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Tim Vickery column
By Tim Vickery
South American football reporter
Read my answers to this week's questions
The secret of defending against Kaka is to slow him down
It pains me to disagree with someone as wise as Pat Nevin, but I'm not the greatest fan of Manchester United and Argentina defender Gabriel Heinze.
For a start (and I suspect that Heinze would agree if pressed) I don't think of him as being a genuine full-back -at least in a side that wants to impose itself on the game.
United badly missed the attacking threat and capacity to hit the bye-line of Patrice Evra in the FA Cup final defeat at Wembley and during the Champions League semi-final defeat in Milan.
And in Heinze's favoured position in the centre of defence, to my mind he falls short of top class - not quite commanding enough in the air, and liable to go to ground too early.
His mauling at the hands of Kaka in the San Siro was not the first time he had come off second best against Brazilian opposition.
He was similarly exposed in a World Cup qualifier three years ago when Argentina lost 3-1 to Brazil, and in the 4-1 defeat in the final of the 2005 Confederations Cup.
But if he is not going to make it into my world 11, Heinze is a good player with a number of virtues.
One of them is his mental strength.
There was a moment in Milan recently that illustrates the point.
Kaka beat Heinze to score at Old Trafford against Man Utd
United were already two goals down, when Kaka picked up possession in the danger zone, with only Heinze between him and the goal.
At this stage in the game, charging towards the United number four, the psychological balance was all with Kaka.
He had every reason to have his tail up, and Heinze could be excused a feeling of despondency.
But Heinze kept his nerve, kept his eye on the ball and produced a textbook tackle of which Bobby Moore would have been proud.
The secret - one on which the Liverpool centre-backs have surely been dwelling - was that Heinze managed to slow Kaka down.
First he put doubts in Kaka's mind, then he came away with the ball.
The Brazilian thrives on defenders diving in and committing themselves.
He is so sharp, and so quick, that if the defender makes an ill-judged lunge for the ball he is away, with no chance of catching him up.
To render Kaka ineffective, Liverpool will hope to stop his supply at source - by getting a grip on Clarence Seedorf
A few years ago the defender had a good chance if he forced Kaka on to his left foot.
But that's not so easy these days.
Great professional that he is, Kaka has been working on his weaker side.
The defender can think he is safe and still be on the end of an unpleasant surprise.
Keeping him quiet for a full 90 (and perhaps 120) minutes is nowadays a supreme test of defensive organisation and technique.
Another Brazil v Argentina contest will be at the heart of the battle in Athens.
Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez will clearly not make the same mistake he made two years ago, when, with no holding midfielder in the first half, his Liverpool side let Kaka run amok.
Mascherano will have a key role in stopping Kaka
On Wednesday night, Kaka can expect to see plenty of Javier Mascherano.
By coincidence, the last time they met was also two years ago, in a World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires.
Argentina won 3-1, and their paths hardly crossed.
Mascherano was more concerned with Ronaldinho, while Juan Pablo Sorin picked up Kaka.
There was plenty for the Argentina defence to worry about. Adriano and Robinho were also part of the Brazil attack.
This is different. Milan are Kaka's team.
Mascherano will take the field focused on rendering him ineffective.
To do so Liverpool will hope to stop his supply at source, mainly by getting a grip on Clarence Seedorf.
They will aim to squeeze Kaka's space to prevent him from building up a head of steam.
But if he does get away and is charging towards goal, then the centre-backs' best bet is to recall that moment during a match which will certainly not be one of Heinze's favourites - their priority should be to slow Kaka down.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Got a question about South American football for Tim Vickery? Email him at vickerycolumn@hotmail.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sweeper role seems to have died out all together in the modern European football game. Has the South American game seen an equal decline?
Rob Devas
Perhaps the final nail in the old-style sweeper role in Europe was England's 5-1 win in Germany a few years back.
Maybe with the crackdown on the sliding tackle it became harder to put pressure on the ball, and easier for the attacking side to slip runners through.
This is less of a problem in South America because defences tend to line up deeper - if the ball is played behind them then the keeper has a chance to collect.
So there is still space for sweepers - especially in Brazil, because the balance of the team is altered by the fact that full backs are seen more as attackers than defenders.
In order to let them fly off down the wing there are several sides which play with a back three.
The man in the middle is free - he's not so much a Beckenbauer- style organiser of the attack from deep - rather he offers defensive cover and is also responsible for stepping up and catching the opponents offside.
This even takes place in sides that play a back four - again, because of the freedom to attack given to the full backs.
It means that the central midfielders take on a more defensive role - often one of them will be a set marker, one of the centre backs will mark and the other centre back will be free.
The role was played wonderfully well last year by Fabiano Eller of Internacional, who organised the line and also was excellent at bringing the ball out.
His sale to Atletico Madrid helps explain why a side which became world club champions in December could not get into South America's top 16 in April.
I've heard a lot of hype around this kid called Renato Augusto. I heard he is the next Kaka. Is he really that good? And if so when is he coming to Europe?
Ehsaan Yaseen
Renato Augusto is a 19 year old attacking midfielder with Flamengo in Rio - he is indeed a young man of great promise.
He reminds me more of a young right footed version of Rivaldo than Kaka - similar build and somewhat awkward gait.
He's making very good progress - and the encouraging thing is that you can see progress in his weaker areas - he seems to be lasting the games better, his left foot is improving, and his finishing, which was a real weak point, is also making strides.
Flamengo have him on a long term contract and will be reluctant to part with him for a while - he taps right into their tradition.
Historically they are known for producing players.
The cupboard has been a bit bare for a while, but he's a home-produced Number 10, like Zico.
So he can be a symbol of the club, and Flamengo, for a while at least, may well try to build their precarious finances around retaining him.
There's one big problem he has to overcome - hopefully before he makes the eventual inevitable move to Europe.
Like many home-based Brazilian players, he has a tendency to go down all the time looking for a foul.
He needs to get this out of his system.
In Europe he will not be awarded the free-kicks he is accustomed to getting in Brazil.
By Tim Vickery
South American football reporter
Read my answers to this week's questions
The secret of defending against Kaka is to slow him down
It pains me to disagree with someone as wise as Pat Nevin, but I'm not the greatest fan of Manchester United and Argentina defender Gabriel Heinze.
For a start (and I suspect that Heinze would agree if pressed) I don't think of him as being a genuine full-back -at least in a side that wants to impose itself on the game.
United badly missed the attacking threat and capacity to hit the bye-line of Patrice Evra in the FA Cup final defeat at Wembley and during the Champions League semi-final defeat in Milan.
And in Heinze's favoured position in the centre of defence, to my mind he falls short of top class - not quite commanding enough in the air, and liable to go to ground too early.
His mauling at the hands of Kaka in the San Siro was not the first time he had come off second best against Brazilian opposition.
He was similarly exposed in a World Cup qualifier three years ago when Argentina lost 3-1 to Brazil, and in the 4-1 defeat in the final of the 2005 Confederations Cup.
But if he is not going to make it into my world 11, Heinze is a good player with a number of virtues.
One of them is his mental strength.
There was a moment in Milan recently that illustrates the point.
Kaka beat Heinze to score at Old Trafford against Man Utd
United were already two goals down, when Kaka picked up possession in the danger zone, with only Heinze between him and the goal.
At this stage in the game, charging towards the United number four, the psychological balance was all with Kaka.
He had every reason to have his tail up, and Heinze could be excused a feeling of despondency.
But Heinze kept his nerve, kept his eye on the ball and produced a textbook tackle of which Bobby Moore would have been proud.
The secret - one on which the Liverpool centre-backs have surely been dwelling - was that Heinze managed to slow Kaka down.
First he put doubts in Kaka's mind, then he came away with the ball.
The Brazilian thrives on defenders diving in and committing themselves.
He is so sharp, and so quick, that if the defender makes an ill-judged lunge for the ball he is away, with no chance of catching him up.
To render Kaka ineffective, Liverpool will hope to stop his supply at source - by getting a grip on Clarence Seedorf
A few years ago the defender had a good chance if he forced Kaka on to his left foot.
But that's not so easy these days.
Great professional that he is, Kaka has been working on his weaker side.
The defender can think he is safe and still be on the end of an unpleasant surprise.
Keeping him quiet for a full 90 (and perhaps 120) minutes is nowadays a supreme test of defensive organisation and technique.
Another Brazil v Argentina contest will be at the heart of the battle in Athens.
Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez will clearly not make the same mistake he made two years ago, when, with no holding midfielder in the first half, his Liverpool side let Kaka run amok.
Mascherano will have a key role in stopping Kaka
On Wednesday night, Kaka can expect to see plenty of Javier Mascherano.
By coincidence, the last time they met was also two years ago, in a World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires.
Argentina won 3-1, and their paths hardly crossed.
Mascherano was more concerned with Ronaldinho, while Juan Pablo Sorin picked up Kaka.
There was plenty for the Argentina defence to worry about. Adriano and Robinho were also part of the Brazil attack.
This is different. Milan are Kaka's team.
Mascherano will take the field focused on rendering him ineffective.
To do so Liverpool will hope to stop his supply at source, mainly by getting a grip on Clarence Seedorf.
They will aim to squeeze Kaka's space to prevent him from building up a head of steam.
But if he does get away and is charging towards goal, then the centre-backs' best bet is to recall that moment during a match which will certainly not be one of Heinze's favourites - their priority should be to slow Kaka down.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Got a question about South American football for Tim Vickery? Email him at vickerycolumn@hotmail.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sweeper role seems to have died out all together in the modern European football game. Has the South American game seen an equal decline?
Rob Devas
Perhaps the final nail in the old-style sweeper role in Europe was England's 5-1 win in Germany a few years back.
Maybe with the crackdown on the sliding tackle it became harder to put pressure on the ball, and easier for the attacking side to slip runners through.
This is less of a problem in South America because defences tend to line up deeper - if the ball is played behind them then the keeper has a chance to collect.
So there is still space for sweepers - especially in Brazil, because the balance of the team is altered by the fact that full backs are seen more as attackers than defenders.
In order to let them fly off down the wing there are several sides which play with a back three.
The man in the middle is free - he's not so much a Beckenbauer- style organiser of the attack from deep - rather he offers defensive cover and is also responsible for stepping up and catching the opponents offside.
This even takes place in sides that play a back four - again, because of the freedom to attack given to the full backs.
It means that the central midfielders take on a more defensive role - often one of them will be a set marker, one of the centre backs will mark and the other centre back will be free.
The role was played wonderfully well last year by Fabiano Eller of Internacional, who organised the line and also was excellent at bringing the ball out.
His sale to Atletico Madrid helps explain why a side which became world club champions in December could not get into South America's top 16 in April.
I've heard a lot of hype around this kid called Renato Augusto. I heard he is the next Kaka. Is he really that good? And if so when is he coming to Europe?
Ehsaan Yaseen
Renato Augusto is a 19 year old attacking midfielder with Flamengo in Rio - he is indeed a young man of great promise.
He reminds me more of a young right footed version of Rivaldo than Kaka - similar build and somewhat awkward gait.
He's making very good progress - and the encouraging thing is that you can see progress in his weaker areas - he seems to be lasting the games better, his left foot is improving, and his finishing, which was a real weak point, is also making strides.
Flamengo have him on a long term contract and will be reluctant to part with him for a while - he taps right into their tradition.
Historically they are known for producing players.
The cupboard has been a bit bare for a while, but he's a home-produced Number 10, like Zico.
So he can be a symbol of the club, and Flamengo, for a while at least, may well try to build their precarious finances around retaining him.
There's one big problem he has to overcome - hopefully before he makes the eventual inevitable move to Europe.
Like many home-based Brazilian players, he has a tendency to go down all the time looking for a foul.
He needs to get this out of his system.
In Europe he will not be awarded the free-kicks he is accustomed to getting in Brazil.
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