Brazil At World Cup 2018

Tite and Brazil will seek some redemption in Russia

Overcoming the disappointment and humiliation of the semi final exit at home at World Cup 2014 will haunt Brazil forever. This, a country, which still lives with the 1950 final loss to Uruguay. The still unbelievable 7-1 loss to Germany four years ago is something few but locals understand and even after reading tales and books on it and on the 1950 World Cup and their aftermath one is told that it is impossible to feel how the people and country feel.

Fast forward to 2018 and a new much heralded coach is finally in charge. Tite, finally accepted and left his job at Corinthians to take charge of the Selecao in 2016. The team surged up the CONMEBOL (the South American Football Confederation) qualification group to reach Russia 2018 comfortably. He brought in players like Paulinho (now at Barcelona and playing in the Chinese league at that time) seen by most as a flop while at Tottenham in the English Premiership. He created a not so much new look team but one which played differently. His loyalty and personality that focuses on team moral seems to have played a major part in the change and probably just as much as any tactical changes (Brazil play a 4-1-4-1 or a 4-3-3).

One surprising aspect of that loyalty is that Tite has announced that he knows at least 15 of the 23 players going to Russia, some four months before the World Cup starts.

  • Alisson, Roma Goalkeeper
  • Dani Alves, PSG
  • Marquinhos, PSG
  • Thiago Silva, PSG
  • Miranda, Inter Milan
  • Marcelo, Real Madrid
  • Casemiro, Real Madrid
  • Fernandinho, Manchester City
  • Willian, Chelsea
  • Renato Augusto, Beijing Guoan
  • Paulinho, Barcelona
  • Coutinho, Barcelona
  • Neymar, PSG
  • Roberto Firmino, Liverpool
  • Gabriel Jesus, Manchester City

These 15 will be complemented by the likes of Ederson (Manchester City), Alex Sandro (Juventus), Jemerson (Monaco), Casemiro (Real Madrid) and Fred (Shakhtar Dontesk) to form a great team, on paper and on the pitch. A lot will still depend on the form and temperament of Neymar but Russia provides one early chance at overcoming the pains of 2014.

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