[caption id="attachment_106091" align="alignright" width="237"] Brazil head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari gestures after conceding five goals in the first half during the 2014 FIFA World Cup semifinal match between Brazil and Germany at Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on July 8, 2014.[/caption]
Brazilian football legend Zico says head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari must be replaced if his host nation wants to get over its humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 FIFA World Cup semifinal.
"We should thank him (Scolari) and thank (assistant coach Carlos Alberto) Parriera too. But, we need to choose new people with new thoughts about how to play the Brazilian way,'' the three-time World Cup veteran said on Thursday.
He also suggested 58-year-old Sao Paulo coach Muricy Ramalho as an ideal replacement to take the helm of Brazil men's national soccer team.
''He is one the greatest champions of the Brazilian league, which is one of the hardest in the world to win,'' Zico said.
''We had no alternatives. They stayed focused entirely on the success of the 2013 Confederations Cup. They kept the same formation and the same team. Everyone had a year to work out exactly how to play against Brazil, the 61-year-old commented on Brazil's tactical approach to the World Cup.
Zico further blamed dearth of talent, poor administration, lack of structure and a vacuum of leadership for the loss of the traditional ''Brazilian style in football.
Scolari has apologized to soccer enthusiasts for failing to lead the hosts to the World Cup final, saying the catastrophic loss to Germany marked the worst day of his professional career.
On Tuesday, Brazils dream of winning the World Cup on its home soil crushed by a merciless effort from Germany, which blasted out to a 5-0 lead before halftime and never looked back in Belo Horizontes Estadio Mineirao.
In the second half, Germany added more offense to win 7-1, leading Brazilians to swallow the bitter fact that they had lost at home for the first time in 39 years.
Brazil will face the Netherlands in the third place play-off at the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia on Saturday.