Coach Dunga said Friday he was trying to reduce the pressure on Ronaldinho when he benched him for the start of Brazil's exhibition soccer game against Ecuador earlier in the week.
``It's tough, he has a big load on top of him,'' Dunga said after arriving in Brazil following the team's 2-1 win over Ecuador on Tuesday in Sweden. ``We have plans to take Ronaldinho out of the spotlight for a while.
``He needs more privacy.''
Ronaldinho entered the match against Ecuador in the second half, setting up Kaka's go-ahead goal. The FC Barcelona star hasn't played well recently, however, and is yet to perform up to the expectations of fans in Spain and Brazil.
The two-time FIFA player of the year was widely criticized after his dismal World Cup performance. He arrived in Germany as the tournament's biggest star, but failed to impress and left as a disappointment.
The midfielder had no goals and Brazil was eliminated in a 1-0 loss to eventual runner-up France in the quarter-finals.
Dunga said Ronaldinho still hasn't recovered physically from a gruelling European season in the first half of the year.
``Modern soccer demands speed and physical strength,'' Dunga said. ``Ronaldinho already has the technical ability, so when he gets fit he will become again the player everybody is used to know.''
Dunga said Ronaldinho is expected to spend his next 10 days with Barcelona focused on physical training, hoping to get back in shape for the rest of the year.
Brazil's captain when it won the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Dunga has been revamping the national team, introducing several younger players.
``Dunga has made it clear that he will give opportunities to everybody,'' Ronaldinho said earlier this week. ``He is acting with transparency.
``It's the way we like to be treated. We can't complain about playing or not playing.''
Brazil remains unbeaten in five matches since Dunga took over following the team's World Cup elimination. Before Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Ecuador, Brazil drew with Norway and beat archrival Argentina, Wales and the Kuwait Sports Club.
Despite having no coaching experience, Dunga replaced Carlos Alberto Parreira after he quit to coach South Africa, host of the 2010 tournament.
Brazil will face Switzerland on Nov. 15 in Basel, Switzerland, in the team's last match of the year.
