Brazil improving as South Africa '10 qualifying begins

With Ronaldinho back in a deep central position, Brazil was able to unleash its biggest star against the U.S. and Mexico. AP

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Qualifying for the World Cup is no cakewalk, even for Brazil. Luiz Felipe Scolari's side struggled to make it to Japan and South Korea in 2002 -- indeed, without a couple of strokes being pulled, Brazil may well have missed out entirely on the competition it ended up winning.

There should be no such problems on the road to South Africa. But even so, the qualifying campaign, all 18 games of it, is a potential minefield where every defeat can be detonated into a mini-crisis by the local media.

For this reason, national-team coach Dunga & Co. have plenty to be pleased about as they prepare for next month's big kickoff. On the evidence of their short tour to the United States, with back-to-back victories over Team USA and Mexico, the pieces of the jigsaw are coming together nicely.

How to balance the individual brilliance at your disposal with the collective necessities of the team? It's a quandary for every Brazil coach. As experienced a figure as Carlos Alberto Parreira was unable to get it right in last year's World Cup; a first-time coach such as Dunga would inevitably find it hard going turning potential into performance.

He started off a year ago keeping things simple, with a standard Brazilian 4-4-2. Then there was a switch to 4-2-3-1, with a line of Robinho, Kaká and Ronaldinho operating behind a center forward.

Goals were surprisingly hard to come by. After a flattering 4-0 win over Chile, Brazil only scored twice in the next three games. Dunga had yet to find the formula, and was frustrated to find his attempts interrupted when Kaká and Ronaldinho pulled out of the Copa América.

After serving due penance in August's game against Algeria, the pair was back in the starting lineup for the matches against the U.S. and Mexico. So it was back to 4-2-3-1. This time, as the goal count of seven in two games reveals, it worked rather better.

What was the difference? One, there was more movement from the line of Kaká, Ronaldinho and Robinho. Last year they were liable to block the space which Brazil's fullbacks love to burst into.

Also, an important positional change had taken place. Kaká had been in the middle, with Ronaldinho attempting to duplicate his Barcelona role from wide left. Now, his morale boosted by being handed back the No. 10 shirt, Ronaldinho was moved centrally, and a little deeper that the other two, who continually switched sides.

It brought out the best of his passing ability, and added something which had been sadly lacking -- the ability to split the opposing defense with an imaginative ball from midfield -- something which neither of Brazil's marking midfielders are likely to supply. Mineiro has terrific lung power, and Gilberto Silva provides defensive awareness, but they will never pass their way through opposing defenses as Brazilian central midfielders used to do.

Brazil's first goal against the U.S. in its 4-2 win came from a counterattack of dazzling speed. The truly outstanding moment of an exceptional play was the first time pass struck by Ronaldinho into the path of Kaká -- it was precision at pace, switching the point of attack from the right to the left and undressing the home defense.

Three days later in its 3-1 victory over Mexico, Brazil's vital second goal came when the man in the No. 10 shirt, again from a central position, slipped rampaging right back Maicon behind the line. Ronaldinho's passing can set free the dynamic running of Kaká, or the jitterbug dribbling of Robinho. His choice of options was not always perfectly judged, but his ability to move the ball was the best thing Brazil had to offer from open play.

Then there were the set pieces. Fair enough, the finger of blame could be pointed at the defense. U.S. center back Oguchi Onyewu lost Lúcio at the far post when he headed Brazil's second goal against the Yanks. The game was then decided when Tim Howard made the cardinal error of edging behind his wall, leaving himself unable to reach the post he was supposed to be covering. And then the Mexicans made a mess of defending at the near post when left back Kléber equalized from a corner.

But every time the delivery from Ronaldinho was perfect, forcing the defensive mistake, and Brazil showed the mental strength to take full advantage of the set piece at important moments in the matches.

Brazil, then, has the world's most skillful player integrated into the team. And now, following the Copa América, it has the knowledge that it can get by without him or Kaká if need be. Brazil now moves into the World Cup qualifiers from a position of strength.

Of course, there is always a downside. The center forward role is proving difficult to fill, with neither Vágner Love nor Afonso Alves inspiring much confidence in the Brazilian media. Whoever starts the qualifying campaign will feel under pressure. Then there is the shadow of Ronaldo. Will he stay fit? And if so, will he be selected? Will Adriano find his way back from the wilderness? Will Alexandre Pato come through as expected? It will take a strong character to cope with such pressure.

There is also the controversial question of defending against teams who pass the ball well in midfield. Dunga was worried about Mexico's strength in this area, and clearly demanded sacrifice from his star players. As Brazil went about interrupting the circuit of the Mexican passing, Ronaldinho committed so many early fouls that he was a quick recipient of a yellow card.

Kaká got one, too, for a nasty stamp that could well have received more serious sanction in a competitive match. And Elano was red-carded, sent off for a violent and totally unnecessary hack after the ball had gone.

Where was the coach while his players needed calming down? Dunga, who at times seems to see the rest of the world as a conspiracy against his country, was ranting and raving so much that he, too, was ordered off. He stomped away muttering and swearing.

Cooler heads will be called for in Bogota on Oct. 14, when Brazil gets its World Cup qualification campaign underway with a visit to Colombia.