Brazil fall completes South American rout at World Cup. But why this trend?

A large number of fans all over the world have been historically divided between Europe and South America ever since the inception of Fifa World Cup. Argentina and Brazil have always been the powerhouse of football with a host of international stars in top leagues of the world. They still possess the individual brilliance with the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, Suarez and Cavani.

However, in the quarterfinals of Fifa World Cup 2018, all the South American teams are out.

So what went wrong in this World Cup? Here are some of the reasons:

Age limit

An important characteristic in this year's world cup has been the age limit. The teams who have done well have a low average age. France and England have an average age of 26. The lowest in World Cup after Nigeria (25.9). Argentina and Mexico had relatively old squads in the tournament with the average age being 29.3 and 29.4, respectively. Brazil have an average age of 28.1 and Uruguay's average age is 28.1.

Talent over team play

Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay had all the big names. Neymar, Messi, Cavani, Coutinho and Suarez. But, as evident in the matches, they lacked a proper team play. In many parts of the matches being played by Argentina and Brazil, they were attacking in pockets with lone wingers and a striker up front without much build-up play from the midfield. This was easily picked up by the defenders. Although, there were moments of individual magic. The long goal shot from Coutinho against Switzerland, Neymar's trickery and Di Maria's strike against France. But, World Cups are not won by individual brilliance.

The flaw in the plan

Most of the teams who resort to possession football have struggled in this year's World Cup. Argentina and Brazil had both more possession in the games they got eliminated. Brazil had 59% possession against Belgium with 521 passes as compared to Belgium's 374 and Argentina had 61% against France with 512 passes as compared to 344 for France. The lack of a different approach in their gameplay was missing as compared to the teams who have performed well in the tournament so far like Belgium.
 

Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay have won 9 World Cups together for the South American contingent but they have not won a World Cup since Brazil in 2002. Only Argentina have reached the final ever since in the 2014 edition. The teams from South America need introspection in their approach to gameplay and should neglect the over-dependence on solo players in big tournaments.