SAO PAULO // No coach has led more teams at World Cup finals than Carlos Alberto Parreira.
The Brazilian has taken five countries to international football’s ultimate tournament, but it is the experience he gained at his last outing, in 2010, that is proving especially beneficial this month.
Parreira, 71, led South Africa on home soil in front of an expectant crowd four years ago and while his team became the first host nation to fail to progress through the group, the insight into the added pressure that comes with playing the tournament at home has helped him prepare Brazil this month.
When, in late 2012, Luiz Felipe Scolari was announced as coach and Parreira as technical director, Brazilian media labelled the men as “two sides of a victorious coin”.
Scolari, a winner in 2002; Parreira, a winner in 1970 and 1994. Yet only in South Africa was the pressure on Brazil to win as high as it is on the hosts this month.
“I experienced it in 2010,” Parreira said. “As the home team, the whole country is behind you and supports you, but the whole country also relies on you. You have to be mentally very strong to face the pressure. You have to be prepared, which is what we now are.”
Parreira told his Brazilian players exactly what they should be ready for: inescapable expectancy. Brazil, the country that has won more titles than any other, is always a favourite, but on home soil lifting the trophy is the only form of success.
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“We have to deal with this very well. It is not easy to play at home, but I believe this team is very hungry to be the world champions,” he said.
“They are very motivated to win the World Cup because it is the first time for more than a half a century that we have played it in Brazil. We have to feel privileged and I get the impression they are dealing very well with that.”
The quality of Scolari’s squad has been questioned in recent months. Parreira first worked with Brazil as a fitness coach in 1970, before leading them to their fourth title in 1994 and coaching them to the quarter-finals in 2006. He refuses to draw comparisons with the current squad.
“I have been working with the Brazil national team for a long time. From a 1970 team that included Tostao, Pele, Carlos Alberto and Rivelino to 1994 with Branco, Romario and Bebeto and then 2006 with Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo. I learnt that you do not compare players,” he said.
“OK, we no longer have a Pele, Garrincha, Zico or a Rivelino, but we still have many good players: Neymar, Fred, Paulinho, Marcelo. We play in a different style now because football is different. We have to work hard without the ball, but we still have the technique and are very good at creating chances. We are ready to play a very good World Cup.”
Parreira acknowledges that teams such as Germany, Spain, Argentina and Uruguay could pose a threat to Brazil’s bid for a sixth title, but he said success is the only option.
“We have to say we will win the World Cup. What else can we say? There is no maybe. We have to be very positive. We believe in ourselves, we have the team to do it and the support too,” he said. “We are going to win the World Cup, it is that simple.”
Brazil get the World Cup under way on Thursday when they play Croatia at Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo. They also face Mexico and Cameroon in Group A.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Brighton 1
Gross (50' pen)
Tottenham 1
Kane (48)
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
RESULT
Bayern Munich 0 AC Milan 4
Milan: Kessie (14'), Cutrone (25', 43'), Calhanoglu (85')
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amit%20Joshi%20and%20Aradhana%20Sah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECast%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shahid%20Kapoor%2C%20Kriti%20Sanon%2C%20Dharmendra%2C%20Dimple%20Kapadia%2C%20Rakesh%20Bedi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
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The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
Company%20Profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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MATCH INFO
Serie A
Juventus v Fiorentina, Saturday, 8pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
If you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Chicago from Dh5,215 return including taxes.
The hotels
Recommended hotels include the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in an iconic skyscraper complete with a 1929 Olympic-size swimming pool from US$299 (Dh1,100) per night including taxes, and the Omni Chicago Hotel, an excellent value downtown address with elegant art deco furnishings and an excellent in-house restaurant. Rooms from US$239 (Dh877) per night including taxes.
