Juninho needs no introduction to England
HAMAMATSU, Japan (AP) -- As Brazil plans, plots and prepares for its upcoming quarter-final match, one player has already cracked the secret of English soccer.
While the South Americans study game tapes of their next opponents ahead of Friday's clash, Juninho, the only Brazilian to have played in England, is constantly consulted about the British players and their style of play.
The clash between the World Cup's most effective offence and its stingiest defense is too close to call, he said.
"We are so equal, a game like this is decided on details," Juninho said. "Brazilians have more technique, but we have to match them in heart and also be attentive to high balls, which they play better than we do.
"It will be like an early final. If Brazil gets by we have a great chance to reach the final and be champion."
Still, after three seasons with Middlesbrough, he has a special fondness for his former country.
"I have a lot of affection for the English," he said. "I know how they love football and how hard they take it when they lose."
For Juninho, England will be a tougher adversary than Belgium, which lost 2-0 to Brazil on Monday but played even with them for much of the match.
"They have more technique and play better with the ball on the ground," he said. "But that's better for Brazil, because it will be a more open game."
The secret, he explained, is to keep the British off balance with quick touch passes and not let their defence set up.
"Brazil defends well, and if we move the ball quickly and surely we can outmaneuver the English defence."
Quickness and ball movement are Juninho's strong suit. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was so impressed in training camp he made Juninho a starter alongside Ronaldinho, giving Brazil an unexpectedly offensive midfield.
The move paid off, as Brazil has scored a tournament-high 13 goals. And while Juninho hasn't tallied yet, Scolari has nothing but praise for his field commander -- even on defence, not the forte of the five-foot-five midfielder.
It's been a long wait for Juninho, who is playing in his first World Cup at 29.
After breaking into soccer a decade ago with the small Ituano club, he caught the eye of legendary Brazilian coach Tele Santana and in 1993 joined powerful Sao Paulo, then South American and world club champion. In 1995 he signed with Middlesbrough, leaving in 1997 when the club was relegated, to join Atletico Madrid.
A year later, Juninho was a consensus choice for a midfield spot on Brazil's World Cup team, but months before the tournament he broke his leg in a Spanish league game. Although he recovered in time for the World Cup, coach Mario Zagallo preferred not to take a risk and left him off the squad.
In 1999 he returned to Middlesbrough, then headed back to Brazil to join national champion Vasco da Gama and Flamengo.
Now, in the chaotic schedule of Brazilian soccer, with overlapping schedules, he looks back fondly on the order and discipline of British soccer.
"There's no rule-breaking, no backroom manoeuvres. If you lose, you lose," he said. "It's a different sense of professionalism, and people respect it."
