Brazil have just been rather embarrassingly knocked out of the Copa America in the group stage and gloom engulfs the South American nation, even though the demise of the powerhouse of world football has been in progress for the last few years. Germany’s 7-1 demolition job in the 2014 World Cup stunned the host nation into submission and sent shockwaves reverberating throughout the world but in truth, the signs were there in the early stages of that tournament itself.
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Keeping aside the administrative shambles that have been laid bare throughout Brazil, especially rampant in the sporting sectors it has to be said, their team heading into the world cup was a pale imitations of the kind they’ve put up in the past and the overdependence on Neymar only brought to light a lack of quality and coherence in the other parts of the field.
It can be difficult following in the footsteps of footballing teams with an illustrious history, of course, you may be good but you’ll always be compared with your predecessors, who in Brazil’s case have won it all.
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World Cups and Confederation Cups, Copa America’s and a multitude of that European and World football has to offer. After the Copa America exit, there have been a series of articles and analysis on how Brazilian football has a long abyss ahead of it, and perhaps it does with all the administrative shenanigans around it, but is Dunga also to be blamed for his conservative attitude and not starting several players who could have made a difference?
We’ve compiled a Brazil 11 that should have played the Copa America 2016 for them with a 4-2-3-1 formation, and perhaps stood a better chance of going deep into the tournament and done some justice to the glorious legacy of their country.
Goalkeeper
Neto
The Juve shot-stopper hasn’t had much game time for Juventus this year, but playing second fiddle to Gianluigi Buffon, still one of the best goalkeepers in the world at 38 is hardly damning. He would have been an upgrade over the promising but wobbly Alisson.
A great shot stopper, he caught the eye in his time at Fiorentina and would have been a safer bet in goal.
Defenders
Dani Alves
With Danilo not having sparkled for Real Madrid after his big money transfer from Portugal, Dani Alves is still the best option Brazil have at right-back. He’s still a lot better than people give him credit for, remains excellent at taking on his man and putting the ball in the box and still has tremendous work rate.
His position in the first team shouldn’t be in any doubt.
Thiago Silva (Captain)
Dunga’s constant overlooking of Thiago Silva remains immensely mystifying. Not only does he remain a brilliant player but he a fantastic leader as well. He was widely considered the best defender in the world for several years of his career and is only 31, a fairly good age for a central defender who can play well into their 30’s.
Having a player of his calibre in the team would have made a great difference, and with the array of trophies he’s won in his career, he would have been a great presence in the dressing room as well.
Miranda
Miranda is another player who gets the nod and played the Copa as well. He’s just come off a great season with Inter and made such a colossal difference to an Inter backline that was porous in the previous season.
Uncompromising and great in the air, his crucial headed goals for Atletico are still fresh in the memory and together with Thiago Silva he’d form a watertight defence.
Alex Sandro
The Juve left-back was not taken to the United States and despite the quality of Filipe Luis, Alex Sandro could have been a more dynamic option in the defence.
At 25 years of age, Alex Sandro should at this time be settling into his national team and a player who remains a fixture in the team for the next 5 to 10 years. A left back with great technique and skill, his crossing is tremendously accurate and doesn’t let his man get past him easily.
Midfielders
Casemiro
To establish yourself in a midfield with the likes of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Isco, James Rodriguez and Matteo Kovacic isn’t easy even despite his unique characteristic and says a lot about Casemiro’s quality.
After his brilliant campaign with Porto, one wondered whether Madrid would really give him the game time he deserved and the answer has been a resounding yes.
Allan
Allan, the Napoli dynamo was also completely overlooked for the Copa America. Brazil could have improved by leaps and bounds by a midfielder of his quality. The Napoli midfielder is great at winning possession and distributing the ball efficiently and makes great runs into the box periodically as well.
Given Brazil’s lack of world class options in central midfield, Allan’s exclusion from the Brazil setup was a great loss.
Attackers
Lucas Lima
The Santos midfielder has been the subject of interest from several European clubs for the last year or so. The visionary midfielder has an eye for a great pass and has done his reputation no harm in the Copa America.
He could have played a more prominent role though and with him placed in the starting lineup, Brazil would have had a lot more attacking impetus.
Philippe Coutinho
Coutinho’s talent has never been in any doubt, even in his time at Inter you could see flickers of his superb potential. A brilliant dribble here, an amazing pass played with minimal effort, Coutinho always caught the eye but was too inconsistent to make Inter think they could depend on him.
His time at Liverpool though has been different, and he has constantly grown into a more consistent and reliable performer.
Willian
Willian retains his place as well. He’s just come off his best season at Chelsea and his work rate adds a lot the team.
Together with Lucas Lima and Coutinho, he could have formed a trident that could have enough pace, creativity and endeavour to break through the defenses in the Copa.
Roberto Firmino
In the absence of Neymar, Firmino should have been the obvious choice to lead the Brazil front line (also considering the absence of a world class Brazilian center forward). And yet, he didn’t even make the squad.
It’s hard to see where a player like Firmino lost out in Dunga’s eyes. Versatile, great work rate and a tidy finisher, Firmino would have added great value to the Brazil squad at the very least. His inclusion could have made a difference as well.
Make no mistake, the absences of Neymar, Douglas Costa, Oscar and even Luiz Gustavo who had to withdraw from the squad because of personal reasons also made a crucial difference.
Players like Fernandinho and Felipe Anderson could have also made an impact in the United States, so the question people need to ask is, are Brazil really as terrible as their recent performances suggest or do they have still have talented players capable of representing the Selecao with pride?
The Brazil team that should have played at the Copa.
