Brazil's Libertadores success is all about physicality

	Things are looking up: Flamengo was able to breeze through the group stage thanks in part to large target man Souza (right). AP
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Last year's Copa Libertadores winner, Internacional of Porto Alegre, may have fallen by the wayside, but otherwise, this year's group phase of the tournament was a triumph for Brazilian football.

Of the 16 teams that moved into the knockout stages of South America's Champions League, five are from Brazil.

Santos and Flamengo sailed through, the former winning all six of its games, the latter chalking up five straight victories after drawing in its debut.

São Paulo and Grêmio had more problems than they would have liked, and endured some edgy moments towards the end, but made it through.

That quartet was joined by Paraná, whose story shows the relative strength in depth of the Brazilian game. In December, the Curitiba club's good showing in the Brazilian championship was enough to carry it into the Libertadores for the first time. By January, it had lost its coach and most of its best players. By February, Paraná had reorganized and built a new side which, come April, was capable of making it through to South America's last 16.

In all cases, it could be argued that the Brazilian sides had a head start over their opponents -- literally. The Brazilians' power in the air was a consistent source of important goals.

Scoring with headers is not something usually associated with Brazilian soccer. But these traditional perceptions are now out of date. The great Tostão, the center forward of Brazil's 1970 World Cup-winning team and now the country's most astute soccer analyst, wrote recently that, "In the past, the great difficulty that Brazilian teams had against the Europeans was the size and physical condition of their players. Today, this problem no longer exists."

And matching the Europeans in this area means that there is an advantage to be enjoyed against opponents from their own continent. Continued Tostão, "In the recent South American under-20 championships, which Brazil won, the main differential of our team was not in terms of ability, but in physical strength, height and aerial power."

This is no coincidence. Former World Cup left back Branco was, until the end of last year, in charge of coordinating Brazil's youth sides. Before he left to take up a job with Fluminense, he told me, "Physique is one of the things I emphasize with all of the coaches and doctors who are involved in our work. We want tall, strong players. If we can match the opposition in physical terms, then our idea is that our technique will tip the balance."

Many would argue that something has been lost in the quest for height and strength. Technique is not all it used to be. "Nowadays," wrote Tostão, "the coaches, right from the junior levels, choose the taller players, even if they are not the most skillful. Romário was the last of the great small strikers. If he were to arrive today at the youth side of one of the big clubs, the coach would put him in midfield or he would not be considered for a professional career."

Romário himself has consistently complained that an increased emphasis on physical preparation in Brazilian soccer has led to a decline in technique. But there are sound economic reasons for Brazil's rush towards increased athleticism. Tall, strong players are easier to sell to Europe.

Furthermore, there has been no decline in results. Brazilian teams have won the last two FIFA World Club titles. And it was only two years ago that the Brazilian national team was reigning world champion at the under-17, under-20 and senior level.

Goals off of headers from set pieces were vital to the two youth triumphs, while the '02 World Cup win was underpinned by excellent physical preparation. With next to no time for recuperation, everyone who had played the European season was out of gas -- with the exception of Luiz Felipe Scolari's side, which was full of energy.

The last two finals of the Copa Libertadores have been all-Brazilian affairs -- and with five teams in the last 16, there is a good chance of that happening again. If the group phase is any indication, power in the air will be one of the principal weapons of the Brazilian quintet.

There are plenty of big, target-man center forwards around: Aloísio of São Paulo, Souza of Flamengo and Tuta of Grêmio. Then there are the gangling center backs sent upfield for set pieces.

But there also many traditionally skilled players: the likes of Zé Roberto and Marcos Aurélio of Santos, Souza of São Paulo, Renato Augusto of Flamengo and Dinélson of Paraná.

The combination of skill and speed, with aerial power thrown in, means that Brazilian teams are the ones to beat.