Gilberto yesterday played in Panathinaikos’ away defeat against Olyimpiacos. Goal.com has a match report: http://goal.com/en/news/117/greece/2009/11/29/1655727/olympiacos-2-0-panathinaikos-mitroglou-double-takes-thrylos
The only reference to Gilberto is that he was part of a three man midfield.
DUNGA was always a different kind of Brazilian midfield player, one praised more for his workrate than for his class, and the team that he now manages plays the game that he once played. They are a good side with a great attitude, a skilful team with an admirable work ethic and they will be one of the big teams at next year’s World Cup. And yet this is a Brazil that the biggest guns, and England’s first XI, will respect rather than fear.
Because of the emphasis given to organisation and defensive solidity, Gilberto Silva is Dunga’s on-field general and though the former Arsenal midfielder protected his back four and used the ball economically last evening, there were times when he struggled with the pace of the game. How he will cope with a World Cup tournament and a succession of tough games remains a moot point.
We should note that Brazil are not impregnable. Gilberto Silva is ageing and there is no obvious stand-in for Fabiano should he lose form or fitness. But they look formidable. And we have not even got round to mentioning Kaká.
And from The Guardian (and The Telegraph):
Brazil’s Gilberto Silva surprised at England’s poor display in Doha
The veteran Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva has admitted to being surprised by England’s sloppiness in possession as Fabio Capello’s team slipped to defeat at the Khalifa International Stadium, and suggested the five-times World Cup winners were always “comfortable and confident” in securing their victory.
A wonderfully crafted goal from Nilmar just after half-time secured the South Americans’ success, with LuÃs Fabiano subsequently missing a penalty that would have added gloss to the win. Brazil’s dominance was rarely threatened, Wayne Rooney forcing Júlio César into making his first save some 12 minutes from time, with Dunga’s side buoyed by the slickness of their performance.
“We were comfortable and confident to play,” said Gilberto. “We kept the ball, passed and moved, controlled the pace of the game – sometimes slow, sometimes quick – and created some chances. I suppose, psychologically, it was good to win. We got to see a bit how England play, and we can learn from that. This was an important step in our preparations for South Africa.”
Asked if he was surprised at how often an admittedly under-strength England had given the ball away, the former Arsenal midfielder added: “Yes, yes. To be honest, I was. They usually take advantage when they have the ball, but at some moments they gave it away quite easily. Maybe they felt the heat a bit – it was quite hot out there – but it was also down to us. We positioned ourselves very well and didn’t give them many chances. [The head coach] Dunga had said that, if you give them chances to play, they will create opportunities.
“They, like us, will want to improve. They were missing some important players in this game and, when they come back, they will have a stronger squad. They still had quality players who could have made the difference if we didn’t defend well. Rooney has improved since I was playing in England – he’s more mature, he’s got more experience – but not only him. Other players out there, too.
“But we were not caught. Now we have two more games before the World Cup and we are not satisfied yet. We want to improve more game by game and make sure we go to South Africa in the best possible form.”
Brazil coach Dunga has insisted winning is more important than playing flair football and revealed his admiration for the English game ahead of Saturday’s friendly with England in Doha.
Former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva admitted there had been a rethink about the way Brazil play after the 2006 World Cup.
He said: “The strength of this team is the unity and desire from everyone to win things. After the World Cup we were very heavily criticised and we learned from that, especially the things we did not do right. We had to review everything and start from zero and now we can say the team looks strong, but we are always up to learn things and make things better and better day by day.
“It is not a fantasy team. Everyone knows if you don’t do the (basic) things right, everything starts against us. We are always realistic now in this group and try to achieve things and will work very hard to do that.
“You can see from the results since after the World Cup, they have shown what we always look for even if sometimes not everything goes right. All of us enjoy being in this squad but we also know our responsibility to do even better and reach a better level than we are at now.”
Gilberto believes England will pose a stiff challenge despite failing to beat Brazil since 1990.
He said: “We know they have a lot of quality. That is why they are in very good shape and Fabio Capello is doing a great job with them.”
From the worst newspaper in the world
Brazil team-mate and ex-Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva has told the unsettled Samba star he needs to embrace English culture to fully enjoy the Premier League.
Midfielder Gilberto, 33, was a Gunner for six years and now plays for Panathinaikos in Greece.
He said: “The biggest advice I can give Robinho to adapt to England is to learn the language.
“That is one of the most important things. It opens up so many more opportunities.
“Then learn how the game works there. I think he’s learned that and I think his English has improved. We do speak.
“Kaka is another Brazilian who speaks English and we all speak together in English sometimes. We even do it in a fun way.”
Gilberto added: “In the last few weeks, Robinho’s been receiving treatment for his injury.
“He’s concerned because he wants to play for City and for Brazil but he looks all right now.
“Of course, when these kind of rumours come out – are you going to stay, are you going to leave – the player tries not to get involved and to avoid this conversation.
“If people interpret comments, it can turn another way. So we are avoiding this topic.”
Greek League: Katsouranis Could Overtake Gilberto Silva in Ranking of Midfielders
Panathinaikos’ Konstantinos Katsouranis (pictured right) will be in a position to topple Brazilian Teammate Gilberto Silva as the #1 in the FTBL ranking of midfielders in the Greek top league when the Greeks take on Ukraine in World Cup 2010 playoffs in the coming days.
In the two playoff games, Katsouranis, who has an overall FTBL score of 76.22 points at the moment, will face planks of 4 and 14 rating points, respectively. That means he should be in a position to at least catch up with Gilberto Silva (84.4 points) after the first game.
In addition, the # 3 in the ranking, Giorgios Karagounis (57.67 points), also of Panathinaikos, will likewise be in a position to close the gap with Katsouranis: he will go into the matches with lower planks of 1.8 and 7.9 points to beat.
From Tim Vickery’s excellent column for the BBC.
He’s having a go at Gilberto still! Good to know some things never change. Here’s the reprinted article:
Brazil coach Dunga is fiercely loyal to his group of players – which is hardly surprising.
When he was appointed after the last World Cup, this novice coach was widely seen as a short-term solution, a poor man’s Luiz Felipe Scolari keeping the seat warm while the real thing was unavailable.
Instead of which, Dunga and his band of men have, bar last year’s Olympics, won everything in their path – they have claimed the Copa America, Confederations Cup and finished top of South America’s World Cup qualification table.
Dunga, then, stands by those who have stood by him – none more so than Gilberto Silva. The more his central midfielder is criticised, the more firmly his name is written on the team-sheet.
Arsenal, he said a few months back, have become a ‘timeco’ since they let Gilberto Silva go.
It is not a word that lends itself to an easy translation, but it is not at all complementary – it means a small, insignificant, rubbish team – and hardly seems an appropriate term for the dash and fluency of Arsene Wenger’s side. Surely this is taking loyalty too far.
Gilberto Silva is a player with many virtues – and can point to a truckload of titles to back them up. He is also by all accounts an excellent dressing room influence, the kind of person who naturally puts team above self. And the fact that he was willing to accept responsibility to take Arsenal’s penalties speaks well for his strength of character.
One of the great things about football – a key part in the game’s global success – is that in can be interpreted in different ways. We can all have our own preferences for certain styles and approaches.
And, for what it’s worth, I find it somewhat depressing that Gilberto Silva stands by to represent Brazil in central midfield for the 84th time against England this weekend.
One of my most enriching experiences was to talk football with the late Zizinho, Pele’s idol and the star player from the 1950 World Cup. Having played through a period of intense tactical development in Brazilian football, he was obsessed with different formations. In 1985, he published an autobiography.
The last words were as follows. In Brazil, he argued, “the cabeca-de-area [midfielder who sits in front of the centre backs], a man who can control 70% of his team’s possession, has now been given the specific function of destroying, when it should be to set up the play.”
I’m with Zizinho on this one. Effectively, centre backs have often been played in front of the centre backs – a trend which has reached its logical conclusion with Gilberto Silva, originally a centre back, enjoying such a long international career in midfield.
It is because of this development that Brazil are no longer as attractive to watch. They can still count on fabulous individual skill. But with guard dogs in place of artists in such a key position, their game seldom flows as sweetly as it used to when Clodoaldo, Falcao or Toninho Cerezo set the moves in motion.
The other side, though, has a very powerful argument in its favour. Brazil went 24 years without winning the World Cup. The titles, at all levels, started piling up once more when they closed down the centre of the pitch.
The physical development of the game, it is argued, mean that it is no longer possible to waltz through the middle of the field as the 1970 team did when becoming the best in the world – and the 1982 side did while losing it.
It is a respectable line of thought. Dunga has even gone as far to suggest that calls for Brazil to return to a more traditional approach are part of a European plot to ensure that his country stops winning.
But evidence from this year’s youth tournaments suggests that Brazil’s model, so successful over recent years, might be tiring.
In the final of the World Under-20 Cup, Brazil lost on penalties to Ghana, after being unable to break down an opponent that played with 10 men for some 80 minutes. At Under-17 level, the story was far, far worse. The group phase eliminated just six of the 24 teams – Brazil were among them.
Both teams were rich in individual talent. The Under-17s were widely seen as Brazil’s most promising team at the level for some time. Both, though, filled central midfield with proto-Gilberto Silva figures – giant, dogged, limited, holding the fort to free the full-backs and unable to contribute anything imaginative to the build-up.
This, of course, is the principal criticism levelled at Gilberto Silva – his passes are usually slow and to the side. At 33, though, the defensive side of his game may have lost something.
It is fascinating that Wenger chose to get rid of him so early. Part of this, I would imagine, is that once Fabregas became the king of the midfield another partner was needed – and Silva lacks the pass and move game to accompany him. But also – and I would love a response on this from Arsenal fans – I wonder if the change of home ground had anything to do with it.
The Emirates pitch is much bigger than Highbury, and maybe Wenger came to the conclusion that the Brazilian was no longer mobile enough to cover it. If there have been times over the last few years when Arsenal have looked like a ‘timeco’, it would probably be when Gilberto was on the field in his final season with the club.
Of course, at that point the veteran was hampered by a lack of regular first-team action.
He is a better player than he looked in some of those final games for Arsenal. And Brazil don’t have a Fabregas for him to accompany. Indeed, as they look to launch the counter-attack, they often sit so deep that there is little room between him and the centre backs, and consequently less space for him to cover.
With his experience, defensive awareness and personal qualities, Gilberto Silva remains an important part of Dunga’s Brazil. Player and coach have picked up titles together, but the real test is coming in South Africa next year.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Loukas Vyntra and Djibril Cisse scored Sunday for Panathinaikos to win 2-0 at Levadiakos and take the outright lead in the Greek league.
Panathinaikos broke the deadlock in the 66th, when Vyntra headed in a corner taken by Sotiris Ninis. Cisse made it 2-0 in the 80th from a cross by Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva to score his seventh goal of the season.
Panathinaikos has 28 points, two more than defending champion Olympiakos, which drew 1-1 at home with Iraklis on Saturday.
Also Sunday, it was: Asteras 3, Giannena 0; Atromitos 0, Ergotelis 0 and Xanthi 1, Panionios 2.
Seeking a win in order to take advantage of Olympiakos’ draw, Panathinaikos attacked from the kickoff and squandered a major chance when a shot by Cisse in the fifth minute hit the post.
The France striker, who moved to Panathinaikos this season from Marseilles, had another scoring opportunity in the 22nd when he shot wide from the six-meter (yard) area.
Levadiakos, struggling to avoid relegation, defended stoutly but failed to create much in attack. The hosts’ best chance came in the 74th, when a blistering shot by Stefano Napoleoni forced goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas to palm the ball over the crossbar.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Loukas Vyntra and Djibril Cisse scored Sunday for Panathinaikos to win 2-0 at Levadiakos and take the outright lead in the Greek league.
Panathinaikos broke the deadlock in the 66th, when Vyntra headed in a corner taken by Sotiris Ninis. Cisse made it 2-0 in the 80th from a cross by Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva to score his seventh goal of the season.
Panathinaikos has 28 points, two more than defending champion Olympiakos, which drew 1-1 at home with Iraklis on Saturday.
Also Sunday, it was: Asteras 3, Giannena 0; Atromitos 0, Ergotelis 0 and Xanthi 1, Panionios 2.
Seeking a win in order to take advantage of Olympiakos’ draw, Panathinaikos attacked from the kickoff and squandered a major chance when a shot by Cisse in the fifth minute hit the post.
The France striker, who moved to Panathinaikos this season from Marseilles, had another scoring opportunity in the 22nd when he shot wide from the six-meter (yard) area.
Levadiakos, struggling to avoid relegation, defended stoutly but failed to create much in attack. The hosts’ best chance came in the 74th, when a blistering shot by Stefano Napoleoni forced goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas to palm the ball over the crossbar.
Brazil: a potent mix of silk and steel
Once again the tournament favourites, the rejuvenated South American side combines enormous flair with pragmatism“It is a team in which everyone is fighting for each other,†explains Gilberto. “A team that will never give up. Just look at the Confederations Cup. You see the final against the USA — we had quite an easy game against them in the first stage and the final was really hard. But we turned the situation around because everyone fought. We have a quality and play with real intelligence.â€
It was an abrasive, high-risk strategy, so when the 2007 Copa America was won without the required degree of élan and the Olympic side collected only bronze, Dunga’s detractors demanded his sacking. “For any manager, it was not going to be easy to build up a team after the big depression of 2006,†says Gilberto. “When he took charge there were so many people who did not believe in him — in the press, among other managers. Even though we won the Copa America the criticism was there, and many people on the outside were not optimistic about what we could achieve.â€
On the inside, though, Dunga’s methods impressed. He offered every player an equal opportunity, easing their passage into the squad, shielding them from external criticism and promising they would be retained if they performed. “He’s been very fair, honest with everyone and he’s a very simple guy to work with,†says Gilberto. “We have a nice person who supports us, who takes the pressure from us, but we know on the pitch we have to give something back in compensation.â€
Gilberto has become a symbol of the Dunga era. Prematurely cast aside by Arsène Wenger during Arsenal’s 2007-08 League season, the holding midfielder bore heavy criticism as Brazil’s World Cup qualifying campaign stuttered in 2008. How, his detractors asked, could a player be first choice for Brazil when he wasn’t playing for his club side?
Clearly, what the team needed was more imagination in the middle of the park. Dunga suffered similarly after Brazil’s early exit from the 1990 World Cup and refused to buckle. Gilberto accepted a transfer to Panathinaikos, principally to sustain his international career. “I really thank him for the trust,†says the 33-year-old from his villa overlooking the Athenian coastline. “I missed a lot of games, but I think me and him have something in common as players. We’ve both been heavily criticised because we do a kind of job that people don’t understand is very important for the team. We are like the middle of the engine, but they think that because you play for Brazil you must do tricks like Robinho, go past players like Kaka, score like Luis Fabiano. What really matters is when the manager trusts in what you can provide for the team — as a person and a professional.â€
When the yellow-clad engine warms up against England on Saturday, it will present a subtly different tone. Dunga’s Brazil are a big, physical side, defending in the European style from front-to-back. They score frequently on the counterattack yet have not forsaken Brazil’s traditional game.
“We have a mixture of many things,†argues Gilberto. “Maybe a few years ago Brazil were well known for keeping the ball, for possession, nice tricks. We still play this way but now we can change our style during the game. We can keep the ball, then suddenly we change for the counterattack. It’s almost like a killer instinct — we’ve got a chance, we score a goal.
“What’s important now is to keep our focus on a very high level. In 2006 nobody said we would not reach the final. I don’t know if we believed that, but maybe we relaxed a bit. We don’t want to let this situation develop in the group. If we lose focus we are in danger again. It’s what we are working to avoid.†Hold the front page. It’s Brazil who are in for the kill.
SK Sturm Graz v Panathinaikos
Kostas Katsouranis’ goal earned Panathinaikos a 1-0 victory over Sturm Graz to move them within touching distance of a place in the last 32 of the Europa League.
Sturm continued to find life difficult as the half wore on and goalkeeper Christian Gratzei had his palms warmed by a cross-shot from Gilberto Silva after 27 minutes.