Brazil’s World Cup chances

Brazil is World Cup excellence. They are the nation that has won the competition five times, turning them into the country that has won the World Cup the most, and their flashy, happy and flamboyant playing style is always the stuff of legends in the game. But how are the Brazilians stacking up for the 2022 edition in Qatar? Can they live up to the hype? Let’s find out.

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Manager

Tite doesn’t have a lot of spotlight when compared to other football coaches in the game, but he has managed to build a very solid and compelling group of players at a time when there wasn’t a lot of excitement or joy in the Brazilian squad. This is something worth pointing out, as some people don’t remember how dire things were before his arrival.

Regardless, one of the most important things Tite has added to the squad is balance: he has a very decent combination of flair and solidity, thus making a very even squad in many different areas. This is an area where other Brazilian squads have traditionally struggled.

Main Players

A common thing when analyzing every Brazil squad when the World Cup comes is that they are compared to the likes of the squads that had Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Kaka, and so on, which, of course, makes the modern versions of Brazil pale in comparison. And while this squad may not live up to the quality of those giants of the game, it is certainly the best group of players that Brazil has had since the 2006 edition.

Neymar is obviously the big name in the team, and rightly so because he is their best player, but when you look at Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr., Gabriel Jesus, Antony, Casemiro, Alisson, and so many others… you have to admit that Brazil hasn’t had this much quality in a long time.

The only area that is perhaps lacking is, ironically enough, the fullbacks. Brazil has always been known by their fullbacks, with Roberto Carlos and Cafu being prime examples, but the fact that you have to call a 40-year-old Dani Alves is never a good sign. Players such as Alex Sandro and Alex Telles are not particularly reliable.

Prediction

Brazil are in Group G, and while Cameroon, Switzerland, and Serbia are all competitive teams in their own right, the reality is that they should be one step ahead due to the sheer quality of their squad and their experience in the competition. It would be very surprising if Brazil don’t make it past the group stage.

In terms of how far they can go after the group stage, nobody can see the future, but they have a lot of quality, they have a lot of experience, and they have a manager who knows how to get the most out of them. This is something that plays a big role in tournaments such as the World Cup, and it could be a difference-maker for Brazil.