Brazil will be in trouble in Friday`s World Cup quarter-final against Colombia if they afford the outstanding James Rodriguez any space in which to perform, midfielder Fernandinho warned on Monday.
|Last Updated: Jul 01, 2014, 10:06 AM IST|Source: AFP
Brazil will be in trouble in Friday`s World Cup quarter-final against Colombia if they afford the outstanding James Rodriguez any space in which to perform, midfielder Fernandinho warned on Monday.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has been arguably the player of the World Cup so far, scoring five goals in Colombia`s four matches, including a magnificent volley in the 2-0 defeat of Uruguay in the last 16.
And Fernandinho said that he could see that Rodriguez would develop into a star when they came up against each other in a Champions League match between Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Porto in September 2011.
"I played against him in the Champions League. It was at the start of his time in Europe and he wasn`t yet a first-choice" for Porto, said Fernandinho.
"Already in that game he showed his technical quality with his left foot. In this World Cup he is showing everyone that the money Monaco paid for him was well invested. The less space he gets against us, the better it will be for Brazil."
Despite that, Fernandinho said there will be no question of Brazil looking to man-mark Rodriguez, who moved to Monaco from Porto for 45 million euros ($61.6m) last year.
"Wherever I have played, man-marking does not exist anymore. It needs to be done zonally," said the Manchester City midfielder.
Meanwhile, Brazil must also prepare to cope with the kind of pressure they faced in Saturday`s dramatic last-16 victory against Chile in Belo Horizonte.
On that occasion, goalkeeper Julio Cesar was in tears before the penalty shoot-out, which Brazil won 3-2, while Neymar was among those who broke down at the end of the match.
Captain Thiago Silva was also seen crying at the end of the match, and has since been criticised in the Brazilian press for supposedly not leading by example.
Carlos Alberto, the skipper of the great Brazil side that won the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, told sports daily Lance: "He should have been in the middle of the pitch shouting. He is the captain."
However, Fernandinho shrugged aside suggestions that this Brazil team are not mentally strong enough to win the title on home soil.
"We have been preparing ever since we first got together on May 26. We have worked on the psychological side and there is no need to do any of that now. What matters now is to show what we can do on the pitch," he said.
"This is my opinion. We have a very big responsibility representing a country of 200 million people who hope for happiness and better days through football."
He added: "We still kept our concentration at the decisive moment when it came to penalties."
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.