"The biggest challenge of a World Cup," Brazil coach Tite said at a news conference a day ahead of the quarterfinal against Belgium, "is mental capacity. It is difficult to find the right balance -- neither euphoria, nor fear of defeat."
He looked relaxed, clearly pleased with the progress his side have been making. His defensive midfielder may be feeling much more nervous.
Casemiro is suspended for this match, and so in comes Fernandinho for his first start of the tournament. The fact that it comes against, in theory, Brazil's most difficult opponent so far makes this a fascinating challenge for one of the villains of 7-1, that notorious semifinal collapse against Germany four years ago.
The Manchester City dynamo is Mr. Reliable, a player whose level of performance rarely strays from a rating of 6 or 7. But on that afternoon in Belo Horizonte he could only be awarded a 1 out of 10 as an act of charity for putting his shirt on the right way. Fernandinho froze -- and seemed helpless to stop that first-half German onslaught.
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In retrospect, the warning lights had been flashing. Brazil's 2014 disaster was no individual failure, it was a collective loss of confidence. Once so sure they would win the trophy, as reality started to bite, the self-belief started to ebb away. The previous rounds had already called for desperate measures; usually so disciplined, Fernandinho approached the knockout games against Chile and Colombia with the brio of an attack dog. And when the Germans hit their stride, he and his teammates could see humiliation coming right at them and were powerless to move out of the way.
The self-confidence of the current side appears built on stronger foundations. Compared with Belgium, they seem to have superior balance between attack and defence. The only goal they have conceded in the tournament came from a Swiss corner, and was surely aided by an illegal little push on centre-back Miranda.
That, though, does leave the team untested. How will they react if they come under pressure and go a goal behind? How will Fernandinho react to being thrown in at the deep end?
The showdown in Kazan has the potential to be a very tricky match for Brazil's holding midfielder. There were signs in the previous game against Mexico that having to operate as a genuine midfielder may be starting to take its toll on Philippe Coutinho, who had his least effective match so far. Coutinho does most of his impressive work in the last 40 metres of the field. Having to track back and mark may be eroding his lung power. And in this light, the decision to recall Marcelo at left-back is especially interesting. His replacement for the last two games, Filipe Luis, lacks his attacking flair, but is probably steadier defensively.
So now, against their most dangerous opponent so far, Brazil's block down the Belgian right is made up of the attack-minded Marcelo and a perhaps tiring Coutinho. The covering work of Fernandinho could well be important.
And it is worth sharing a thought for Alisson, the last line of defence. Keeping goal for Brazil in a World Cup can be a thankless task. There can be little to do -- followed by a moment so decisive that it has a profound and lasting effect on the mood of a nation of 200 million. Ask Alisson's predecessor as Brazil's World Cup keeper, Julio Cesar, who recently said that on the day he dies all the newspapers will refer to the passing of the man who let in seven goals in one game in 2014. An even more appropriate example is that of 2010: Julio Cesar had been outstanding in qualification and had had little to do during the tournament in South Africa. But in the quarterfinal against the Netherlands he made one mistake and the entire tone changed. From winning and being in control of the game, Brazil spiraled toward elimination, and Julio Cesar was inconsolable at the final whistle.
This time, the fact that Alisson has been so well protected may be the problem. Brazil's keeper has had next to nothing to do; for much of the time he could have taken a deck chair and a book to his goalmouth. And precisely for this reason, he has yet to play his way into the World Cup. Belgium will hope to catch him cold.
The Belgians also will hope to turn the psychological screws on Neymar. Brazil's star man is on a yellow card, and another would rule him out of the semifinal. This is surely wrong. The cards should have been wiped out already. Two cards in five games does not represent a breach of discipline so serious as to warrant sitting out a semifinal.
But those are the rules. And with the heat being on Neymar and his antics, Belgium would be foolish not to try to take advantage. Can they provoke him into losing his cool? And how would he react if he sees yellow? Would his performance suffer, thus reducing Brazil's chances of getting past the Belgians?
It's all part of the psychodrama about to unfold in Kazan.