Having turned down the offer to coach England, Brazil boss Phil Scolari was chastened to lose to them last night.
The Samba Kings generally take beating England for granted, and their team laced with old pros and young starlets arrived at Wembley in confident mood.
However, Big Phil’s decision to bring veterans Ronaldinho, Luis Fabiano and Julio Cesar back into the fold did not reap immediate dividends, while starlets like Oscar, Neymar and Lucas Moura failed to set the stage alight.
But after World Cup winner Scolari’s second stint as Brazil boss ended in their first defeat to England since 1990, he insisted his team is bound to improve.
All eyes were especially on Neymar and Ronaldinho, who failed to set the stage alight. Scolari is convinced however, that by the time the Confederations Cup rolls around, his stars will be shining.
"The opponents covered more space, Neymar was opening the spaces but could not make an impact," said Scolari.
"He won't be able to before February or March, when everyone will be better.
"Ronaldinho just played 90 minutes in Brazil, it's normal that he isn't in the conditions we wanted, but if he keeps doing well for his team, he will easily keep getting called up."
Goalkeeper Cesar meanwhile, did not cover himself in glory, becoming one of the few Brazilian shot-stopper to ship two goals to England.
He too believes however, that Brazil are bound to improve with more games together ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
"The fact we are not playing the [World Cup] qualifiers complicates Scolari's job a bit," said Cesar.
"There is too little time to work. But we have to use that time the best we can. We have some friendlies against big national teams and we'll try to be well for the Confederations Cup.”
