Militão, Vini Jr and Rodrygo Called Up To Brazil National Team

Tite, Brazil National Team coach, has announced today his squad of 26 players for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. As expected, Militão, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo were called up, along with former Real Madrid player and legend Casemiro.

The complete list is the following:

Goalkeepers:

• Alisson (Liverpool)
• Ederson (Manchester City)
• Weverton (Palmeiras)

Defenders:

• Thiago Silva (Chelsea)
• Marquinhos (PSG)
• Militão (Real Madrid)
• Bremer (Juventus)

Fullbacks:

• Daniel Alves (Pumas Unam)
• Danilo (Juventus)
• Alex Sandro (Juventus)
• Allex Telles (Sevilla)

Midfielders:

• Casemiro (Manchester United)
• Fabinho (Liverpool)
• Fred (Manchester United)
• Paquetá (West Ham)
• Bruno Guimarães (Newcasttle)
• Everton Ribeiro (Flamengo)

Forwards:

• Neymar (PSG)
• Richarlison (Tottenham)
• Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
• Raphinha (Barcelona)
• Antony (Manchester United)
• Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal)
• Rodrygo (Real Madrid)
• Pedro (Flamengo)
• Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)

Will Vini Jr be a starter?

Tite has two main formations in possesion: 3-2-5 or 2-3-5.

In the 3-2-5, Militão was tested as right-back who in possession form the back 3 and only goes high up occasionally. This is to balance other, more offensive choice: Paquetá as a central midfielder. The left-back plays centrally together with Casemiro. Then the last line of 5 is Vini Jr (left winger), Neymar (left half space), Richarlyson (CF), Paqueta (right half space) and Raphinha (right winger).

In the 2-3-5, a traditional right back is used, because the midfield now has Casemiro paired with Fred, a midfielder who is not so offensive as Paquetá and arguably better ar marking. In possession, the second line is composed by the left-back, Casemiro and right-back. Paquetá plays in the place of traditional winger and usually it’s been in the left-side, probably to increase combinations with Neymar.

Therefore, at the moment, I think the starting position for Vini depends mainly in which place Paquetá will play, as in my understanding he is non-negotiable for Tite.

Surprises?

For me, the greatest surprise is actually the lack of Firmino and the presence of Gabriel Martinelli. The Arsenal winger has been called before, but I thought Tite would opt for the Liverpool player, as he already had 4 wingers in his team. Another surprise is the choice of Bremer as the 4th CB. Finally, the presence of Dani Alves might surprise a few, given the current form of the right-back, but I think Tite and his staff trust Dani Alves a lot and he is a very experienced player.