Brazil Squad Part 2

February 9th, 2010 | by: Duvel |

dunga The problem with the Ronaldinho omission has more to do with Kaka’s injury situation than it does Dinho’s current form. You have a player in Kaka with a well documented health issue, and who has missed a decent amount of time the past two years. Your insurance for that player, Julio Baptista, is a person who doesn’t start for his club team, and is not the creative force that is necessary to have a midfield that doesn’t look like the one that existed without Kaka two years ago…which flat out sucked.

I don’t think Dinho goes out there and gives you everything Kaka does, but he sure as heck gets you closer to it than Julio Baptista ever will. On the rare occasions that Baptista plays for his club, he comes in to basically play left forward, where he can only do one thing…and that’s dribble towards the top-center of the box and strike with his right foot a ball that probably sails over the woodwork.

If Kaka makes it through the tournament without any fitness issues, this is all a moot point. However, if this is the lineup that goes to South Africa, and Kaka goes down we can already start talking about 2014 because it will be over and Dunga will be lucky to get a job as an assistant for the Fiji national team.

There are many out there who really believe that Dinho isn’t worthy of another call-up, and that’s okay. He is a player who can be painfully inconsistent and disinterested in tackling, even after he has given up the ball. That probably has never sat well with a manager like Dunga who made a living tackling in the midfield. So really, it’s fine if you don’t think Dinho is worthy. However, you gotta come up with a better insurance option than Julio Baptista. Diego, Diego Souza, and Carlos Eduardo all see the pitch for their clubs every week. Baptista doesn’t until the match is over.

Left back continues to be a worry for the national team. Bastos is getting another necessary look. Dunga is kicking the tires on Gilberto once again due to his form at Cruzeiro. I honestly think Dunga has no idea who he is going to start, or have on the team this summer at this position. This is why I wanted Fabio Aurelio because he is the most consistent performer, at the highest level of club football, to be on the roster. For all we know, he could be come June.

The number two keeper has been up for grabs since Doni went down with an injury last year. I don’t believe he has shown enough to regain that spot on the roster now that he has been relegated to the bench by another Brazilian, Julio Sergio, who has been sensational this year at Roma, earning himself a new contract in the process. Victor of Gremio was voted the best keeper in Brazil last year. I think either one of these two would have been better choices.

All in all, it is what it is when it comes to the roster. Dunga obviously has a way of doing things that is either going to make him legend or a failure. On the present roster, I hope that Michel Bastos and Elano get the start next month. As reader Kenny pointed out, we need someone who can take free kicks. Elano can do this. When Ramires starts, it becomes a little dicey on who is going to take them. Kaka would probably take a decent amount of these.

Another interesting battle will be between Robinho and Nilmar. Nilmar has done nothing but impress when given the opportunity. However, we know Dunga loves Robinho, who at least is seeing the pitch again at Santos. I think the smart money says Robinho gets the start.

Regardless of who Dunga starts at left back, left forward, and right mid, the starting XI is undoubtedly World Cup quality. It’s nerve-racking to think about what happens if Kaka, Gilberto Silva, Felipe Melo, or Julio Cesar ever went down. We’ll see what happens next month in London, but as always, Dunga has made it too interesting.

Tags: AC Milan, Cruzeiro, Doni, Dunga, Gilberto, Group F, Julio Baptista, Kaka, Lyon, Michel Bastos, Nilmar, Real Madrid, Robinho, Roma, Ronaldinho, Santos, Villarreal

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Carlos Simon

For Brazil to win this is the team they need:
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GOALKEEPERS: Julio Cesar, Julio Sergio.

WING DEFENDERS: Fabio Aurelio, Andre Santos, Dani Alves, Maicon.(Total 4)

CENTRAL DEFENDERS: Juan,Thiago Silva, Lucio, Luisao.(Total 4)

MIDFIELDERS:
Defensive Midfielders- Naldo, Michel Bastos (or Anderson if he is fit), Fernando Menegazzo, Felipe Melo(Total 4)

Attacking Midfielders- Hernanes, Kaka, Alex (or Diego Souza), Kaka, Michel Bastos(Total 4)

STRIKERS-Welliton Soares Moares De Morias(Club Spartak Moscow), Luis Fabiano, Nilmar, Alex Pato, Kerrison.(Total 5)
-------------------------------------------------------

Valuable additions I have made in this list which Kaka has not included are:

Striker Welliton Soares de Morais who is Left footed and in the Russian league has scored 31 goals in 50 games. Dunga is playing with only one striker this is a mistake. He shoul play 2 strkiers – Welliton on the left and Luis Fabiano on the Right ! ! ! WELLITON SHOULD COMPULSORILY BE INCLUDED IN THE SQUAD. Welliton is threateming to join the Russian National Team. This will be a big loss for Brazil. Just as they lost Striker Cacau who now plays for Germany, soon they will lose Welliton. He is a Crackshot Gunslinger who can find the target.

Dunga should take at least 5 strikers in the squad to South Africa. What if two are injured and one is out of form? Then you still have at least 2 strikers operating.

Dunga is attempting to use Michel Bastos as a Defensive Left back. This is a position he is not used to. For club Lyon, he plays as an attacking midfielder on the Right side.

In the attacking Midfield he should also include HERNANES, this is a talented player who is playing very well in the brazilian league and must be in the team. Similarly Alex of Spartak Moscow should be included.

In the Defensive midfiled position he should play Naldo and Fernando Menegazzo as a first choice.

NALDO is a free kick expert and has a powerful thunderous wicked curling shot. Also he is 6 foot 6 inches tall and is an ariel powerhouse in defensive midfield.Naldo is basically a Central Defender, but, I think he is more suited for the role of a Defensive Midfielder. I have seen him taking terrific free kicks and there is no one in the current squad who is as good.

Fernando Menegazzo plays for Club Bordeuaux which is in first place in the french league and he is in terrific form and he SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE SQUAD.

For the Left Back Position, Fabio Aurelio takes excellent free kicks and he should make another good addition.

Players like Gilberto Silva, Josue and Elano are good, but possibly not good enough for winning the W.C. Gilberto Silva is a past master and he is 33 years old. What is the point of taking him? Naldo is superior to Elano in the Department of Free Kicks and his aerial dominance of the game from deep defensive midfield level gives him the edge. Naldo also has accurracy in taking long range shots, a little bit like Gerson of the 1970 World Cup. Of course, Gerson was far superior, he was known for 40 yards shots shich he used to place with PIN POINT ACCURRACY!!! In Naldo they have something at least.

Naldo is now 27 years. This is the best chance to utilize his service. Next WC he will be 31 years and not quite in the same for.

The same applies to HERNANES. He is now 25 years old. Now is the chance to utilize him. What will be his utility in the next World Cup at 29 years of age. The agility, the skill, the pace and the pace will have diminished.

The same applies to DIEGO SOUZA or ALEX. Diego Souza is 25 years of age. Next WC, he will be 29 years and it will be of no use.

The same applies to FERNANDO MENEGAZZO. He is an excellent Defensive Midfielder. He is 28 years, but is still in good form. Next WC, at 32 years, he won't be of any value to the team.

My First Choice Team:
--------------------
G- Julio Cesar; D- Thiago Silva, Lucio, Fabio Aurelio, Daniel Alves; DM-Naldo, Fernando Menegazzo; AM-Hernanes, Kaka; S- Welliton Soares De Morais, Luis Fabiano.
djoseph

Dinho is the only Kaka replacement I can think of, and he is definitely in better form than Diego is at the moment.

Fabiano is not fit at the moment. And Robinho, he will play well against South American defenses, but try to match him with the bigger more physical Germans, Spanish, or even English defenses, he will be squashed.
Dunga is still hanging his hat on Robinho's good showing at Copa America a million years ago.

In short, Pato needs to be the number one option for the striker position. And Dinho should go to South Africa.

Oh, and after the Ireland friendly, I really liked seeing Maicon and Alves together on the pitch.
miha321

how can you compare ronaldinho with kaka. Dinho has the ability to win matches himself like ronaldo does.
Abi

I just want Ronaldo to play one last World Cup.. Ill be in South Africa and it would be a thrill to watch him.. despite the critics dimissing his form at the moment I still get a rush each time he runs out on any field for any club!!
jzlim11

Ronaldinho and Pato should go to World Cup. If Kaka Robinho and Luis Fabiano combination didn't work. We still have Ronaldinho and Pato combination as plan B.
djoseph

No matter how brilliant Dinho was that night, with DIDA on the field, you can never bet on MILAN. Especially, that second goal, Rooney's header didn't even need a replay, it was already in slow motion!!!!

Favalli and Dida both need to hang their shorts. They single handedly gave United the match and made Rooney the MAN.

Unless Milan make it to the next round, I don't think Dinho will be called up.
annonymous

http://goal.com/en/news/1717/editorial/2010/02/18/1795703/champions-league-comment-despite-milan-defeat-ronaldinho-is

this article says it all.
Gautam

I think that with last nights performence in San Siro
the Dinho detractors should just shut up. And I am
really amused with this "no pace" argument. Are we going for a Soccer WC or the World Athletics Meet for the 400
m race. Just "pace" has never won matches there is something called "SKILL" which Dinho showed he has loads
of and which many over here has seemed to have forgotten.

Not including Dinho after his 45 minutes of toying with
the Man U defence and Rafael ( who incidentally has lots of legs) in the WC seems to be a petty political decision of Dunga. He loves hackneyed players......just
like himself.
Pachet5@hotmail.com

oh,i forgot to mention Maxwell for the left back position,why Dunga hasn't called him yet? he 's way better then Gilberto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UF2vaNKql4
can you imagine Gilberto doing something like this? nah,not in this lifetime.
Davinho

The better backup goalkeeper would be Gomes of Tottenham Hotspurs. He's been steady and confident the past two months. I watched a couple of matches with Julio Cesar and thought I'd rather be starting Gomes.
Gautam

scttrn he did the same with the Real Madrid defence.
Please keep track of Serie A. He destroyed Sampadoria
single handed and has been the most in-form Brazillian player. Copa America Confed Cup nonetheless WC is a different ball game. To hang it on a single thread like Kaka who is still to find his feet with Madrid is plain simple idiocy and sign of Dungas defensive blockheadedness. Kaka is one of my favorites. Tell me what is Gilberto Silva and Melo doing there ?
Stylez81

True watchu say DJoseph tuesday match is a real test to see if Dhino really can carry AC Milan on his own against big teams.But even though there is noone except Kaka in Dunga's called up team who can do better than Dhino.Dunga must squash his beef with Dhino because we need to see the boy at the WC.
Dan Alcala

Roberto carlos is the best option. Juninho still has the legs.
guindage

it's really unbelievable that Dinho wasn't called up. he's been playing at a very high level, we need a backup for Kaka, and this is the last friendly before the WC. it's a no-brainer, unless Dunga has something personal against Ronaldinho.
djoseph

Ronaldinho has outperformed KAKA in the last couple of months (if you exclude the Derby and the two games after that). I love the Ronaldinho Pato chemistry. When they're both healthy and in form, r u kidding me? They should both be included in Dunga's squad. I guess Tuesday's Manchester United match will be the true test.
scttgrn

Listen: Ronaldinho of 3 or 4 year ago yeh, but not now. More Like a frozen cheesecake. I could have split that defence and i have no legs.
Gautam

One has to be a CERTIIED TOTAL IDIOT and a BLOCKHEAD to
boot if one does not think that Ronaldinho in his current form does not deserve a place in the Selecao.
He is currently the best in form player along with Messi and Christiano Ronaldo and he is in better form than anyone in Dungas called up team. One just needs to watch the ACM -Udinese match. 3 brilliant assists
tearing open the Udinese defence like cheesecake.
annonymous

watching dinho play at the moment. 3 assists on the day
annonymous

not one of those players can do those defensive duties other then gilberto???

fabio aurelio?
annonymous

dinho deserves to be there. period. id rather have him subbing in in the 60th minute then julio baptista who will do nothing! im done arguing about gilberto. you cant argue a case for a player that had won good tournament for brazil ever and played terrible every other time he put on the uniform.

o and as far as winning ugly- yea we wont win at all if kaka gets hurt if we dont have a suitable substitute down in South Africa.
Black Matt

For an incompetent coach, he's sure doing well, winning the Copa America, Confederations Cup, and finishing with the top spot in the qualifiers.

Sheesh, Dunga, keep up the bad work!
airjaff

Dunga is making the Brazil team seriously boring, his tactics makes the team like Italy. Dunga needs to play the best players, i think he is incompetent
Stylez81

I think Dhino really deserves a call up @ the WC following a string of good performances he put together laety @ AC Milan.Really you cant put a player like Batista ahead of Dhino,he is not world class material,he doesnt make it iin the starting lineup @ club level.So then what justifies a call up @ WC ahead of Dhino @ WC.Secondly Batista cant fit in the shoes of Kaka just in case Kaka goes down.Dhino can @ least do 1/2 of it if not 3/4 considering his current form.We need creativity in the midfield and you cant get that from Batista.Dhino may not be the Engine of the midfield but @ least he is fuel.Dunga reall needs to call Dhino intesad of wasting time with Batista.
Hector

revision:

Gilberto, again, don’t let his performances in England fool you. A player can fail in a foreign country for a million reasons, many of them have nothing to do with how good the player really is. - Said by the almighty and powerful Brazilian god of futebol Paulo Freitas.
Hector

Jackson Feliz...don't tell me Ronaldinho is better than Ronaldo (The Internazionale guy)...
Hector

Gilberto, again, don't let his performances in England fool you. A player can fail in a foreign country for a million reasons, many of them have nothing to do with how good the player really is.

and wow we're criticizing the Brazilian league. are you NUTS!!! why would i want Diego. he's a flop a complete waste of space on the field!!! you tell me what he's done for Brazil compared to Baptista!!! ??? I'll wait...

I don't want Dinho. if Dinho is called up...A. Injury. B. Bench. period. whats the other reason that we need him?? smh "creative spark" please save me the despairity of Joga Bonita. I rather win ugly then lose pretty.

okay so what makes every other Player infront of Gilberto better?? please. Ill alsow ait for this answer?? I dont want a left MIDFIELDER playing the role of a left WINGBACK. theres something we call Defensive duties they have to do, and from the sound of that not one of those players infront of Gilberto can do.

so please gimme some reasons. other than they play in europe.

<333 constructive criticizm 8)
Black Matt

Kenny -

I think you have a lot of great points and really express them well. Your point about Kaka and Robinho each having basically one tournament where they played well for the national team is valid, but let's look at the other players:

Kaka has the 2009 Confed Cup.
Robinho has the 2007 Copa America.

But the others?

Adriano's reputation is almost solely from the 2005 Confed Cup. Ronaldinho really hasn't done anything for the Selecao since the 2002 world cup...he was awful in '06, and didn't lead us to olympic glory in '04 or '08. The other tournaments between 2002 and now were dominated by other players (like the aforementioned Kaka, Adriano and Robinho.)

None of the real world class players on this team have had more than one great tournmanet with the Selecao. The longer-term qualifying campaign saw many people play well in some matches, and less well in others (like Kaka and Robinho. Kaka was up and down the whole time; Robinho was phenomenal in 2007, less so in 2008, and mostly ineffectual in 2009.) The only player on this team who has truly been consistent is Fabiano, who had a great Confed. cup AND a great qualifying campaign.

The point is, we don't have anyone who has truly been a long-term consistent performer for the team, but Kaka and Robinho have been the two best players of the team most recently, have shown greater commitment to the team, have greater experience with the current roster of players, and have the advantage where Dunga's style is really built to revolve around them. That is why I feel that, if Kaka were to be injured, not even Ronaldinho could really be relied upon to direct and carry the team. Robinho, flawed though he is, has demonstrated that ability more recently, and fits in more with what Dunga is trying to do.

All that said, I agree with you that Ronaldhino or Diego should have been selected simply for their talent. Because you never know when a player just might get hot. I'm just trying to think through what Dunga's reasoning might be. Alternatively, he may just simply be worried that Ronaldinho's presence would disrupt what may be the best thing about the Selecao - it's chemistry. The 2009 team seem to genuinely like playing with each other. The 2006 World Cup team with Ronaldinho certainly did not.

I don't know. All just random musings. I have no problems with admitting that you probably know more than me :)
Taurai

I support Dunga's decision to omit Ronaldino because he sometimes lacks the much needed commitment to the national team.He is talented and of late has improved (on performance) at club level but he is not just interested to be involved when the team is under pressure, check him if we are playing hard teams like France and Italy.On Baptista i thing only the coach can see his importance to the team.
Kenny

Hahaa!!!! you are pretty funny Patchet. I remember our discussion fully well. My comments are still there for posterity and you can find it by clicking on the discussion TITLED "Brazil 2-0 Oman" on November 17 2009. My comments now and back then are not contradictory
Pachet5@hotmail.com

Well,i remember saying i rather have Diego instead of Baptisa and you disagreed with me anyway...i think Ronaldinho and Diego might be affected by dunga constantly putting them aside,i know they're not the best in the world right now but having someone like Julio Baptista ahead of them is really suck...we were in a couple major competitions between 2003-08.In 2003 we were in the confederations cup,2004 copa america (Parreira decided not to take him not his fault),2005 he won the confederations cup.Ronaldinho played in 9 major competitions with Brazil,in 1999 copa america and confederations cup,was with the olympic team in 2000 and 2008,in 1999,2001,2003 and 2005 was in the squad for the confederations cup,and finally was with the selecao in 2002,2006 he only won the 1999 copa america,the 2002 WC and the confederations cup in 2005 so 3 out of 9 major competitions,that's not impressive.Kaka on the other hand plays in the 2002,2006 WCs and confederations cup 2005,2009,gold cup 2003 that's like 2 ou of 5.It's funny to say that Robinho did better than both of them when it comes to the selecao 2005 and 2009 confederations cup,2007 copa america he only lost the 2006 WC that makes it 3 out 4 competitions with the selecao,ain't this crazy?
Kenny

I never really changed my position on Baptista. I have always liked Baptista as a utility player-in other words he can play multiple positions, though he is not really proficient in any one position. Every team needs one or two players such as him in the world cup for insurance purposes. I have never considered him as a player to be used as a substitute for Kaka, in fact If you look at my previous post I stated emphatically that in as much as I like him, I don't feel one way or another if he is not included in the team, especially if that meant having diego or ronaldinho in the team. I hope I have clarified my stance on that subject.

I wish to address another point Black Matt raised concerning ronaldinho, and Diego with regards to how capable they are in fulfilling kaka's role. Let's first of all examine the history of kaka in the national team. FOR ALL HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS (which most often are in club level), HE REALLY DEMONSTATED HIS ABILITIES IN THE NATIONAL TEAM JUST A YEAR AGO DURING THE CONFEDS CUP. All the accolades he has garnered over the years were really only at the CLUB LEVEL. He was not spectacular during the last world cup (by no means his fault) and was unavailable for the COPA america three years ago. My point is not to diminish his contribution or talent but to reinforce my belief that he has achieved success for the seleccao as A RESULT OF HAVING BEING GIVEN ENOUGH CHANCES AND BEING IN AN IDEAL SITUATION (being used as a sole playmaker), WHICH MAY ALSO BE THE CASE WHEN APPLIED TO DIEGO OR RONALDINHO'S SITUATIONS. Ronaldinho was one of the key players when we won the 2002 world cup ( was named in FIFA first eleven), and coincidentally kaka was on the bench. During his prime years in Barcelona, the seleccao weren't involved in any major tournaments, so it is erroneous to state that he wasn't able to duplicate Kaka's role for the team.
The same situation applies to robinho; besides the 2007 COPA AMERICA, I can't remember him having another great tournament in national colors. Ronaldinho most liklely will never return to his form back in Barca, but from his recent form, he still has some playmaking abilities which I feel is still superior to that of Robinho.

I am not by any means advocating that Ronaldinho should replace Kaka (that will be ludricous!!). Kaka is the best playmaker we have, I am simply making a point to illustrate that superbly talented players such as Diego or Ronaldinho when given sufficient opportunities, will eventually come through
Pachet5@hotmail.com

oh Kenny! now you agree with me about Baptista? he wasn't,he isn't and he shouldn't be the ideal subtitute for Kaka.remember we argue about that a while ago? I'm glad you finally join me,anyway like i always said Diego should get another chance,since this game is the last friendly before the WC I don't know how he gonna do that.Ronaldinho? we'll see about it.I have mixed feelings about him.He could have been one of the greatest,don't get me wrong he's a genius(even way better then Kaka around 1999-2006) but he could've been better than Zidane.It's not like he doesn't have the talent it's just that his personal life got the better of him.Gilberto? why he is even in the selecao? Adriano(Sevilla),Fabio Aurelio(Liverpool) even Maxwell (FCB) is better than Gilberto,we're talking about a guy who couldn't kee up with the Chileans (no disrespect towards them) but how he gonna compete with the europeans if he is struggling to compete with "regular South American players"?...Gomes? he's a decent GK but he's just like Dida,you never know when they gonna do something stupid,I'd rather have Julio Sergio as my 3rd GK,why? he's been doing some incredible things in Italy.He kept Doni on the bench for a reason,he really remind me of Julio Cesar back in 2004 when people was still ignoring him as one of the world best,the europeans don't wanna admit it but Julio Cesar has been way better then Buffon or Casillas for a while now,they just won't admit it though
annonymous

regarding marcelo, possibly as a midfielder, but he is too shaky defensively
Kiko

What about Real Madrid's Marcelo? Do you guys think he is worth a shot in the team?
Jackson Felix

Hi guys,

I think Brazil federation foot-ball president should fire the coach, Dunga due in part for not calling Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho has shown that he's capable of making the national team. I think he's better than Robinho, Batista as well as the former Inter Milan forward - forgot his name.
Black Matt

I don't know enough about Doni to comment on him, but I completely agree with Duvel about questioning Fabio Aurelio's absence. Just seems like the most logical choice no matter what Dunga is thinking. But I really am very curious about Michel Bastos - I think he could be good.

Ramires, frankly, has never impressed me, and I hope he never even sniffs the pitch. Elano is really going to have to step up his game in the coming months.
Black Matt

If Kaka were to get hurt, the only one the Selecao could realistically turn to, in my opinion, would be Robinho.

Now, I know he's had his troubles lately, I know that he's not fulfilled a lot of his early promise, I know he does the stepover way too much and can be too selfish and too self-absorbed and all of that. But after Kaka, he is the only player who has seen action with the Selecao the last four years who has the technical ability and general skill to take over and lead the team. Don't forget, he did it in the 2007 Copa America, where Kaka was not playing.

Do I think that he WILL do this, if given the chance? In all reality, probably not. But I know that he CAN. I can't say the same thing for Diego, or even Ronaldinho. At no point in Ronaldinho's career was he ever the leader, or even the most important player, of the Selecao. I just don't see how he could be realistically expected to take that role now, when he couldn't during his prime years.

The fact is, even if Diego and Ronaldinho were on the team (and I admit that Kenny's post has swayed me a little bit in regards to Diego needing to be there) if Kaka were to get injured, we'd probably be screwed no matter who replaced him. We could still get out of the group stages, maybe even make the quarters or semis, but I don't think we could make the finals, let alone beat a country like Spain.

Unless Robinho were to catch fire. Again, he is the most technically gifted and generally talented offensive player after Kaka, and the only one of the bunch (again, after Kaka) who has LED the team to a tournament victory. I don't think it will happen - hell, Robinho might not even be playing well enough to deserve a starting spot - but I think he's the only one who really has the capability.
jzlim11

expected call-up from Dunga. No doubt so far Robinho, Luis Fabiano and Kaka combination works really well. Agreed with Duvel if Kaka downed with injury, Dunga can kiss his ass goodbye to World Cup. Can Julio Baptista replace him?? I don't think so. But definitely he can defend better than Diego. I think that is what Dunga wants from Baptista. I still don't understand why Dunga likes to pick Doni not to mention Victor, Julio Sergio and Diego Alves, even Gomes deserve better than him. Finally put Ronaldinho, Adriano and Robinho in the same team it only will means PARTY ON!!!! Exclusion of Ronaldinho sad news for South Africa night club.
Cece

my bad, it's spelled pubalgia, got the spelling mixed up.
Cece

Eugene, Kaká has pulbagia, or in other words a sports injury that causes inflammation in the groin area. He's had it since 2008, but it got worse after the clasico in Barcelona in November, so he spent the next two months (through the winter break) in physical therapy. There's no curative treatment for pulbagia other than surgery, but Kaka won't be operated on since his case isn't serious enough. So, there were a lot of stories in the press stating that Kaka would never be fully healed again, etc., and Kaka recently bashed that, assuring that he's pain free now. Regardless, the pulbagia can flare up again in the future, and we can only hope that it won't during the World Cup.
annonymous

o and if it wasnt for the recent injury my pick to start in south africa would have been filipe, unfortunate set back
annonymous

Hector- EPL DOESNT SUIT PLAYERS OF HIS AGE,
uhh and the world cup will? that doesnt make sense. some of the best players play in england and if he cant kick it with them he sure as hell wont do it in south africa.
if you put aurelio over at cruzeiro he kills it for them without a doubt. aurelio is better. also yes diego souza and adriano should absolutely not be called ahead of players such as pato, ronaldinho, diego, carlos eduardo,hulk, hell even anderson of manchester united although that might be a stretch.
by the way copa america was in 2007 man couple years have gone by since then. you dont see julio baptista scoring goals or performing like he did against argentina anymore do you? no
the team has changed alot since then
Hector

kaka said his sports hernia is completely gone...hopefully it stays that way.
Hector

YES IM GLOATING CUZ YOU ALL THOUGHT I WAS AN IDIOT TO SAY "GILBERTO AND KLEBERSON WILL BE CALLED UP"

ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY THAT GILBERTO CANT GET IT DONE AGAINST THE BIG BOYS?? I COULDA SWORE COPA AMERICA, EXPECIALLY THE WAY HE CLOSED DOWN ARGENTINA WOULD BE ENOUGH FOR ANYONE TO KNOW HE'S QUALITY!

HE LEFT ENGLAND CUZ HE WAS GETTING OLD. PERIOD, EPL DOESNT SUIT PLAYERS OF HIS AGE. AND NOW THAT HE'S IN BRAZIL HE IS PLAYING MUCH BETTER. AND BETTER THAN FABIO AURELIO. SO FAR GILBERTO HAS BEEN MORE INTEGRAL TO CRUZEIRO THAN AURELIO AT LIVERPOOL.

AND WITH YOUR LOGIC. YOUR SAYING THAT PLAYERS LIKE ADRIANO, DIEGO SOUZA, AND ROBINHO SHOULDN'T BE CALLED UP BECAUSE THEY PLAY IN BRAZIL???

WHERE HAVE I HEARD THAT BEFORE SMH. BUT THATS FOR ANOTHER TOPIC.

ALL IN ALL GILBERTO EARNED HIS SPOT, AND ANYBODY WHOSE WATCH CRUZEIRO AND HIM KNOWS THAT. KLEBERSON DOES AS WELL WITH NO DOUBT IN ANYBODYS MIND.

DIEGO IS A FLOP. IDC WATCHU SAY. THE FACT THAT HE UNDER PERFORMS ALMOST EVERY TIME IN A YELLOW JERSEY, AND THE ADDED FACT HIS TEAM SUCKS, DOESNT HELP HIS CASE EITHER. MELO...I RATHER HAVE KLEBERSON OVER THIS CLOWN.

but again I love you guys. lets not take it to heart <3333 I like what ya doin Duval :D KUTGW
Eugene

Boys, can someone fill me in on what the story is with Kaka? I've heard some problems regarding a hernia, but to be honest it's all new to me at the moment.

Haven't really been able to follow Spanish football or owt to do with your national side, so this came out of the blue for me. Anyone able to fill the picture in for me? Cheers for any help, folks.
Duvel

Solid post Kenny.
Kenny

@ Hector, you seem to gloat over how accurate your predictions are. The problem with that is our comments are NOT based ON PREDICTING WHOM DUNGA SHOULD INCLUDE IN THE TEAM BUT WHO DESERVES TO BE IN THE TEAM REGARDLESS OF DUNGA'S PREFERENCES. IT DOESN'T MAKE ME A GENIUS TO PREDICT THAT JOSUE AND RAMIRES WILL BE IN THE SQUAD, THE REAL QUESTION IS - DO THEY DESERVE THEIR SPOTS?.

You repeatedly make the case about Gilberto being the best left full back in Brazil. You may be right, the fallacy of that statement is that during the world cup, he won't be playing against local based Brazilian players but against world class wingers such as Messi, Ronaldo, Robben, and Ribery. We all have had the luxury of watching Gilberto play for the seleccao, and he really was unimpressive so you really aren't talking about a player unfamiliar to us.

Gilberto had one of the most disgraceful performances for a defensive player last season while playing for Tottenham, that led his coach Redknapp to declare him a persona non grata, and he was summarily shipped back to Brazil . On the other hand Fabio Aurelio has proved to be one of the better left full backs in the Premiership. I tend to be very hesitant to judge a brazilian player based on how they perform in the Premiership, since most brazilians don't fare well, but in the case of Gilberto, we have the luxury of comparing him to a player playing in a similar position(namely Aurelio), and Gilberto falls short.

You can make the same argument why Kleberson is not a good choice.

By the way, for you guys that oppose the inclusion of Diego, it puzzles me. From my previous posts, I have always liked Batista, BUT NOT AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR KAKA. Not including Diego, or Ronaldinho, pretty much guarantees that Elano has to start every game for his skill in set-pieces. I remember watching the USA-Brazil match when neither ELano or Alves, were starting and we fell two goals behind, only to come back in the second half thanks to the crosses of Alves and Elano. I have no problem with Elano starting but in a copule of games last year, he had been lackluster, and may need to be replaced (and of course Ramires will be the substitute). Which begs the question; would you prefer Ramires to diego/Ronaldinho, keeping in mind Ramires's deficiency in set pieces?????.
I agree that Diego in the past has been unimpressive for the seleccao, but it's difficult to ignore a player of his talent/caliber . Using your argument, would you replace Messi in the Argentine national team because he has been unimpreesive in the national colors?? Granted Diego is no Messi , but one can make a case that Diego is presently one of the top ten creative midfielders in the World. I believe with more opportunities, he will prove his mettle. A player of his caliber at some point will erupt. He reminds me of Rivaldo prior to the 2002 world cup when he was constantly lampooned by the Brazilian press for his unimpressive play, and we all know the rest.
Hector

Nilmar being invisible for Villarreal helps Robinho's case a little bit more then Nilmars.

peopple are sleeping on Gomes from Tottenham. he can easily be the best goalie in the EPL with the sting of performances so far with the Spurs.