that Pereira used a large number of in this game. Commentators have always believed that the Brazilian team going to the America's Cup this time is at best a "Brazilian Second Team".

The "as far as the 2,000km travel" is concerned if Brazil tops their group with a victory over Paraguay in their final group game, then from Arequipa, where they are now based, to top Group C and third in Group B. Tacna, the venue for the quarter-finals, is only about a 3-hour drive away. However, now Brazil has unfortunately become the second place in Group C, and the price they paid for this is a 2,000-kilometer run.

From the end of the game to July 18, the Brazilian national team must cross the entire long and narrow Peruvian continent, traveling from Arequipa in the south to Piura in the extreme north. The distance between them is exactly 2,000 kilometers. If they win the quarter-finals, they will have to travel 1,200 kilometers south again to the capital Lima for the semi-finals. This kind of schedule is an extremely demanding test of physical fitness, and the Brazilian boys who are not up to date will have to accept this test.

The team's defeat made Pereira very depressed. He originally hoped to use the first place in the group to celebrate his upcoming 30th anniversary of coaching, but he didn't want to see a helpless defeat.

At the post-match press conference, Pereira, who has been defending his national team since the formation of the team, finally couldn't bear it anymore, and he took aim at the casual players: "This game should be a A cautionary tale, it would be unforgivable to make such mistakes in the quarter-finals."

The implication is that if there are still people in the quarter-finals against Mexico who are not concentrated and cannot show a good demeanor, they will be excluded from the national team led by him in the short term.

The game against Mexico is undoubtedly a tough game for the Brazilian team.

Looking at the latest battle records, it seems unbelievable that in the past five confrontations, the Brazilian team is hard to find a victory; and in recent years of direct dialogue, the five-time World Cup champion Brazil has lost three consecutive times at the feet of the Mexican team: Confederations Cup in 1999, Copa America in 2001 and Gold Cup in 2003. Of course, the Brazilian team did not send the strongest lineup in these games, but Brazil is also absent from the Copa America in Peru.

But Pereira was not convinced, saying: "We have lost to Mexico in other games,

But it doesn't mean that Mexico can't lose to us, that period of history (losing) is over. "

Brazil had only one good goal in the group stage, a victory over Costa Rica. The other two games were less than ideal, including a late win over Chile. Pereira attributes this to Arequipa's high altitude, which is 2,300 meters above sea level. He said: "Here, when I run, my blood vessels are swollen and my face is red. After that, it will be fine. We will go down to the plains and fight against the Mexican team at the best level."

There are quite a few players who hold this view, and they all believe that the Arequipa plateau hinders the team's level of performance. As Mancini, who played for Rome, said: "We encountered great difficulties in Arequipa, and now we can play well, there is no doubt about it."

Ricardo didn't make excuses. "We didn't play well enough before, so we lost, no need to discuss. Against Mexico, we will show the attitude towards the final. Five games in a row? Those are history. And now, we are A new Brazilian national team, we will write new history."

When describing the opponent, Pereira said: "The Mexican team is like a cobra, hiding in an inconspicuous place, and it will bite you when you are cold."

Mexico coach Lavolpe hit back: "Brazil is not as good as Argentina. Argentine players are better than Brazil in terms of personal skills. We have won them all. If we maintain the current training state, we will be able to play a great game."

La Volpe also compared the situation of Brazil and Argentina on another occasion, saying: "Brazil's lineup is simply not comparable to that of Argentina. Argentina has Saviola and D'Alessandro. The strongest team in this Copa America. And we won them. Against Brazil, we just need a small adjustment and show the glory of the game against Argentina."

Before this game, Brazil's striker battle is also a focus of media attention. Three strikers have now scored in this competition, with Adriano scoring four, Ricardo scoring one in each of the two games and Fabiano in his only start. Scored a goal.

These three players all have the potential to become the main force and attack the Brazilian team. But it is obviously impossible for Pereira to change to 3 strikers. He is a supporter of the 442 formation. Time to be swept into the dustbin of history, 442 represents the present and future of football."

Of course, Ricardo can also drop back to play the left midfielder, or replace Alex, but that would waste Ricardo's scoring ability.

Pereira expressed ambiguously in the press conference before the game: "We have the best striker in the world. I believe that no matter who comes on the field, it will bring us victory. I will choose according to the state of the players in training. Starting lineup."

"Adriano is strong and smart in front of goal. The training in Serie A has made him develop rapidly in the past few years. I believe he can become one of the best strikers in the world."

"Ricardo is only 18 years old. I am sure you have heard this sentence countless times, and I will repeat it again and again: he has a bright future. I will use him carefully and rationally to help him grow."

"Fabiano's scoring efficiency in Sao Paulo this season is very high, so I brought him into the national team. I believe he can bring us something different."

When Pereira was being interviewed, Ricardo was chatting with an unexpected guest in a small café in Piura.