Dunga returns for 2nd stint as manager of Brazil

Brazil have their replacement for departed manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, and it's a face that will be all too familiar for fans of the Selecao. 

Carlos Dunga, who captained the national team to a World Cup victory in 1994 and then served as the Brazilian boss at the 2010 edition of the tournament, is back behind the bench.

“I am immensely happy to be back,” he told reporters (via The Guardian) during a press conference on Tuesday.

The move comes after the resignation of Scolari, whose departure was a foregone conclusion following the disastrous 7-1 loss to Germany in the semifinal of the World Cup earlier this month.

Dunga, whose first tenure came to an end when Brazil succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands in the quarterfinal stage in South Africa, endured a rocky relationship with the fans and local media, often criticized for implementing a mechanical, defensive-minded system that robbed the team of the flair so often associated with the five-time world champions.

That said, his record at the helm of the team - at least until the loss to the Dutch - made the criticism hard to understand. Dunga oversaw victories at both the 2007 Copa America and the 2009 Confederations Cup during his initial spell on the Brazilian sideline.

Fernando Duarte of ESPN FC explains:

In Dunga, they might have one of the best managers the Selecao have ever had in terms of winning percentage; on his watch, the team won 49 of 68 games between 2006 and 2010. The problem is that out of the seven meager losses Dunga suffered, the 2-1 elimination at the hands of the Netherlands in South Africa 2010 sticks out like a thumb crushed by a mallet. Not because of the result itself, but because of the way his players collapsed psychologically and his inability to regroup them. Not to mention the pragmatic brand of football that would later be used as an example of how Brazil needed to get back to their fantasista roots.

Judging by his comments on Tuesday, where he discussed the merits of defending and how that aspect of the game can "can be an art," perhaps we shouldn't expect this team to be all that different from the 2010 edition.

Considering how horrendous Brazil was in defense against both Germany and the Netherlands, conceding 10 goals in two matches, that's probably not a bad thing.

The 50-year-old also attempted to keep things in perspective during his introductory press conference, admitting that it will take time to get the team back to where the fans expect it to be: atop the footballing world.