League Focus: Three Teams Thriving in the Early Madness of the Brasileirão Season
The Brazilian season is but six games old and already there is a feeling of familiarity to the proceedings. Not because the table is beginning to take shape in any predictable way - of which more in just a moment - but rather because of an all-too-familiar malaise in the divisions dugouts.
It started with Luiz Felipe Scolari, sacked by Grêmio after two weeks of the campaign. Fluminense binned Ricardo Drubscky just a day later, before Flamengo axed Vanderlei Luxemburgo. Then came a whole week of respite, followed by four dismissals in a week. Marcelo Oliveira got the chop despite having guided Cruzeiro to back-to-back titles. Hemerson Maria and Marquinhos Santos paid for shaky starts with Joinville and Coritiba respectively. Then, on Tuesday, Palmeiras lost patience with Oswaldo de Oliveira.
So here we are, six games into the season and with seven managerial heads having rolled. It's like Game of Thrones, only far less interesting and with more defensive tactics.
Luckily, there have been some chinks of light amid the gloom. While the likes of Cruzeiro, Santos and Grêmio have floundered in the opening weeks, a number of less celebrated sides have taken the chance to stake a claim in the upper echelons of the table. Here are the surprise packages of the season thus far.
Sitting pretty at the top of Série A are Milton Mendes' Atlético-PR. After selling star striker Marcelo Cirino to Flamengo and spluttering to a shocking ninth place in the Paraná state championship, which is usually a two-horse race between them and Coritiba, the Hurricanes were tipped by many to struggle in the top flight this term. However, they have bucked expectations in thrilling style, winning five of their six games to date, including memorable triumphs over Internacional and Atlético Mineiro.
Their game plan is a relatively simple one: give the ball to Walter and see what he comes up with. After a frustrating year at Fluminense, the notoriously chunky frontman - unofficial motto: More to Love - looks right at home at the Arena da Baixada and has wasted little time in reminding fans of his unique skill set.
Mendes has used Walter as an attacking Swiss Army knife, charging him with leading the line and dropping deep to bring others into play. 1 goal and 2 assists is a decent return from 5 starts, while 16 shots and 8 key passes go some way to explaining his ability to get his side - and Atlético's fans - fired up. If he can keep it up - and his 13-goal season for Goiás in 2013 must be the benchmark - then the Furacão could just sneak a Libertadores spot.
Another modest side, another unlikely talisman. Many coaches prioritise defensive solidity after gaining promotion, but Guto Ferreira has thrown caution to the wind in the last couple of months and has reaped the rewards. The Macaca have yet to taste defeat and have frustrated the big guns of Cruzeiro, Grêmio and Santos on the road.
The stats underline their attacking intent: Ponte have scored 13 goals - only Atlético Mineiro (16) have more - taken more shots per game (16.5) than any other side in the division and rank well for aerial battles won per game (15.7) and dribbles per game (8). Much of their success, however, has been down to one man: Renato Cajá.
It would be disingenuous to describe the 30-year-old as an overnight sensation - he has been around the block, with spells in Japan, Saudi Arabia and China - but he has made a bigger impact in recent weeks than he ever has before in Brazil's top flight, channeling Hristo Stoichkov with a series of explosive displays. He has managed 4 goals and 4.3 shots per game to date, and has coaxed impressive performances from his team-mates: flying winger Biro Biro in particular has thrived on his service, with 2 goals and an average of 1.3 dribbles per match to date.
The challenge for Ponte will be clinging onto Cajá; his start to the season will have the vultures circling.
The other unbeaten side in the league, Sport's results have fallen into a lovely binary pattern: win at home, draw away, win at home, repeat to fade. Coach Eduardo Baptista - one of only two Série A bosses to be in the job longer than a year - has created a durable side capable of holding its own against tougher opponents and punishing weaker ones.
The exploits of rangy young forward Joelinton, classy left-back Renê and veteran schemer Diego Souza tend to catch the eye, but the Lions' key man is probably central midfielder Rithely, who is currently Sport's highest rated player with a rating of 7.64. The 24-year-old was a consistent performer in 2014, but has come on even further this year, shielding the back four brilliantly.
Only two players in the top flight are winning more aerial duels per game than Rithely (3.8), while no one can match his tackle tally of 30. Yet he also gets forward and has laid on 2 goals for teammates. In a country that has struggled to produce box-to-box midfielders in recent times, Rithely is shining brightly.
Can Atletico PR, Ponte Preta and Sport maintain their good start to the season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
The highest rated Atletico PR player by whoscored is a goalkeeper Weverton. He averaged 3.5 saves per game and i don't think they will stay in number one spot.