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Redemption and a chance to scream “World Champions” for the sixth time will be the driving force behind Brazil’s charge for the title 2018 World Cup.
Alongside the pain of losing the 1950 World Cup final in front of a packed Maracana stadium, the ignominy of Belo Horizonte remains one of the darkest days of Brazil’s proud footballing history.
The 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany’s Die Mannschaft in a game that was supposed to lead finally to winning the Mundial on home soil scarred an entire nation and is a psychological yoke that the 23-man squad heading to Russia will have to deal with
Since taking over from the dire, dour and tactically useless Dunga in 2016, Adenor Leonardo Bacchi popularly known as Tite has breathed new life into the Verde-Amarela (The Green and Yellow).
Gone is the staid, lifeless, safety-first football that characterized Dunga’s reign as the Brazilian manager. Instead, Tite has introduced a system designed to get the best out his players and is picking players to play in the positions that they best fit in.
Also read: 5 amazing players who did not make Brazil's 23-man squad
This is a major departure from Brazil’s recent history where, on occasion, stars have been jammed together into a team regardless of cohesion, tactics or compatibility. Who can forget the aging and horribly imbalanced team that Carlos Alberto Parreira put out at the 2006 World Cup in Germany?
However, Tite has not completely gone the way of Jogo Bonito (The Beautiful Game) with its emphasis on all-out attacking football. His Brazil team are much more pleasant to watch now as he has picked players who are capable of zipping the ball with skill and pace across the field. It is a far cry from the sleep-inducing fare served up by his predecessor.
The 23-man squad called up by Tite is certainly the best that Brazil can put up as in all positions the team looks solid and capable of going all the way.
In goal, AS Roma’s superb shot-stopper Alisson Becker who has been linked to big European clubs will be the one chosen to start ahead of Manchester City’s Ederson Moraes who also had a fantastic season for his English team. Corinthians goalie Cassio completes what is a goalkeeping trio that will be the envy of other nations.
Ever-present stalwarts; Thiago Silva & Marquinhos (PSG) and Miranda (Inter Milan) will form an impressive centre-back quartet alongside surprise call-up 32-year-old Pedro Geromel (Gremio). David Luiz’s no-show at Chelsea for a good part of the recently concluded Premier League season meant he was not called up.
Brazil has a long and proud history of having classy full-backs and there are few better in world football than the left-back duo from Spain’s Madrid giants: Marcelo (Real Madrid) and Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid).
The absence of PSG’s Dani Alves through injury means that Manchester City’s Danilo and Corinthians’ Fagner will slug it out for the right-back slot. Few countries will have as solid and as well drilled a back-line as the Brazilians at Russia 2018.
Also read: 3 players who should not have been in Brazil's 23-man World Cup squad
In midfield, Tite has chosen to play with a three-man midfield since he took the reins preferring to play with two sitting midfielders who would act as a shield for whenever the adventurous full-backs bomb forward and a box-to-box midfielder who is defensively sound and can still get up the pitch to support the attack.
Fernandinho (Manchester City), Paulinho (FC Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan) and Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk) will offer power, pace, defensive nous and amazing work-rate in the middle of the park.
Paulinho’s teammate at Barcelona, Philippe Coutinho will carry the creative burden from midfield with his trademark passing and set-piece ability a key element of Brazil’s attack. Willian Borges (Chelsea) is the last nominal midfielder and will be adding his trademark pace, power, and creativity to Brazil’s attack.
The golden boy of Brazilian football, PSG’s Neymar is expected to be fit and on his shoulders will rest the hopes and dreams of 207 million football-mad Brazilians.
Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) and Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) will duck it for the right to be Brazil’s main striker at the World Cup and there is a place in the squad for Shakhtar Donetsk’s Taison.
Tite has picked a squad that looks and feels like it has the desire and ability to erase the memories of that shameful night in 2014. Do not bet against the Seleção going all the way.
