Team Focus: Second Would Still be a Major Achievement for Improving Botafogo

The Brazilian championship used to be decided by a final. Every season ended with the kind of play-off system that would be immediately familiar to fans of American sports, meaning a team that finished as low as eighth in the actual league stage could walk away with the title.

That system lasted until 2003, when the system of pontos corridos (literally 'running points') was finally adopted. It didn't please everyone. Many still yearn for the end-of-season excitement the play-offs provided, while there have also been concerns over the possibility of clubs screwing over their rivals in the final rounds of a league season if they have nothing to play for themselves.

For now, though, fans of knockout football have to content themselves with the Brazilian Cup, the Libertadores, the Copa Sul-Americana and the latter stages of the country's state championships, most of which are still settled by recourse to play-offs.

But occasionally even the round-robin format throws up a game that has the feel of a final. So it was on Wednesday evening, when Cruzeiro welcomed Botafogo to the Mineirão. 

The Foxes went into the game with a four-point advantage over their nearest rivals. There can be little doubt that Marcelo Oliveira's side, buoyed by a series of astute signings, have been the team of the season so far, but Botafogo have clung onto their coat tails admirably. They have built up a cushion over the chasing pack and have coped admirably with limited resources.

Not viewed as title contenders before the season, the Rio side has reaped the benefits of having a settled starting line-up. In a league in which rotation is widespread, Botafogo have relied on a stable core: nine players have been involved in 15 games or more. Admittedly, this frugality has in part been forced upon them: the departures of Andrezinho, Antônio Carlos and Fellype Gabriel early in the campaign left the squad looking very thin indeed.

Much of the spotlight tends to fall upon a rejuvenated Clarence Seedorf, who has been a shining example – both on the pitch and off it – since joining the club. He has indeed been instrumental for O Glorioso, as his 7 assists and 2.9 key passes per match underline. Yet he is by no means the only player deserving of credit. 

Uruguayan midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro, who arrived at the club with his tail between his legs following a poor spell in Europe, has been excellent, marrying bluster with end product. He has taken a 2.5 shots per game, while winning 2.7 free-kicks on average per  match. Striker Rafael Marques, who went eight months without a goal before breaking his duck in March, has been equally good, having been directly involved in 13 goals (8 goals, 5 assists) and winning fully 52 aerial duels in his 22 games.

The orchestrator of all this has been Oswaldo de Oliveira. Previously viewed as a placid, slightly drab tactician, his image has undergone a radical overhaul over the last few months – firstly after a video of a glorious, expletive-laden, John Sitton-esque team talk went viral early in the year, and then when it emerged that he was punching about nine categories above his weight in his personal life. 

Fripperies aside, he has shown an impressive ability to work around selection issues – aside from the departures, Lodeiro and Jefferson are on international duty every other week – and has shown admirable faith in youth. Case in point: upon losing dynamic young winger Vitinho to CSKA Moscow, Oswaldo turned not to the transfer market but to Hyuri, a youth team player cut from the same cloth.

Given the comparative resources of the two clubs, then (it is also worth mentioning that Botafogo have no fixed home since the decommissioning of the Engenhão stadium), the Alvinegro have done incredibly well to stay within range of Cruzeiro. 

Botafogo lost Wednesday's game 3-0. That result will sting, not least because Seedorf missed a penalty at 1-0. But as an understandable blip in a season that is shaping up to be their best in years, it will be forgotten. Second place in the league – and the Copa Libertadores place it would seal – would be a colossal achievement for this likeable side.

Can Botafogo keep up the pace at the top? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below