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Expect to see most of these faces on June 15
From the moment Dunga was appointed to head the Seleção, the Brazilian legend marched to the beat of his own drum, never letting popular support dictate his choices. This mentality was rewarded with the 2009 Confederations Cup trophy which was won without the likes of Ronaldinho, Pato and Diego. Yet, now that the squad list has been released without those names, Brazil fans are screaming bloody murder as if Brazil absolutely needs those players to win. Well, that's where everyone is wrong. Dunga has built a strong team built on pure physical strength for defensive tasks to go along with a frighteningly efficient counterattack strategy.
Goalkeepers
Not since the great Cláudio Taffarel has Brazil been able to count on such a great goalkeeper in Inter Milan's Júlio César. The 29-year-old has been simply fantastic for the Nerazzuri and will be the undisputed starter for Brazil.
Defenders
The Seleção can also count on a solid backline to support César. Lúcio, Maicon and Thiago Silva will be its main components while Daniel Alves, Juan and Luisão will be adequate back-ups. Surprisingly, André Santos, who was quite effective during the Confederations Cup was dropped from the squad. In his place, Lyon's Michel Bastos was called up and you have to wonder if Bastos will get the chance to start or will Dunga take the conservative approach by playing Juan at left-back, leaving the bulk of overlapping runs to Maicon.
Midfielders
While this edition of the Seleção lacks the glitz and style of previous teams, they more than make up for it in substance with a strong supporting cast (Melo, Josué and Kléberson are just some of the names on the list) around the maestro Kaká. As a matter of fact, it is the exact same midfield that made the trip to South Africa for the Confederations Cup.
Forwards
Finally, Dunga will count on Luís Fabiano and Robinho to rekindle last year's chemistry. Grafite and Nilmar will be the reserves.
There weren't many changes from the squad that won the Confederations Cup so expect to see the same kind of formation from the quintuple world champions. As you will see on the list below, Dunga gave his final 23-man roster so barring injury, all these players will make the trip.
Full list of called-up players:
Goalkeepers: Júlio César (Inter Milan, Italy), Doni (AS Roma, Italy), Heurelho Gomes (Tottenham, England)
Defenders: Daniel Alves (Barcelona, Spain), Juan (AS Roma, Italy), Maicon (Inter Milan, Italy), Michel Bastos (Lyon, France), Gilberto (Cruzeiro), Lúcio(Inter Milan, Italy), Luisão (Benfica, Portugal), Thiago Silva (AC Milan, Italy)
Midfielders: Elano (Galatasaray, Turkey), Felipe Melo (Juventus, Brazil), Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos, Greece), Josué (Wolfsburg, Germany), Julio Baptista (AS Roma, Italy), Kaká (Real Madrid, Spain), Kléberson (Flamengo), Ramires (Benfica, Portugal)
Forwards: Grafite (Wolfsburg, Germany), Luís Fabiano (Sevilla, Spain), Nilmar (Villarreal, Spain), Robinho (Santos)
England's starting line-up? Looks like it...
After dominating their qualification group with thrilling performances, England was quickly pushed to the forefront of World Cup favorites. Not such far-fetched talk when considering the confidence and swagger displayed during qualification. However, everything started to fall apart in February when a scandal involving John Terry and ex-teammate Wayne Bridge took the British press by storm. As if off-the-pitch antics weren't enough, important players were falling to injuries left and right while others displayed poor form, consequently planting seeds of doubt among the press and fans. Questions that had disappeared during qualification suddenly reared their ugly heads back into the mix as spring rolled by. Questions such as: are the Three Lions solid enough in goal? Will Ferdinand and Terry recover their form in time for the World Cup? Who will play with Rooney? What happens if Ashley Cole and Gareth Barry can't make it?
Some of these questions were answered as the Premiership drew to an end and Chelsea were declared champions. Others might be answered by taking a look at Fabio Capello's preliminary squad list for the World Cup.
Goalkeepers
No surprise in goal as the usual call-ups - Robert Green, Joe Hart (who replaced Paul Robinson) and David James – all made the list. Although Hart is the youngest of the bunch, he has shown fantastic form in the Premier League which led to his nomination for the 2010 PFA Young Player of the Year award. However, there is no telling if Capello will risk going with Hart if the more experienced – but average – David James is fully fit.
Defense
Anyone who has followed England for even the shortest of time knows what the back-four looks like: Glen Johnson on the right, Rio Ferdinand partnered with John Terry in center, and Ashley Cole on the left. However Johnson's nagging injury problems have led Capello to call Jamie Carragher out of retirement as back-up. On the left side, many worried about Cole's left ankle which was fractured back in February but he recovered in time to play in Chelsea's final fixtures. Still, Leighton Baines will probably make the trip as his back-up while the inclusion of Stephen Warnock on the list as a third left-back proves that nothing is set in stone quite yet. Finally both Rio Ferdinand and John Terry have been a mere shadow of themselves this season, more so for Ferdinand who was barely able to play two games in a row without going off with some sort of injury. Matthew Upson, Ledley King and Michael Dawson have all been called to audition for a spot in defense's heart. Dawson is the most surprising name out of the three, seeing as he has never been capped at senior level but teammate Ledley King's own injury problems might be Dawson's ticket to South Africa.
Midfielders
Two names among the midfielders list are certain to be on that South Africa-bound plane: Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. The rest will come down to match fitness and preference. Gareth Barry was a lock to play behind Lampard and Gerrard but an ankle injury might keep him out of the final 23-man roster. That will leave Manchester United's Michael Carrick and Tottenham's Tom Huddlestone to duke it out for that spot. On the wings, Aaron Lennon's match fitness is the only obstacle between him and a spot on the final squad. Finally, James Milner's versatility could play in his favor while he competes against other players such as the talented Adam Johnson, speedy Theo Walcott, veterans Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips, and surprise-inclusion Scott Parker.
Forwards
The only name opposing teams will have to worry about in this England squad is Wayne Rooney. After Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Old Trafford, the young striker has been sensational all season long, winning both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year. Several players are in contention to partner up with Manchester United's striker for the World Cup. Among those, the two players most likely to land that spot must be Emile Heskey and Peter Crouch. Although Darren Bent and Jermain Defoe have been great during the Premier League season, they both carry flaws preventing them to shine on the bigger stage – an inability to step up for Bent and a tendency to run hot-and-cold for Defoe.
So, are England favorites? On paper, they seem to be and Capello has instilled some cohesion and focus in a group that looked like nothing more than a bunch of individuals. But there's no telling how they'll fare against the big guns let alone the smaller but tenacious teams. We'll find out in a month.
Full list of players called up:
Goalkeepers: Robert Green (West Ham), Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth)
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Michael Dawson (Tottenham). Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa)
Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), James Milner (Aston Villa), Scott Parker (West Ham), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)
Forwards: Darren Bent (Sunderland), Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Only one month remains until the world's most important sporting event begins in South Africa. I have been neglecting this blog for the past couple of months but will be back on the saddle for the World Cup. As you can see, I've made some aesthetic changes to the site in order to get a more Cup-friendly ambiance. Furthermore, you can now follow Football Slate on Facebook and Twitter (http://twitter.com/FootballSlate) for quick, in-game, on-the-go updates.
But for now, just keep checking back for a 32-team preview and a review of the Champions League final...
See you soon...
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