What a season Brasileirao 2008 is. Six rounds to go, after 32 games, two clubs are tied topping the league with 59 points (Gremio and back-to-back title holder Sao Paulo). Two other clubs, Cruzeiro and Palmeiras (both with Italian background) are in the Libertadores qualifying zone with 58. And we still have Flamengo, most popular club in the country, with 56 chasing the leaders.

Sao Paulo is in its way up. They were not between the top four a couple of rounds ago but it is notorious their power near the end of the season since Brasileirao is not played with Playoffs finals, but only regular season (they won two out of five and qualified for every Libertadores since then).

But if I had to put some money, I would say Cruzeiro is strong enough to beat Sao Paulo this time. They have a very good and well coached team, everybody knows exactly what they have to do on the field. In the field, they have everything Sao Paulo has and a plus. Three in fact. They have three very  good players. Players that are probably doing their farewell season in Brazil.

Wagner is the brain. A spectacular midfielder that reads the game and always find the best option. Ramires is the lung. He runs like Usain Bolt and is everywhere. He is a defensive midfielder but got the talent and the skill to run with the ball and pass it. Finally, they have Guilherme. Fast and furious Aguero-Romario style. Kind of player born to score and do the difference in small areas.

I don`t believe Palmeiras, Gremio and Flamengo got a chance to win. But they are three of the most winners in the whole history of Brazil and South-America. Together they have two Fifa World Championship, four Libertadores ands more than ten Brasileirao titles.

I have a clue. But I would never guess.

It is not only about another cliche that the fans can make the difference.

Flamengo, the most popular Brazilian team according to the last survery (14% of the country), was ranked 19 in the current Brazilian Championship (Brasileirao) after the end of the first half of the tournament.

It is true that the team had 4 games yet to play due to the Pan 2007, cause Maracana remained focused in the competition during those days. After that, Flamengo had 17 games home. They won 13, tied 3 and lost just one. The results put the team into the third place of the tournament just one round to go. Better than that, Flamengo is already one of the 4 teams to make Libertadores 2008.

The crowd was amazing during that come-from-behind. Game after game, the team set news records of attendence. Numbers that could be compared to the Premiership or the Bundesliga. In the last 6 games home, at Maracanain Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo had more than 60.000 people watching. Last Sunday's game, against Atletico Paranaense, 2 x 0, was attended by 87.000 expectators.

Here some videos about this madness created between Flamengo and its crowd during the tournament that led a not-so-good-team into the final three. The crowd is of the most creatives, starting songs that usually are used by other teams in the country. Feel it.

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This Saturday the National Brazilian League, Brasileirão, kicks off.

Of course our best players are in Europe.

Certainly our managers suck.

Definitely our fans are not really well treated.

But nowhere else in the world a championship is so difficult to win.

2007 Brasileirão, like every year, starts with, at least, 12 teams with real chances to win it.

I am not talking surprising results. I am talking about major and favorite teams.

It is not by accident that in 37 years in the so called Brasileirão, 17 teams were already Champions.

The greatest winner, Flamengo, have only 5 titles, the same number Real Madrid can have in a single decade in the Spanish League.

In 2007, including the polemic title of Sport Recife in 1987, 14 of the 20 clubs in first division already won a title.

Brasileirão is always unpredictable. There are no Liverpool/Manuted/Arsenal/Chelsea. There are no Real Madrid/Barcelona. There are no Milan/Inter/Juve. No Boca/River domination! 

By the way, the Brasileirão will be played by the following teams:

América-RN
Atlético-MG - 1 title
Atlético-PR - 1 title
Botafogo - 1 title
Corinthians - 4 titles
Cruzeiro - 1 title
Figueirense 
Flamengo - 5 titles
Fluminense - 1 title
Grêmio - 2 titles
Internacional - 3 titles
Juventude
Náutico
Palmeiras - 4 titles
Paraná
Santos - 2 titles
São Paulo - 4 titles (defending champion)
Sport - 1 title (recognized by CBF, but polemic)
Vasco - 4 titles

Four last places are relegated to Serie B, top four plays 2008 Libertadores.  

Teams play all against each other both home and away.

 

Brazilian clubs seems to be motivated to keep the title of Copa Libertadores in the country. After 8 games in 1st and 2nd rounds, they have 5 wins (four as visitors) and three ties. Last night, Gremio beat Cerro Porteño at Paraguay for 1 x 0. The Gaucho Team has now 7 games with 7 wins this season (including State Championship) and their defense line didn't suffer any goals until know.

Parana Clube also won their game at Maracaibo (venue for Copa America's next final match) by 2 x 4 against the local Maracaibo team. The club plays the Libertadores for the first time and has already 2 wins (both away) and 1 tie in the competition.

São Paulo and Flamengo tied games away against Audax Italiano from Chile (0 x 0) and Real Potosi (at 4000 meters high by 2 x 2).

Santos, who won both two games in the 1st round includin a 5 x 0 at home, will debut next week at the 2nd stage against Deportivo Pasto (COL) as well as Internacional, title holders, will face Nacional from Uruguay, both away.

10 - A bela camisa preta do Athletic Bilbao;

9 - O Ba-Vi 1 x 1, o Atletiba 2 x 2 e Flamengo x Botafogo 3 x 3;

8 - O Galo acabando com a banca do Cruzeiro já no primeiro clássico em ano de volta à Primeira Divisão;

7 - Grêmio com seis vitórias em seis jogos no Gauchão;

6 - A Inter de Milão fazendo 15 vitórias seguidas com um belo gol de Adriano (ver gol aqui);

5 - Ronaldinho marcando os dois gols da vitória do Barcelona, mais líder do que nunca;

4 - Ronaldo voltou/estreou razoavelmente bem. Deu três chutes a gol, movimentou-se bem mesmo isolado lá na frente com o esquema 4-4-1-1 de Ancelotti após as saídas de Seedorf, Oliveira e Gilardino. Detalhe é a mudança de atitude. O jogador já estreou mais magro, mais contente e com mais vontade (melhores momentos do jogo em em vídeo aqui);

3 - Capello tendo que engolir o Beckham!

2 - O São Paulo com uma superioridade gritante em relação ao Corinthians. Os jogadores parecem mais fortes, mais rápidos e com a cabeça mais no lugar. Se o time do Morumbi aliasse a sua força um pouco mais de inspiração (Aloísio foi o mais habilidoso na partida para se ter uma idéia) é provável que goleasse o rival. Fora o olé;

1 - Romário marca três gols, sendo nenhum de pênalti. Independente de sua lista furada de 1000 gols, não é para qualquer um. O Baixinho sabe tudo dentro da área;

Bonus - E que venha a semana de Libertadores!

This is good for the football in Argentina that has just lost players like Gago, Higuain and Gallardo bet even better for the tournament.

Here some of the player to watch during the competition (I swear I will work in better profiles later). I just got the Brazilian and Argentinean’s ones for the moment, although the Mexican are also strong forces this year as usual. Some of them are well known as you can see.

Alexandre Pato (Internacional)
Dinélson (Paraná)
Ernesto Farias (River Plate)
Lucas (Grêmio)
Obina (Flamengo)
Riquelme (Boca Juniors)
Rogério Ceni (São Paulo)
Zarate (Vélez Sarsfield)
Zé Roberto (Santos)