The full squad is as follows:
Júlio César (Internazional)
Diego Alves (Valencia)
Rafael (Santos)
Daniel Alves (Barcelona)
Danilo (Porto)
Marcelo (Real Madrid)
Alex Sandro (Porto)
Adriano (Barcelona)
Dedé (Vasco da Gama)
David Luiz (Chelsea)
Thiago Silva (Milan)
Luisão (Benfica)
Elias (Sporting Lisbon)
Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk)
Sandro (Tottenham Hotspur)
Paulo Henrique Ganso (Santos)
Hernanes (Lazio)
Lucas (São Paulo)
Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Flamengo)
Neymar (Santos)
Hulk (Porto)
Jonas (Valencia)
Leandro Damião (Internacional)
Notable omissions from the seleção include Kaká, Alexandre Pato and Fábio da Silva, all of whom have struggled to hold down first team spots for their clubs this year. Lucas Leiva and Ramires are absent due to injury, whilst Lúcio and Maicon have also been overlooked. Perhaps more surprising are the absences of Robinho and Ralf, who have been fixtures in Menezes' selections over the past year.
The form of Jonas at Valencia gives Brazil options up front, with Hulk having failed to convince in a central striking role last year. Menezes is blessed with options for the supporting roles: from the energy of Lucas and Neymar to the more cerebral Hernanes and Paulo Henrique Ganso. In defence, Dedé appears to have cemented his role in the squad, although the smart money is on David Luiz to reprise his role as Thiago Silva's centre-back partner.
Boa Noite!
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It's interesting to see Menezes leaving out some big names, albeit whilst welcoming back a huge one in the form of Ronaldinho.
ReplyDeleteHas Kaká's star been affected domestically duriing his protracted struggles for fitness and form at Real Madrid? Do fans and journalists in Brazil feel he still has a role to play for the national team, or have people started to look to a future without him? Certainly, as you point out, Hernanes and Paulo Henrique Ganso give Brazil some much-needed creative alternatives in midfield, but I imagine that Kaká has built up enough credit over the years to feel that he still deserves to remain in contention. What's the general feeling within the press in particular?
As I understand it, Menezes likes to play with a front three. Does this open the door for Hulk to play not as the central striker but rather out wide, as he has often done very effectively for Porto? The exclusion of Robinho would certainly seem to indicate that Menezes is keen to try alternatives.
Anonymous... pode me contactar no Twitter (@snap_kaka_pop). Não quero colocar o meu email aqui, desculpa.
ReplyDeleteChawupi... Kaká is still widely admired in Brazil. I think most people would like him to come back into contention, but they also recognise that he isn't anywhere near the level he was at 2-3 years ago.
(The issue, of course, is that Ronaldinho has arguably declined more than Kaká, yet still gets picked. A potential case of populism: Menezes trying to please fans of the domestic game.)