Brazil suffered a humiliating 7-1 semi-final loss at home to Germany in last year’s World Cup, and their Copa America performance suggested that their reconstruction process will be long and arduous.
The side coached by Carlos Dunga is at best still a work in process and could struggle to qualify for the 2018 tournament in Russia.
“[The qualifiers] are going to be one of the most difficult ever,” Brazil defender Thiago Silva said.
The ongoing Copa America in Chile, where Brazil were eliminated Saturday in the quarter-finals, was a wakeup call to the winners of a record five World Cups to qualify to play three years from now in Russia: Brazil are far from their prime and other teams have improved considerably.
Brazil were eliminated at the Copa America by Paraguay, who were last in the South American qualifiers ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
The South American qualifiers give four direct berths to the 2018 World Cup, plus a play-off for the fifth-place team.
Brazil will be up against Argentina captain Lionel Messi’s World Cup runners-up, James Rodriguez’s disorienting Colombia, Chile’s best-ever generation of players, always tough Uruguay and improving teams Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela. Only Ecuador and Bolivia seem to be at a lower level - yet, playing at high altitude in La Paz and Quito presents its own challenge.
Despite early elimination at the Copa America, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), itself immersed in corruption scandals, has said it stands by Dunga. In Chile, the coach, captain of Brazil’s 1994 World Champion side, cut a serene, fatherly figure, more psychologist than tactician.
Dunga knows as well as anyone the troubles that afflict Brazilian football.
“Other teams have improved quite a bit,” he said in defeat. “We need to be humble, get down to work, work hard to have a new football concept in Brazil, to stop thinking that anyone is a star, the world’s best player, after just two games. We need to be more objective.”
And yet Dunga believes in his team and is convinced that experience, and the contributions of currently injured players like Danilo, Luiz Gustavo and Oscar, will make them better.
So will superstar striker Neymar, who only played two matches in Chile due to a suspension. A star-less Brazil clearly depend on the Barcelona forward for creativity and goals, but Neymar’s suspension will lead him to miss the first two qualifiers, too.
Most fans cannot imagine a World Cup without Brazil, but the team’s recent travails cannot be overlooked. Dunga and Co surely have an uphill battle on their hands.
