Of all of Mano’s exclusions, Fernandinho’s is the most baffling. Not because he’s the best player left out of the squad, or because we’re thin at his position. But because he played really well when Mano called him up. And not just after one game either. He was key against Ghana, the man of the match (in my opinion) against Mexico, and stellar against Gabon, Egypt and Bosnia. I really thought he had cemented a place in the side. Then the Olympics rolled around, Mano called up Romulo, and Paulinho after him, and has apparently forgotten all about the dynamic midfielder currently plying his trade in Ukraine. (Also home, it’s worth saying, to the immortal Giuliano.)
This is a major oversight, and the more I think about it, perhaps the least defensible.
At this point I might well state two things:
1. I love, love, love deep-lying playmakers. So much so that if I were to name the 5 Brazilians I find most attractive to watch (historically speaking) you would find two such players on there: Gerson and Falcao. I love watching Gerson send those clipped, diagonal passes up the pitch for Jairzinho to latch on to, and I love watching Falcao storm from box to box with his relentless pass-and-move game. Fernandinho isn’t on either man’s level, but he combines some of the best attributes of both.
2. Ever since Dunga resigned, I’ve been vocal in my opinion that the team’s biggest need was playmaking out of the back. (Originally I wanted Hernanes called up not as a #10, but as an enganche, to borrow the Argentine phrase.) I think Brazil needs and has long needed someone who can start attacks from deep positions so that we don’t have to rely on full-backs to advance the ball. For the most part, that hasn’t happened. The Ramires/Lucas Leiva partnership was woeful in this regard. The Romulo/Sandro partnership wasn’t much better, since Romulo is a tidy player but no playmaker. And the recent Ramires/Paulinho partnership is based far more on athleticism and drive than on passing.
But where all those other players, talented as they are, fall short, Fernandinho excels. Perhaps it seems like I overstate his abilities, but I don’t think so. I admit, certainly, that Fernandinho doesn’t quite have the artistic genius of a Pirlo, or the rapid-fire mind of a Xavi; and he’s not known for the Hollywood passes of a Steven Gerrard. His skill-set is actually similar to Oscar’s. He’s extremely versatile. He’s a master of the fundamentals. And, like Oscar, he has a sneaky sort of athleticism not immediately obvious at a glance.
That last line might sum up well why Fernandinho hasn’t caught on with a lot of other bloggers around the web. There’s nothing “immediately obvious” about him. He has no one, single defining trait. And a lot of what he does is subtle – his playmaking isn’t always about setting up the goal, but setting up the move that sets up the goal. And his defense isn’t about flying tackles or whirlwind challenges, but about good positioning, good footwork, and good anticipation. Go watch a Shakhtar match sometime, and when you do, pay constant attention to Fernandinho. The more you pay attention, the more you will start to sit up and take notice. That’s what I did after the Ghana match last year. I loaded up a replay, and started seeing things I didn’t notice at first. By the end of the match, I was intrigued. When Mexico rolled around, I made sure to pay attention, and I was hooked.
