Brazil's speed and steel may be a winning, if

not beautiful, combination

Brazil may well claim the World Cup in South Africa, but it would be a sight easier to do so
with Ronaldinho or Diego in the party

In their last friendly before the World Cup, Brazil danced and dazzled as they inflicted the
Republic of Ireland's heaviest ever defeat. It was 7-0 and would have been even gorier for the
Irish if the syndicate of South American sorcerers had not eased off long before the final
whistle.

That was not this evening, obviously. It was an era that seems even more ancient after this
event at the Emirates – in May 1982, to be precise, a month before Telê Santana's magicians
enchanted the whole planet with performances so beguiling that even now they are hailed as
the best team not to win the World Cup. Dunga's Brazil are unlikely to be remembered with
so much affection. But they may become world champions.

Tonight, in their last friendly before the World Cup, Brazil's current manager again showed
that his vision of the game is not so much beautiful as ruggedly handsome. The comparison
that has been made between him and Santana's predecessor, Cláudio Coutinho – the army
captain-turned-manager who omitted Falcão from the 1978 World Cup squad and for the
crunch game against Argentina replaced Zico with a clogger called Chicão – is unfair.

Dunga may seem intent on travelling to South Africa without creators such as Ronaldinho,
Diego or Pato, but that does not mean Brazil are a defence-first side – just that they tend to
attack in swift bursts rather than waves.

Reliance on Kaká has been identified as a weakness – what if he gets injured, wail the critics,
or loses form to the extent that he can be stifled by Keith Andrews and Glenn Whelan, as he
was in the early stages tonight? Dunga believes he knows the answer to that, as you would
expect from the captain of the 1994 team that won the World Cup despite the fact that their
supposed orchestrator in chief, Raí, went off the boil during the tournament.

Then, as now, steel in the centre and speed on the flanks make Brazil difficult to penetrate,
and rapid to counter. Before Kaká emerged as a delicious force to help conjure that sublime
second goal, Brazil's best chances, and their opening goal, were born of speed rather than
imagination. Same as their successful conquests under Dunga of the Copa América and the
Confederations Cup, in fact.

But whether that will be enough to beat Spain, for one, is far from certain. Dani Alves thrilled
when he came on in midfield, and perhaps that represents an evolution towards adventure.
Even so it is difficult to credit that Brazil's chances in the summer would not be enhanced by
having Ronaldinho or Diego on the bench at least.

Some say Dunga bears a grudge against Ronaldinho, and has done ever since, as a 36-year-old
and winding down his career at Internacional, he was humiliated by a certain buck-toothed
19-year-old thus. But that clip – along with hundreds of others that could be produced –
shows precisely why Ronaldinho should be embraced rather than excluded.
Paul Doyle Tuesday 2 March 2010 guardian