Dynamic Trio: How the positional rotations and flexibility of Brazil’s forward line can lead to Copa America glory and beyond – scout report

The road to the 2024 edition of Copa América has been a rollercoaster for Brazil. The Seleçãos fans, usually a pillar of confidence, are entering the tournament with a hint of uncertainty. This is in stark contrast to the high spirits of their arch-rivals, Argentina, who are basking in the glory of a recent FIFA World Cup victory.

To turn our attention elsewhere in the football world for a brief moment, after Real Madrid’s outstanding season seeing the Spanish giants securing the league title and picking up their 15^th UEFA Champions League, many tip Los Blancos to enter another period of domination. Having undergone a transitional period that saw stars such as Ramos, Benzema and Ronaldo leave, Madrid navigated this new chapter through excellent recruitment. Signing some of the world’s elite young talent has been a principal reason for their predicted future at the top. Stars such as Bellingham, Camavinga and Tchouameni are still several years away from reaching their peak.

One of the intriguing aspects of Real Madrid’s last season was the performance of the Brazilian duo, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo. These wingers formed a formidable strike partnership, contributing significantly to Real Madrids double win. However, the arrival of Mbappé has raised a pressing question-where will these Brazilian forwards fit in the team now?

The answer to this problem, along with the tactical problems within Brazils squad, which certainly isnt the strongest lineup theyve ever had, may be discovered during the Brazilian national teams quest to win the Copa América this summer. Many believe Carlo Ancelotti will change the shape of his team to accommodate the talent he has at his disposal. This will most likely involve using a lone centre-forward.

In this year’s friendly matches Brazil have played both Vinicius and Rodrygo as their sole number 9. Along with the two established attackers, Real Madrid’s latest Brazilian acquisition, teenage sensation Endrick, has provided backup on the bench and will prove to be a different option for both Brazil and his new club. This tactical analysis and team-focused scout report will seek to provide an in-depth analysis of how all three players fulfil the role of Brazil’s centre-forward within the teams tactics, assessing both their strengths and weaknesses.

Position

All three of these players line up very differently when playing as a centre forward. Even when playing as an out-and-out number 9, Vinicius still drifts out to his favoured left-hand side. Through drifting out to the flank, Vinicius seeks to use his strengths of his pace and ability to dribble by players.

As seen here, Vinicius is on the blindside of the left centre backs shoulder. This is a clever position to take up as he can go undetected, giving himself a real advantage over the centre-back. Using his pace, eaten in behind the defence, allowing Brazil to get into a promising position.

Vinicius pulling out wide as the centre-forward creates a variety of problems for defences. Moving out wide helps not only create overloads for his side to take advantage of but also stretches the opposition’s backline, with defenders often having to follow him out of position.