ADRIAN DURHAM COLUMN: Brazil used to be good, Tom Cleverley role for England, Liverpool mediocre without Luis Suarez

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Are Brazil actually rubbish? I mean, they’re favourites to win the World Cup next year but is that based more on the fact they’re hosts, and a rich World Cup history, rather than anything to do with their current team? 

Of course by writing this, I run the risk of looking a fool if they peak next summer and become champions of the world.

But right now, is there anything special there?

Plenty to ponder: Luiz Felipe Scolari (left) saw his Brazil side scrape a draw against Russia at Stamford Bridge

Level pegging: Fred scored for Brazil at Stamford Bridge as they continued to struggle ahead of the World Cup

Plenty to prove: Neymar has yet to live up to his billing as the next star to emerge from Brazil

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At Stamford Bridge on Monday night they rescued a late draw against Russia, but I felt like I was watching a classic Scolari team: too cautious, overly defensive, and with flair players not able to fully express themselves. The fact that a centre half, Thiago Silva, and holding midfielder, Fernando, were Brazil’s best players says it all.

Scolari is of course a World Cup winner, but world class players like Lucio, Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho effectively carried the likes of Kleberson, Roque Junior and Scolari to glory in 2002. 

Two years later Scolari achieved the football impossible by being so negative that a team involving Deco, Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rui Costa failed to score against Greece and lost the Euro 2004 final. 

At Wembley last month England beat Brazil for the first time in 23 years. Of course it was just a friendly, but friendlies are all Brazil have as they build up to the World Cup next year. England outplayed them on the night, and it’s not often I can say that when England come up against a top team.

Brazil no longer have the magic trio – Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho – to rely on. Yes Ronaldinho is still around but he’s not the player he used to be. They still rate Kaka as their best No 10, even though it is literally years since he shone consistently at club level. And is anyone having Neymar? He reminds me of Pato – everyone keeps saying he’s brilliant, but he never actually proves it. 

Brazil used to be brilliant. But this current side is far from special. For football’s sake I hope they’re saving it all up for the real thing. For England’s sake, I hope Scolari’s Brazil really are as bad as their recent visits to these shores suggest. 

A word of warning though. The last time Brazil had a run of five games without a win like this was also under Scolari. It was a year before they won the World Cup.  

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There is one particular England player who creates more debate at the moment on Twitter than any other – Tom Cleverley. England fans, and even Manchester United fans, seem split on whether Cleverley is the real deal.

The sceptics seem convinced he’s only in the England squad because he plays for United. They then add that he isn’t even a United regular. 

But Cleverley has fans who defend him by saying his pass completion rate is excellent, he is defensively secure and threatening in attack. 

I like Cleverley, and more importantly so does Roy Hodgson. Cleverley has started every England game since Euro 2012, the only player to do so.

He’s good on the ball and he always seems available which is vital if England are to rid themselves of their biggest problem when it comes to tournaments – keeping possession. That’s why I like Tom Cleverley. 

He’s not quite Scholes, and he’s not quite Carrick, but he shows qualities of both those players, who in different ways have been brilliant for United.

Main man? Tom Cleverley is an automatic pick for England but is neither Paul Scholes nor Michael Carrick

But that’s part of the problem Cleverley faces. He’s been used wide, centrally, defensively and offensively for England.

He’s an all-round midfielder without the match-winning dynamism of a Steven Gerrard to suggest he is a complete player. He doesn’t have the goals of Scholes. He can pass the ball, but does he have the kind of stunning vision that Carrick showed when he floated one in for Hernandez to open the scoring against Chelsea in the FA Cup recently?

I suppose the best way of putting it is like this: what exactly is Tom Cleverley? He hasn’t got a speciality, a clearly defined role. Not as a scorer of goals from midfield, or as a fantasy No 10, or as a workhorse wide man tracking up and down. 

His versatility is impressive, but it is also holding him back and he will be 24 at the start of next season.

Tom Cleverley is reliable, but he needs to excel at something in particular if he is to be considered special.

 Arsenal could be about to alienate their fans even more. Not content with charging a fortune for tickets to watch a team who are consistently failing to deliver trophies, and supporting a club consistently selling their best players, there are rumours that the Gunners are about to invite Galatasaray to take part in the Emirates Cup.

On the face of it the prospect of watching Wesley Sneijder, Didier Drogba and Emmanuel Eboue in pre-season might seem exciting.

But rewind to 2000 and Arsenal fans remember only too well the violence in Copenhagen when the Gunners met the Turkish side in the UEFA Cup final.

Riots: Violence erupted in 2000 when Arsenal played Galatasaray in the UEFA Cup final in Copenhagen

For Arsenal fans it was an intimidating trip. And for some of those fans it ended with them being banned from Arsenal games. They were later found to be innocent of starting the violence.

A random draw pairing the clubs together in European competition would be easy to accept.

But if Arsenal are to invite Galatasaray over for a friendly tournament, with thousands of Gala fans coming to the Emirates, I don’t think many Gunners fans will believe that it will help re-build bridges. 

It would be another wedge driven between the Arsenal fans and the people who run their club.

  Sturrock to set record

Sunday, April 7 at Wembley Stadium should see a record broken. The oldest mascot ever will walk out of the tunnel with the Southend United team ahead of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final, before they take on Crewe Alexandra. 

It’s not yet known if Paul Sturrock will be holding hands with any of the Southend players as he walks out. 

The 56-year-old has just been sacked as manager but offered the consolation prize of a day out at Wembley. 

Part of Sturrock’s prize is to take the players training in the build up to the final. So basically the chairman has told the players Sturrock isn’t good enough to manage them, except for their biggest game in years. Genius. 

The story on MailOnline yesterday linking Luis Suarez to Bayern Munich left me fearing for Liverpool. Stories that Suarez loves the club and videos of his daughter singing 'You’ll Never Walk Alone' are there for fans to cling on to, but the reality is he is too good for Liverpool. It will be a huge surprise if there is no interest from some of Europe’s top sides in Suarez. And with Pep Guardiola’s brother advising him it’s hard to imagine him being steered in the direction of staying at Anfield.

I believe there is not a club in the world who wouldn’t be interested in him – even Barcelona. He is easily as good, probably better than some of the regulars in the Barca side like Alexis Sanchez, Pedro and David Villa. 

They could get £40million for him, but Brendan Rodgers isn’t used to spending that kind of money and he would need to buy the right players. 

But Liverpool without Suarez puts the pressure squarely back on Steven Gerrard’s shoulders and he won’t have his mate Jamie Carragher to help him. Gerrard is a special player but he’s been carrying the club for too long now.

Liverpool have been out of the big time for too long. This club has a history and support that needs to be respected. 

Selling Suarez would be disrespectful to the fans, and it would be a clear sign that Liverpool Football Club are ready to accept mediocrity. 

Will he stay or will he go? Luis Suarez has been heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich in the summer

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