From 68% possession against Japan to 35% against Norway — the tactical regression that ended Brazil's World Cup

Brazil mislaid to Norway connected Sunday 2-1 — a effect that confirmed the Selecao's worst World Cup run since 1990, delivered done what was besides their worst show of the Carlo Ancelotti era.

Gabriel Martinelli replaced Lucas Paqueta, but Ancelotti retained the 4-3-3 that had been taking signifier since the 2nd radical crippled against Haiti. What changed was everything that mattered: a passive antiaircraft posture combined with an attack successful onslaught that was excessively rushed and lacking successful structure.

Brazil 'hate the ball' and similar to bargain it than to person it

The Selecao went from 68% possession successful the Japan lucifer to conscionable 35% successful the archetypal fractional against Norway, sitting heavy done lengthy sequences of Norwegian attacking play.

That transformed the lucifer into a mediocre contention by immoderate measure, adjacent for neutral observers. Stale Solbakken's broadside are unsafe successful modulation and successful unfastened space, but deficiency the ideas to penetrate a heavy antiaircraft artifact done extended passing sequences. The archetypal fractional ended with the little technically talented broadside holding the shot for longer.

The show recalled the opening play of Ancelotti's tenure — a rushed, transition-hungry broadside that wanted thing to bash with slower build-up and preferred to question retired nonstop chances astatine pace. The thought made consciousness connected 2 counts: to exploit a Norwegian antiaircraft enactment that has weaknesses successful transition, with slower and little agile defenders; and to instrumentality vantage of the idiosyncratic gait and accomplishment of Vinicius Junior, Rayan, Martinelli and Matheus Cunha.

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The occupation was the modular applied to erstwhile to accelerate. At assorted points, Vinicius recovered himself isolated successful numerical inferiority, for example. The effect was that nary genuinely unsafe accidental emerged from transitions successful the archetypal half.

With nonstop counter-attacking producing nothing, Brazil lone recovered existent openings done what had go the superior limb of the 2nd signifier of the Ancelotti epoch — the post-loss press. Both genuine chances successful the opening play originated from winning the shot backmost instantly aft losing it.

The determination that led to Bruno Guimaraes' missed punishment came from precisely this mechanism. Rayan jumped the property connected Antonio Nusa drifting done the half-space, won the shot and recovered Guimaraes, who played a crisp walk for Martinelli arriving successful the box. The fig 22 rolled the shot crossed for Cunha to gully the foul.

Shortly afterwards, Vinicius won possession backmost instantly aft losing a idiosyncratic duel and, receiving the instrumentality walk from Martinelli, wasted the opportunity. Brazil's champion modulation of the lucifer was, fittingly, besides a counter-attack — Vinicius played a superb done shot for Endrick moving successful behind, but the fig 19 could not person from a one-on-one with Nyland.

Norway without ideas, lone needed 1 shot into Haaland

The crippled kept to its established tempo: Norway touching 70% possession but with tremendous trouble successful creating. As expected, the Europeans lone threatened successful unfastened play.

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Defending deep, Brazil maintained a grade of structural control. But with trouble successful raising their artifact to property higher, Ancelotti's broadside allowed the necktie to lucifer a lucifer from the 1960s — debased intensity, players walking, and precise small happening.

Despite an mean tallness of 1.88m crossed their starting players, Norway person historically not been a crossing-heavy side. They managed conscionable 11 deliveries into the container earlier Schjelderup recovered Haaland with a transverse that the striker met by winning his idiosyncratic conflict with Gabriel Magalhaes — who tracked the shot alternatively than the antheral and was near with a kinetic disadvantage.

While the concerning duel had been expected to beryllium Nusa against Danilo successful nonstop confrontations, it was substitute Schjelderup who made the difference. His replacement successful the 2nd fractional besides recovered Haaland successful modulation — the astir reliable Norwegian limb produced different goal. Haaland needed 1 wide accidental to unfastened the scoring and 1 much infinitesimal of abstraction to decorativeness the tie.

Brazil's erstwhile World Cup eliminations had travel against sides they had intelligibly outperformed — statistically superior to some Belgium and Croatia successful presumption of performance, chances and expected goals. That did not use against Norway: a passive, creativity-free show that, astir damningly, was an wholly deliberate choice.