Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Gabigol can complete Brazil's trophy cabinet
The Olympic Games don't usually mean much when it comes to football. But for Brazil, a gold medal is all that's needed to complete its trophy cabinet.
By congesting a calendar that is already tight and making a mockery of qualification by allowing three overage players to take the pitch, the Olympic Games are an unattractive spectacle for football supporters. There's also the matter of clubs refusing to release their top players, as the event overlaps the start of Europe's biggest leagues.
Nonetheless, Brazil's search for a gold medal at Rio 2016 should give people a reason to watch the tournament. It's the only competition within the Selecao's reach that the national team is yet to win, and, if that isn't enough, Neymar will be there, along with Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel "Gabigol" Barbosa.
Barcelona allowed Neymar to play at Rio 2016 if he missed the Copa America Centenario, and Brazil was able to call up Gabriel Jesus and Gabigol with no trouble from Palmeiras and Santos FC, respectively. The trio will form an attack that, on paper, should be enough for the Selecao to win a gold medal on home soil.
Brazil's opponents in Group A include South Africa, Iraq, and Denmark, three teams that don't inspire much in the way of defence. In fact, the Selecao will only go up against one player who qualifies as a defender from Europe's top five leagues. That defender is Ali Adnan, Udinese Calcio's Iraqi wing-back.
Given that Neymar scored 24 goals in La Liga last season while Gabriel Jesus and Gabigol have combined for 19 goals in the ongoing Brasileirao, the group stage at Rio 2016 may very well be a massacre. After that, the triumvirate will likely be tested by stronger defences, but it's hard to find a single squad at the tournament that looks capable of stopping the three-headed monster.
At London 2012, Neymar, then still at Santos, was part of a squad that boasted the likes of Rafael, Thiago Silva, Marcelo, Oscar, Alex Sandro, and Hulk. There was also Leandro Damiao, who was the tournament's top scorer with six goals to his name. But at the end of the day, Brazil didn't possess a unifying philosophy and fell to its first decent opponent, settling for a silver medal by virtue of a 2-1 defeat to Mexico in the final.
If Rio 2016 is to be a different story than four years ago, Brazil will have to find that unifying philosophy. Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, and Gabigol may score six goals each, but what good is that if the Selecao crumble upon meeting a well-rounded opponent in the final?
In other words, Brazil's attack should, as it usually does at tournaments, shine and provide no shortage of samba-style tricks. Yet that will only be enough for a bronze or silver medal, as London 2012 demonstrated. The trophy cabinet will only be completed if the Selecao is united from its 'keeper to its No. 9.