So my predictions for the Olympics were almost entirely backwards. I thought the Brazil women’s team would win a medal, and they ended up losing in the quarterfinals; I expected the men’s team would flame out early on, and they won the friggin’ gold medal. Let that say what it will about my powers of prediction.

Anyway, tomorrow (August 13th), Tite will call up the squad for Brazil’s next round of World Cup qualifiers, so let’s try and predict what he’ll do, based upon who did well at the Olympics!

There’s an interesting wrinkle to this upcoming set of qualifiers: thanks to previous COVID-necessitated cancellations, CONMEBOL is cramming three games into the FIFA date instead of the usual two. So we’re playing Chile away on September 2, Argentina at home on the 5th, and then Peru at home on the 9th. I wonder if that’ll compel Tite to call up a couple of extra players? I mean, he didn’t do it for the Copa América, so…

You thought Brazilian football was done for the summer? Think again! There are two Olympic medals up for grabs over the next two and a half weeks, and because I’m a little tired of writing match previews, I’m going to write one big preview for both the men’s and women’s teams and maybe revisit things if either one gets out of the group stage.

Brazil Men

Coach: André Jardine

(Squad is players born on or after January 1, 1997, plus three overage players, marked with an asterisk.)

Goalkeepers: Santos*, Brenno, Lucão

Fullbacks: Dani Alves*, Gabriel Menino, Abner, Guilherme Arana

Center-Backs: Diego Carlos*, Nino, Bruno Fuchs, Ricardo Graça

Midfielders: Bruno Guimarães, Claudinho, Matheus Henrique, Reinier, Douglas Luiz

Forwards: Antony, Gabriel Martinelli, Matheus Cunha, Paulinho, Malcom, Richarlison

Well, fuck. That didn’t end super well.

We don’t need a long recap of Brazil’s 2021 Copa América campaign. A promising start, albeit one in which Brazil missed way too many chances and often started games far too slowly, fizzled out by the end of the group stage as the team had a harder and harder time scoring goals and taking control of games, ultimately losing 1-0 in the final and letting Argentina end their 28-year wait for an international trophy.

While Brazil generally dominated possession and allowed few good scoring chances to opponents, our attacking play increasingly fell apart as the tournament went on. We scored seven goals across our first two games of the Copa, but only five across our last five. We had a good 60 minutes to find an equalizer after Argentina went ahead in the final and never got particularly close.

So what went wrong? And who can we scapegoat blame?

Here we go…

Brazil vs. Argentina

Estádio Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, July 10, 2021

Kickoff: 8:00 PM EDT / 9:00 PM BRT / 12:00 AM GMT

US TV / Streaming: FS1, TUDN, Univision

My Predicted Starting Lineup: Ederson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Renan Lodi; Casemiro, Fred, Lucas Paqueta; Everton Cebolinha, Richarlison, Neymar.

Absences and doubts: Gabriel Jesus (red card suspension extended by CONMEBOL), Alex Sandro (might be fit again, but won’t start)

Notes And Storylines

Brazil vs. Peru

Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, Rio de Janeiro, July 5, 2021

Kickoff: 7:00 PM EDT / 8:00 PM BRT / 11:00 PM GMT

US TV / Streaming: FS1, TUDN, Univision

Predicted Starting Lineup: Ederson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Renan Lodi; Casemiro, Fred, Everton Ribeiro; Richarlison, Gabigol, Neymar.

Absences and doubts: (in 30-foot-high flaming letters) Gabriel Jesus (red card suspension), Alex Sandro (missed quarterfinal with hamstring injury)

Notes And Storylines

Brazil vs. Chile

Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, Rio de Janeiro, July 2, 2021

Kickoff: 8:00 PM EDT / 9:00 PM BRT / 12:00 AM GMT

US TV / Streaming: FS1, TUDN, Univision

Likely Starting Lineup: It’s a mystery!!!! (But Ederson will start in goal.)

Brazil vs. Ecuador

Estádio Olímpico Pedro Ludovico, Goiânia, June 27, 2021

Kickoff: 5:00 PM EDT / 6:00 PM BRT / 9:00 PM GMT

US TV / Streaming: FS1, TUDN, Univision

Possible Starting Lineup: Alisson, Emerson, Éder Militão, Marquinhos, Renan Lodi; Fabinho, Douglas Luiz, Everton Ribeiro (Lucas Paquetá); Richarlison, Neymar, Vini Júnior.

Notes And Storylines

I’ve been sick the past few days, so I’ll keep this brief:

• It looks like Tite will ring the changes once again, giving Douglas Luiz his first minutes of the tournament as well as long-awaited starts for Emerson, Fabinho, and VJ.
• CONMEBOL fined Tite $5000 for his comments about the poor preparation for the Copa América. Subsequently, in a press conference on Saturday, he evaded questions about the subject with the classic “I don’t want to get fined”, only to subsequently predict that the pitch in the Marcanã, the current venue for the final, will be so bad that they’ll have to change venues, as is currently being attempted for quarterfinal games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio.
• Felipe has been cut from the squad due to injury, so Bragantino center-back Léo Ortiz (age 25) will join the squad for the knockout stages.
• As for a prediction? While I’d love to see this more exciting starting lineup tear things up from the off, I expect this is going to be yet another slog until Tite decides to go for the jugular after 60 minutes. Brazil 2-0 Ecuador again seems like a safe bet.

Brazil vs. Colombia

Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, Rio de Janeiro, June 23, 2021

Kickoff: 8:00 PM EDT / 9:00 PM BRT / 12:00 AM GMT

US TV / Streaming: FS1, TUDN, Univision

Likely Starting Lineup: It’s a mystery!!!! (But Weverton will start in goal.)

Notes And Storylines

Time to have a little fun?

Brazil vs. Venezuela

Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, Rio de Janeiro, June 17, 2021

Kickoff: 8:00 PM EDT / 9:00 PM BRT / 12:00 AM GMT

US TV / Streaming: FS1, TUDN, Univision

Likely Starting Lineup: Ederson, Danilo, Éder Militão, Thiago Silva, Alex Sandro; Fabinho, Fred (Everton Ribeiro), Neymar; Gabriel Jesus, Gabigol, Everton Cebolinha.

Notes And Storylines

The Copa nobody wants to actually play kicks off.

Brazil vs. Venezuela

Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília, June 13, 2021

Kickoff: 5:00 PM EDT / 6:00 PM BRT / 9:00 PM GMT

US TV / Streaming: FOX, TUDN, Univision

Likely Starting Lineup: Alisson; Danilo, Éder Militão, Marquinhos, Renan Lodi; Casemiro, Fred, Lucas Paquetá; Richarlison, Neymar, Gabriel Jesus.

On The Bench: Ederson, Weverton; Emerson Royal, Thiago Silva, Felipe, Alex Sandro; Douglas Luiz, Fabinho, Everton Ribeiro; Everton Cebolinha, Gabigol, Roberto Firmino, Vinícius Júnior.

Notes And Storylines