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On November 7, Brazil coach Tite announced his final 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The star-studded squad has its fair share of regulars, but there have been some surprising inclusions as well as omissions.
Liverpool ace Roberto Firmino has been shockingly left out of Tite's squad. Richarlison has been included ahead of him, despite him having noticeably fewer goal involvements than Firmino (12 vs 5). Surprising many, Pumas star Dani Alves, 39, has also been called up and will look to use his abundance of experience to help the Selecao.
With an abundance of talented individuals to choose from, it is not easy to pick the best XI; but, suffering from World Cup fever, we cannot help but take a stab at it anyway.
Today, we will create the most in-form, as well as compatible XI, out of Brazil’s 26-man shortlist. Here is the best possible starting XI Tite could pick for Brazil at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar:
Formation used: 4-3-2-1
Goalkeeper: Alisson
Tite has two of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers, Alisson and Ederson, at his disposal. While he could not go wrong with either, Liverpool’s Alisson should be getting the nod ahead of the Manchester City star.
Alisson, who has played 57 games for his national team thus far, has been in excellent form for the Reds in the Premier League. He has made a whopping 43 saves in 13 games, keeping four clean sheets and conceding 16 goals.
Right-back: Danilo
Thirty-nine-year-old Dani Alves remains a fine option at right-back, but picking Danilo ahead of the Barcelona legend is a no-brainer. The Juventus right-back may commit a few errors here and there but makes up for it with his pace and work rate.
Danilo, who has registered six assists and a goal in 46 games in national colors, has been in decent form for Juve this term, recording three assists in 18 games.
Center-back: Eder Militao
Real Madrid center-back Eder Militao is quicker, sharper, and considerably better in the air than Chelsea veteran Thiago Silva. With him guarding the backline, Brazil would not have to worry much about odd crosses making life difficult for them.
The 23-time capped center-back has been in good form for the All Whites this season. The 24-year-old has scored twice in 16 appearances across competitions.
Center-back: Marquinhos
Paris Saint-Germain skipper Marquinhos is a man of many talents. He never overcommits, is great with the ball at his feet, and instills a sense of calmness that very few are capable of. An in-form Marquinhos could make Brazil one of the most difficult teams to breach at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Marquinhos has played 71 games for the Selecao since his debut in 2013, scoring five times and claiming four assists. He has been in good form for PSG this season, netting once in 21 games across competitions.
Left-back: Alex Sandro
While Sevilla’s Alex Telles has his qualities, he has historically struggled to maintain consistency. Juventus’ Alex Sandro, on the other hand, comes off as a lot more surefooted and rarely lets his team down when called upon. He is not particularly flamboyant going forward, but that should not come as a concern to Tite’s side, who have plenty of creators at their disposal.
Sandro has thus far played 37 games for his national team, scoring twice. For Juventus, he has claimed an assist in 16 games this season (across competitions).
Defensive midfield: Casemiro
Manchester United defensive midfielder Casemiro should be one of the first names on Tite’s team sheet. He is physically intimidating, can spray balls from deep, and can score stunning goals from time to time.
Casemiro, who has been capped 65 times by Brazil so far, has scored five goals and claimed three assists in national colors. He has been in impressive form for the Red Devils lately, scoring a goal and providing an assist in 16 games across competitions.
Defensive midfield: Fabinho
Fred or Bruno Guimaraes could realistically play alongside Casemiro at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, causing Liverpool ace Fabinho to sit on the bench. We have gone down a more experimental route while picking Brazil's best XI for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, deploying Fabinho and Casemiro in a double-pivot system.
Playing together, the pair could take the defensive burden off the players in front and allow them to be more adventurous. They could also use their impressive long-ball distribution to try and catch the opposition out.
Fabinho made his debut under Dunga in 2014 and has played 28 times for Brazil since. He is yet to score but has an assist to his name.
Right-midfield: Rodrygo
Like Fabinho, this one is also a hypothetical pick. While chances are that Raphinha or Antony could start on the right flank, we could not simply overlook Rodrygo’s numbers for Real Madrid this season.
The former Santos star has played 18 games for Madrid in the 2022-23 season, scoring seven times and claiming five assists in all competitions. Rodrygo made his national team debut under Tite in November 2019 and has played seven matches since, scoring once.
Attacking-midfield: Neymar
Brazil’s unabashed poster boy Neymar is one of the most in-form players in the world right now. The former Barcelona ace has not only been scoring for fun but has also created goals at will. Neymar has taken part in 19 games for PSG this season, scoring 15 goals and providing 12 assists across competitions.
Neymar, who has scored 75 goals for his national team in 121 appearances, is the country’s second-leading goalscorer of all time (behind Pele, 77). He will aim to clinch the top spot over the course of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Left-midfield: Vinicius Junior
Having drastically improved his decision-making in the final third, Vinicius Junior has emerged as one of the best forwards in the business. The Real Madrid star has impressed onlookers with his mesmerizing displays this term, scoring 10 times and providing five assists in 20 games in all competitions.
Vinicius Junior has scored only once in 16 national team appearances so far. However, given his good run of form, it will not be surprising to see him add to his tally at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Center-forward: Gabriel Jesus
With Roberto Firmino kept out of the 26-man squad, Gabriel Jesus should be the one to take on the center-forward role. He may not be as physically intimidating as Richarlison, but the Arsenal man more than makes up for it with his sharpness and clever link-up play.
Jesus, who has scored 19 goals in 56 games for Brazil, has impressed at his new club this season. Under Mikel Arteta, Jesus has played 18 times, bagging five goals and seven assists.
