The 2011 Brazilian League, known officially as Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, kicks off on May 21, 2011. 20 teams will compete for the championship which ends on December 4. With no clear favourites and a plethora of young, exciting Brazilian talent on view, this southern gem is a fascinating tournament to follow.
Defending champions Fluminense and 2009 winners Flamengo, both from capital Rio De Janeiro, will try to stop the advances of the Sao Paolo state powerhouses Palmeiras, Santos, Corinthians and Sao Paolo. Further afield threats loom in the shape of Internacional, Gremio and Cruzeiro. With ten different teams all capable of winning the title, the league will once again come down to the final few rounds to produce a champion of South America’s hardest league. Of added interest will be Brazilian clubs participation in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, with Serie A holding 12 spots in the 2012 continental competitions. This in turn means that clubs will be fighting hard for spots up and down the table with no game having nothing riding on it.
At the moment, 14 of the top division clubs are involved in continental competition with five teams, Santos, Fluminense, Internacional, Gremio and Cruzeiro all currently playing in the Copa Libertadores, South America’s equivalent of the Champions’ League. Long hailed as the World’s footballing heartland, it comes as no surprise that the best talent and deepest pool reside in the Brazilian Serie A. It is said that while England may have invented football, Brazil perfected it. Just ask her.
We preview some of the bigger names and look at a recent trend, that of former and often current Brazilian legends returning to the local scene. With Brazil a fast growing economy, buoyed by strong local currency and the league now able to flex considerable financial muscle, Serie A club can retain and attract talent for longer domestic consumption. However, nothing is perfect and a worrying trend is the tendency of Brazilian clubs to make short term managerial changes almost at the drop of a hat. Last season saw 37 managerial changes alone and the coaching carousel in Brazil prompts both mocking and shock in equal measure. While the beautiful game is maintained locally as Jogo Bonito, the stability of both the establishment and its institutions often fly in the face of the country’s success.
Stay tuned for a preview of the favourites …
No comments:
Post a Comment