Tiago Nunes predicts hostile environment for the team in Chile

The technician Tiago Nunes, ex-Athletico, he knows well the two opponents that Brazil will face in this round of the World Cup qualifiers. The coach has experience in Peruvian football, where he managed Sporting Cristal, and is currently at Universidad Católica, in Chile. For him, Brazil will face considerable challenges, despite the differences in technical quality between countries.

“I think that the three teams, especially from Brazil, are going through a generational transformation. We have become very accustomed to the generations since 1982, even before. Our generations of players are incredible, even when we didn’t win the World Cups”, he told UOL.

On Thursday (10), Brazil will visit Chile in Santiago. Tiago Nunes warns of the difficult environment that the team will face, as the opponent is under enormous pressure due to recent negative resultsand the packed stadium and the opponent’s motivation should make the match extremely close.

“Brazil can take advantage depending on the environment, because the Chilean team is under a lot of pressure for results. There is always this shadow of comparison with this generation that I have commented on a few times, so it is unacceptable, publicly, for Chile to be in this position in the table. But he has a great coach, because Ricardo Gareca is a very capable professional, and he is trying to find better training”, he said.

He also highlights that, although the Chilean and Peruvian teams face similar challenges to Brazil in terms of renewal, these teams are well organized defensively, which could make the games even more complicated, even with the two opponents being at the bottom of the table. .

The coach explains that Brazilian football has historically become accustomed to having extraordinary generations of players. “I was unaccustomed to Romário, Bebeto, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Ronaldo Fenômeno, Rivaldo, Kaká, all these stars. We miss a little this Wednesday (9) meeting players who can keep Brazil at the level it has always been accustomed to.”

Tiago Nunes highlights the changes in Chilean football

Drawing a parallel with Chilean football, Nunes points out that Chile’s famous “golden generation”, responsible for great achievements, is also aging, and the difficulty of finding new talent to replace it is a real challenge for the country. In Peru, the situation is similar, especially after the success of 2018, when the team managed to qualify for the World Cup under the command of Ricardo Gareca.

On the other hand, the coach recognizes the talent of current Brazilian players, such as Vini Júnior, Rodrygo and Neymar, who, when recovered, is one of the best in the world. However, he believes that many of these stars still need to prove the same level of performance in the national team as they do at their clubs.

“Obviously we have stars, I think what we’re missing this Wednesday (9) is for these stars to be able to confirm themselves in the Brazilian national team environment. I believe that Vini Júnior is a player, I believe that Rodrygo is a player with the ball, I believe that Neymar, obviously, is injured, it is undeniable, he is a playmaker. We have players on the defensive line who are playmakers in the position. stars also in the national team.”

He even compares it to the situation experienced by Lionel Messi in his country. “Argentina had this expectation in Messi and Messi was criticized day and night because he didn’t represent in the national team what he represented in the club. So, I think it’s a matter of time, that we will be able to get more experienced players, with more detail, in a selection environment”, he explains.

He even believes that Brazil is going through a similar moment to what Argentina went through before winning the 2022 world title.. The Argentine team, which won the 1986 World Cup, faced a long period of lack of world titles, and this interval of almost four decades is a clear example of what the process of renewal and consolidation of a new generation of talents can take time.

Coach talks about the current situation of the Brazilian team

For Tiago Nunes, Brazil is going through something similar and may need two World Cup cycles until a new generation takes hold and returns the country as a protagonist on the international stage.

“It’s a long, difficult process that we’re going to have to endure, from being able to have a new generation, a crop of two cycles, who knows, a World Cup, to establishing a new generation so that we can get back to to be a reference team for the whole world. And I talked about the comparison with Peru and Chile, because it also happens here. I talked about the Chilean golden generation, this generation has also grown old, and in a country much smaller than Brazil. It’s much more difficult to find players to replace this generation, and just like Peru”, he concludes.