Dunga Moves Forward, Leaves Ronaldinho And Pato Behind
May 12th 2010 00:18
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)
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