Lucas Moura vs Bernard - Who deserved to be in Brazil's World Cup squad?

Lucas Moura has been dropped from Brazil’s World Cup squad

Luiz Filipe Scolari ‘s decision not to name PSG starlet Lucas Moura in his World Cup squad has sparked off some discussion as to whether he thinks Bernard is better than Lucas or not. Both are unbelievably talented players and honestly speaking, I feel bad for Lucas for missing out. Lucas and Bernard share the same position in the Brazilian squad and resemble each other in a variety of ways.

Lunas Moura

Lucas, the Paris Saint Germain starlet, has delivered a number of eye catching performances for the Parisiens and the Brazilian National Side and has bedazzled everyone with his technique, skill and raw energy. The 21-year-old succeeded in performing a number of solo dribbles past opposition defenders with the help of exceptional speed and agility. Moreover, his crossing and pin point passing abilities stand out among other wingers who are considered to be almost equivalent to him, including Bernard and Adnan Januzaj.

The annoying thing about his game was that he seldom took advantage of his swift dribble and went for glory on his own. But after slowly maturing at PSG, he has been steadily learning and is fast improving, indicative of the fact that he has racked up 12 assists in 34 games. And unlike his other competitors, his body frame is quite brawny and well built and is quite strong for someone of his age.

The main qualities he possesses range from phenomenal ball control to dribbling skills, helping him anticipate and overcome defences. Being versatile, he can also be utilized as a forward having immaculate finishing. He has played almost every game for PSG quite consistently but the only drawbacks have been his disappearance in big games (when at Miniero) and his selfishness.

He is a no nonsense person on and off the pitch and is being increasingly recognized by other big clubs for his dribbling and immense speed. He is learning how to develop his skills well and is still raw but is clearly on the rise. He can easily thrive in a side which relies on quick passing and presses high up the pitch.

Bernard

Bernard

On the other hand, Bernard is quite the opposite when taking on defenders and beating them. He is evidently never keen enough to take them on and risks losing the ball. His style of play is pleasing to the eye for anyone who enjoys fast paced, exciting football filled with technical craft, invention and trickery. Despite being able to function across the entire front three behind the forward, he prefers the left wing quite often. From the left flank, he gets to the byline easily and can find spaces in the infield by passing the ball with neatly threaded passes. To add more to this, he is two footed uses it wisely to his advantage to find a bit of space on his flank.

The only big disadvantage in his case is his small stature and is often compelled to get scared off from big centre backs. Burlier defenders can easily shrug him off the ball and get a deserved advantage. More so, he hasn’t been featuring for Shakhtar Donetsk much. He has hardly started for the Ukranian club and is being used as someone who can come on in the second half and turn the game around.

He was on the verge of joining Arsenal last summer, a side which can accommodate him and his style of play perfectly. Much like Moura, even he can thrive on such conditions.

The World Cup would undoubtedly be a huge extravaganza for football fans but would be a sit at home event for Lucas. Both could have been easily accommodated in the squad if not for some other members like Jo. In my view, Lucas deserved a spot in the squad no matter what the circumstances were. He is a bit better than Bernard owing to his body size and match experience but even Bernard, being an exceptional player, deserved the spot.