3) Settle the Brazilian backline
Danil Alves, Gil, Miranda and Filipe Luis started as Brazil’s backline in their last Copa America Centenario game which was a shock 1-0 defeat to Peru. It’s hardly the most intimidating backline, despite many of these players being relatively successful for their clubs in in Europe and in Brazil.
Brazil’s Olympic side, while struggling upfront, also managed to show Marquinhos as a promising understudy for Thiago Silva and David Luiz. The trio play together for the same club (PSG), and ought to be reinstated in the Brazilian lineup, with the constant chopping and changing under Dunga’s reign proving to be detrimental for Brazil’s back four.
Much like Andrea Pirlo and Patrice Evra in recent years, Dani Alves will drink from Juventus’ fountain of youth to find himself playing like a 25-year-old again. Tite has to decide if he wants to revert to Brazil’s tradition of lateral fullbacks, for which Marcelo is perfect or opt for a more European-style fullback in Filipe Luis.
Either way, Tite is famed for clear ideas that he sticks to – and he ought to succeed in moulding a Brazil backline that could become famous for its stinginess.
