Is Brazil Best Utilizing Ronaldinho?

[Iplayboard]

In the World Cup pool that I am in I picked Ronaldinho to be the Golden Boot winner (0 goals). He also went off as the oddsmakers' favorite (7-1).

However after watching Brazil's first 4 games I believe the role that Brazil has him playing makes him unlikely to get many goals. They have him playing as almost a withdrawn midfielder behind two strikers. He has had a few opportunities (like the one Cafu should have fed him) but not many. In contrast Ronaldinho's club team plays him as a second striker, and in my opinion gives him much more of opportunity to freelance. Ronaldino is most effective when he isn't playing a defined role and when he has more space to create.

While he isn't playing out of this world, Ronaldino is still having a good tournament in this role: setting up his teammates and playing deadly balls to Ronaldo and Adriano over the top of the defense. Also, part of the problem is that Brazil is loaded with so many stars up front that dropping Ronaldinho back into the mid-field might be the only good way to get all of the them onto the field.

That being said, what is the best way for Brazil to take advantage of the most dynamic player on the planet?

[Fallen Hero]

Ronaldinho is playing way below his potential, as are almost all stars in this competition, now that's a good motive for a thread, WC schedulling and what to do to improve it.

Brazil has to use two strikers, Barça doesn't. Ronaldinho is not in the WC to be a goal scorer.

[PITTM]

im pretty sure barca plays him in a very similar role. however, barca has 1 striker(eto'o) while brazil starts 2(ronaldo/adriano) making less space for ronaldinho. i suspect we;ll see more from him, but late last game he had a few wide open runs, the ballhandler just missed him completely. it would be fun if brazil just went crazy attacking and used him as a straight up third striker.

rj

[bottomset]

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im pretty sure barca plays him in a very similar role. however, barca has 1 striker(eto'o) while brazil starts 2(ronaldo/adriano) making less space for ronaldinho. i suspect we;ll see more from him, but late last game he had a few wide open runs, the ballhandler just missed him completely. it would be fun if brazil just went crazy attacking and used him as a straight up third striker.

rj

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that would be a lot of fun to watch

[MCS]

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He also went off as the oddsmakers' favorite (7-1).

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I don't think he did on Pinnacle. I think it was Ronaldo at about 11-1.

[kyleb]

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im pretty sure barca plays him in a very similar role. however, barca has 1 striker(eto'o) while brazil starts 2(ronaldo/adriano) making less space for ronaldinho. i suspect we;ll see more from him, but late last game he had a few wide open runs, the ballhandler just missed him completely. it would be fun if brazil just went crazy attacking and used him as a straight up third striker.

rj

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This would be cool to watch, but Ronaldinho is extremely valuable on defense, which is why they probably play him in midfield.

It's tough to analyze players from a defensive point of view since everyone likes goals, but if you really just watch the game for the purposes of strategy and take it from a defensive point of view, you can tell that Ronaldinho is a key part of the Brazilian counterattack/defense unit.

[The once and future king]

Chelsea has arguably one of the best central defensive units of any club in the world.

Never the less when Ronaldinho was able to run directly at it, he caused it countless problems and was on occasion un playable.

As a defender I would much rather spend an 90 minutes dealing with lord of the pies than Ronaldinho.

[Fallen Hero]

Ronaldinho doesn't play at a true 10 position in Barça, he plays as a left midfielder (obviously with a ton of freedom). Deco is the 10 at Barça.

[gusmahler]

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Ronaldinho doesn't play at a true 10 position in Barça, he plays as a left midfielder (obviously with a ton of freedom). Deco is the 10 at Barça.

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What does it mean to "play a 10 position"? I realize that soccer position numbers are sometimes numbered, much as basketball positions are numbered (PG = 1, etc.). But what do the soccer numbers stand for?

[Iplayboard]

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He also went off as the oddsmakers' favorite (7-1).

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I don't think he did on Pinnacle. I think it was Ronaldo at about 11-1.

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At bodog he was 7-1. He started out much higher but his odds dropped a ton after the Champions League.