“Brazil didn’t know who our best number nine was”posted 12:13 BST 29 June
Brazil – Morocco (Monday, 18:00 BST)
Lucas Leyva
Former midfielder of the Brazilian national team.
Image Source, Getty Images
In some ways, Matheus Cunha reminds me a lot of my old Liverpool teammate Roberto Firmino in that he always drops deep and makes the defender second-guess what to do.
If the defender follows him, it gives more space and freedom to Vinicius Jr. and Ryan. If the defender leaves Cunha, he has time to play between the lines, hold the ball and look for a pass or shoot.
Cunha seems very comfortable and happy with his role, including the defensive side of it, where he starts to press or plays almost like a number six in front of midfield, and it seems to be working for the team in terms of the balance he brings to our attack.
It was very strange for Brazil to go to the World Cup without knowing who our best number nine was.
Even before the Scotland game, no one knew who the first centre-forward would be.
I don’t think Ancelotti knew about it before the tournament either because he tried Cunha, Igor Thiago, Endrick, Joao Pedro and Richarlison.
However, sometimes injuries help a manager make decisions. You can almost stumble upon a combination that works well, and this time it may have helped Brazil.
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