Luiz Gustavo’s absence gives Brazil major headache against Colombia

Neymar has earned the plaudits for Brazil but Gustavo has been the unsung hero, performing a similar role to Gilberto Silva in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s 2002 World Cup winning side

Brazil already owe Neymar big time and news of the nasty knocks he took against Chile left the whole of Brazil holding their breath. More recently, however, the absence of their invisible player has come sharply into focus.

Without any of the adulation or allure of Neymar, who has declared himself fit to face Colombia, Luiz Gustavo has swiftly turned into the most unlikely hero for Brazil. Against Chile, Neymar was left battered and bruised and still recovered to dispatch a penalty in the shootout after two team-mates missed theirs, but Gustavo’s yellow card – his second of the tournament – and his subsequent suspension leaves a hole in theSeleção for their quarter-final encounter against Colombia on Friday in Fortaleza.

While Neymar has driven Brazil forward with four goals, the Wolfsburg man and reported Real Madrid target has been the engine powering them. In 390 minutes on the pitch over four games (including 30 minutes of extra time against Chile), Gustavo ran more than a marathon. He clocked 46.1km and 6km more than the star of the show, even if Neymar has got through plenty of work, chasing down numerous punts forward. The biggest surprise, though, is that Gustavo also ran 16.3km with the ball at his feet, once again outshining the Barcelona forward. Add to that the fact he has recovered the ball 34 times, the fourth highest total in the World Cup so far, and it is easy to understand why Brazilians are fretting so much about how to replace him.

“A guy in my position on the pitch cannot think twice. Unfortunately I fouled an opponent and got the second booking but I am proud to have helped the team,” said Gustavo.

He sounded like a pragmatic German player because Gustavo is effectively made in Germany. Never breaking into any major Brazil side, he arrived at Hoffenheim in 2008 and three years later moved to Bayern Munich. Such was his impact there that many Bavarians still bemoan Gustavo’s absence, once again through suspension, from their infamous home Champions League final against Chelsea in 2012. In the next season, though, Gustavo fell down the pecking order following the record signing of Javi Martínez and it was quite the surprise when Luiz Felipe Scolari plucked him out of the shadows before Brazil’s Confederations Cup campaign – his last call-up had come two years before.

But Gustavo was an immediate hit: he slotted so well into the holding role that comparisons with Gilberto Silva and his performances in the 2002 World Cup winning side started popping up. Never mind that a few weeks ago a Brazilian TV channel ran a story where people on the streets of Rio failed to recognise a picture of Gustavo. “People don’t see what he does but Gustavo is one of the most important players in my team,” said Scolari last week prior to the game against Chile.

Now, the manager and the team have to do without Gustavo, who has also been one of their best passers so far. The obvious choice is the return of Paulinho, arguably the biggest disappointment of the Seleção’s campaign so far, which would allow Fernandinho to adopt a more defensive role and cover for the Tottenham man’s inevitable forward runs. “Gustavo has been outstanding for Brazil and the team will miss him, but I have played in a more conservative way for Manchester City before and I can definitely hold back to allow Paulinho more freedom,” said Fernandinho.

Easier said than done. Even with Gustavo’s remarkable statistics, theSeleção midfield look vulnerable and far from the fearsome unit that bullied rivals last year, most notably Spain. Lacking intensity and stamina, Paulinho was a pale resemblance of the box-to-box midfielder that led Tottenham into making one of their club-record signings last season. That has seen Brazil struggle going forward and also defensively, which helps to explain why the hosts have rarely looked convincing over their four matches in this tournament.

Few challenges could look more interesting than a Colombian team reborn after the heartbreaking loss of Radamel Falcao. They have cruised to the quarter-finals, despite the caveats that Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan was hardly a “group of death” and that Uruguay were rocked by the Luis Suárez affair when the two South American sides met in the last 16 in Rio. The playmaker James Rodríguez will need attention while Brazil will have to handle Colombia’s taste for exploring the flanks, something even more tempting when up against the host nation’s full-backs. Hence the fact Scolari, over the last few days, entertained the idea of bringing in Maicon for Dani Alves to make Brazil’s right side more robust.

He has even toyed with a back three during practice sessions in Brazil’s mountainous HQ near Rio. What he really needs, though, is someone to do the dirty but brilliant work Gustavo has been providing so far.