"It never was. Ambition, the desire to be a hero and to make lots of money are usually much stronger.”

So wrote 1970 Brazil great Tostao in Sunday’s version of his always interesting column, a twice weekly space where football is analysed by someone of great knowledge and intelligence who loves the game but is even more fascinated by the subtleties and contradictions of the human being.

“There are exceptions,” he continues, before plunging into depressing accounts of athletes doping themselves to gain an illegal advantage.

Brazilian midfielder Oscar has been in impressive form for club and country. Photo: Getty

One of those exceptions – a moment when high level sport both teaches and disseminates a powerful ethical message – took place just a few yards away from him.

I refer to the post-match embrace between Pele and Bobby Moore after Brazil had beaten England 1-0 in the 1970 World Cup.

It is a wonderful image, and a highly fitting front cover for one of the all time great football books, ‘The Ball is Round,’ by David Goldblatt.

On one level, the photo stands as a symbol for the hundreds of thousands of cross-border friendships which have been nurtured by the global game.

On another, it shows how the previous 90 minutes had strengthened the bond of mutual respect between two of the giants of the game, a recognition that the skill of one had brought the very best out of the other.

My thoughts turned to that classic photo because this is a time for reflection. On Wednesday Brazil play what by their account is their 1,000th senior international match. A local journalist phoned me in the week asking me to choose a favourite – and that meeting with England in 1970 instantly came to mind.

On a baking afternoon in Guadalajara, it was not only Pele and Moore who re-enforced a mutual respect. The same thing happened between the two teams. England travelled to Mexico with their status as world champions called into question by many in Latin America.

The match against Brazil showed everyone that Alf Ramsey’s team had many virtues – not only in defence but also in mature, composed possession. Brazil were pinned back for long periods. Their players and coach are quick to acknowledge that the game could easily have ended in a draw, or even a win for England.

Brazil, meanwhile, gave definitive proof that they had overcome the hiccup of first round elimination in 1966, and that they had a generation worthy of comparison with their 1958 side. Their opening game in the 1970 campaign, a 4-1 win over Czechoslovakia, was a bit more shaky than the scoreline might suggest. Beating England showed they meant business.

Although it was only a group game, and both sides made it through to the quarter-finals, the outcome was also of great significance. Jairzinho, who scored the goal, is adamant that this was the moment when Brazil won the World Cup.

Topping the group meant that Brazil stayed in Guadalajara, where they polished off Peru and Uruguay on their way to the final. England, meanwhile, fell to West Germany – but only after taking them into extra time and tiring them.

The Germans then did the same thing to Italy in the semi-final – it was another extra-time thriller. So when Brazil met Italy in the final they were well aware that their opponents were likely to fade before the end of the game. Italy actually had more shots in the first half, which finished level at 1-1.

Brazil turned the screw after the interval and strolled home by a 4-1 margin to win the World Cup for the third time. But the key moment in the campaign came two weeks earlier with the victory over England.

For its significance, its quality and the unforgettable image of Pele and Bobby Moore at the end, that match is my personal pick from the treasure trove of almost a century of Brazil games. Readers are invited to use the comments section to write about their own choices.

It might be more fitting if the 1,000-game milestone was reached in an official competition. But in the circumstances Wednesday’s friendly against Colombia in New Jersey is interesting enough.

The Colombians have been looking very good in World Cup qualification. With attacking midfielder James Rodriguez flowering and Macnelly Torres a good, old fashioned playmaker, Jose Pekerman’s side are at last getting full value from centre forward Radamel Falcao Garcia. And the bench is full of dangerous attacking options.

The defence is more of a worry, with a generation of centre-backs growing old together. It will be fascinating to see how they stand up to the test of facing Neymar, Lucas, Kaka and Oscar.

And on the Brazil side, will the idea of playing without a centre-forward be maintained, and if so will it work as well as in last month’s matches? In a tight game, do the central midfield duo of Ramires and Paulinho have the range of passing to match their lung power?

And might centre-back Leandro Castan prove more than just an improvisation at left back, shoring up the weak side of Brazil’s defence?

Wednesday’s game is unlikely to hit the heights of Guadalajara in 1970. But for Brazil it is a potentially interesting step towards hosting the next World Cup, when hopefully their participation will once again send some unforgettable images around the globe.

Comments on the piece in the space provided. Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I’ll pick out a couple for next week.
From last week’s postbag;

Q. I’m a Sao Paulo fan - despite the glorious past the team seems to have had mostly ups and downs the past two seasons. I’m not really looking forward to seeing Lucas depart for France and I am not at all sure that new signing Paulo Henrique Ganso will be able to provide the star power. What are your thoughts regarding the long term possibilities for this once "future super star" who has struggled with his form and with his emotional motivation?
Carlos Wysling

A. I’m also disappointed that Lucas is going. I suppose the money from PSG was too good to turn down, but I would have preferred to see him stay another year and play the Libertadores. Ganso is by no means a straight replacement, and, as you say, is now something of an enigma, wandering around on dodgy knees. But even if he struggles, Sao Paulo can still can count on the excellent and underrated Jadson.

But the big improvement in the second half of the season has been in defence. Two players are key in this – new signing Rafael Toloi, a no nonsense centre back who really should have gone to the Olympics. And the return from injury of central midfielder Wellington, whose dynamism is important. If the defensive unit keeps working well then it will be far easier to slot Ganso into the side. 

Tim Vickery is a regular guest on BBC Radio 5 live’s World Football Phone-in, which is available to download as a podcast.

The Sao Paulo giants, the team of the city's Italian community, are in trouble. Back in July they won the Brazilian Cup, guaranteeing a place in next year's Copa Libertadores, South America's Champions League.

However, results have since suffered in the domestic league and they now need to make up a seven-point gap with just four rounds of the season left.

Their hopes could perhaps rest on the outcome of a hearing to be held in the next couple of days. The focus of their appeal is a disallowed goal from Argentine centre-forward Hernan Barcos against Internacional on October 27.

Palmeiras claim referee Franscisco Nascimento allegedly used television images when deciding to disallow their equalising goal against Internacional. Photo: Getty 

Barcos diverted a corner into the back of the net with his hand. The goal was disallowed, and there is no doubt that it should have been, but there is a strong suspicion that in order to make the decision the wrong means were used.

At first neither the referee nor his assistants appeared to see anything wrong with the goal. Then came the change of mind - allegedly because the referee had been informed of the handball by somebody watching a television monitor. This, of course, is a resource that is not officially available to referees.

Palmeiras, who lost the game 2-1, made a formal complaint and they are hoping the match will be declared void and a replay ordered, giving them a chance to get three points closer to safety.

Launching a complaint because an illegal goal was ruled out would seem to contravene football's unofficial rule 18 - the request that common sense be applied in the application of the 17 laws of the game. Some people, though, think Palmeiras have a case - and even if they do not, the seriousness of their situation justifies such desperate measures.

The issue here is the role of technology in the decisions taken by football referees and, perhaps an even bigger issue, the limitations of the use of technology in decisions taken by officials.

The laws are full of references to "in the opinion of the referee" and "in a manner considered by the referee...." Even off-side is a matter of interpretation.

This means that a utopia of footballing justice can never exist, however much technology is employed because there will always be different interpretations.

The easiest proof of this is to contrast the opinions of opposing players and coaches. It is one of the great truths of football that everyone always thinks the referee is favouring the other side.

Such a state of affairs is not hard to understand because football people live a life of constant insecurity. The easiest way to deny or avoid unwelcome truths is to blame the referee.

Diego Alonso stands out in this respect - one of the reasons for believing the 37-year-old Uruguayan is one of the most promising coaches in South American football.

A target man centre-forward in his playing days - good enough to have won senior international caps and to have had a fair career in Spain - Alonso knew from an early age that he wanted to be a coach.

After a short spell in charge of Bella Vista, the Montevideo club where he both started and ended his playing days, he took over Guarani of Paraguay this year, moulding an aggressive team who are closing in on a rare league title - only their second in almost 30 years.

"In training sessions," he told Uruguayan newspaper 'El Pais' last week, "we practice situations where he have had a man sent off and are in numerical disadvantage. We also stage games with biased refereeing so the players can get used to it."

He is attempting to foster a mentality where his men take full responsibility for their own performances. "The message that I pass to the players is that there is not a referee in the world who can make them lose a game. I don't deny that sometimes the referee has a bad day. But if you have real players, a referee is not going to tip the balance."

Alonso's preparation was put to the test on Sunday, when Guarani had two men sent off in their visit to Sportivo Luqueno. In the circumstances, a 1-1 draw was perhaps not a bad result. But it is Guarani's third game without a win and their lead at the top of the table has been cut to four points with seven games remaining.

As the pressure mounts, it will be fascinating to see if Alonso can maintain his line of conduct and if Guarani can keep doing the things that took them to the top of the table. As Alonso is aware, if they are overtaken they will have no one but themselves to blame.

Comments on the piece in the space provided, questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week from last week's postbag;

Q: You have talked of the dearth of full backs in the Argentina national team but Pablo Zabaleta has been one of the most improved players in the Premier League. A firm fans' favourite, he is also well loved by his teammates and backroom staff alike. He speaks excellent English and has adapted well to life in Manchester. This season, along with Joe Hart, he has been City's most consistent player. He is now a regular in the Argentine team, so why don't you rate him and how is he viewed in his native country?
Alex Walton

A: Former Argentina coach Carlos Bilardo recently commented that Argentina could find 10 possible presidents of the country, but not one full-back - which goes some way towards answering your question.

I've always seen him as a useful player. It's probably worth remembering, though, that he's not a natural full back - he was a right-sided midfielder who has been converted. As far as I'm aware, all the praise that you give him is spot on. He does seem to be an excellent character - I think the fact that he is doing well in top level football has more to do with the strength of his mentality than with any outstanding talent.

He is clearly an important figure in the Argentina squad, not least because he is prepared to play full back on either flank. It is a position, though, where Argentina need to improve. National team coach Alejandro Sabella was talking recently of the pros and cons of playing Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain. The big disadvantage, he correctly identified, is that it leaves the team vulnerable down the flanks. Left exposed, Zabaleta had an awkward time against Chile last month.

Tim Vickery is a regular guest on BBC Radio 5 live’s World Football Phone-in, which is available to download as a podcast.

The big Buenos Aires derby is followed all over the continent for a number of reasons. One is the historic role played by Argentina in the consolidation of South American football. The British introduced the game to the South Cone. More than anyone else, the Argentines helped the spread of the game northwards. In terms of playing styles and fan culture, much of the continent takes its cue from Argentina.

The second reason is the content of the derby, the forces which are being represented. Both River and Boca began life in the working class docklands area of La Boca - literally 'the mouth' of the River Plate - where, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century immigrants poured in in their millions from Italy, Spain, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

The contrast between them is striking. River Plate is all about space - the wide avenues around the ground, giant corridors inside the stadium, a huge gap between the fans and the pitch. Everything at Boca, meanwhile, is cramped - the narrow streets of the neighbourhood and the stadium so steeply built that it is informally known as the 'Bonbonera' - the chocolate box.

River Plate, then, have something of the immigrant dream about them; Boca have the sweat of working class solidarity. This same fault line - the haves and the have-nots - is a vital component of many South American derbies. The rest of the continent, then, can see itself reflected in the Buenos Aires 'super-classic.'

And there is a third explanation for the popularity of the game - the quality of the spectacle. These are two great clubs who, even allowing for the tendency of any derby to provide more heat than light, can usually be counted upon to come up with a flash of flair along with the fury.

River Plate's Rodrigo Mora is challenged for the ball by Boca Juniors Emiliano Albin. Photo: Getty Images

Sunday's game was certainly dramatic. Millions mourned the absence of the game during the year that River spent in the second division. Their wait was rewarded with a dramatic finale - River going two goals up with 21 minutes to go only for Boca to fight back and draw level in stoppage time.

But in terms of technical quality it is hard to believe there have been many worse matches in the century of rivalry between these two great clubs. Neither side was consistently capable of stringing three passes together.

The dismal level of play reflected the shock experienced by Maxi Rodriguez a few months ago, when after a decade in Europe the midfielder left Liverpool to rejoin his home town club Newells Old Boys in Rosario.

"The standard of football has got worse in the last ten years," he said of his return to the Argentine game. "The games increasingly lack flow. There is much more running and battling than before. There is huge fear of losing, and aesthetic considerations are no longer a priority."

Much of this has to do with the decline of the old fashioned Argentine number ten, the elegant, foot-on-the-ball playmaker who orchestrates his side's attack. The physical evolution referred to by Rodriguez and the use of two central midfield destroyers have reduced his space and all but squeezed him out of existence.

Neither side in Sunday's derby fielded such a player - though the ghost of the number ten was there to haunt the occasion.

Boca's Juan Roman Riquelme stopped playing for the club in July, but has never really gone away. He always had a strained relationship with club coach Julio Falcioni, who has traditionally favoured a 4-4-2 formation with no playmaker.

The crowd chant Riquelme's name when they want to criticise the coach. Riquelme remains in training, and is linked to a move to Brazil or the Middle East. It has been speculated, though, that a change of coach at Boca might facilitate his return.

River, meanwhile, have a highly promising number ten figure in the teenage Manuel Lanzini. Club coach Matias Almeyda has tried out a number of formations this season but has not found one that is well suited to Lanzini, who was not even on the bench on Sunday.

If it had a choice, the match ball on Sunday would surely have preferred to have been caressed lovingly by one of these players than to be booted back and forth so crudely. And perhaps therein lies the problem.

There should always be room for a player with the ability to dictate the rhythm of the game and split the opposing defence with a surprise through pass. And it is not too much to ask such a player to understand the importance of mobility, and of dropping behind the line of the ball to help out with the marking.

But if the number tens need to evolve, then so do the others. In a perfect midfield, everyone is an all rounder. But it seems that in Argentina the removal of the number ten is exposing all the more the limitations of the other midfielders.
As hinted by Maxi Rodriguez, there is an excess of runners and battlers, and a dearth of old fashioned quality.

Thankfully this is not reflected in the national team, who have played some dazzling football in the last year. Most of these players came through in the golden age of Argentina's youth structure, when they won the World Cup at Under-20 level five times between 1995 and 2007.

But youth specialists in the country have been warning for a while that standards are slipping - and Argentina's Under-20 teams in 2009 and 2011 were very disappointing.

As a huge fan of well-played Argentine football, I hope the decline can be halted and reversed. It would be great to think that occasions such as the River-Boca derby could be celebrated not just for its historical resonance and the intensity of the atmosphere, but also for the quality of the play.

Comments on the piece in the space provided. Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.

From last week's postbag;
Q. Do you see any possibility of Ronaldinho returning to the Brazilian national team? He is looking rejuvenated at Atletico Mineiro.
Martin Raw

A. He is playing well. He has pace all around him and a centre forward in front, so there are plenty of options for him to show his range of passing and he is enjoying it. He was also in top form for Flamengo when he was called up last year - but the problem was apparent in his first game back, against Ghana at Craven Cottage. He hardly touched the ball.

Coach Mano Menezes said after the game that the rhythm of international football was much more intense than that of the Brazilian game, and that Ronaldinho had struggled to make the transition. In truth, this has been a major theme of the Menezes years, with the domestically-based youngsters also finding it hard to step up.

With that in mind, it is difficult to imagine another recall for Ronaldinho. But never say never, especially in Brazilian football. If he takes the Libertadores by the scruff of the neck next year then a recall is not impossible.

If both remarks sound a little defensive, it is easy enough to explain. Brazilian football has been gifted with so many artists - players capable of snapping their marker in two with a sway of the hips, wrong-footing the keeper and then sliding home - that a little prejudice sometimes persists about the centre forward. The target man number nine whose game is restricted to getting the ball over the line can be seen, at best, as the exponent of a minor art.

Since the Olympics, Brazil coach Mano Menezes has been working along the lines of doing away with this creature in his starting line-up. There was no specialist centre forward in the team that beat China last month, nor in the side that would have played three weeks ago in the abandoned match against Argentina.

The absence of a number nine opens space for an extra player to elaborate the moves. When it works it is very easy on the eye - the whole world drools at the pass-and-move game of Barcelona. But there are very few teams capable of playing their way through the opposition with the exuberant ease of Lionel Messi and company. And Leandro Damiao, Brazil's centre forward, seems to be developing well. He was top-scorer at London 2012.

At the time he was named in Brazil's squad for the recent friendlies against Iraq and Japan, Kaka had not even played a competitive game this season. He had seemed entirely surplus to requirements at Real Madrid, who would have loved to unload him in order to reduce their wage bill. The problem was that Kaka's recent history of knee and groin injuries made it unlikely anyone would come in with a big-money bid.

Brazil impressed in their recent friendly wins over Iraq and Japan Photo: Getty

How on earth, I thought, could a player in this situation be ready to play for Brazil in the short term, or capable of a significant contribution in the long term?

There is, of course, no way of knowing for sure that Kaka will have enough gas in the tank to make it all the way to a fourth World Cup in 2014. But after his displays in the two friendlies against Asian opponents there can be little doubt he was ready. Announcing his recall, Menezes had said the player was looking good in training - information confirmed by the way the veteran was able to make space against his marker to set up team-mates or shoot at goal.

And just as my scepticism about Kaka proved misplaced, so were my doubts about the formation. In fact the two are intrinsically linked. Kaka was that piece in the jigsaw that completed the side with no number nine.

The new system is something like a 4-2-4-0. Nominally the strikers, Hulk and Neymar, are thrown wide - on the right and left respectively - so both can cut in onto their stronger foot. They can also track back - especially Hulk, whose physical capacity makes him especially useful in this respect.

In front of the back four are two all-round midfielders. Ramires is the more defensive of the two, with Paulinho looking to break forward, although the roles can be reversed. And in front of them are Oscar and Kaka. The Chelsea youngster is more the midfielder, proficient at dropping back to set up the play. The Real Madrid veteran is the support striker, bringing his pace and directness to bear in the final 30 metres. Both, though, are equally likely to pop up in the centre forward position and shoot at goal.

Oscar and Kaka were both on target twice as Brazil ran up 10 goals in the two games. Iraq were swatted away 6-0. Japan were much more of a test - they had just won away against France, and they had their moments against Brazil when they met in Poland last Tuesday. Brazil's 4-0 win, then, was a remarkable scoreline.

Tostao, himself an improvised centre forward in the Mexico '70 team, was impressed. "For the first time," he wrote after the Japan game, "I'm hopeful Brazil will have a great team in the [2014] World Cup. The four front players are both midfielders and strikers. All four give passes and score goals. This is the way forward."

He recognises, however, that Japan's high defensive line and adventurous approach made things easier, predicting greater difficulties "against stronger opponents and also against average sides who mark well, sit deep and counter-attack" - the very type of opposition Brazil are sure to encounter on home ground in 2014.

Brazil will trust that 4-2-4-0 can keep them defensively compact. It was the system Corinthians used this year to win the Copa Libertadores with an outstanding defensive record - just four goals conceded in 14 games.

There is a problem, though, with the left side of Brazil's defence. For a start, it is less protected - Hulk works back on the right, but Neymar on the left is usually the most advanced player and the target for the quick ball forward. At left-back, Marcelo is far happier pushing forward than defending - even Iraq were able to get into the space behind him. Injury meant he was replaced by Leandro Castan, a centre-back, for the Japan game, which could be worth repeating. Even then the positional sense of left-sided centre back David Luiz can be exposed.

There are, then, some interesting doubts. Can Brazil improve their defending down the left? Will Kaka retain form and fitness? Is the system with no centre forward the best way of playing against all opponents? But doubt is always necessary. My scepticism clearly was not.

Comments on the piece below. Send questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.

Q: The future of Peruvian football is looking increasingly bright in my opinion, particularly in the offensive side of things, with Alianza Lima wielding a crop of very watchable youngsters - Junior Ponce, Jorge Bazan and Yordy Reyna to name few. Will this wave of exciting talent hold the key to elevating Peru into the elite footballing nations in South America?
Dominic Brady

A: There is certainly an interesting crop coming through - at Alianza, I've also been impressed with Jose Canova at centre-back. And there's an excellent group coming through at Universitario as well. But the financial problems of these clubs are forcing (and will continue to force) so many of these players into premature moves. So it's way too early to know whether this generation will prove Peru's footballing salvation.

Q: I am a Philadelphia Union supporter here in the United States. Our captain, centre-back Carlos Valdes, has been featuring for the Colombia national team recently. Have you had a chance to see him play and, if so, what are your impressions of him?
Greg Orlandini

A: Saw plenty of him on the way up - he was part of an excellent Colombia Under-20 squad in 2005, and I remember him captaining America of Cali at a very young age a few years back. To be honest, the impression I've always had of him is of a player who stands out more for his strength of personality and leadership qualities than for his ability. Back in 2005 I was far more impressed with another centre-back in that Colombia side, Cristian Zapata, now of Milan.

I'd be interested to know what US fans think of Valdes and his progress. Colombia urgently need a change of generation in the centre-back positions, and Valdes and Zapata would seem to be the best solutions around at the moment.

But the round had another winner, who did not even take the field on Friday. It was sixth-placed Venezuela's turn to take a rest, and their position improved while they sat and watched as Uruguay and Chile, the teams above them, both lost.

Three rounds ago Chile were first and Uruguay were second. Now they seem to be in free-fall. On Friday all they managed to accomplish was further damage to their goal difference - and things could get still worse for them in Tuesday's 10th round.

Venezuela's World Cup chances have been advanced despite them not playing this week. Photo: Getty

Chile have now conceded 16 goals in their eight games. Defence is not their strong point. Under previous coach Marcelo Bielsa they tried to mask the weakness by pressing in the opponent's half but current coach Claudio Borghi - now fighting for his job - drops his back three deeper, exposing all the more the team's vulnerability.

And there are specific problems for the next game at home to Argentina. Goalkeeper and captain Claudio Bravo is injured. His run of 27 consecutive World Cup qualifiers came to an end on Friday, when Miguel Pinto stepped in for the 3-1 defeat away to Ecuador - a game in which experienced defender Pablo Contreras and key midfielder Arturo Vidal picked up red cards that keep them out of Tuesday's match.

Chile, then, will field a makeshift defensive unit against opponents who are well able to take advantage. Argentina played some breathtaking football in Friday's 3-0 win over Uruguay. Lionel Messi is now showing club from for his country, linking up well with Fernando Gago behind him and exchanging passes at bewildering speed with Sergio Aguero in front of him.

Messi, Aguero and Angel Di Maria combined beautifully, and the team are developing an interesting variation - Messi drops deeper, pulling the opposition with him and creating space for the long ball over the top for Aguero.

Chile's defence could well be in for another tough 90 minutes - as should Uruguay's be. This time it is not Messi and company who will torment the reigning Copa America champions, but the extreme altitude of La Paz. With no time to acclimatise, Uruguay now travel to meet Bolivia in the Hernando Siles stadium some 3,600 metres above sea level.

This would be a tough task at any time but Uruguay will have to do it without their best three defenders - Diego Godin, Martin Caceres and captain Diego Lugano are all suspended. Bolivia, for whom nothing but a win is good enough, will go all out to take advantage.

The chances are, then, that both Chile and Uruguay will struggle to pick up points on Tuesday. It is Venezuela's big opportunity to overtake them and get into the qualification places.

This is the first campaign in which Venezuela have been serious contenders for a World Cup slot, which brings pressures of its own. Coach Cesar Farias will have to ensure his side are mentally well prepared for their match at home to Ecuador.

Farias is alert to the dangers. Venezuela lost their last home match (2-0 to Chile in June), and he used the occasion to warn his players that they were in danger of becoming too big for their boots. Indeed, his youthful appearance belies a steely nature. To an impressive extent he has managed to impose his own vision and personality on his team.

At the turn of the century an Argentine coach, Omar Pastoriza, identified a generation of players who would be useful for Venezuela. Results only improved, however, after he was replaced by a local coach, Richard Paez. Where previously Venezuela had taken the field mainly in the hope of avoiding heavy defeat, Paez now sent them out to win. His team were a happy-go-lucky affair, capable of turning on the flair but very loose defensively.

This is something that Farias was keen to correct. "Our first priority was to improve the defence," he said recently. A total of eight goals conceded in the first eight games shows he has been successful - only the top two teams, Argentina and Colombia, have conceded fewer. But Farias is aware that a focus restricted to defence will only take the team so far. "If we want to go to the World Cup," he said, "we must have an aggressive idea of play in our home games."

In Venezuela's last match, in Paraguay a month ago, Farias freshened up his attack, fielding the slippery and talented youngster Josef Martinez behind strong centre forward Salomon Rondon. The combination worked well, Rondon weighing in with both goals in an excellent 2-0 win.

This, though, was against opponents obliged to come forward, leaving space for the counter-attack. On Tuesday Ecuador will have no such obligation. Their 100% home record means they can afford to keep things tight on their travels, seek to frustrate their opponents and then slip in Luis Antonio Valencia or one of the other dangerous options they have down the flanks - such as the pace of Renato Ibarra or the elusive dribbling of the highly gifted Jefferson Montero.

Ecuador are more than just an altitude side, strong only in their mountain fortress of Quito. Last month they were unfortunate to come away from Uruguay with only a 1-1 draw. In August they took Chile apart on the way to a 3-0 win in a friendly held in the United States. If Venezuela over-commit, they could find themselves in serious trouble. It is a game that calls for cool heads and concentration.

Tuesday's match in Puerto La Cruz is probably the most important meeting ever between Venezuela and Ecuador - the first time that both are realistically chasing a World Cup slot. And if things go wrong once more for Uruguay and Chile, even a draw could be enough to carry Venezuela above them.

Comments on the piece below. Send questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.
From last week's postbag;

Q) I was curious about your opinion on about Paulo Henrique Ganso's move to Sao Paulo rather than one of the European giants - he was linked with the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, Man United, and both AC and Inter Milan. Did he make the right choice in staying in his native Brazil? He was touted as the next Kaka, Brazil's biggest creative fulcrum and hope for 2014, but now those tags seem to have disappeared with the emergence of Oscar.
Shahib Uddin

A) I'm not sure he had the option of moving to Europe at the moment, because it is far from clear that one of the continent's clubs would have paid big money for him. He is certainly very talented - capable of seeing and delivering the defence splitting pass. But I'm not sure that all that premature hype did him any favours. The playmaker position is one that demands maturity in the choice of options, and he has yet to show that he is anywhere near the finished article.

Then, of course, there is the question of his fitness. He has spent a lot of time injured over the past two years, and after his medical at Sao Paulo his new club described the condition of his knees as merely 'reasonable'. Indeed, it is far from certain he will play this year.

His relationship with Santos had broken down. At this stage a move down the road to Sao Paulo is probably his best option as he seeks to regain momentum.

Playing for Santa Fe in the big Bogota derby against Millonarios, first, in full view of the referee, he flattened Jhonny Ramirez with an elbow.

The red card had been already brandished, but Bedoya was not finished. Before taking his leave, to his own subsequent mortification, he stuck a boot into the face of his prone opponent.

Some of the predecessors of Ramirez in the blue shirt of Millonarios are feeling similarly violated. Last week Felipe Gaitan, the club's new president, floated the idea of giving up the league titles won by Millonarios in 1987 and 88, the last two championship wins in their history. It has provoked a furious reaction from the coach and some of the players of that team. Elsewhere, though, the idea has met with a positive response, since the motives behind it are clearly noble.

Escobar paid the ultimate price for his own goal against the USA. Photo; AFP

At the time the chief shareholder of Millonarios was Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha, known as 'el Mexicano,' one of the leading figures in the drug trade that was so ostentatiously powerful in Colombia at the time.

With a new shareholder structure and under fresh administration, it is admirable that Millonarios are keen to dissociate themselves from such a turbulent time in their country's history. The problem is, though, that the involvement of the major drug cartels was so widespread that the damage cannot be limited to one club.

Football had a huge appeal for the drug trade, for a number of reasons. Investing in clubs was good public relations, and also a big ego boost for the bosses. It also provided plenty of opportunities for laundering money - and for making some in betting scams. And some of the bosses were fans of the game living out a fantasy.

Millonarios, then, were probably not the worst offenders. America of Cali became the plaything of the local cartel. So rich that they became a kind of South American Real Madrid, signing big name players from all over the continent, they won the title for five years in a row before Millonarios interrupted their run in '87 and '88.

America bounced back, winning the next title in 1990 - the 1989 season had been scrapped after a referee was assassinated. Later America were placed on the so-called 'Clinton List,' drawn up by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, which as a result of their links with the drug trade prevented them from having contact with financial institutions. This has been a factor in the club's slide into the second division.

The title that eluded America was the Copa Libertadores, South America's Champions League. They were beaten finalists three years in a row between 1985 and '87, and had to watch from the sidelines two years later when Atletico Nacional of Medellin, with links to their local drug cartel, became the first Colombian club to win the trophy. League champions in 1991 and '94, Nacional have already said that they are proud of the titles they won at the time and have no intention of relinquishing them.

It does not stop there. In the 1980s and 90s plenty of other Colombian clubs had ties with the drug trade. So much cash was sloshing around and so many quality foreigners were being brought in that for a while the Colombian league may have been as strong as any on the continent.

The Millonarios players of 87 and 88 are well aware that, however the whole thing was financed, they had to overcome some good opponents in order to win those league titles.

Perhaps here lies the problem with the current proposal - and at the moment it is no more than a proposal - to relinquish the titles. The golden age of boxing in the United States was marred by massive mafia manipulation, but the greatness of the fighters has not been called into question. Similarly, in strictly sporting terms, something interesting took place in Colombian football at that time.

The drug money brought an influx of foreign players who raised the standard of the domestic league. Nacional, who at the time fielded only Colombian players, found a home-based solution.

Under coach Francisco Maturana they forged something new; a mix of the short passing Argentine style and a touch of Brazilian flair that had always been part of the Colombian game, along with a high defensive line and a "sweeper-keeper" borrowed from the Holland side of the 1970s. When Maturana took charge of the national team he was able to add Carlos Valderrama to the mix, and the frizzy-haired playmaker became the fulcrum of the team, dictating a hypnotic, salsa-inspired rhythm from centrefield.

The team is mainly remembered for its failure in the 1994 World Cup, and the tragic assassination soon afterwards of defender Andres Escobar, who had scored an own goal in the tournament - an incident which brought to global attention the cartel-inspired chaos that Colombia was living at the time.

Those same pressures had caused the team to implode during USA 94. Outside the goldfish bowl of the World Cup, though, that Colombian side was a wonderful unit, capable of beating anyone. In 1993 they inflicted Argentina's first ever home defeat in World Cup qualification with an extraordinary 5-0 win, and they went to the United States 18 years ago having suffered just one defeat in their previous 34 matches.

It is entirely laudable that some in Colombian football seek to distance their clubs from the dark rule of the drug lords. But if all titles are relinquished, it is almost as if the Colombian game did not exist at this time - which is unfair on those who played it so well that they still stand as a reference for subsequent generations.

One of them is Andres Escobar. Removing from the history books the titles he won with Atletico Nacional would not seem to be an adequate memorial for someone who deserves to be remembered.

Comments on the piece in the space provided. Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.
From last week's postbag;

I'd be fascinated to hear your thoughts on the deterioration of the Paraguayan national team. Having been quarter-finalists two years ago in South Africa, La Albirroja now look highly unlikely even to feature at the Brazil 2014 World Cup. Can you pinpoint exactly where it has gone wrong for them?
Rory Mitchinson

I think their current problems are entirely predictable. It was an incredible achievement for them to qualify for four consecutive World Cups. They've been punching above their weight for a while, and given the ultra-competitive nature of World Cup qualification in South America, they were riding for a fall this time.
The signs were there during last year's Copa America, when they reached the final without winning a single game. Coach Gerardo Martino jumped straight afterwards. He realised he'd taken them as far as he could. Changes were needed, but his replacement Francisco Arce betrayed his own lack of experience trying to make them too quickly. He was giving out international caps as if they were invites to his daughter's wedding. New coach Gerardo Pelusso has brought the old guard back, and will try to find a better blend between them and the youngsters, but he will have to do something special to get them back in contention for a place in Brazil, especially as the defensive unit really looks to be creaking.

I must confess that I took a bit longer to be won over by him - before making up for lost time by coming to the conclusion that he could be the most important player Brazilian football has produced in a while.

I was at one of his very first matches for Internacional, a 3-0 defeat to Fluminense in the Maracana stadium in August 2010. He was brought on after 35 minutes, made a mess of everything he tried and was himself replaced after 57. It hardly matched the hype that was already surrounding him.

Three months later I saw him get a place in the starting line-up against Botafogo. He made little impression and was substituted once more. But before the game I talked to Inter's director Fernando Carvallo, one of the best talent spotters in the Brazilian game. Forget any early impressions, he said. This boy is the genuine article.

Oscar is already attracting attention for his all-round midfielder's game. Photo: Empics

If such a knowledgeable source had high hopes, then Oscar was clearly worth a third glance, a fourth and a fifth.

Early in 2011, he started to impress playing for Brazil in the South American Under-20 Championships. The individual plaudits went to Neymar and Lucas Moura, but it was noticeable that Oscar was at the heart of many of the good collective things his side were producing.

But could he cut it with the seniors? He quickly showed he could, scoring three times for Internacional in their Copa Libertadores campaign.

Then came his triumphant World Youth Cup campaign. With both Neymar and Lucas promoted to the full Brazil side, there was more responsibility for Oscar to carry. For all his frailty and sloped shoulders, he bore it well.

He scored all three goals in the final against Portugal. But at least as impressive was his all-round game - and as he has continued to progress over the subsequent year, it is his versatility which catches the eye as much as his ability to score goals - like the one against Juventus last week that sent the Stamford Bridge faithful crazy.

Oscar can drop back and mark. Stronger than he looks, he can win the ball, orchestrate possession from deep, feed the strikers and get beyond them to shoot at goal. Bright and mobile, two-footed and talented, he is a midfielder in the full sense of the word - and it is precisely that which makes him so interesting.

The glory days of Brazilian football - those three World Cup wins between 1958 and '70 - came after they had come up with the idea of the back four, dropping an extra player to the centre of the defence to provide extra security.

A football team is like one organic unit - making changes in one part will inevitably have an effect on another. In this case the burden was borne by the central midfielders. Since the initial idea was to retain two wingers and two strikers, the pair in the middle found themselves with acres of space to cover. So both of them had to be all-rounders, able to attack and defend.

In 1958 and '62 the central midfield pairing was formed by Didi and Zito. 'The Ethiopian Prince,' Didi was the brains of the team, cutting opponents apart with his elegant passing. But he also had to work hard when Brazil lost possession, getting behind the line of the ball and closing down space.

Alongside him, Zito was the enforcer, the hard man who screened the centre-backs. But he could also make an attacking contribution, as he showed when scoring the goal that effectively won the 1962 World Cup. Brazil and Czechoslovakia were level at 1-1 when he both started and ended the move that put his side ahead, running the length of the field to head home at the far post.

Eight years later in Mexico, it was a similar story, with Gerson and Clodoaldo in the roles of Didi and Zito.

Brazil were a goal down in the semi-final against Uruguay. Gerson, the latter day Didi, was not the greatest athlete - he was struggling to find space against the tight Uruguayan marking - so he took a decision. He dropped back to cover and sent Clodoaldo, Zito's replacement for club and country further forward. It was an inspired switch - just before half-time Clodoaldo scored the equaliser.

The classic 4-2-4 system did not last long. Even in 1958 Mario Zagallo was funnelling back from left wing to help out the overworked midfield duo. But for a while afterwards, 4-2-4 influenced the way that Brazilian midfielders developed. The 1982 pairing of Falcao and Toninho Cerezo were also all-rounders.

Then it all changed. Brazil became increasingly dependent on attacking full-backs. Someone had to cover for them. And having purely defensive midfielders in a 4-4-2 meant that there was also space for purely attacking ones. The age of the specialist was born.

For years Brazil's midfield included Gilberto Silva - now winding down his career where he started it, at centre-back - and Kaka, who in reality is a support striker. Even while it was winning trophies, a midfield without midfielders could never capture hearts by producing the flowing football of old.

For all the frequent disappointing results Brazil have had over the last two years, and for all the jeers aimed at coach Mano Menezes, there are grounds for optimism. The midfielder is back. Oscar is proof. So too is Romulo.

If Oscar is an attacking midfielder who can also defend, Romulo is the opposite. Both were on target last week in the Champions League - Oscar, of course, for Chelsea against Juventus, and Romulo for Spartak Moscow against Barcelona - on his 22nd birthday. If this really is the rebirth of the all-round Brazilian midfielder, then we all have something to celebrate.

Comments on the piece in the space provided. Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com and I'll pick out a couple for next week.
From last week's postbag:

I am always interested when British footballers move abroad. The trend has steadily decreased, so the recent transfer of goalkeeper Mark Cook from Harrogate to Universitario of Peru has fascinated me and I would love to hear your insight into this. I see he made his debut recently and was slightly shaky from what I saw online, but the goal was decent and he could do little about it. What has been the reaction to his arrival in South America and how do you feel he will adapt?
Craig Morton

I'm all in favour of British players moving abroad - it's a great way to broaden their education. There are easier places than South America to do it, though! The Mark Cook case is interesting precisely because it is so rare - which means that he sticks out so much.

For the debut match you mentioned - where he did nothing wrong - one of the Peruvian papers sent a reporter into the stands to hear what was being said. There were reports of anger directed at him, at the fact that he was taking the place of a local, and plenty of uncomplimentary remarks about the ungainly way he moves.

He does look as if he could command his area better than the club's other keepers. But fundamental in this position is communication with the defence. He doesn't speak the language and it was clear in that debut game that the centre-backs were reluctant to pass back to him.

The best development in the history of the continent's national teams was the birth of the Copa America in 1916 and its frequent, at times annual, staging in the early years. It did much to spread interest in the game and raise standards.

The second best was the inauguration in 1996 of the current World Cup qualification format, one big group with all 10 countries (in this case nine because as 2014 hosts Brazil have an automatic place) playing each other home and away.

Where previously there could be gaps of years between competitive games, for the last 17 years there has been a guaranteed calendar of regular meaningful matches. This has done wonders for the less traditional nations, and has led to a happy state of affairs where South American football has no minnows. No one is merely making up the numbers.

And there is another reason for calling for oxygen - as an aid to combat the effects of altitude. Visits to Ecuador (where Quito is 2,800 metres above sea level) and especially Bolivia (where La Paz is 3,600 metres) are notoriously difficult for unacclimatised opponents, who lose a significant part of their athletic capacity in the rarefied air.

This is clearly not ideal. But home advantage is part of the game, and there seems to be no compelling evidence that altitude represents a significant health risk - extreme heat would appear to offer much more of a threat. Altitude, then, will continue to be part of the equation. Opponents have to plan for a trip to La Paz - an issue which will prove especially important in next month's two rounds.

Sergio Markarian talks to Peru international goalkeeper Diego Penny. Photo: Getty

Bolivia are at home in both. They have already drawn away to Argentina. But realistically the only chance they have of hauling themselves into contention for a World Cup slot is to win all their remaining matches in La Paz, starting with these two in October. They face opponents who are also desperate for points. First come Peru, still trailing the pack despite picking up four points in the two recent rounds. Then it is the turn of Uruguay, who earned just one point from this month's matches and dropped from second in the table to fourth.

Life now gets tough for the Uruguayans, who so far have played five games at home and only two away. Four days before the trip up the Andes to face Bolivia they travel to Argentina - possibly the two most challenging fixtures of the entire campaign, with a schedule that leaves next to no time to plan for the effects of altitude.

Uruguay's only option in Bolivia is to arrive in La Paz as close as possible to kick off time, play a cautious game, waste some time (the visiting goalkeeper usually picks up a yellow card in these matches) and hope one of their strikers can nick a goal on the counter-attack.

Peru, meanwhile, should be capable of something a bit more ambitious. Lima, the country's capital where most of the major clubs are based, is at sea level. But Peru also has a mountainous region, with clubs based at altitudes similar to that of La Paz. For this game, national team coach Sergio Markarian can call on a group of players already acclimatised to the conditions, and he will start working with them in the next few days.

Cienciano of Cuzco supply the vastly experienced centre back Santiago Acasiete, recently back from Spain, and the impressive central midfielder Edwin Retamoso. Newly promoted neighbours Real Garcilaso have a striker in fine form, the gloriously named Andy Pando. And another altitude outfit, Sport Huancayo, have a competent goalkeeper in Joel Pinto - the star of the show recently when Huancayo won a surprise 1-0 win away to Nolberto Solano's Universitario, for whom English goalkeeper Mark Cook was making his debut.

The extra speed of the ball through the rarefied air makes altitude especially challenging for unacclimatised keepers, and so the presence of Pinto could be significant.

Down the spine of his side, Markarian has the option of selecting altitude specialists for the trip to Bolivia. Presumably he will revert to his normal line up for the away game against Paraguay four days later. That, of course, is if injuries allow him to do so.

At full strength Peru can call on an impressive array of attacking power - centre forward Paolo Guerrero with Claudio Pizarro operating behind him, Jefferson Farfan marauding down the right and Juan Manuel Vargas rampaging down the left. But in recent rounds at least one of the quartet has always been absent or clearly short of full fitness. With them all firing together Peru still have an outside chance of qualifying for their first World Cup since 1982. But they must start picking up points away from home.

Peru have become a notoriously soft touch on their travels. In a run stretching across more than seven years, they have managed to lose all of their last 16 away World Cup qualifiers, scoring 8 and conceding 48.

So if the venue is high up in the Andes when they meet Bolivia next month, the stakes are higher still. Neither side can afford to lose.

Bolivia need all six points from their two home games. Peru will probably be happy with four from their two away fixtures. And if they can go back to Lima with a maximum six points then never mind oxygen - they will be floating higher than a helium balloon.

Comments on the piece in the space provided. Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.
From last week's postbag;

Why did Uruguay's Gaston Ramirez join Southampton? He was linked with everyone big and as a Saints fan I can't really work out how we managed to get him. Will he be a success in the Premier League?
Nico

I suppose it's a tribute to the strength in depth of the Premier League that a much-touted talent is willing to join a newly promoted club - one of the things that makes this such a fascinating move.

A club in Southampton's position have little margin for error with major signings. After paying out big they really need a new acquisition to produce - as soon as possible.

I hope Ramirez will be able to do that, but there is clearly a risk involved. He has a wonderful left foot, but he is not especially quick, and those long legs mean that he lacks speed off the mark. Can he find space to impose himself on frenetic English midfields?

There were some promising signs in the recent World Cup qualifiers. Uruguay did not do well, but in the half hour he played against Colombia and the full 90 against Ecuador Ramirez produced his best international displays in the two years he has been hanging around the squad. There was less of the 'little boy lost' about him. He looked like he felt he belonged.

Against Ecuador, Uruguay ended up dropping him back a few metres in the hope that he could get good service into the box from deep. It was an interesting variation - something that was also tried in the Olympics - but it can leave exposed his lack of defensive aptitude.

This is especially true in South America's marathon 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, when two rounds are played together, and a team can play at one end of the continent on Friday and the other the following Tuesday.

Last week I picked out the match between Colombia and Uruguay as the most interesting tie of the seventh round, a clash right at the heart of the battle to qualify in recent campaigns. I also suggested there were signs that, after a two-year run of success, Uruguay might be on the downward slope.

It is too early to tell whether that supposition was correct - even though Uruguay were thrashed 4-0. One defeat, however comprehensive, does not necessarily mean a decline and things were always likely to be difficult in the scorching afternoon heat of Barranquilla. The proof will come in the way Uruguay react.

Atletico Madrid's Radamel Falcao was Colombia's match winner. Photo: Reuters

They have now dropped to fourth in the table, the last of the automatic qualifying slots - and could find themselves dropping further. Next month they are away to both Argentina and Bolivia - two of the most difficult games of the campaign.

Suddenly, then, the pressure is on. Anything less than a win at home to Ecuador on Tuesday will be a big disappointment, and potentially a significant one.

It will be a test too for Ecuador, who climbed above Uruguay with Friday's 1-0 win over Bolivia. The Ecuadorians have a 100% record at home but have lost all their away games, and need to start picking up points on their travels. In truth, they were not at all convincing against Bolivia, and only won with the aid of a highly questionable penalty.

But then they were up against opponents who had come to defend - Tuesday will be different. With Luis Antonio Valencia imperious on one flank and the silkily talented Jefferson Montero on the other, Ecuador possess real threat on the counter-attack, and with Uruguay obliged to push forward they should have the opportunity to use it.

More important, though, is whether their suspect defence can stand up to a Uruguay attack which, with Luis Suarez back from suspension, will come at them like a wounded beast.

It could be, though, that more significant than anything that happens to Uruguay will be Colombia's reaction to Friday's result. The 4-0 win came 19 years almost to the day after perhaps the greatest moment in Colombia's footballing history - the 5-0 win away to Argentina in the 1994 qualifiers. And the manner in which Uruguay were taken apart has delighted the traditionalists who remember that day with affection.

Conductor of the Colombian orchestra back in 1993, imposing a hypnotic salsa rhythm, was frizzy-haired playmaker Carlos Valderrama. Once he had retired Colombia tried hard to replace him, and then after a few years they gave up.

Before his team met Colombia in the quarter-finals of last year's Copa America, Peru coach Sergio Markarian gave an assessment of his opponents. Colombia, he said, were physically and technically impressive but lacked a touch of fantasy in the final third of the field.

His words came as a surprise to some - he was talking of a team that contained Radamel Falcao Garcia, one of the world's most lethal strikers. But Markarian was spot on. His men held Colombia with few problems and won the game in extra time.

This was a Colombia with a workmanlike, solid midfield but no playmaker. Then-coach Hernan Dario Gomez, once such a fan of Valderrama, had declared himself cured of the need to pick a midfield where three must run so one can play. His change in thinking was both a reaction to and an explanation for the decline of the old-fashioned South American number 10, squeezed out of the game by the presence in the opposing ranks of two midfield markers.

Colombia's success against Uruguay on Friday comes as the result of finding a solution to this problem, for one game at least. The recall of Macnelly Torres gave Colombia, now under former Argentina boss Jose Pekerman, an old-style playmaker for the first time in the campaign.

But the burden of setting up the play was not placed entirely on his shoulders. He had a partner in the wonderfully versatile and mature talent of James Rodriguez.

Uruguay started with three centre-backs and Rodriguez spent the first half attacking the space behind the opposing right wing-back. After the break, when Uruguay had switched to a 4-4-2, he drifted infield, getting closer to Torres. Always Colombia had options. With the ball circulating well, Uruguay's defensive midfielders were chasing shadows, while Colombia's strikers and attacking full-backs had a supply line.

It was an excellent performance - but Colombia need no reminding that one big win does not make a successful campaign. In the 2006 qualifiers they beat Uruguay 5-0 but only managed one win in their next six games. Uruguay finished a point above them and snatched the play-off slot.

The question, then, is whether Colombia can maintain their momentum. On Friday, they scored with their first attack and enjoyed themselves against opponents who wilted in the sun. These conditions will not apply on Tuesday when they travel to face Chile in Santiago. This is a match that could call for more defensive precautions such as the dropping of a striker - no easy choice after Falcao Garcia and Teo Gutierrez were both on target against Uruguay.

But Friday has gone. Tuesday's history has still to be written. There is nothing to be gained from basking in euphoria - while Uruguay will not profit from wallowing in despair.

Comments on the piece in the space below. Send questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.
From last week's postbag:

Q) I am surprised to see Chile doing so well in the World Cup qualifiers [they are currently in second place]. I know they have some quality players such as Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal but I wouldn't have thought they had enough quality to make the top four or five even. What's the reason for the success in your opinion? Do they have more quality than I realise? Is it down to great management?
Graeme Murphy

A) There are two key factors: one is the idea of play. Chilean football historically has struggled for an identity. The time that Marcelo Bielsa spent as national team coach was important in this respect - he got them believing in themselves, full of confidence to attack and with a bold front three that got full value from the quick, little wide players that Chilean football produces.

His ideas have filtered through to the domestic game - where there have also been important financial changes. The contemporary business model of football is no panacea, but it is better than the amateur-hour practices that were prevalent in the Chilean game. Better off the field, better on it, the Chilean championship is increasingly interesting. Universidad de Chile, who have won the last three domestic titles, have become one of the giants of South American club football.

The current national team under Claudio Borghi are usually fun to watch - they score plenty but their defensive weaknesses mean nothing can be taken for granted. It should make for a fascinating game against Colombia.

On the face of it there should be no cause for alarm. World Cup semi-finalists in 2010, Copa America champions last year, Uruguay's senior side have gone 18 games without defeat. They have made a solid start to the 2014 qualifiers. Leaders Chile sit out Friday's round, where a win for Uruguay would take them to the top of the table.

But from certain angles, in the light of what happened in the Olympics, the glass does not look quite so full. Part of this comes from the failure of the youngsters to take their Olympic opportunity. Uruguay's senior side is ageing. Some players will need replacing - or at the very least the emergence of options - before the next World Cup. But, eliminated in the group stage, the Under-23s had an appalling tournament. No reputations were enhanced.

And there is a more immediate concern. With Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani drafted in as over-age players, their Olympic goal power was taken for granted. But it never materialised. Having talented strikers is one thing, getting them to work together is another. It requires understanding, a willingness to sacrifice and a large dose of intelligence. The impression left by the Olympics is that, to get the best out of their strike force, Uruguay remain dependent on Diego Forlan, with his leadership, technical excellence and ability to read the game.

The problem is that at the age of 33 Forlan is showing signs of decline. He had an unhappy, injury-hit season in Italy with Inter Milan, and has made an uncertain start with Internacional in Brazil. His first goals for his new club finally came on Sunday, when in the 4-1 win over Flamengo he looked like a class act once more. But will he still be able to hit the heights for the next two years, and if not, can he be replaced? Southampton's new signing Gaston Ramirez has been groomed for the role, but has consistently looked off the pace when given a start in the senior side - and for all his left-footed wizardry from set-pieces, the Olympics did nothing to alter this impression.

Paraguay have appeared in eight World Cup competitions between 1930-2010. Photo: Getty

True, Forlan's absence was hardly felt when he missed one of Uruguay's World Cup qualifiers - last November's 4-0 home win over Chile. That, though, was one of those days when Luis Suarez could do no wrong. He scored all four in a scintillating individual performance.

Suarez, though, is suspended from Friday's match. And if victory will take Uruguay top of the table, it is highly likely that defeat will send them down to fourth place, the heart of the qualification dogfight. And given the fact that four of Uruguay's first five games have been at home, there are plenty of tricky away fixtures ahead.

Few are trickier than the one in the sweltering afternoon heat of Barranquilla, where Uruguay travel to take on Colombia on Friday.

This is a renewal of what has become an intense rivalry. In the last three qualification campaigns Uruguay have managed to sneak their way into a fifth-placed finish - the play-off slot. All three times Colombia were narrowly squeezed out. In the 2010 and 2006 qualifiers Uruguay finished just a point ahead - both times as a result of stirring late wins at home to the Colombians in the closing stages of the campaign. In the 2002 qualifiers it was even closer as they finished level on points, with Uruguay's goal difference better by one.

Colombia, then, will take the field on Friday with a dual objective - add to their own points tally and stop Uruguay adding to theirs. After an uneven start, Colombia sacked their coach only three games into the campaign, former international midfielder Lionel Alvarez replaced by ex-Argentina boss Jose Pekerman.

A significant part of the challenge faced by Pekerman is the need to get the best out of striker Radamel Falcao Garcia, destroyer of Chelsea in Friday's Super Cup. Unsuited to Colombia's slower build-up, Falcao has very rarely shown his club form for his country. Uncomfortable linking the play with his back to goal, he is at his happiest when quick service gives him an early sight of the target.

Pekerman can place some trust in the emerging, exciting talent of Porto's James Rodriguez as a possible supply line for his star centre forward. But it is also intriguing that he has chosen to recall playmaker Macnelly Torres, one of the best threaders of a through pass in South American football. If Torres gets a game, and if he can strike up an instant rapport with Falcao, then Uruguay will be in for an exceptionally warm afternoon.

The Uruguayans, though, are often at their most dangerous with their backs to the wall, and Forlan and Cavani will take heart from the absence through suspension of both Colombia's first choice centre-backs, Mario Yepes and Arquivaldo Mosquera.

Whatever happens, Colombia against Uruguay in Barranquilla promises to be a wonderful way to kick-start the second year of the most competitive World Cup qualifiers on the planet.

Comments on the piece in the space provided. Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.

From last week's postbag:

I am an academy coach in England, fascinated by youth development in football. In England I have been on many coaching courses recently where course leaders have used Lionel Messi as the benchmark and have argued that "special player skills" can be taught and learned. This often results in more complex drills with the coach talking even more during sessions at younger age groups (U7, U8 groups).

When I research about players such as Aguero, Suarez and Messi, and how they learned the game as young players, they often state that their football education took place in local games on parks and in the street. If Messi learned to play in unstructured games, I cannot understand why more academies do not try to reproduce that environment. I get the feeling the academy system in England is far too structured, with coaches focusing far too much on session plans and winning games and less about letting the players express themselves. So if Messi learned how to play on the street by playing unstructured games, why do you think so many English coaches continue with this drill culture at younger age groups? And even though street football may be finished in England, do you think that by recreating a similar "street football" environment within the academy system, players will be less restricted and more creative players will develop?
Adam Kirkpatrick

I found this so fascinating I decided to quote it at length and throw it out for debate. I am no pedagogue and I'm a long way from the English academy system, but everything you say makes sense to me.

I love Jorge Valdano's definition of Messi - a perfect synthesis of unstructured Argentine street football and the Barcelona academy. The latter has given him plenty - good coaching is a wonderful thing - but for what it's worth I'm struggling to believe that what the former gave him can be taught. That is spontaneous, full of solutions - improvised and worked out instinctively. I think we're all the poorer for the decline of old-fashioned street football. I'd love to see a debate with a range of views on the best way forward.

And he is exasperated to see Aguero's name in his country's squad for the coming World Cup qualifiers.

The trip to Germany came just a few days before City began their defence of the Premier League title. And Aguero's injury means that he has limited chances of being fit in time to play for his country next month. A journey across the Atlantic is quite possibly not an ideal part of the player's recovery. Mancini's position, then, is totally understandable.

But so too is that of Argentina boss Alejandro Sabella.

His complaint is that of all those in charge of contemporary national teams - the lack of time with his players means that he can hardly function as a coach. He becomes a selector. In the quest to form a cohesive group, any time he can spend with his players has to be utilised.

It hardly matters to Sabella that Aguero is unlikely to be ready for Argentina's next game, at home to Paraguay on 7 September - the player is suspended. But everything will be worthwhile if four days later Aguero is able to come off the bench and make an impact on the tricky tie away to Peru.

Injury had kept him out of the first three rounds of the 2014 qualifiers, and Argentina had made a desperate start in his absence. They had lost to Venezuela, drawn at home to Bolivia and were a goal down to Colombia when Aguero was introduced at half time.

It proved a turning point. Aguero's presence opened up space for Lionel Messi. Both were on target as Argentina struck back to win 2-1. Messi has not stopped scoring since. In the next game he weighed in with a hat-trick as Switzerland were beaten 3-1 in a friendly.

Messi and Aguero were among the scorers as a dangerous Ecuador side were thrashed 4-0 in a World Cup qualifier. Photo: Getty

Messi then added three more in a 4-3 triumph over Brazil, before scoring another (and missing a penalty) in that recent 3-1 win in Germany. So since Aguero's introduction on that hot afternoon in Colombia, Argentina have managed 16 goals in four and a half games, with Messi scoring nine of them. It is little wonder that Sabella wants Aguero around.

When Messi has failed to live up to expectations with the national team it has not been hard to find an explanation - the absence of his Barcelona team-mates. There is no doubt about it - Argentina cannot currently come up with an equivalent to Daniel Alves, the Brazilian attacking right-back whose thrust and threat help create space for Messi when he plays for his club. And although for Argentina Messi is forging a promising relationship with revitalised midfielder Fernando Gago, it is highly unlikely to prove as productive as the Barca link up with Xavi.

The beauty of the combination with Aguero is that it has the potential to outdo anything Messi has ever had with his club. Not with Samuel Eto'o, Zlatan Ibrahimovic or David Villa has Messi combined as naturally as he does with Aguero. The pair shared a room during the 2005 World Youth Cup in Holland. They struck up a friendship, and their understanding translates to the football field.

Against Switzerland last February or in the second half in Germany two weeks ago Messi and Aguero exchanged passes at dazzling speed and bewildering angles. It has perhaps taken Argentina too long to make this relationship the central axis of their attack - and even now the question has not been fully resolved.

A front two of Messi and Aguero lacks the penalty area presence of a traditional centre forward. Gonzalo Higuain can supply this - leaving the problem of fitting all three into a 4-4-2, the system Sabella has chosen as his base formation. The presence of the ultra-attacking Angel Di Maria in the midfield quartet makes the puzzle harder to solve.

At home to Ecuador, Sabella was happy to start with his front trio. Otherwise, either Aguero or Higuain have had to come off the bench. Last time out against Germany Aguero was brought on at half time. It may not have happened had the Germans not already had a man sent off.

It is entirely possible that the option for 4-4-2 is Sabella's way of playing safe during the notoriously difficult qualification campaign. By his own admission he is a pragmatist, willing to change to suit the circumstances. And if the balance of his attack is giving him headaches, the same is surely more true of his defence.

He has gone with a new pair of centre backs, Federico Fernandez and Ezequiel Garay. Neither is particularly quick, and their reluctance to be drawn out wide can open up huge gaps between them and the full-backs. This cost one goal against Germany and could easily have cost more.

One possible response is a back three with Javier Mascherano using his Barcelona experience and dropping into the defensive line. This could even be the explanation for the recall of Fabricio Coloccini - Sabella recently remarked that the Newcastle defender could be used as part of a three-man defence.

It is entirely possible that Alejandro Sabella will not settle on the shape of his World Cup side until a few months before the tournament. Before that, to the deep regret of Roberto Mancini, he has clearly concluded that time together with all of his players is too good an opportunity to be wasted.

Send your questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com and I'll pick out a couple for next week. From last week's postbag:

I'm a fan of Peruvian centre forward Paolo Guerrero. His hold up play reminds me a bit of Didier Drogba with his willingness to chest a ball down and hold off defenders in traffic. How has he been doing in his first campaign for Corinthians and does he and his fellow Peruvians still have a realistic shot at getting hot and being a factor in South American qualifying?
Aaron Hall

He hasn't done much for Corinthians so far, but it's early days, and I see him as a hugely significant signing - this is a 28-year-old, not a veteran looking to wind down his career with a tropical adventure.

Peru have a lot to do in World Cup qualification. They won their first game but have lost the next four. They have, though, been very unlucky with injuries. If everyone stays fit they have a chance, but they must start picking up points soon. The next two rounds are vital. Peru are at home for both, Venezuela first up and then Argentina. Anything less than four points will leave them a long way off the pace.

What can you tell us about Angelo Henriquez of Universidad de Chile who has just signed for Manchester United?
Shayak Banerjee

An 18-year-old striker of great promise, quick feet, sharp around the box and very mature and calm with his finishing. He has had an interesting year - at the start of 2012 he was playing for the youth team against Universidad de Chile's starting line-up, he impressed the coach so much that he won an instant promotion and he kept on scoring.

He has been on United's radar screen for a couple of years already, so I'm sure they have a very clear idea of what they are getting. The obvious fear is losing momentum by spending too long on the bench, because he's probably too lightweight to make much of an impression on the Premier League at this stage.

The punishing schedule is reflected by a glance at the league table. The Brazilian Championship is approaching the halfway stage, but Neymar has hardly figured. He has been away on international duty, and Santos have struggled in his absence.

A defeat last Thursday would have left them just one point clear of the relegation places - and it looked a distinct possibility at half-time, when bottom of the table Figueirense were a goal up. Neymar put a stop to the panic with a superb solo equaliser, and laid on the clinching third goal. He also added another assist on Sunday as Santos came from behind once more to beat old rivals Corinthians. Suddenly the league table does not look so frightening.

Clearly, Santos need Neymar.

But does Neymar still need Santos?

It is an interesting question.

Neymar won a silver medal for Brazil at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Photo: Getty

The Olympic final against Mexico was another in a recent sequence of big matches where Neymar has been nullified by canny defences closing him down. This is not necessarily a cause for alarm. Learning to overcome such challenges is a normal part of a young player's development. But in order to learn he must come up against his demon on a regular basis, and here lies the problem.

Brazilian club defences tend to lie very deep, meaning there is space on the field for the likes of Neymar to pick up possession and build up acceleration. Referees are quick to blow for fouls and there is a cultural tolerance of diving.

Figueirense last Thursday are perhaps an unfair example - they are not bottom of the table for nothing - but their defending was so appallingly bad that the thought that this was something of a hollow triumph may even have flickered across Neymar's mind. And there could be even worse to come. Those two quick victories have lifted Santos up the table. But they still stand 11 points behind the team in fourth place, the last qualifier for next year's Copa Libertadores, South America's Champions League. Should they fail to make up the gap then Santos will be looking at a very melancholy opening few months of 2013.

Until the next national championship gets under way at the end of May the only stages on which Neymar will feature will be the opening rounds of the Brazilian Cup and the dreadful Sao Paulo State Championship - competitions which have very little to contribute to his development.

This is the risk of staying in Brazil - that of remaining in a comfort zone. Other risks are available, some of which are now being faced by Oscar, who has established such an interesting international partnership with Neymar.

Sunday's 2-0 win over Wigan got Oscar's Chelsea career off to a winning start. He came off the bench in the second half, and while he will be happy with the win bonus he has already seen that there is no guarantee of a place in the starting line-up.

The headlines have gone to Eden Hazard. Juan Mata is still there of course, and Marko Marin has been drafted in. Competition for attacking midfield places will be stiff, and being on international duty prevented Oscar from bedding in to his new surroundings with a proper pre-season.

Oscar is a wonderfully talented, inventive player, versatile and stronger then he looks. But there will inevitably be a period of adaptation, and the risk exists that too much time on the bench might blunt his edge and rob his career of momentum. Joining Chelsea is the move of a confident young man. Oscar has the game to back up his confidence - just as well, since he is not scaling Everest the easy way.

There are exceptions, but most of the Brazilians who have done exceptionally well in Europe have tended to find their feet with smaller clubs before going on to shine with the giants. As the current continental champions, Chelsea have to be considered a giant - and the aim to add more style to their success makes Stamford Bridge a demanding destination.

Is Oscar taking on too much too soon? Is Neymar not taking on enough? The contrasting risks the pair are running have a great deal to do with the improved economic scenario of the Brazilian game. Money exists to hold on to the stars for longer - which means that by the time they make the move, their prestige and price bracket puts them out of the range of all but the biggest clubs.

The Oscar-Neymar partnership looks to be of fundamental importance to Brazil's World Cup campaign - all the more so if Wednesday's evidence is to be believed and 4-2-3-1 has now given way to 4-3-2-1. The pair have freedom to flit across the attacking line in support of the centre forward. It will be fascinating to see how Neymar and Oscar deal with their respective risks and challenges on the countdown to 2014.

Send your questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com and I'll pick out a couple for next week. From last week's postbag:

Following what looked like a great 3-0 win for Ecuador in New York against a good looking Chile side, do you think it is real possibility of Ecuador mounting a serious challenge for World Cup qualification? Is it possible they could win some key games away from their Quito stronghold this time around?
Andy Morrison

It certainly was a terrific win against Chile, showcasing what Ecuador do best - attack down the flanks. Chile's back three were made for them, with Antonio Valencia imperious down the right and Jefferson Montero a delight down the left. If only his final ball and choice of options were better then Montero could be world class.

Ecuador are fourth in the qualification table at the moment, so they are on course - but they are 100% at home and 0% away. With the threat they carry on the counter attack they should be able to pick up some away points. My doubt, though, is whether they are good enough in both penalty areas.

Just having a look at the Argentine League, what impact would it have if Independiente get relegated?
Edmund Allen

They are in for a long, hard year. On the average points over three years - which determines relegation in Argentina - Independiente are currently bottom of the table. And they have made a bad start to the season - without a win (or even a goal) in the first three games.

But the lesson should be clear. If River Plate can go down, anyone can. Although they seem to have bounced back a bit stronger for the experience, which
might give Independiente fans a tiny crumb of consolation.

The celebrations have been planned and the champagne is on ice. Then, when things go wrong, everyone sees it and the humiliation is complete as you fall from a great height.

What kind of landing awaits coach Mano Menezes after Brazil lost 2-1 to Mexico in the Olympic final? When Brazil win the players get the credit. When they lose the coach gets the blame. It was ever thus.

Going home with the gold medal would have solidified Menezes' position as the man to take Brazil to the next World Cup. In defeat nothing is solid. If the new president of the local FA wants to play to the gallery, then getting rid of Menezes is the easy option.

Brazil players (in yellow) are distraught after losing 2-1 to Mexico in the football final at London 2012. Photo: Reuters 

In part the coach has contributed to his own precarious position with a glaring error in his Olympic squad selection.

True, he was unlucky to lose first-choice keeper Rafael Cabral on the eve of the competition. Two replacements were used, Neto and Gabriel. Neither looked secure.

But a big part of the problem was the presence in front of the keeper of centre-back Juan, who at this stage of his career is not ready for such a challenge - and since he is nowhere in the running for a 2014 place, it was not a selection that made any sense.

Juan operated as the left-sided centre-back. And since Marcelo, the full-back on that flank, is far more accomplished going forward than tracking back, Brazil were vulnerable to attacks down the opponents' right.

Menezes in effect acknowledged his own mistake with a change in his starting line-up. After a nervy quarter-final win over Honduras, striker Hulk, one of his three over-age players, was sacrificed to make way for Alex Sandro in an attempt to shore up the left side.

After a sticky start in the semi-final against South Korea, Brazil pulled away to win 3-0. Against Mexico they instantly found themselves a goal down and, after a deeply unimpressive first half-hour Hulk was introduced to kick some life into the Brazilian forward line - though he was also at fault with a piece of slack marking for the second Mexican goal.

And Menezes hardly covered himself with glory as his team attempted to claw their way back into the game. He fell into the common Brazilian vice of becoming obsessed with the referee, continually crying out for yellow cards to be given to the Mexicans. It hardly helped his team.

He has often talked of the need for Brazil to play with more patience and this was a time to show it.

The Mexicans were happy to interrupt the flow of the game. Instead of getting mad Brazil needed to get even, passing and moving at pace, wearing the Mexicans down until the gaps appeared.

But if Wembley went all wobbly for Menezes, then he can look back with more pleasure and take more positives from his team's previous five displays at Cardiff, Manchester and Newcastle, where three goals in every game sent the fans home happy.

Sceptics may argue that Brazil fell to the first truly accomplished team they faced. They may have a point, but so do the optimists when they point out that considerable progress has been made in the quest to find something of greater long-term importance than an Olympic gold - a coherent, collective idea of play.

In the two years of his reign, Menezes has brought on a new generation and weaned Brazil off an excessive dependence on the counter-attack.

Perhaps the most significant development has been the emergence of Oscar as a bright, busy and versatile organiser of the team's possession.

He looks like being a key man in 2014 - likewise Thiago Silva to marshal the defence, Romulo to link play in midfield, Leandro Damiao as a strong and improving centre forward, and the magnificently talented Neymar - though he struggled once more against opponents who were adept at reducing his space, and must surely be pondering that a move to Europe would give him more experience against this kind of marking.

Menezes has gone a fair way down the road to producing a side with the potential to win in style in 2014 and more of the blueprint might be on view this Wednesday when Brazil play a friendly against Sweden.

Centre-backs Dede and David Luiz will battle it out for the right to partner Thiago Silva. And there is an intriguing recall for Ramires.

The Chelsea midfielder was dropped after last year's Copa America because it was thought he did not fit naturally into the team's 4-2-3-1 formation.

He lacked the passing game to be one of the two and was not enough of an attacking specialist to operate in the line of three.

In bringing him back, then, Menezes is not only acknowledging the player's storming club form towards the end of last season, he is presumably also thinking of a tweak.

The Olympics have perhaps given him the idea that his preferred formation can leave the team too vulnerable down the flanks. Ramires in the second line of a 4-3-2-1 now becomes a possible variation.

This week's friendly, then, gives us the chance to assess some of the tactical lessons of the Olympic tournament. And as well as its long-term implications, the match is also important in the short term.

The 'Menezes out' fraternity will be sharpening their knives in the event of another disappointing performance.

Brazil have a chance to bounce back quickly from Saturday's defeat. If they fail to take it, then Menezes will be sailing in waters so turbulent that he might be well advised to make room on his coaching staff for Ben Ainslie, Great Britain's gold medal-winning sailor.

Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com and I'll pick out a couple for next week.

From last week's postbag:

Q) How do you think River Plate will do on their return to the top flight? Also, what do you think of their young player Manuel Lanzini who showed glimpses of quality in their opening game and what's behind the departure of Fernando Cavenaghi?
Liam Derry

A) They've now lost one and won one. The Argentine league has been so up and down over recent years that it is hard to make any hard and fast predictions. But I think there are some grounds for optimism - so often big clubs who go down are cleansed by the process of clawing their way back up.

Little Lanzini is an attacking midfielder worthy of high hopes. On Cavenaghi, the experience of the veterans was useful in the second division, but retaining too many of them would hold back the coming generation. Funes Mori scored both their goals this weekend - he may not have got a game if Cavenaghi was still around.

Included in a Wembley crowd of 70,584, sitting directly behind me, was a young girl of around seven or eight who had gone along with her father.

She sat - or mostly stood - enraptured as he patiently explained what was going on. After a minute and a half they had a GB goal to celebrate.

Towards the end, dad was cheering hard for a second, mainly because it would give him an excuse to leave early and beat the rush.

Brazil's Marta (10) was closely marked during their 2-0 defeat against Japan in the quarter-finals. Photo: Getty  

His daughter was having none of it. She was determined to stay until the final whistle and lap up all that the experience had to offer.

I imagine she finally arrived at home tired but with her senses filled with the occasion. Perhaps that night in her dreams she took on Brazil in front of a huge crowd at the Olympics and scored the winning goal.

Just as she was inspired by coach Hope Powell's Great Britain team, so Marta has lit the torch for so many Brazilian girls.

Marta and Brazil's story is both heart-warming and cautionary. When they went to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Brazil were under-equipped.

Their administrators had so little confidence that they only had enough pennants (exchanged by the captains before the kick-off) for the group games. Fourth place was an unexpected bonus.

Expectations were higher four years later and another fourth place was seen as a disappointment.

That's when Marta emerged to take them to another level.

A wonderfully fluid mover with a magnificent left foot, Marta is an extraordinary talent and an even more extraordinary story. From a poor background in a remote part of the country, Marta met resistance from male members of her family as a result of playing football.

This was not uncommon in Brazil - but it is much less common now.

With the grace and depth of her talent, Marta has legitimised the sport for millions of Brazilian girls and women.

The only thing missing from her international career is a top drawer title. She has come very close. Brazil won the silver in the 2004 Olympics, came second in the 2007 World Cup, and won silver again in 2008.

But now they seem to have dropped off the pace. In last year's World Cup they were knocked out in the quarter-finals on penalties. And, following their defeat by Great Britain, they were beaten 2-0 by Japan and eliminated from London 2012.

Before the tournament I was on a radio programme with the vastly experienced England defender Faye White who announced her retirement from international football earlier this summer. Her view was that GB had evolved to a point where a victory over Brazil was entirely feasible. At the time I did not believe her, but she was spot on.

I am certainly no specialist on the women's game, but my impression in the GB v Brazil match was that while Marta remains technically excellent, she did not have the staggering physical advantage she enjoyed a few years ago.

Against the dynamism of the British side, they were reduced to pumping hopeful long balls in Marta's general direction.

This, I believe, is not because Marta, or even Brazil, have lost anything. Rather, it is because opponents have made huge strides in terms of skill and, especially, fitness.

This surely has much to do with the undeniable fact that the 'Marta moment' has not been seized as it might have been. There is still no solid professional structure for the game in Brazil, which, with the equivalent of lottery money available, is a huge disappointment.

There is no easy path for the generation inspired by Marta to follow.

There is a lesson here for the British administrators. More than 70,000 people turned out to watch GB v Brazil.

Thought must be given to capturing some of these people for the long term. From coaching to marketing, the structure needs to exist to enable the little girl sitting behind me last Tuesday to turn her dreams into reality.

Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.

From last week's postbag:

Q) What is your opinion of Lucas Moura. There have been lots of rumours linking him with Manchester United, but I hadn't really heard of him before this. He's now being touted in the press as the best young player next to Neymar?

Iain Wilson

A) He's undoubtedly very talented, but there's a big difference between him and Neymar. Winner of the Copa Libertadores, voted best player in South America, Neymar has done it. Lucas, on the other hand, is still much more promise than reality.

I thought it was a huge error to promote him to the senior international squad last year. I really think he should have gone to the World Youth Cup rather than the Copa America - in the former he would have carried the status of the leader of the attack, which would have forced him to develop the collective side of his game.

He has blistering pace, can sustain it, has short space dribbling skills and can shoot from range. But he can be selfish and at the moment he lacks versatility.

Last year Sao Paulo played him up front and he looked very unconvincing, and he also does not look happy on the left. He's a right-sided striker/winger/attacking midfielder - which would not seem to be a priority area for United.