By Robbie Blakeley, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Luiz Felipe Scolari has been relieved of his duties as coach of the Brazilian national side following the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Seleção could only manage a fourth placed finish, and in their final two games, against Germany and Holland, conceded ten goals, the worst ever defensive showing by a side in the final four of a World Cup.
Felipão was at the helm of the Brazilian ship for a little over eighteen months. In that time he changed the team’s shape and lifted the Confederations Cup last June, but ultimately became undone when it mattered.
His mission upon arrival was simple; lift the World Cup on home soil. However Brazil failed to play the kind of football that had seen them win nine successive friendlies prior to the tournament, and, short of Thiago Silva and Neymar in the semi-final clash against Germany, capitulated.
On paper, Scolari’s second spell as Brazil coach stands as such. In 29 games there were nineteen victories, six draws and four defeats. In the seven games Brazil played at the World Cup they won three, drew two and lost two. But the manner of the losses to European heavyweights ultimately cost Scolari his job.
Reports in the Brazilian press suggest Scolari offered his resignation following the Seleção’s 3-0 defeat to Holland on Saturday in the third place play-off. The Brazilian Football Confederation accepted his offer yesterday and the search for a new national coach now begins, with former Corinthians boss Tite one of the front-runners, as reported last week.
The next objective for Brazil is the 2015 Copa America, to be played in Chile. Following that, the Olympic Games in 2016 are to be held in Rio de Janeiro, and is the only major football title the Seleção has never won. The next World Cup, in 2018, will be in Russia, and the task of winning the biggest prize in the game will be the underlining task of the new manager.
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