By Issam Raad | Staff Writer
Brazilian fans across the earth were waiting to get mesmerized by Brazil’s performance at the Qatar World Cup 2022, realizing the potential and stars that the squad possesses, but a shocking exit in front of Croatia interrupted the Samba dance and ended many dreams of witnessing a sixth star being stamped on the yellowish shirt. Some blamed individual players such as Neymar, while others pointed fingers at the manager, Tite, as being the reason for the early return home empty-handed. Well, as a Brazilian fan, I blame both, but the accusations break the equilibrium in favor of the manager because the latter has made some major mistakes.
First, speaking of players summoned and the formation used, a major name that could’ve made a difference but missed the event: Philippe Coutinho. The magician’s absence due to injury was felt, but Tite was wrong for not calling two giants who could’ve replaced him and compensated for his magic: Roberto Firmino and Willian. On one hand, I know, Firmino currently plays as a central forward, but he excels at a False 9 position and could be included in an articulated formation. Moreover, Firmino could’ve filled the gap that the attack suffered from, which Pedro and Jesus couldn’t do when Richarlison got substituted. On the other hand, despite his recent form, Willian could’ve revived his level at the World Cup. Tite’s decided to play Neymar in CAM, which isn’t his natural position, and left another great natural CAM, Paqueta, as a CM.
Other names could’ve been summoned such as Allan, the former Napoli and Everton midfield who is great at wandering through the attacking and defending realms. Oscar is also a player that could be a decent substitute for the injured Coutinho or the starter Paqueta when needed.
Regarding names that shouldn’t have been called up, I could think about Pedro, Madrid’s Rodrygo, and Everton Ribeiro, only because there are better candidates to take their roles. In addition, Tite’s style was excessively defensive. The inclusion of Danilo as a left-back rather than harnessing the attacking flair of Alex Sandro or Alex Telles led to the suppression of the defense wings that could’ve created more chances upfront and strengthened Brazil’s power. Furthermore, Brazil’s attack was skeptical: True, Richarlison made an impact and we watched some decent performances from him and Vinicius, but also, they wasted many opportunities in front of the goal. I don’t blame them, because their finishing is not meant to be as perfect as a striker. That’s why they needed someone like Firmino to complete their dribbling and agility
skills. Concerning the right side, I felt that Antony was better than Raphinha when he was given his chances as a substitute because he was able to dribble past the opponent’s defense on multiple occasions and vitalized the front line.
Finally, and to the last point: Neymar. The number 10 is a big name, but he is not the only one on the team, and to me, he’s overrated. Brazil’s squad was full of mesmerizing names, potential, and power that was not properly harnessed. This was the nation’s golden era of stars and it was Brazil’s moment to merge style with stars and show the world its ability. I personally couldn’t see any weak spot in the formation, even the right back which was critical for the past few years, because each position had several names to conquer. But the team was simply mismanaged and some wrong names in the formation were appointed to lead, but didn’t lead enough. If I was the manager, and Coutinho wasn’t injured, I’d play with the following players:
Goalkeeper: Alisson
Defenders: Thiago Silva (CB), Marquinhos (CB), Eder Militao (RB), Telles/ Sandro (LWB) Midfield: Casemiro (CDM), Allan/Paqueta (CM), Paqueta/Coutinho (CAM) Attack: Vinicius (LW), Firmino (CF), Richarlison (RW/RF)
Substitutes & Reserve: Ederson (GK), Weverton (GK), Bremer (CB), Gabriel Magalhães (CB), Alex Sandro (LB), Dani Alves (RB), Danilo (RB), Fabinho (CDM), Fred (CM), Bruno Guimarães (CM/CAM), Willian (RW/CAM), Raphinha (RW), Antony (RW), Neymar (LW), Martinelli (LW), Gabriel Jesus (ST).
With all that in mind, I hope the tables turn and Brazil’s power can be properly harnessed soon because now is the best time for “The Samba” to dance and for its stars to shine.