The Beautiful Game will have to wait

Fans expecting the Beautiful Game may get an unpleasant surprise when Brazil debuts in the World Cup next week. The nifty moves and fancy dribbles may not be there. The flashy football and attacking style could be missing too.

Updated on: Jun 11, 2010, 20:21:41 IST

AP | By HT Correspondent, Johannesburg

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Fans expecting the Beautiful Game may get an unpleasant surprise when Brazil debuts in the World Cup next week. The nifty moves and fancy dribbles may not be there. The flashy football and attacking style could be missing too.

Brazil arrives in South Africa with a different look. Defense will come first, and the "Jogo Bonito" associated with Brazil will give way to pragmatic football.

Coach Dunga revamped Brazil when he took over the team after the 2006 World Cup in Germany, leaving out stars like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Adriano and preferring lesser-known but harder working players.

Defender Maicon says Brazil wants "to win the title regardless of playing with flair or playing ugly."

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