The Seleção struggled throughout to create goalscoring opportunities, and Menezes blamed this on a lack of movement from his front three of Neymar, Leandro Damiao and Ronaldinho.
“We were very static, with players standing on the left and the right, and in the middle,” Menezes said after the game. “When we moved Neymar over to the left, and had Ronaldinho in the middle, we made more chances and automatically improved.”
He also went on to discuss Ronaldinho specifically, saying that the Flamengo playmaker had been impressive since returning to the national team but could also still improve further.
“Ronaldinho improved in the game later on, when he was more involved,” he said. “Above all I am pleased with his commitment. We know he can be a focal point, and he can grow. This will come and it is great to have him back.”
Finally, Menezes spoke of his defence. He opted for a back four of Danilo, Dede, Rever and Kleber, who had never played together before, and now wants improvement for the second leg on September 28.
“My concern was with the defensive system, because we put out many players who had not played together. We allowed Argentina a lot of creative freedom, which could have led to defeat,” the coach concluded.
