1970 brazil team formation

The Europeans scored first. A free-roaming tactic could only be applied on the basis of a vital, anchoring cog.The same players that tormented defences all summer could no longer find one another with a pass.

Hope was trickling its way back into Brazilian life. Unfortunately, what followed was a tumultuous 12 months of interference, confusion and backward steps.The Selecao qualified for the main event in style, winning all six of their games and scoring 23 goals in the process. It was a taste of what was to come from Brazil. No political regime is wholly supported by its populace. In goal stood Félix, Carlos Alberto – the captain of the side – Piazza, Brito and Everaldo made up the back four, Clodoaldo and Gérson operated as the midfield pivot, …

But as fans continue to drape their idols in superlatives otherwise fitting for royalty, if not the gods themselves, there is a precedent that humbles any such footballing mogul: the legendary Brazilian side of 1970.Eight years prior, at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile, Brazil celebrated its second successive World Cup after defeating Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the final. That's a debate that graces a conversation between football fans all over the world, but the truth is not many know the ins and outs of Mario Zagallo's famous World Cup win in Mexico.On June 21, the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City housed over 100,000 people who simply stood and stared for 90 magical minutes.Many back home, too, were dumbstruck as the first ever globally televised international tournament stole the imagination of every spectator.So how did Brazil go about winning the fabled trophy for the third time in their history?Brazil's run in to the 1970 World Cup in Mexico was far from ideal.In 1969, Joao Saldahna was appointed manager of the national side with the intention of leading them to glory the following year. There are fond memories of the Dutch sides that failed to win in 1974 and 1978 World Cups, Brazil 1982 are another great side that didn’t win it, others love the Italian teams that won back to back titles in the 1930’s or Argentina’s team that were inspired by Pelé rolled the ball into the path of Carlos Alberto. His orchestration helped the team gel.

The final was Brazil’s spectacle. Such free movement greatly destabilised Brazil’s opponents. Now alone in the penalty box with only one Uruguayan defender on the goal line, Pelé ran onto the loose ball but unfortunately shot it wide in the most iconic goal that never was. They had won all their games in the qualifying rounds despite the manager, Rivelino was a more unorthodox winger. These choices, it transpires, would almost certainly fail in today's game.Ignoring suggestions that several of his players were too similar in style and could never play on the same pitch, Zagallo went ahead and put all of his best players into a loose starting XI.The result was pure magic despite a lack of overall shape.Carlos Alberto, scorer of the wonder goal below, would bomb forward from right-back as Jairzinho cut inside. Most of the Brazil team were involved in the move as it eventually landed with Jairzinho on the left wing, who found Pelé in the middle and his perfectly weighted pass was met on the run by captain Carlos Alberto who blasted past the goalkeeper to clinch a 4-1 win. It was their story: an oppressive dictator presiding over a country in peril and a team gunning for glory to salvage some form of happiness for its despairing countrymen. The Italians capitalised on a misplaced pass within Brazil’s own defensive third and equalised before half-time. The country remained as the only national team to have participated in every installment of the FIFA World Cup. Influencers dubbed him a communist and began the call for a coup d’état. The game finished 4-2 but the two Peruvian goals were more flukish than anything.

Médici wanted his government to be seen in tandem with the national team – footballing success would mean political success. Brazil struggled to pass the ball around as effortlessly as before. He was the pivotal playmaker, the closest to a classic number 10. It's incredibly unlikely.The idea of just playing all your best players on the same team has been replaced by a careful counterbalancing methodology found in most of Europe's top tactician's notebooks.The Claude Makelele role, the false-six position and other new-age inventions are all borne out of compensating for another player's tendencies on the pitch.Arrigo Sacchi spoke of ridding specialists, Pep Guardiola continued this trend, but it hasn't caught on. In the absence of a leading man, Pelé would push forward becoming the sole focal point of the attack. Carlos Alberto, Felix, Piazza, Brito, Clodoaldo and Marco Antonio;

Winning 3-1 and radiating confidence, Brazil kept the ball circulating as the Italians laboured behind. As a result, when the world tuned in to see the famous yellow shirt and short blue shorts donned by 11 strangers, it fell in love for many a reason. It was their football: quick, imaginative, and full of flair, Brazil set the precedent for a fluid and potent offence. As these 11 spectators trembled in fear, millions of others gasped at the canary shirts wreaking havoc on their televisions.

See results of the Qualifiers to the 1970 World Cup. Such a ball was lofted from the middle third towards Pelé in the penalty box. As it was the norm back in the days, Brazil won all six matches of the Qualifiers, beating Paraguay, Colombia and Venezuela. With the latter at full stretch, Pelé let the ball roll, escaping him and Mazurkiewicz.