Against Germany, it was Silva, not Neymar, whom Brazil missed the most

The world is still coming to collective grips with Brazil’s 7-1 mauling at the hands of Germany last night. History was made in Belo Horizonte but not in a manner the hosts would have envisioned. Out went the hosts’ proud record of not losing a competitive game on home soil since 1975. To become the first team to concede four goals in a span of six minutes in front of their home fans added insult to injury. Defeats of this magnitude and under these circumstances often choose to stubbornly embed themselves in a nation’s psyche. What will make Brazil reel in agony just a little bit more when they look back at this defeat is Miroslav Klose eclipsing the goal scoring record of Ronaldo, one of Brazil’s most cherished sons. That too on Brazilian soil. [caption id=“attachment_1610861” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Brazil missed their captain and defensive stalwart Thiago Silva. AP[/caption] Brazil would have fervently prayed to the powers that be that the spirit of Neymar would inspire them to mount one of the most memorable turnarounds in World Cup history. But they should’ve been praying for Thiago Silva’s suspension to magically rescind itself so that the Brazil team would have a leader to turn to in times of such dire adversity. As much as Neymar raises the quality of Brazil’s attack by several notches, the reason Brazil’s attackers are able to go about their game is because Silva efficiently marshalls the hosts’ backline. “In the absence of Silva, Luiz took over as the captain and the heart of the defence,” writes Chris Lehourites of the St. Louis Times. “During the Brazilian national anthem before the match started, he held up a No. 10 Brazil shirt to honour Neymar, who was ruled out of the rest of the World Cup with a broken vertebra after getting kneed in the back in the quarterfinal win over Colombia. “It might have been more fitting to hold up the No. 3 shirt of Silva.” Silva is the foundation on which this Brazil team is built. His uncanny reading of the game gives him the ability to know exactly when to step into the tackle and break up attacks. Add to that his unflinching willingness to put his body on the line to deflect a goal-bound effort or block a key pass makes him a complete and indispensable defender for his country. In addition, he is blessed with a razor-sharp mind, quick thinking and mental resilience, which helps him organise those around him and enables him to keep calm under pressure, making him a natural leader for Brazil. The reason Brazil’s defence performs the way it does when Silva plays is because of his presence. Like most good things, Silva’s true value was only realised during his absence. Luiz is extremely composed when he’s on the ball and while his vision and attacking verve are often seen in the form of his characteristic forward runs, his blockbuster free kicks and his defence-splitting passes, but he is left wanting when the defensive side of his game is brought into question. The reason Jose Mourinho has allowed Luiz to leave Chelsea is because he is error-prone and often commits unnecessary, expensive fouls that potentially shoot his teams in the foot. Discipline and tactical awareness are non-negotiable for any Mourinho team and it is the lack of these qualities that make Luiz unfit to marshal Brazil’s back four. “I would say that Thiago Silva in this moment is so more important than Neymar in the team,” said Mourinho, speaking to the Daily Mail. “His absence is an important absence because Brazil’s game is based on their defensive structure where Thiago Silva gives great stability to the team. “Of course they have Henrique and Dante as an option to play,” he added. “Maybe because Dante plays in Germany and in the same team as every one of the other German players, he is the elected one but Thiago is an important player for them.” Like Luiz, Dante also isn’t composed under pressure. During the 2013 Champions League final, the Bayern Munich defender needlessly conceded a penalty, allowing Borussia Dortmund the ability to equalise. It is during such high-pressure games that players’ less tangible abilities are on display, revealing their true characters. Dante may be part of an illustrious Bayern team that have captured six trophies in two seasons, but it is Jerome Boateng who is the rock of the Bavarian team. Two centre-backs who cannot hold their own in a high-pressure situation is a recipe for disaster and that was aptly reflected in the final score. Brazil shipped seven not solely because Germany’s attackers were excellent, but because their defenders were bad. Against the relentless waves of the Mannschaft attack, Brazil needed someone like Silva to organise the defense and help the team soak up pressure. Highly intelligent players that the Germans are, they were able to sense the panic and lack of organisation in that Brazilian back four after Thomas Muller scored their first goal and it was that weakness that they exploited again and again. “It is laid down by law that the team who scores the most goals wins,” Herbert Chapman, the legendary Arsenal manager once said. “To accomplish this, you must be sure that the defence is sound. All this, I know, is elementary but it is also the rock bottom of football.” It was that basic tenet that was missing from Brazil last night. What makes it worse was that there was not one amongst the 23 players who’d been called up to represent the hosts to infuse the team with that mentality when it mattered most. Brazilian footballing folklore is often peppered with stories about the Maracanazo of the 1950 World Cup. Given that the final of Brazil 2014 is being played at the iconic stadium, there would be those who’d consider the manner in which Brazil failed to get to that stadium the second chapter of that footballing debacle. On the other hand, like their national anthem suggests, Germany are well on their way to becoming uber alles in der welt.