After departing the national training complex on Wednesday, Brasil Global Tour looks back over at Brazil's week of preparations ahead of the Games
The first few days of Brazil’s preparations for the Rio Olympics were marked by a bitter cold that swept across the Granja Comary training complex in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro. On day two it brought with it a thick fog that essentially made the training session closed to a media who could barely see 10 feet in front of them.
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But in recent days the watching media swapped their gloves and scarves for sunscreen as the familiar Rio sun returned to the sky just as the temperature was building ahead of what the Selecao hope will be a historic month at the games.
The sun seems to be shining on the Selecao as they build towards what they hope will be their first ever Olympic gold, with new coach Rogerio Micale returning the smiles to the faces of both players and journalists.
Under his predecessor, Dunga, there was often tension around the camp, but all that seems to have been blown away with last week’s fog as the more gregarious Micale continues to impress with his modern training sessions.
The interest of the locals in Teresopolis has also grown this week. Last Sunday there was a big presence desperate to see their Olympic stars, but come Wednesday the crowd had grown exponentially, both in numbers and voice.
They were the first signs of what the Brazilian football federation (CBF) are hoping will be a period of change, of when the public falls back in love with its national team following the arrival of new senior team coach Tite.
In the final part of their last session prior to Wednesday’s flight to Goiana, the waiting public were invited in to a chorus of chants for stars Neymar and Gabigol, who took the time and meet and greet the fans and pose for selfies.
That session saw no changes to the first team aside from the absence of veteran goalkeeper Fernando Prass, who is recovering from a knock and so was replaced by Ulsion.
First-team from training this week:
The alternative formation has seen Gremio’s Luan come in to replace Lazio’s Felipe Anderson in a shit from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-4, with suggestions that Micale could utilise this ‘plan B’ against opponents who will defend deep in an attempt to stifle the hosts in Rio.
The final session ended with a penalty shootout between Gabriel Jesus and Gabigol. After ten days in Teresopolis, the delegation moved on to Goiania where the final member of the squad, Renato Augusto, is set to join the group.
But Granja Comary hopes it has not seen the last of Brazil’s Olympians. A first-place finish in Group A and a safe route the semi-final would see the team return to Rio.
Overall, the Selecao Olimpica’s stay in Granja Comary is certainly looking like time well spent and a success in every department: tactical, technical, building team spirit, and, perhaps most importantly, reconnecting with the fans.
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- Goal