Maintaining possession of the ball, believing, and having confidence. That is the strategy that coach Arthur Elias has brought to the Brazilian National Team, which will play one of the Gold Cup semifinals against Mexico, this Wednesday (6), at 9 pm (Brasília time), at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego (CA). In an interview on Tuesday (5), the coach analyzed the match against the Mexican team.
With the entire squad available, Arthur commented on how the pre-call-up planning is influencing the competition.
“The players are in good condition. This is an aspect of our planning. We asked the players, in this preseason phase, to be careful, so I see that they are all very ready and fit for the match.”
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“It will certainly be an opponent that will demand a lot from us. It is a very physical game, with individual battles, along with very fast reactions and transitions. They are a team that has a very strong collective, they also have their individualities, especially upfront, and they have scored several goals in the competition. Brazil has been ‘polluting’ in the way we play, in what I and the players believe in. We are building our identity, our game model more and more, and we will not give up on that in this match either.”
Brazil is the only South American representative in the competition. Last Sunday (3), Colombia was eliminated from the Gold Cup after being defeated 3-0 by the United States. Despite being the only South American team, the coach stated that this will not affect the pressure on the Yellow Jersey.
“I believe that in competitions like this, everyone who reaches this stage does so with merit. So, we have to respect the three qualifiers, besides Brazil, and also understand that South American football has been growing, but there is still a lot of support lacking for South American teams. CONMEBOL has made some important efforts with youth championships, the Copa Libertadores, and also in our Copa America. Colombia has been showing this growth, played great games here, as well as in the World Cup, but I think the best teams that showed better football have advanced.”
“We don’t feel any weight in representing something greater than what it is, which is representing our country and doing it with a lot of pride, excitement, and confidence. It’s understanding that there are differences in facing a team like we faced from Colombia, now Mexico and the teams from the United States, Canada, each with its model, and we prepare equally with the same responsibility to advance to the next stage and to reach the final, which is the closest goal now.”
On the other side of the bracket, Canada and the United States will also face each other for a spot in the competition’s grand final. The duel will take place at 12:15 am (Brasília time) at the same stadium.
