Everyone watching the World Cup has had their theories on who the favourites are to win the 2022 edition, with Brazil in the conversation for many. In their opening group game, they dispatched Serbia 2-0 in a game that included a wonder goal from Premier League striker Richarlison. Having kept a clean sheet in the opening in a somewhat convincing manner, they will be pleased to achieve a similar feat in the 1-0 win over Switzerland, who also enjoyed a victory with a clean sheet in their opening game.
This tactical analysis will focus on Brazil’s approach both in and out of possession. We will look at the tactics used off the ball that resulted in Switzerland failing to land a single shot on target as well as an analysis of their methods in attack, and why Vinícius Júnior was so important to that.
Lineups
Tite’s Brazil took a 4-4-1-1 shape in which Lucas Paquetá looked to be an important link between midfield and attack. That link would also be supported in the flanks by Raphinha and Vinícius Júnior. Manchester United duo Casemiro and Fred would start as the two holding midfielders, with some fans voicing their surprise that Brazil felt the need for so much protection in midfield in a game where they were favourites. Veteran Thiago Silva started at the back with Liverpool man Alisson being selected over Manchester City’s Ederson. Richarlison kept his place up front, and deservedly so – no matter what your opinions are of the striker, he had a very strong game against Serbia.
Switzerland gaffer Murat Yakin also opted for a formation that emphasises defensive solidarity in midfield with a 4-2-3-1. Some familiar names featured for the casual fans – Ricardo Rodríguez at left-back will be remembered by many for his strong performances in previous international tournaments, while Arsenal man Granit Xhaka is like a new player after being rejuvenated at club level – he hoped to bring that form to the world stage. Manchester City’s new maths whiz Manuel Akanji started in the heart of defence next to Nico Elvedi. Monaco’s Breel Embolo leads the line, with wide support being provided by Ruben Vargas and Fabian Reider.
Switzerland stifled
While Switzerland have some highly talented individuals and can perform strongly as a team against the big dogs, it is fair to say that the general expectation was that Brazil will have the strongest grip on the game. The Swiss weren’t totally dominated, and with 45% possession, they had a healthy amount of time on the ball. The trouble lies within how they acted on the ball as a collective – while they did have a few glimpses of chances, Alisson ultimately had a quiet game in goal, with Yakin’s side registering an xG of just 0.43.
Here, we analyse why Switzerland struggled to make an impact on the game, focusing on Brazil’s varying press levels as well as looking at what the Swiss could’ve done better themselves.
From the first whistle, we saw an organised Brazil, a team who takes immense pride in their defensive performance. Brazil were keen to press high, but only on their own terms, often settling into an initial mid-block to gauge the situation before deciding whether to increase the intensity.
Looking at their shape when Switzerland had possession and looked to build into the midfield and/or attacking third, it is clear that Brazil have put in some good hours on the training pitch. Firstly, the defensive line is not sat deep nor pushed up particularly high; it is the space between the three units that gave Brazil its shape. The Swiss rarely rushed many players forward into an attack as they were quite cautious on the ball, meaning Brazil’s midfield could afford slightly more space between themselves and the back four than usual – the strikers too. The positioning of the midfield unit was seemingly designed to simply tell their opponents “this is about as far as you’re going to get” – playing through Brazil was not an option.
Interestingly, off the ball, a partnership between Richarlison and Paquetá was formed as they shared the responsibility of pressing the man on the ball, depending on where that lay. On this occasion, the possession was on Brazil’s right side, so Richarlison took the reigns – Paquetá likewise on the opposite side.
Brazil would ramp things up when Switzerland showed hesitation in going forward – i.e. when they played a backwards pass and showed a lack of urgency. We would see the entire team step higher up the pitch, with the forwards applying an increasing amount of pressure on the Swiss backline. However, they didn’t get it all right, as, on this occasion, they left Xhaka free in the middle, which Akanji was smart to exploit.
This next analysis image shows us why another reason why Switzerland struggled to get forward. After Xhaka was able to find space in a central area despite the Brazilian press, and after Akanji recognised this and picked the Arsenal man out, Xhaka still had a very healthy amount of space ahead of him. There were two positive options for him – either drive forward before picking a pass to try and disorganise the Brazil midfield or play a quick pass out to the right flank which would’ve given his side a huge chance to launch a dangerous attack down the right flank. Instead, he opted for a bounce pass back into the defence and of course, this only invited more pressure from Brazil.
As the game went on, Brazil’s general shape off the ball became stronger as they rectified earlier mistakes. This made things even more difficult for the Swiss, and Brazil’s high line and compact shape between the three units left very little room to work in. Brazil looked to dominate the central areas when defending while making sure they were prepared for duels out wide, should the ball reach that area.
As mentioned previously, Switzerland weren’t totally dominated, they just struggled to make waves in Brazil’s half. It felt as though their best chance at damaging their opponents was attacking in transitions, which is what we see above.
We also see questionable individual decision-making again in the image above. While the pass into the Swiss frontman did find its target, questions can be asked as to why that pass wasn’t directed to Vargas out on the left flank instead. The winger had acres of space and would’ve had the chance to run in on goal had the pass been played to him at this point. However, the ball did eventually find Vargas after Embolo drove forward and played the pass, but Brazil were able to get back and slow Switzerland down ever so slightly – just enough to limit the danger to conceding a corner.
It’s just like watching Brazil
Brazil have had some iconic players over the decades, and sometimes, they have been the most exciting team in the world. While their performance in this tie was not perfect, they dazzled in some situations when they utilised intricate combination play – which is what this area of analysis will primarily focus on.
Something that Brazil became more aware of as the game grew older was that the Swiss could be suckered into the ball, which drew space in other areas. The Brazilians have the individual quality in their ranks to use this to their gain, allowing them to play through seemingly tight and tricky areas to get through the Swiss. Doing this at pace and with the right perfect accuracy are both vital elements of this approach, which is why Brazil were unable to make it count until late on in the game.
They would also implement this approach in some midfield areas as they look to quickly get through sections of the Swiss engine room. In this example, it shows good movement from Paquetá to drop deeper to eventually make the bounce pass back into Casemiro.
A one-touch pass from Paqueta and then another from Casemiro as the former Real Madrid star lofted a pass into current Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior. Despite the pass being difficult to control, the winger made easy work of it and played the next pass. Yes, this move did not result in anything fruitful for Tite’s side, but the initial quick combination to get the ball into the wide area was impressive and is something that seems to be a staple of Brazil’s tactics.
Brazil were also able to put these tactics into use in moments of transition, hitting the Swiss when they aren’t fully organised. The first phase of this attack was less complex and intricate but still involved quick thinking and one-touch passing as the ball eventually finds its way to Fred. It is also noteworthy that Paquetá, pictured centrally, has dropped into a space that is unmarked – whether this was in anticipation of the attack or just merely coincidental, it was important to the attack.
Despite a poor first touch, Fred was able to direct the ball inside to Paquetá, who was still yet to be marked. He showed great awareness and vision to ping a first-time pass into the path of Richarlison on the right flank who had timed his run well into the channel. The Tottenham man controlled the ball nicely and carried it into the penalty area where he was met by the surging run of Vinícius Júnior. A good move by Brazil that happened very quickly, but they failed to show that killer instinct in the end.
As the Swiss grew tired towards the end of the game, Brazil took that as an invitation to press on, and press on they did. Vinícius Júnior was important in a lot of what Brazil did in attack and was instrumental in the game-winning goal.
He received the ball in a wide area – his starting position near the touchline allowed him a yard or so of space between himself and the oncoming defender. This put Vinícius Júnior in exactly the sort of situation he thrives in – a 1v1. He shows good agility and pace to get away from not one, but two defenders, as you can see in the second part of his particular analysis.
After dealing with two opponents, Vinícius Júnior found himself slightly more central and took the chance to play a short pass into Rodrygo, who played a very clever first-time flicked pass into Casemiro. The pass was a slightly lifted one, but Casemiro showed absolutely no hesitation in striking the volley side-on for one of the sweetest connections you’ll see all competition. An interesting element of this is that when Rodrygo made his pass, he didn’t stand and watch, he spun off and made a darting run elsewhere.
We’ve highlighted Vinícius Júnior’s importance to Brazil, not just in this game, but in general. Focusing on his contributions in this fixture, he was excellent in attack. Not only did he provide a key pass in the build-up to the winning goal, but he was also dangerous in other areas too. He made four penetrating carries in this game, worrying the Swiss defence each time.
Conclusion
Brazil were deserved winners this time around, and overall, they were impressive yet again. But they were chinks in the armour which could be exposed on another day. Their tendency and ability to play in tight areas to get into dangerous situations is fascinating and exciting to watch. Switzerland will be pleased with some elements of their game but will be kicking themselves that they didn’t show more courage on the ball at times.
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