Will the real Neymar please stand up and other key players as Brazil take on Mexico

Matt Jones - Editor 11:38 01/07/2018
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Brazil and their elite group of Galacticos enter Samara’s Cosmos Arena on Monday looking to display some of the otherworldly football that has made the famous nation the most successful country on earth.

    Canarinho will look to progress to the quarter-finals of a World Cup for the seventh consecutive occasion when they take on in-form Mexico in what should be a cracking last 16 tie.

    Ahead of the game, we look at three key players for each side.

    MARCELO V JESUS GALLARDO

    Mexico completely capitulated against Sweden in the final group game, so they are heading into this giant of a contest perhaps with a little trepidation.

    The way in which El Tri were manipulated in their final group game belies how brilliant they’d been previously though, especially in defence where they’ve provided a solid base from which their exciting attackers have wreaked havoc.

    Marauding Monterrey full-back Jesus Gallardo has been a massive cog in the Mexico machine, contributing in both attack and defence.

    He’s won on average 2.3 aerial duels per game (joint 2nd), makes on average two tackles per game (2nd), posts 3.3 clearances per game (3rd) and no-one can top his 3.3 interceptions per game among team-mates.

    He’s dispossessed on average just 0.3 times per game, only bettered by Hector Moreno and Carlos Salcedo, and his 32.7 average passes per game is the fifth-highest among colleagues.

    Equally important to his side is Marcelo, whose back spasm means he is a doubt for the round of 16 clash, although Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar is confident the Real Madrid man will be fit to feature.

    Though the left-back has often attracted criticism throughout his career for a lack of defensive nous, there can be no doubting his importance as a leader for both club and country, while his attacking attributes often outweigh his defensive shortcomings.

    He hasn’t quite been at his best in Russia, but he is still contributing – his average of 1.7 dribbles per game is only bettered by Neymar, Philippe Coutinho and Douglas Costa.

    His delivery leaves a little to be desired though with only one cross from 10 having reached a team-mate.

    PHILIPPE COUTINHO V HIRVING LOZANO

    Many expected Neymar to pick up from where he left off on home soil four years ago – he may have been his nation’s hero but was a mere boy whereas he has since become a behemoth for Brazil – but he has so far underwhelmed in Russia.

    Philippe Coutinho has instead been the talismanic figure who has dragged Brazil into the knockout stages kicking and screaming rather than coasting and comfortable.

    He scored a sumptuous opening goal against Switzerland and nabbed the crucial winner in stoppage time against a valiant Costa Rica side as group stage exit fears loomed.

    Though Canarinho have failed to really hit the high notes thus far, it is Coutinho who has kept the choir in tune, dictating the play and trying to find the gaps in the opposition – his 73.3 average passes per game leads Brazil players who’ve played over 80 minutes.

    Not many people outside of the Netherlands or Mexico will have heard too much about Hirving Lozano up until a few weeks ago – but many Germany fans and players won’t be able to forget it after his historic goal against them in the opening Group F game that sent the holders down the road to ruin.

    Shame on you for not knowing about Lozano prior to the tournament – the 22-year-old enjoyed a mesmeric campaign in the Dutch Eredivisie where he finished fourth in the scoring charts with 17 strikes, and was also joint-sixth in assists, registering eight to help PSV claim their third title in four years.

    His goal aside, he is also contributing across the board and is second only to Andres Guardado for passing accuracy (89.1), while his 3.3 dribbles per game and 2.7 shots per game also lead his team. The livewire winger is also, perhaps unsurprisingly, Mexico’s most fouled player, being felled 3.7 times per game.

    NEYMAR V JAVIER HERNANDEZ

    Will the real Neymar please stand up, pretty please. We’ve seen from one of the best players at this World Cup so far is that he knows how to fall down.

    The Paris Saint-Germain prima donna is the most fouled player on average in Russia, felled 5.7 times per game. Overall he has won 17 fouls, four more than Cristiano Ronaldo, but this doesn’t tell the full story.

    This is not a case of an unplayable danger teasing and tricking defenders into cynically scything him down. It’s more a case of cheap ploys and petulance from a player who is yet to scratch the surface in Russia in terms of showing us just how good he is.

    We all know how good he is, he’s showed glimpses. But the lasting impression he’s left so far is the spoilt child who stropped as Brazil toiled against Los Ticos.

    Contrast Neymar with the man who’ll be trying to fire El Tri into the quarter-finals for the first time in 32 years. Javier Hernandez is not the most technically gifted player in the world but he comes alive for his country and is firing after a fairly average season at club level with West Ham.

    But he has been hugely involved in Mexico’s run to the last 16. The man known as ‘Little Pea’ planted the seed for their stunning win over Germany by setting Lozano racing away for the winning goal, his pass to Guardado led to the penalty which Carlos Vela converted to give them a 1-0 lead over South Korea, and Hernandez then scored the crucial second – his 49th international goal in his 103rd cap.

    He’s certainly shown up in Russia. Now it’s Neymar’s turn to follow suit.

    Recommended