Adenor Leonardo Bachi, whom everyone just calls Tite, hardly found an end to his list. The Brazil coach struggled to recite all the forward names in his squad for the World Cup in Qatar. Richarlison, who had scored the opening goal against Serbia in a 2-0 win, naturally came to mind immediately, as did Vinicius Júnior and Raphinha, who started in the Lusail finals stadium.
Tite looks at assistant Cléber Xavier. Oh, and then there’s Rodrygo, Gabriel Jesus, Antony and Gabriel Martinelli, all of whom he came on as a substitute, plus Everton Ribeiro and Pedro on the bench.
The Brazilians have nine strikers in their line-up for the mission they keep talking about. The mission sixth world title. They have been waiting since 2002, when the Seleção defeated Germany in the final. Now it should be that time again. The chances are good, because the team is not only excellent in attack.
Tite demands defensive discipline
In goal, Tite can choose between the best in the English Premier League. Liverpool FC’s Alisson Becker and Manchester City’s Ederson are world class. Central defence, with captain Thiago Silva, who at just over 38 is now the oldest player to represent Brazil at a World Cup, and Marquinhos provide the experienced backbone for the wingers Danilo and Alex Sandro.
Both like the way forward, in keeping with Brazilian tradition, but Tite demands defensive discipline. The 39-year-old Dani Alves also ensures this balance internally. He has hardly played at his club in Mexico lately. Still, he’s in the squad to lead the younger savages.
The head of the Brazilian team, however, is the midfield. Bouncer Casemiro has long been one of the most underrated players on the planet football at Real Madrid. As he did for the Spaniards Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos, he does it for the many strikers in the national team, among whom a star like Roberto Firmino from Liverpool did not even find a place in the squad.
Lucas Paqueta assisted Casemiro in chasing the ball against Serbia. All in all, the South Americans are, if first impressions are not wrong, the favorites for the title. A goalkeeper without problems, a defense without wobbles, a midfield without gaps and goal scorers without end – these are the ingredients that it takes to dust off the gold trophy in golf after twenty years of waiting.
Neymar’s tears
If it wasn’t for that one striker that Tite didn’t mention in his long list. It wasn’t forgetfulness or even bad intentions, because he wasn’t the only one who had talked about him extensively. Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior is often the center of attention. Everything revolves around him, not just on the pitch, which he likes to walk on late to get the full attention of fans and cameras.
Neymar and his swollen ankle after the game against Serbia.
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Image: AFP
Now his World Cup project is on the brink. In the game against Serbia, he suffered a ligament injury in his right ankle, team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said on Friday. On the bench the day before, Neymar cried, pulling his jersey over his head. After the final whistle, he limped into the dressing room after suffering nine fouls, his ankle visibly swollen. When leaving the stadium, Neymar said nothing, but let the pictures do the talking.
The king of drama is back. Tite doesn’t think it was his last appearance in Qatar. “Neymar will continue to play at the World Cup,” he said to the worried Brazilian journalists, one of them wearing a Neymar shirt. In the game against Switzerland on Monday (5 p.m. CET in the FAZ live ticker for the soccer World Cup, on ZDF and on MagentaTV), Neymar will definitely be missing, as will defender Danilo, who also suffers from an ankle injury.
Tite’s big team
Despite the not so serious diagnosis, does this tournament also end tragically for the now 30-year-old Neymar? At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he suffered a fractured lumbar vertebra when he was fouled by Colombian Juan Zúñiga. The country cried, first for the star, then after the 7-1 semi-final loss to Germany that saw Neymar as a spectator.
Ahead of the 2018 tournament, a broken foot healed just in time to take part in the World Cup, where Belgium were too strong in the quarter-finals. Neymar missed out on winning the 2019 Copa America title on home soil because he tore ligaments in the ankle of his right foot just before the start.
“Today is one of the most difficult moments of my career… and again at a World Cup,” Neymar wrote on Instagram: “I have an injury, yes it’s annoying, it will hurt, but I’m sure I’ll have the chance to come back because I will do my best to help my country, my teammates and myself.”
Will he relive that nightmare after Nikola Milenković’s foul? There’s no shortage of alternatives, even if Neymar is unique. Yes, and that’s the good news for Brazil: If a team can compensate for the loss of their big star and win the title, it’s Tite’s, which consists of more than nine strikers. Or eight.
