Dunga Names Squad for Friendlies

You are right, Robinho hasn’t been impressive lately, but to compare Ramires to Robinho is unfair. Robinho’s performance during the last COPA American championship was extremely impressive where he literally carried the whole Team. And we all know that Ramires is not capable of doing that. I think the key to selection may lie in balancing an individual’s current performance to what you know he may be capable of doing. Kaka and Robinho may be unimpressive for their teams currently but we all know that they can be magnificent when they are in form. This to me may explain Dunga’s continued selection of Adriano whom we know can be devastating on a given day (his performances in the COPA american championship). Ramires on the other hand hasn’t shown any great potential nor has he been great in ANY game. When I say any game , I mean a single game (decent Yes, Great No!!). I really am trying to be fair here since I myself will like to have the best players selected. Name me a game that Ramires played for the seleccao that made you think that he was worthy of the national team. Like I have repeatedly said, in a different team, we may select Ramires, but in the seleccao, where there is such an abundance of great players, he should not be picked. Not picking Ze Roberto because we are not “desperate” is a flawed logic. We pick players to make a team better if need be, and he may make the team better, and even if he is picked as a sub and we all know that the Brazilian substitute bench may be their Achilles heel.

@Joel
So, you think Kaka shouldn’t be called up without the slightest consideration for the contributions he brings for the national team? That’s laughable. He played better than Messi in Argentina in September!

Also, have you seen the Real Madrid-Tenerife match? I think it pretty much summarizes how Madrid plays with and without him.
I don’t think that Kaka has been up to his own standards either, but he’s still consistently one of the best players on pitch. Treating him like a second rate player is silly. (Also did you catch the double-nutmeg assist he managed in the Deportivo La Coruna a couple months back? he should get called up for that alone.)

Did I say once he should not be called up? No. Your just assuming things. I was just saying he has been playing terrible for Real while Ramires has been playing great for Benfica. I was not comparing both players as Ramires is nowhere near Kaka.

I’m surprised much has not been said about Ronaldinho’s performance lately. He’s been playing really well for AC Millan in the last three or four matches. His two assists in AC Milan’s 2-0 win against Parma on 10/31/09 were brilliant (both goals were scored by Borriello). Let’s hope that Dunga pays attention to a star like Ronaldinho who has done a lot for Brazil. There’s no point of continuing to humiliate such an excellent player — even when he is not in form.

Posted from  United States

I’m now happy everyone can see how over-rated Mr. KAKA really is, nothing but a light weight and as far as I am concern, he should never be in a Brazil first eleven. I still rate Chris(Lyon), Alex(Chelsea), Naldo, Thiago Silva, Luisao as the best central defenders at Dunga’s disposal. I am finally happy for Incredible Hulk, but he will need Diego, Ronaldinho, Filepe Mello and D.Alves to be effective. and then Robinho and Fabiano. Cesar, Helton as keepers. Other players to call are Marcello, Maicon. No place for G.Silva, Elano, Ramirez, Baptista, Joscue

Posted from  Jamaica

Starting 11, for my money, should be:

Goal: Julio Cesar

Central defenders: Juan and Lucio, if they’re not hurt, but Luisao should see a LOT of time
RB: Maicon
LB: Never really had a strong vibe for anyone here

Midfielders: Kaka, Felipe Melo, Elano, Gilberto Silva (who gets a lot of criticism but to me he’s one of the most dependable)

Forwards: Luis Fabiano (obviously, he’s been the most consistently impressive member of the team) and Robinho, simply because what he’s shown he’s CAPABLE of (2007 Copa America), however if he’s simply not in good form, I’ve no problem replacing him with Nilmar, or even Pato, though in my opinion Pato is better to be used as a spark to generate the offense than as someone to depend on every game.

BTW, I really enjoy reading this blog so I can see all of the (undoubtedly wiser) opinions of other Brazil fans. Where I live, there is no one else to talk to about this stuff. I’ve been a fan of the selecao since ‘94 (I’m American, but my mother is from Ribeirão Preto) and have watched every World Cup since then, but it wasn’t till just recently that I’ve really been following the team between World Cups, and seeing how the selection process unfolds. (Tournaments like the Confederations Cup, the Copa America, and even just the qualies were never available for me to watch before.)

whoever thinks kaka is overated is very uneducated about soccer. just watch a player like him for more then 15 minutes during a game and you will see his class. outplayed messi in argentina..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGNymbZ4XQE….pure class

Posted from  United States

Well friends watch out for Gaucho, it seems he is coming slowly back to form
and i hope that he will be able to get back to the Brazil side to play with Kaka. It would be unwise to write off a player of the class of Gaucho after
Zidane there has been few bettre ball players than Gaucho.

I agree with many here that Kaka is class quality. He is still setlling down at his new club Madrid and his class will stand acknowledged in 2010 SA.

Pato needs to be groomed and i am quite certain and confident of Leonardos ability to handle Patos brilliance. But our best bet for striker is still
Luis Fabiano. Dunga was not vey good at handling Pato.

Waiting for the UEFA CL ACM-Madrid match tonight i want Gaucho and Pato to really fire and also Kaka.

Cheers

Gautam.

Posted from  India

We have way much more players to have the likes of Ramires,Lucas in the selecao unless you are a new fan of the selecao or you haven’t been watching the brazilian football i know some players who play in Brazil who are way better than Ramires,Lucas,Josue…is Robinho playing the same position as Ramires? why some people even try to compare those 2 players for? they’re not competing against each other for the same spot in the selecao so what’s the point?

Posted from  United States

ramires isnt that bad, need to cut him some slack, and lucas has actually been performing well for liverpool lately, played great for them against manchester united. doesnt justify him being ahead of hernanes, but still hes been playing well, josue however is awful. please call pato

Posted from  United States

Pato has been on absolute fire lately and he deserves to go be on this team. i hope that useless trick pony Robinho who keeps cying to move to Barcelona without even proving his worth in Manchester reaggravates his injury. and also in case anyone on this blog hasnt noticed the Gaucho is back!

You guys need to read full passages of text before writing a response. I never said once Kaka was underrated or compared him to Ramires or Lucas. I JUST SAID HE IS PLAYING BAD AT REAL. God sake read =/

which he is Joel, but to be fair to him the Real squad does not really know how to play alongsides him nor does the coach know where to correctly position him on the pitch. he should’ve followed Ancelotti out to Chelsea!

Ok guys!! Just a recap of all comments. Pato and Ronaldihno should be there over Robinho or Ramires. Diego should be there over Julio Baptista. Thiago Silva should be there over Juan. Then who should be there over Lucas and Josue??

Posted from  Malaysia

Dunga is so rubbish…. why the hell is he calling robinho up!! The dudes been injured for about 2 months… Hes not played in man city sice the injury. He got the injury from playing with brazil as well. Robinho wont be fit enough, he wont play well… these are freindly he should be experimental… get some other players on such as pato. He is risking getting Robinho injured again, does he have no sence… I hope they get rid on dunga before the world cup, because they will loose and badly

Dunga said very early in his tenure that creative/attacking midfielders if that’s all they are going to do has to be at their best in order to merit a selection. He is a very defensive minded coach. He would rather take Julio Baptista who gives the physical presence in the middle, can defend and also initiate attacks (last Copa America) than have a Diego who honestly hasn’t shown a thing for the National team so far. Dunga is going with a lot of hybrids in the middle (Ramires, Elano,Baptista etc), players who can do a little of both with defending being their first priority over a pure attacking midfielder. You can argue that Diego is a better defender or a better attacker than all of the three mentioned above but Dunga wants the right mix and certainly Diego doesn’t provide that. So unless a pure attacking midfielder emerges in the next eight months who is at par with Kaka or pre-2006 Ronaldinho or a few players get injured I don’t think complexion of this team is going to change much. There is going to be one forward, two attacking mid, one hybrid, two defensive mid, and four backs. He may even try playing Daniel Alves in that hybrid position in the middle.
Anderson should not be played as a defensive midfielder as its not his natural position and can get pretty violent (olympics). I think he could have progressed so much more playing as an attacking midfielder but that opportunity may have been lost now. Pato is still work in progress. Denielson should have been tried at the midfielder position but he is injured

Ramires is not that bad? yeah right,Lucas has been playing good lately well Ronmaldinho have been playing nice lately so let’s call him also….. i rather have this Ronaldinho instead of Ramires this Ronaldinho can be a match winner,can Ramires do that? Lucas? everyone in Liverpool don’t like him except for Benitez,Sandro did way betterand more things in 1 match than what Lucas has done for te selecao since he started playing for the selecao…Dunga is kinda weird why calling an injured player(Robinho) players who just got got back from injuries (Doni,Juan) or players who are having a bad season (Julio Baptista) over players who are on the pitch every weekend (Diego)

Posted from  United States

Why doesn’t he give Diego a call up? Its a friendly.

Posted from  United States

Ramires and Julio Baptista are now injured. Fabio Simplicio just got called up. Nothing for Diego still.

Doni is also injured, btw.

wait, my bad, I had misinformation on Julio Baptista, he’s fine, it’s Juan that Roma won’t be releasing because of injury.

Dunga!! Why Fabio Simplicio!!?? Why??
Please call up Thiago Silva of AC Milan or Alex of Chelsea to replace Juan.

Posted from  Malaysia

never ignore robinho, kaka, gaucho, they are best footballers ever produced

Posted from  Nepal

can’t analyse match betw Brazil and England but its good to hear 1 nill victory but not impressed as englishmen were not the first xi

Posted from  Nepal

please Dunga, take a more keen interest for the contribution of Ronaldinho to Brazil, at least even if he is a sub. Someone being out of form for now does not mean they’re totally out. I know what gaucho is going through is a confidence drain. Well with all the public expectations I know he must now be indebted to prove even the critics wrong. Please give him a chance alongside Robinho. They have all the experience that Brazil would need for such a major tournament as the world cup. Otherwise without them, the team lacks one important element, experience and mind strength.