Behind Messi, Mbappé and Benzema, the best coaches. Scaloni, Deschamps and Ancelotti. Tite did nothing for Neymar and Vinicius Junior – Prisma

São Paulo Brazil

Sixteen years.

Brazil, a five-time world champion country that has not won a Cup for 21 years, has reached the mark of 16 years without having the best player on the planet.

For 11 years, a club from this country has not won the Club World Cup.

Since Kaká, in 2007, Brazilian football has only watched and applauded for the FIFA and France Football award parties.

Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid) Kylian Mbappé (France/Paris Saint-Germain) and Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain) are the three finalists for FIFA’s The Best award.

Messi is more than a clear favorite, due to the conquest of the World Cup by the Argentine national team.

The only thing that causes strangeness is that there was no complaint, complaint.

In Brazilian social networks, conformism is the attestation that Neymar, Vinicius Junior are a step below.

Even more so in this award, that the chosen ones of Fifa took into account the performance in the World Cup in Qatar.

How to question Messi, who got rid of the gigantic shadow of Diego Maradona, finally being the leader of the Argentina National Team, which won the deserved third world championship?

Or even Mpabbé who, aged 23, was the top scorer in the World Cup and barely managed to steal the show, winning two Cups in a row for France?

Or even Benzema? Top scorer in the Champions League, largely responsible for winning the Champions League for Real Madrid?

Tite’s sad Brazilian team meant that Neymar and Vinicius Junior didn’t even have the right to dream. Neither do your fans.

The off season of victorious talents in their clubs and in the national team in the year of Pelé’s death makes everything heavier.

And it makes one think of the important work Lionel Scaloni, Didier Deschamps, Carlo Ancelotti.

The performance of the best trio of 2023 undoubtedly depends on the tactical work of the coaches who, in addition to getting the most out of Argentina, France and Real Madrid, made their stars shine.

Efficient, conscious, high-performance tactical work.

Not just getting space for your athletes to improvise.

But that they act as main parts in a very well articulated gear.

The movement, the dynamics of Argentina, adapting to opponents in an impressive way were breathtaking. Showing enormous resilience, after the disastrous debut against Saudi Arabia.

And accepting, facilitating, Messi’s football, as a great tactical advantage.

Scaloni proved to be a great strategist. He made the Argentines blindly obey his commands. And he fulfilled his double dream, to be world champion and make Messi shine in winning the ultimate world cup.

Deschamps had the unexpected loss of the one he had rescued: Benzema. Even so, he managed to assemble a team of deadly counterpunches, fast, with enormous intensity. It looked like a group of sprinters commanded by Mbappé.

The attacker showed maturity, cold blood. He had an exceptional World Cup, overshadowed by the Argentine victory.

Benzema, unfortunately for football, followed the World Cup from afar, injured.

In the Champions he was breathtaking.

And he won, with merit, the Ballon d’Or, from France Football.

Rewarding the fabulous work of Carlo Ancelotti, who made Real Madrid collect incredible comebacks that ended with the title.

The Spanish team also had the lethal counterattacks, but with the difference that Benzema was omnipresent in the area. Manly gunner, trumpet player, when needed. Or lavishing technique to get rid of opponents. Or fulminating in the air game. Complete striker, with a team that favored him.

What remains in this yet another absence of Brazilians among the top three in the world is something significant, important.

The lack of competent work in the Qatar Cup.

From a coach who could make Neymar or Vinicius Junior surrender, reach the maximum of the duo’s potential.

Unfortunately, Tite didn’t make it.

What Christophe Galtier and Ancelotti did was not enough.

The Brazilian national team coach lacked efficiency.

Now, the world prepares its applause for Lionel Messi.

And don’t forget another Lionel.

Or Scaloni.

Hence, the CBF desperately looked for a foreign coach.

Preferably Ancelotti…