Fear of failure is huge in Brazil, says Marcio Santos

BELO HORIZONTE: When Willian fluffed his penalty wide here on Saturday, and then Hulk hit it tamely to the Chilean goalkeeper, Claudio Bravo, a watching Marcio Santos must have felt a sense of déjà vu. The final of the 1994 World Cup between Brazil and Italy may have been etched in memory as the one in which Roberto Baggio hit a penalty high and wide, but it was also the stage where Santos, then a 24-year-old Brazilian central defender, had his own penalty saved by Italian goalkeeper, Gianluca Pagliuca.
It is seldom that a team has two of its penalties missed or saved, and yet ends up winning. In 1994, Santos' was the only fruitless Brazilian effort.
In Belo Horizonte, speaking to TOI after Brazil's close win over Chile which took them to the quarterfinals, Santos, now 45, revealed that he was not a great fan of the team's current performance. "The verdict was close, it came on penalties, and while a win is always good, the team needs a lot of improvement."
Without appearing too harsh over Scolari's team and tactics, Santos said they it was unfair that the team has had to play under so much pres sure. "It really affects the team. The may not show it, but as a former Selecao play, I know how bad it can be. It is bad for Brazil abroad too, but playing at home simply makes it worse. Everyone wants you to win, the players are reminded of it each day ­ told through the press, the TV, the fans, well-wishers etc.
"The fear of failure is a huge complex here in Brazil," added Santos. "I feel that the players themselves are putting the pressure on themselves. I'm sure every player must be remembering the effects of the Maracanazao all the time. It is possible that the ghost of 1950 still lurks somewhere even now. It does not go away," he smiled ruefully.
On a technical front, he felt that teams who were not afraid to come out and play, unsettled Brazil. "It showed today against Chile, a team with a good defensive organization and a good marking ethos. When this team gets marked well, it forgets to operate and all the speed and style go. We saw that in the second half."
"I'd like to see a player like Willian start in attack, now that the frailties of the team are out in the open after a game like this one against Chile. Fred is just not present at this World Cup, so it will be better to think of an alternative. The slight problem, though is that Willian and Neymar are similar kind of players. Neymar tends to close up once the marking on him is good, and Chile did a good job of that."
In 1994, Santos with the wide-eared Aldair alongside, forged an impressive defensive pairing. With the possible exception of 2002, Brazil have not boasted of a settled, confidence-inspiring central defence pairing since. In Brazil here, despite Scolari still the coach, Santos felt that David Luiz and Thiago Silva need to be better at understanding the other's positioning or advance. They have been shown up quite often now. Yet, Santos feels that despite their attacking quality, Colombia ­ Brazil's quarterfinal opponents ­ will find it tough against the home side. "They may be quite strong in attack, but they are not so sound in defence," said the former World Cup winner.