Brazil vs. Belgium: Despite their exit from the World Cup, Tite proves its importance for the future of Brazilian football

Titus did not make any decision as to his future and, reasonably enough, said after the exit of Brazil in the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Belgium that it was not the moment to discuss the issue. But his tone was valedictory and that should bother Brazil. They may have competed in a World Cup earlier than before, but the football they played was much better and, for the first time since 2002, they looked like a team that was among the best in the world.

In fact, given the odd World Cup 2002, this team is the best in Brazil for over 20 years. Titus has made them modern. Brazilian football had become very insular. Under Luiz Felipe Scolari and Dunga, there was no sense that Brazil had anything to learn from the outside. There was a strange belief in their own indisputable greatness. But Titus took a sabbatical from Corinthians to go to Europe. He studied, he watched, he learned. He returned, was again successful with the Corinthians and, after the embarrbadment of losing against Peru to exit the Copa America Centenario in the group stage, brought his methods to the national team. They pressed. They played with a sense of cohesion.

It worked. Of 26 games in charge, Tite lost only two. In this spell, they conceded only eight goals. Belgium was the first team to score twice against them. His buzzword is "balance" and his success in imposing it is evident in the fact that he scored 53 goals in 26 games. The Brazilian of Titus was tight in the back but effective in the future

It has, to the extent possible (which is perhaps not as far as the ideal), reduced the Endence deposit on Neymar. Perhaps he could have played Douglas Costa rather than Willian, or Roberto Firmino rather than Gabriel Jesus, but these are personal preferences and the argument can be made anyway. But until they came across Roberto Martinez and his unexpected faux-neuf, they seemed ruthless, especially as Neymar returned to full form.

But Titus' greatest gift is perhaps his common sense and generosity of spirit. Who else would have taken the time to highlight how great the quarter-finals have been? At a post-match press conference, he was the quietest Brazilian in the room. He was offered the chance to blame luck, the referee or even God for the defeat of Brazil, and denied them all. "I do not like to talk about luck," he said. "It's an educated way of reducing people's skills, they were skilled, they ended well, there was no chance, there was Courtois, was he lucky? well done. "

Such a generosity of spirit, such self-awareness, is a significant contrast to its immediate predecessors. L & # 39; will? "I do not want to talk about it, it looks like you're moaning." And God, what did he ask when Danilo, Marcelo, and Fred were all hurt? "I do not ask God. When I questioned God with the wounds it was a moment of imbalance. You are just trying to look for balance in the matches. It's not volleyball or basketball where you add up the points. It's different, sometimes you're unbalanced and the opponent has quality. You create a structure but sometimes you get a goalkeeper who plays like that. "

Brazilian football needs some such clairvoyance. Watching Titus in action in recent weeks has been an education. His press conferences all tend to follow the same pattern: fury first, as Brazilian journalists pursue the line that they decided to take and struggle to search for enemies inside or out on the outside without calming as Tite soothes them. It is a valuable commodity, especially in a culture obsessed with victories and defeats, and as indifferent as Brazilian football.

"Football has a lot of variables and needs to be seen in context," said Tite. "It's not just blah blah here, it has to be evaluated holistically, tactically, technically, emotionally and physically." This is the approach to move Brazil forward. Tite has proven that he is able to do this kind of evaluation, proved his worth. He is the character they need, but his time may have already pbaded.

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