Brazil will arrive in Qatar as the favourites to lift a record sixth World Cup as they have an exciting team full of up-and-coming young talent and look to be peaking at the perfect moment ahead of the tournament.
The new generation of talent available for coach Tite includes the likes of Real Madrid attackers Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo, Barcelona’s Raphinha and Arsenal striking duo Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli.
Add to that Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, Manchester United’s electrifying winger Antony and Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison and the Brazil squad look a fearsome prospect for any team.
All these players are 25 or under and already playing at a near world class level, which Tite believes will ease the pressure on forward Neymar, 30, who has carried the hopes of a nation almost on his own throughout his international career.
Neymar is having an outstanding season so far at Paris St Germain, and is one of the players with the highest number of goal contributions in Europe’s five major leagues, combining goals and assists.
The rise of younger players alongside a Neymar in fine form has brought Brazil a sense of enthusiasm and confidence that they can win a record-extending sixth World Cup title.
“I do have this feeling that the arrival of these young players is going to be good for Neymar on and off the pitch,” Tite told Reuters in an interview in August.
“When you have other players with great technical potential you share the load and the attention of our rivals that now will have to choose where they focus their defensive assignments.”
That opinion is shared by former Brazil great and two-times World Cup winner Ronaldo.
“The pressure will be on Neymar no matter what, he is Brazil’s superstar, and it doesn’t matter who is playing alongside him,” Ronaldo, Brazil’s talisman in their last triumph in Japan and Korea in 2002, told Reuters in October.
“Though I think this new generation of talent will give him the best supporting cast he has ever had with the Brazil national team.
“This is definitely a better team than the ones Brazil had in the last three World Cups. But the responsibility always lies with the biggest star, which is Neymar.”
Neymar has been playing in a more central role that allows Tite to unleash Brazil’s young attackers around him, sometimes playing five forwards, such as in thumping wins over Tunisia 5-1 and Ghana 3-0 in their final World Cup warm-up matches.
With squads of up to 26 players and five substitutions allowed at the World Cup, Tite is expected to select up to nine forwards for Qatar.
In defence they are also rock solid, with two of the world’s best goalkeepers in Alisson and Ederson and a plethora of elite centre backs like PSG’s Marquinhos, Chelsea’s Thiago Silva, Real Madrid’s Eder Militao and Juventus’ Bremer, winner of last season’s Serie A best defender award when at Torino.
Their only weakness looks to be the full back positions, which led Tite to test a system with three centre backs in the last couple of games.-Reuters
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