Brazil will bring a significantly altered lineup to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, with more than half of the squad that fell to Belgium in Russia four years ago having been replaced.
In addition to the personnel changes, there has also been a shift in the mentality of the “Seleção”. This is a more adventurous team that has been capitalizing on the flair and offensive skills of a group of exciting young attackers who left Brazil while still young and have established themselves in some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
They include Vinicius Junior, Antony, Raphinha, and Rodrygo. For the most part teenagers in 2018, when they were just starting their careers, they are now ready to help Neymar carry the creative burden.
“The Seleção had the results and the solidity, but we lacked the impetuosity and creativity that these players bring,” said coach Tite, who wasted no time integrating the new generation. With so much talent at his disposal, he faced the difficult task of deciding who travels to the World Cup and who stays home.
The team has just completed the best campaign ever in the South American qualifiers, with 14 wins, three draws, and no losses, scoring a total of 40 goals and conceding only five. The goal now is to go all the way in Qatar.
Tite’s Approach and Tactics
Tite is the first coach to lead the Seleção in two consecutive World Cups, uninterrupted since Mário Zagallo took Brazil to Mexico in 1970 and Germany in 1974. Telê Santana was in charge in Spain in 1982 and Mexico in 1986, but he left in between. This telling fact is an indication of the credibility that the 61-year-old now enjoys and that he has largely built since his time at Corinthians, in a country where foreign coaches are becoming increasingly common at the club level.
Tite has earned that credibility. As painful as the defeats to Belgium in the quarter-finals of Russia 2018 and to Argentina in the final of the 2021 Copa América were, he has overseen a period of excellence, guiding his team to 58 wins in his 76 games in charge, losing only five and drawing 13 of the remaining 18.
Over the past ten years, he has gradually expanded his tactics and earned the admiration of both the older and younger members of the Brazilian locker room.
Key Player: Neymar
Although much has changed in Neymar’s life since his debut for the national team in 2011, he remains a brilliantly unpredictable player who carries the hopes of millions on his shoulders. At 30 years old, he is now at the stage where he begins to ponder his legacy and his future as a player for the Brazilian national team, one that he hopes will involve fulfilling two major ambitions: winning the World Cup and being named the best player on the planet. Qatar 2022 seems like a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
One to Watch: Vinicius Junior
While Vinicius regularly has Bernabéu fans jumping out of their seats, he is still not a guaranteed starter in a talent-laden Brazilian squad. The main reason for this is Tite’s ongoing search for an offensive yet balanced lineup.
With each passing month and each flash of skill, however, Vini Jr is increasingly strengthening his claim for a more prominent role in the team. Whether starting or coming off the bench, the Seleção knows that the 22-year-old is a game-changer who only needs a moment to dismantle defenses.
Brazil’s World Cup History
Although they have not reached the final since winning their fifth world title in Korea/Japan 2002, and although Germany and Italy have caught up with them since then, the Seleção still stands alone as the most successful nation in World Cup history.
They have also reached the quarter-finals in every World Cup since the USA 1994.
Source: www.fifa.com