The cat probably came out during the pigeon dance. At the World Cup in Qatar, Brazil’s most recent celebration of its goals, sparked by forward Richarlison, has become a topic of conversation. It has been alleged to be discourteous toward adversaries. The cat then appeared; a random incident that ended up being the highlight of Vinicius Jr.’s press conference on Wednesday night. The efforts of the Brazilian media officer to clear the air then attracted more attention.
At Brazil’s Thursday press conference, which was packed to the brim, their coach Tite was even asked about the cat’s condition on the eve of their quarterfinal match against Croatia. It was an odd question before a crucial World Cup game, but wingback Danilo also asked about a possible final matchup with Morocco, the Arab team that has done more than expected to become the first Arab team to reach the last eight.
Danilo, who was once derided by Brazil for his lack of attacking qualities but was not appreciated for his defensive solidity under Tite, stated, “The focus is on Croatia right now.” We are unable to concentrate on anything but the game because of the intense competition here.
However, the pigeon dance remains a focus-grabbing performance. On Thursday, Tite defended his decision to join Richarlison in imitating a pigeon after he scored in their 4-1 elimination of South Korea in the last-16. He said that joining his young players in their celebratory actions helps him build a connection with them.
Tite stated, “I’m 61 and I work with players who are 22 or 23.” It’s possible that they’re my grandchildren. I will continue dancing with them if it is necessary for me to connect with them. The same will be repeated.
Tite, the second coach in Brazil’s history to retain his position despite failing to win a World Cup, has made it essential to cultivate this connection. Tite is still here, aiming to end a two-decade wait for the title that Brazilians believe is always theirs to win, despite Brazil’s quarterfinal exit four years ago in Russia.
Croatia, their adversary, has also retained the same coach from Russia. Zlatko Dalic was in charge of Croatia’s memorable run, which saw them reach the final for the first time in history before losing to France in Moscow.
During Croatia’s news conference on Thursday, Dalic was also asked about the Brazilian celebration because the pigeon dance was a big topic of conversation. He stated, “They have the right to celebrate in their own way.” Naturally, I wouldn’t want my players to dance that way, but that may be due to cultural differences.
However, Brazil’s dance moves only come on when they are fully engaged, so it is unclear whether they would celebrate similarly if they were chasing the game.
ZERO PUSHERS
Brazil felt less pressure after their second-string team lost to Cameroon in their final group match thanks to their victory over the Koreans. However, Croatia’s battle-tested team will not be complacent and will be ready to go all out to win games.
They beat Japan in a penalty shootout in their first World Cup knockout match. They enjoy it, sucking their opponents’ energy before crushing them to submission. Except for the final, all knockout matches in Russia lasted longer than 90 minutes.
Danilo made the admission that, “in terms of players, they have excellent players in Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, and Ivan Perisic.” We will need to perform at our highest level for this match. While seated alongside Danilo and Tite, assistant coach Cleber Xavier mentioned that Croatia had “players with high technical skills.” We admire their character and perseverance,” he added.
Croatia captain Modric, who is 37 years old, is still important for Dalic’s team. He and Neymar, Brazil’s star, are set for an intriguing matchup on Thursday. Vinicius, Modric’s Real Madrid teammate, will also be around.
At the news conference, Modric, who was seated next to Dalic, stated to reporters, “I will try to help out my team-mates by advising them on how we can stop Vinicius who is a quality player.” Dalic concurred.
A day sooner, Vinicius talked about Modric and his capacity to impact matches in spite of his propelling years.
“It is always very challenging to play against players of such quality, and Modric has always and continues to teach me a lot every day. I’m glad to play him, and may the best man prevail.
He also spoke highly of his hero, Neymar.
Vinicius stated, “He takes the pressure off of all the young players and takes it upon himself.”
PAST PRESSURE
Neymar is under a lot of pressure to perform, especially given that Brazil did not make it past this stage in Russia and that there is widespread belief that the current team is ready for success.
Despite the fact that Croatia has undergone a transformation since their last campaign four years ago, they have only lost one World Cup game in 11 under Dalic; the final, which was against France.
Dalic declared, “I believe the match ahead of us would be the most amazing one.” It’s comparable to the World Cup final against France. We’ve been playing well, and we’ll try to win tomorrow. I wish such a game had come for us later in the tournament.
