Tite reveals his 26-man team as Brazil prepare for the World Cup

On November 8, Five-time FIFA World Cup champions Brazil announced their 26-member World Cup squad for the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar from November 20. Brazilian head coach Adenor Leonardo Bacchi, known as Tite, selected his 26-man team to represent the country in the much-anticipated tournament.

The list includes;

Three (3) goalkeepers

 Alisson Becker (Liverpool)

 Ederson (Manchester City)

 Weverton (Palmeiras)

 Eight (8) defenders

 Danilo (Juventus)

 Dani Alves (Pumas)

 Alex Sandro (Juventus)

Alex Telles (Sevilla)

Thiago Silva (Sevilla)

Marquinhos (PSG)

Eder Militao (Real Madrid)

Bremer (Juventus)

 Six (6) midfielders

Casemiro (Manchester United)

 Fabinho (Liverpool)

Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle)

Fred (Manchester United)

Lucas Paqueta (Westham)

Everton Ribeiro (Flamengo)

Nine (9) attackers

Neymar (PSG)

Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)

Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal)

Antony (Manchester City)

Raphinha (Barcelona)

Richarlison (Tottenham)

Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)

Rodrygo (Real Madrid)

Pedro (Flamengo)

Frustration after elite players missed the world cup in Qatar

The team selection brought joy to many Brazilian footballers who got lucky to be picked. However, some huge names missed the list, including Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who has performed at a top level for Arsenal this season. Gabriel scored the only winning goal for Arsenal on the weekend when they played Chelsea at Stamford bridge.

Despite scoring six goals (6) and assisting three (3) after twelve matches (12) in the PL this season, Liverpool’s no. 9 Roberto Firmino failed to make the list. Firmino had the most goals among the PL attackers called up for the Brazil national team, outscoring Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli, and Richarlison. Richarlison got called up despite having zero (0) goals in the PL this season and two (2) assists. Firmino went out to social media to express his anger.

Atletico Madrid forward Matheus Cunha was also not included in the squad; following his transfer to Atletico from Hertha Berlin, many Brazilian argued he could’ve moved to another European club since Simeone’s style of play doesn’t suit him. Matheus was evidently disgruntled by his exclusion, and his reaction after the realization said it all.

Matheus looking devastated after learning of his absence in the Brazil squad
Matheus looking devastated after learning of his absence in the Brazil squad. Credit: Twitter / BrasilEdition

Gabriel Barbosa also missed the squad; the Flamengo striker wasn’t Tite’s choice despite shining in the Copa Libertadores final and scoring the winning goal against Athletic Paranaense.

Excitement all round following call-up news

Every Brazilian player called up for the national team was gassed up, including Neymar, who already knew, not only getting called up to Brazil’s squad but representing the team at a world cup is one of the biggest goals for most Brazilians growing up. Most of the players posted videos of their reactions on the internet. Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes was over the moon after earning his first world cup call. He has been arguably one of the outstanding midfielders in the premier league this season.

Brazil’s style of play

Samba is Brazil’s signature playing style. Samba dance, an identifier of Brazilian gameplay, entails leg movement with knee bending. There is an imperceptible movement of the feet, which, when mixed with a ball, equates to dribbling. In a bid to match Germany’s gameplay, Brazil divulged from full flair samba. This was meant to be a remediation after they lost seven nil to the European opponent in the 2014 cup, but it didn’t work well for Brazil. The team lost its balance, implicating further failures.

They have now resorted to restoring the style for the forthcoming cup. We also need to bear in mind the unique composition of the squad. Tite has Utility players like Neymar can serve both as a winger and number 10. His natural spot, the LW, can be taken by the brilliant young talents Vini Jr. and Martinelli.

Age balance

Dani Alves, currently at 39 years, breaks the “oldest Brazilian” in the world cup record. Djalma Santos has held this record for 25 years since he played the tournament at 37 years in 1997. An exciting aspect of the squad is that several players will have their final chance at the tournament and bring the glory home. Thiago Silva, currently 38 years is one such player.

Also Read:

Will Brazil bag their 6th world cup?

After losing to Argentina in the Copa America final, Brazil went on fifteen (15) games winning streak; their world cup squad is stacked with talents. They are the favorites to win the world cup this year. Brazil set a new World Cup qualifying record with 45 points, Tite’s team broke Argentina’s record of 43, which was set in qualifying for the 2002 World Cup” The Qatari climate is likely to favor teams from the tropical countries.

FIFA World Rankings update.

FIFA World Rankings Top 10.

FIFA World rankings update have been released. The worldwide football governing body unveiled the latest standings after international matches resumed. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the football calendar for more than six months.

Top three of the FIFA World Rankings unchanged after the update.

The top three spots in the rankings remain unchanged. The Belgium National Football Team still lead the table after wins against Denmark and Iceland in the UEFA Nations League. Victory against Sweden and Croatia also guarantees that Didier Deschamps’ Les Blues are still second place after the latest FIFA World Rankings update. Brazil closes the top 3 despite not playing a game since November 2019.

Belgium celebrating their win against denmark in the UEFA Nations League. Image: Getty Images
Belgium celebrating their win against denmark in the UEFA Nations League. Image: Getty Images

Teams that moved up after the FIFA world rankings update.

Cristiano Ronaldo and the Seleção rank 5th, moving up two places after defeating Croatia and Sweden. Spain moves one spot into 7th place following a stalemate with Germany and a win against Ukraine. The Azzurri, the Netherlands National Football Team, and Die Mannschaft also move one spot and are ranked 12th, 13th, and 14th. Wales narrowly misses the top 20, moving up two positions into 21st.

Cristiano Ronaldo and the Seleção, the UEFA Nations League defending champions. Image: Getty Images.
Cristiano Ronaldo and the Seleção, the UEFA Nations League defending champions. Image: Getty Images.

Russia is the biggest gainer after the latest rankings. They ascend by six places after wins over Serbia and Hungary.

Iran climbs three places into 30th position despite not playing because Serbia and Turkey dropped points. Nigeria also moves up two posts into 29th without being involved in any games.

29th placed Nigeria National Football team. Image: Getty Images
29th placed Nigeria National Football team. Image: Getty Images

Drops in the rankings.

Croatia drops two ranks into 8th after losing to Portugal and France. Sweden moves down a position into 18th due to losses to France and Portugal.

Slovakia and Estonia dropped the most in the standings, moving down by four ranks into 36th and 93rd places.

Newly Ranked and non-ranked teams.

No new team makes it into the FIFA world rankings after the September update. The Cook Islands are inactive/unranked.

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Upcoming women soccer matches

Women soccer players

The Football Association Women’s Super League resumes this week after it ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chelsea Women team was declared the winner of the 2019/2020 season on the point-per-game criteria. The Blues were crowned champions with 39 points in 15 games, one point behind Manchester City women who had 40 points in 16 games. The FA Women’s Super League resumes this weekend. All eyes will be on the leading contenders of the league last season. Manchester City Women will be playing against Aston Villa Ladies. According to the current weekend FA Women’s Super League cup fixture, Chelsea Women will be playing against Manchester United Women.

Manchester City Women vs. Aston Villa Ladies

Saturday 5th September 2020 at 16:30 (EAT) in Walsall’s Banks’s Stadium.

Manchester-women-team-player
Manchester-women-team-player, (Picture source: sportstar.thehindu.com)

The fans will be looking forward to this FA Women’s Super League cup match. Fans will be forced to watch from their places of convenience due to COVID-19 restrictions. In their previous match, Manchester City Women beat Aston Villa 4-0. Manchester City are poised to win this match.

Chelsea Women vs. Manchester United Women.

Sunday 6th September 2020 in the Cherry Red Records Stadium at 17:00 (EAT)

Women football fixtures1
Women football fixtures1

Chelsea Women, will be working to retain the title. However, their opponents are equally experienced. The teams last played each other in November 2019 in Cherry Red Records Stadium, whereby Chelsea Women won 1-0. Goal statistics show that Chelsea and Manchester United women have conceded an average of 0.5 goals in every game and scored 1.5 goals per game. However, Chelsea women have a high chance of scoring at home. Manchester United Women have scored in 50% of their away matches. Chelsea has lower odds for winning this game.

The other women games for this weekend include:

Women football fixtures
Women football fixtures. Picture credits: https://pepperdinewaves.com/