Brazil coach Amadeu calls for more concentration against Germany

Despite a 3-0 win against Honduras, Brazil's game saw a drop in intensity in the second half — something that its coach Carlos Amadeu wants to avoid in the quarterfinal against Germany.

Brazil U-17 coach Carlos Amadeu takes great pride in admitting that his side relies more on collective effort rather than individual brilliance.

It wasn’t exactly a romp for Brazil at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium on Wednesday night against Honduras, though the 3-0 scoreline may appear flattering.

The Central American side had a leaky defence, against whom France and Japan had combined to pump in 11 goals, but Brazil, which had the one of the potent and creative forward line in the tournament, could only manage three. There was a precipitable drop in intensity from the Brazilian side in the second half and the crowd of 20,000, which had come to see a glut of goals, booed the South Americans.

The game against Honduras was played in contrasting halves by Brazil. If the first half saw a creative and vibrant Brazil outsmart its rival with a collective team effort, the second half found a lethargic and sloppy side yield ground to Honduras.

Honduras exposed the possible chinks in Brazil’s armour in the pre-quarterfinal match. The long range shots by Luis Palma and Carlos Mejia, which rebounded off the post, were the wakeup calls for Brazil, which managed to keep a clean slate for the third match in succession.

Brazilian coach Carlos Amadeu, however, conceded that Honduras was unlucky and gave his side some uncomfortable moments. He also admitted that his side needs to concentrate more and maintain its intensity for longer periods especially when it takes on Germany in the quarterfinal on Sunday in Kolkata.

"We lost our concentration and we need to improve on that front. We are not thinking much about our next match against Germany. It is time for us to enjoy now and recover," said Amadeu.

This Brazilian team is loaded with some brilliant players who have been playing together for the last two years. The selflessness and ability of the players to don multiple roles and their maturity on field is what makes this Brazilian side formidable.

Amadeu takes great pride in admitting that his side relies more on collective effort rather than individual brilliance to win matches. "I am proud of it. It shows their maturity. We have been training these boys for the last two years. Our boys are known for their individual skills but what we have taught them is learn about the pleasure of assisting. They are doing it here and we are winning as a team," he said.