The honeymoon has been over for a long time, but it is worth remembering the admirable speed with which Tite became the nation’s sweetheart when he took over from Dunga as Brazil manager three years ago.

The team were languishing in sixth in South America’s 10-team qualifying group for the 2018 World Cup and Brazilians were seriously considering the prospect of losing their record as the only country to have appeared at every World Cup. Yet the charismatic coach – who has been described as everything from a snake charmer to a televangelist for his unique and captivating press conferences – lived up to the high demands of his assignment. Brazil won eight qualifiers in a row and secured their place in Russia with four rounds of fixtures to spare.

But a lot has happened since. First there was the defeat to Belgium in the World Cup quarter-finals in Kazan and then came a series of unconvincing performances in friendlies. Over the last year, the manager has been criticised for not refreshing the squad with young players who could form the core of the team at Qatar 2022. Having signed a contract extension that should keep him in the job until after the 2022 World Cup, Tite now faces speculation that he will be sacked if Brazil do not lift the Copa América at the Maracanã on 7 July.

The Seleção are favourites to win the tournament. They have a strong squad, home advantage and their traditional rivals – such as Colombia and Argentina – are either adjusting to new managers or in disarray. Cafu, who won the Copa América in 1997 and 1999, is feeling positive. “Brazil are the favourites to win the Copa América,” he said this week. “Because we are playing at home with the support of our fans, our national team is very well put together and we are coming off a positive [run of form].”

Ronaldo, Cafu and Denilson celebrate with the Copa América in 1997. Photograph: Andrew Winning/Reuters

Cafu is right about the results. Brazil are unbeaten in 10 games since that defeat to Belgium at the World Cup and they beat beat Qatar 2-0 and brushed aside Honduras 7-0 in their final warm-up friendlies this week, with Dani Alves, Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus and even the much-maligned Philippe Coutinho giving positive displays. However, the build-up as a whole has been far from smooth, with the excruciating soap opera around their star player responsible for most of the bumps in the road.

Tite was first put under pressure to drop Neymar for the Copa América when he reacted to PSG’s defeat in the Coupe de France final by punching a fan in the Stade de France. Tite had previously left Douglas Costa out of a squad for a spitting incident so, by including Neymar, the manager left him open to charges of hypocrisy. Journalists at the squad announcement gave Tite the most probing interrogation of his time in charge, suggesting he was giving Neymar preferential treatment. But, instead of following the example he had set with Costa, Tite took the less severe punishment of taking the captaincy away from his No10 and handing it to veteran right-back Dani Alves.

Then, far more seriously, came the rape accusation against Neymar, a complex legal case that has been conducted mainly in the noisy court of public opinion. After the allegations came to light, Neymar’s father immediately went on true-crime TV show Brasil Urgente to issue a full denial. Neymar responded to the accusations by publishing a video on social media that included a slew of messages from, and pictures of, his accuser, Najila Trindade. Even the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, came to Neymar’s defence, saying “I believe him” when asked about the case.

And finally, there was the ankle injury he suffered in Brazil’s warm-up match against Qatar – just minutes after Trindade had gone on national TV to give details of the alleged assault. The storm intensified when Bolsonaro again offered a display of support, going to the hospital in Brasilia to wish Neymar well. It later emerged that Neymar’s father had been allowed into the dressing room to tend to his son. Tite’s decision to call up Willian rather than young Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior as a replacement also supplied ammunition to those who claim the manager is too conservative.

Tite has brought Willian into the squad to replace Neymar. Photograph: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images

Yet Tite himself has maintained a fairly dignified demeanour throughout. He has played difficult questions with a straight bat, saying Neymar Sr. was welcomed into the team’s private area out of fatherly concern and that he “will not allow myself to judge” when pushed over the rape accusations. Tite has lost his best player, but he may be relieved to be free from of the extra attention and ructions Neymar brings. On the pitch, Brazil have looked positive and united. They are pressing much higher up the pitch and the change of formation from 4-1-4-1 to 4-2-3-1 gives Coutinho more freedom.

Brazil kick off the tournament on Friday night against Bolivia in the Morumbi stadium in São Paulo. This will be the fifth time the country has hosted the Copa América and on each previous occasion – in 1919, 1922, 1949 and 1989 – they have won it. The public expect the same this year. But Rogério Caboclo, the new president of Brazil’s football federation, insists Tite’s job is not the line. “He stays, regardless of the result,” said Caboclo last week.

The last time Brazil won the Copa América, in 2007, Gilberto Silva was their captain. The former Arsenal midfielder thinks Caboclo’s approach is a good one. “This rumour doesn’t help the Seleção at all, tying Tite’s continuation to the Copa América title,” says Gilberto Silva. “The Copa América should be used by Brazil as a continuation of his work. If you interrupt that due to not winning, you lose a little. We must hope that, regardless of the outcome, his work will be maintained. Tite is doing a good job. Obviously, the demands have already started coming – as has always happened with the national team – but I hope he can have peace of mind to get on with his job.” The press and public may not be so patient.

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