A Brazilian fan contemplates his national team's 7-1 defeat against Germany in Belo Horizonte. Photograph: AGF/REXGermany gave Brazil a masterclass in football at the Mineirão. That is the story of the first World Cup semi-final and nothing we say here will change that. All we can hope for now is that this horrendous defeat will teach us a lesson, once and for all.
And the writing was always on the wall: four years ago in South Africa we had a good idea that Brazilian football was struggling; then, the Seleção couldn't devise a plan B to get out of a hole against the Dutch, which already suggested we had fallen behind the competition.
Still, in the last four years I have heard over and again the same old certainty that Brazil had the best football in the world and that our five World Cups were the supreme evidence we didn't need to worry. All that has been shot down in Belo Horizonte. We need to return to basics, take a deep breath and reflect on what happened on and off the pitch.
The game itself had an obvious narrative: Germany pounced on Brazil's frailties as professionally and mercilessly as they could. The Brazilian players and manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari, have talked about a "blackout" to explain how Germany could put five goals past the Seleção in 18 minutes. I find that a ludicrous excuse.
Brazil were undone by a team that played with organisation, poise and that looked sharper from start to finish. I cannot buy the idea that Brazilian players who play week in and week out in some of the world's toughest championships with their clubs could simply switch off from a game like that. They were overpowered, outclassed and humbled.
Brazil never really did what they needed to beat Germany. There was no proper marking in midfield and German players were free to move the ball around and inflict damage at will. It baffled me that one goal stunned Brazil that much. The Seleção cannot simply crumble like that and I'm still wondering why players, instead of taking a moment to assess the situation, decided to throw themselves against the German defence and make things even easier for their opponents.
I am absolutely livid at their performance. Never in my lifetime did I expect Brazil could take such a beating. It makes me wonder if the preparation was actually as good as the Seleção's command made us believe. The fact is we capitulated to the first really strong team we encountered in this tournament and that cannot be overlooked. Any assessment will have to inquire why players who were not playing regularly for their club teams were given prominent roles until it was too late to do anything else. We also have to ask why Hulk and Luiz Gustavo, as hard-working as they are, do not feature for any big European sides. Even Neymar wasn't supreme at Barcelona.
Most of all, why was this team so emotionally fragile? Brazil have played six games in this World Cup and only for 30 minutes against Colombia were they actually good. They then met a German team in which even the goalkeeper could play as libero and cut off the Seleção's feeble attempts at long balls and individual runs. Brazil did not have an escape route for when times got rough – unlike other teams in this competition – they were predictable and easy to figure out, and once Germany saw that, the contest was over.
While these players underperformed, the buck stops at Scolari. I learned in my managerial career that we hold the ultimate responsibility. Especially when our job is with a national team, where unlike in a club environment we pick the players we work with instead of arriving to meet an existing squad. So you have to know the players you have and what they can do for you. I am not quite sure this was the case with the Seleção this time.
Brazil last won the World Cup in 2002, since when we have abandoned the right to claim we have the best football. We cannot be the best when our national team lacks 11 players who are unquestionable starters for their clubs. It's a good team but the limitations are there for all to see.
It is time for a change in philosophy. It is time for Brazil to recognise they have to change. The German drubbing will mark this generation but they can still be worked into a team capable of mounting a decent challenge in 2018. First they will have to negotiate the gruelling South American qualifiers.
Brazil will have to look for solutions not only at national team level. Youth academies must produce a style of play that doesn't copy anything but instead suits our characteristics.
Let's be humble enough to applaud how Germany have reinvented themselves instead of just trusting that tradition would be enough to steer them through competitions.
Brazil cannot simply believe their history will win games. That time has passed, and nothing could symbolise it better than this terrible defeat in a World Cup they had dreamed of winning in front of their fans.
Reality is biting and on Saturday the third-place play-off needs to be taken more seriously than ever. Brazil need to save some face before the long and arduous climb back to the perch from which they have been so unceremoniously knocked off.
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