Brazil defends Copa America title, but it isn't pretty

	Gilberto Silva, left, and Juan celebrate as Brazil has now won four of the last five Copa Americas. AP
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The standard explanation of soccer's global popularity is the fact that it's such a simple game. True, but it's also very complex.

Think of the options a player with the ball has at his disposal. He can pass long or short, forward, back or to the sides, using his left foot or his right, in the air or along the ground. He doesn't even need to pass if he doesn't want to. He can dribble or shoot.

The amount of choices makes it possible for people to express themselves through their way of playing the game. Some see soccer as a science, but I see it as culture, precisely because it can be approached in so many different ways.

It therefore follows that there is no "right" or "wrong" style of play. Providing they are within the rules, all styles are valid.

But I can't see any problems in having preferences. I was always brought up on passing soccer. It was the style I was taught, the style I tried in my own disastrous way to reproduce and the style I appreciate watching.

In my last article, previewing the final of the Copa America, I expressed the opinion that a victory for Argentina would be good for the game, precisely because its style places the emphasis on passing football.

Let's put this in context. The game in recent times has seen a rush toward ever greater athleticism, with emphasis on pace, power and quick breaks.

Brazil is part of this movement. Once scared of the strength of the Europeans, it now leads the world in physical preparation. Many in Brazil argue that the physical and tactical development of the game have made old-school passing football impractical. I attend coaches conferences in Brazil where I have even heard the following statistic being debated -- that if the move contains more than seven passes the chances of it resulting in a goal are reduced.

I had hoped that a win for Argentina would prove that this does not have to be the case -- and could even help Brazil recapture its own wonderful tradition of midfield generals (and please let me clear up the fact that this has nothing to do with the absence of Kaka and Ronaldinho, who are players for the last 40 meters of the field, not old style midfield generals). The philosophy behind the current Argentina side is that the pass is a solution, not a problem. The more the ball is passed, the more the chances of a gap opening up in the opposing defense.

This is part of my personal approach to the game, hence my preference for Argentina in this match. And I must stress that it was a preference, never a prediction. And despite the result, a 3-0 win to Brazil, I stand by my preference.

The Copa America final was, it's true, a disaster for my kind of soccer.

Argentina was overcome in physical terms -- it lost the key 50-50 balls, and was unable to cope with the pace of the Brazilian counterattack. Argentina also found it difficult to pass its way through a Brazil side whose midfield was based more on lung power than finesse, and who made gratuitous use of the tactical foul. Brazil committed 37 fouls in the match -- a huge amount in the context of the competition. They were not violent fouls, but they were enough to slow down the rhythm of Argentina's passing.

It was in part for these very reasons that Brazil switched styles, putting the talent up front or at fullback and filling the midfield, which used to be the brains of the team, with battlers. My personal view is that it is not nearly as pleasing on the eye as the soccer it used to play. But the results are there in black and white, and now Brazil can add another Copa America win to its bulging trophy case.

My last article brought a fascinating response, especially from Brazilian readers. Some agreed with what I had written. But the more nationalistic were inclined to deal in abuse rather than debate. They, no doubt, will be very happy with what happened in Maracaibo on Sunday.

I will end this article with a question to them. I share their admiration for the physical preparation, individual talent and mental strength of the current Brazil side. But, deep down, don't they hanker after the type of creative play from central midfield that won Brazil a worldwide army of admirers?