Well, we are 3 weeks away from the next convocação. Even if it isn't announced on the 26th, I believe the names need to be sent to FIFA by then, so the work is done at that point. I am glad CBF is waiting for Ancelotti, but I'm also worried that for them that means they literally just have to wait and he'll say yes when the time comes. I could see their eventual meeting going differently, with Ancelotti asking about expectations, structure and support and the rumor that they want him to live in Brazil and CBF thinking all they had to negotiate was "how much?" So we don't have a coach, nor a certainty that we'll get one, we don't have any news about a potential director of national team programs either, which supposedly CBF wanted. We also don't know who the opponents will be. I guess now that CBF has realized it's right around the corner they'll be back to focusing on that. But let's set all of that aside and engage in our favorite fan exercise of speculating who could be part of the next call-up. I don't expect any of the U20s who will be at the World Cup. Maybe a Vitor Roque since he wasn't released (but would have to be released if the senior team calls). If the matches are in Europe and it's a veteran coach, I wouldn't expect many Brasileirão players. If it's a newer coach and someone still active in Brazil, I would expect more locals. So, since we don't know any of that, I'm going to focus on a strong call-up with the rest of the cycle in mind, with a few notes. Starting in the next post... (You know what would be funny? Dorival as interim coach!)
Goalkeepers The strongest are still Alisson, Éderson, Weverton. Neto has been doing well but would depend entirely on the coach's preferences. I could see a Bento or João Paulo added as a prospect, again depending on the coach's objective here. An outside shout would be for a veteran keeper in Brazil who has the coach's trust to be called in. Full-backs Doesn't matter who the coach is, this will remain the biggest question mark for a while. I still think Danilo and Alex Sandro are the strongest options but this isn't life or death so I'd leave them out. Emerson should be back in action this week or next, so I expect him to be called. After that, who knows. Vanderson is a prospect but isn't doing great right now. Vinicius Tobias is at Real Madrid Castilla. Dodô is not a great prospect in my eyes but is doing well. Gilberto isn't starting regularly but could be useful On the left, Renan Lodi and Alex Telles would be boring but expected. Most people would like to see Caio Henrique at this point. I'd even throw in a shot for Carlos Augusto at Monza. Among players in Brazil, Ayrton Lucas on the left could get a shot, but he or any other name would be very dependent on the coach who is picked. Samuel Xavier for example is doing great at right-back but at 32 is not likely to be part of the cycle, but again, there aren't many options, so who knows. Guilherme Arana might be back in action by then too! But I would hold off on calling him up, let him get back into rhythm slowly. Center-backs Marquinhos is in dreadful form at PSG recently, but he's still number one on the list. Militão is right up there with him. The other two I would expect to come from among Bremer, Gabriel, Ibáñez and Nino. Bremer has been getting a little less playing time recently, Gabriel has been good but not great for Arsenal without Saliba by his side. Nino is a strong option right now and Ibáñez has had some solid games after a poor March. Midfield I think the strongest call-up right now has at four, maybe five Premier League midfielders. How the turn tables, as they say. Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães, in my estimation, should be the backbone. Paquetá should be called up for the more advanced midfield position (assuming a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1) Douglas Luiz is doing well and I'd add him. After that? João Gomes, Danilo and Joelinton all deserve consideration. Fred could make it. André, at Fluminense, could certainly make it too. Veiga could make it as an armador, again, especially depending on the coach and location. Heck, if the right coach is brought in, I could even see Ganso getting a call-up for recognition. Rodrygo I'll list among wingers and forwards, but depending on how the coach does the maths, he could take a midfielder's spot. Forwards and wingers Right now I think the only unquestionable choices here are Vini Jr. and Martinelli, which basically locks down the left-wing in any 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 line-up. Gabriel Jesus and Richarlison are still the top choices at forward but I could easily see Pedro take one of their spots for now. Arthur Cabral has an outside shot. Bringing in Vitor Roque would be more interesting to me though. On the right I wouldn't be surprised to see Raphinha and Antony, but it would be nice to see at least another new or returning face here. Could Pepê for Porto break through (or even be used in a different position?) David Neres should be on the radar but I don't see him making it back yet. Luiz Henrique's playing time has dropped off a little bit at Betis, but he's another option. Maybe there's a shot for Felipe Anderson to come back, since he's doing well at Lazio, especially if the coach wants more of a midfielder-winger than a forward-winger. And of course, we could see a number of other players in Brazil at any of these positions, especially depending on the coach. Rony, Yuri Alberto and Gabi aren't doing great but are fan favorites that a coach might want to see. Fluminense fans will be pissed either way as no matter who it is, I doubt the coach will call in German Cano... If I had to pick a 23 (or 26) to experiment with it might be: Alisson, Weverton, Bento; Emerson, Gilberto, Caio Henrique, Renan Lodi; Marquinhos, Militão, Bremer, Nino; Casemiro, André, Douglas Luiz, Bruno Guimarães, Paquetá, (Joelinton); Vini Jr., Martinelli, Rodrygo, Raphinha, (Pepê); Richarlison, Vitor Roque, (Gabriel Jesus)
I think Vini and Martinelli should play together but with both preferring the left this highly unlikely.
Nothing new here, just for an english-speaking audience now, about Ancelotti as plan A and Diniz as a potential plan B: https://www.espn.com/soccer/brazil-...l-madrid-fluminenses-fernando-diniz-an-option I suppose Diniz would be the type who could actually work with something like that. Ancelotti too to a lesser extent. But the movement of Rodrygo is one hint of how it could work. Would probably favor a Gabriel Jesus type center-forward over a Richarlison.
CBF is trying to arrange the 2 June friendlies to be played in Spain and Portugal against CAF opponents. Senegal and Guinea the two mentioned in this article: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...mistosos-em-portugal-e-espanha-em-junho.ghtml Looks like Ramon Menezes might be coach again. I guess that's simpler than having yet another intern. But it will mean he has to coordinate the convocação (my guess is it will be May 26) in between first round matches of the U20 WC (our last first round match is May 27). And if Brazil reach the top 4 he'll basically have to leave after the final match to meet a mostly assembled senior team in Europe. (The U20 final and 3rd place matches are on Jun 11, the FIFA window starts Jun 12.) I wasn't thrilled with his first call-up, so this doesn't excite me. I do like bringing in the U20 players, but it's some of the other choices that I found uninspiring.
I expect some news this week, especially confirmation of the friendlies and a date for the convocação. Since we don't have one yet and they are likely to rely on Ramon Menezes, I wouldn't be surprised to see the announcement delayed a bit, although I think the names need to be sent to FIFA around this Friday regardless of when the announcement is made. Some injury updates: Gabriel Martinelli won't be available Neymar still won't be available Guilherme Arana is available but wasn't included in the gameday roster for Atl-MG today as they are taking it slow with him. Bruno Guimarães has been playing through an injury since early this year. I was concerned about him for the friendlies, but this week his manager seems to have said that concern is over. Of course, it might not matter as Ramon chose not to call him in last time. Danilo left the Nottingham Forest match injured today, but no update yet, I hope it wasn't a big concern. Most players in England only have one or two matches left, but the Man Utd crew have 3 (2 league and one FA Cup). In Spain it's 4 (including those matches played today). In Portugal only two matches left in the league (including today) and the cup final. Three left in Italy and France including this weekend. In Brazil it's 4 league matches (including today's) and Libertadores x2 and Copa do Brasil x1 in the middle of the week before the break for the friendly.
The friendlies are confirmed. Additionally, with all the racial abuse in the headlines, CBF has consulted Vini Jr. and will make the friendly in Spain an anti-racist event, with the presence of FIFA and UEFA heads, as well as CBF and Spain's FA. https://ge.globo.com/sportv/program...ecao-na-espanha-como-marco-antirracista.ghtml June 17, vs. Guinea in Barcelona June 20, vs. Senegal in Lisbon The window opens on June 12, but Brazil will meet on June 13.
Still no sign from CBF of when the call-up will be. It would be tomorrow following the schedule of the March window, but I think it's safe to say it will be next week now. Antony was injured today in an important game for Man Utd. They secured CL qualification and Casemiro opened the scoring. He's been a real hero for the club this season and getting a lot of credit for helping them finish in the top 4 again. Antony is in doubt for the FA cup final now (Jun 3) and might be in doubt for the national team matches.
I was going to post that Brazil will announce the call-up online only, in social media and press releases (which is what most countries do), but there must have been some backlash as this was published just 20 minutes ago: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...il-para-ramon-anunciar-lista-no-domingo.ghtml CBF is flying Ramon Menezes back to Brazil to announce the call-up on Sunday, which will be a day off for the team, in a press conference like they usually do. Then Ramon will return to Argentina to continue coaching the U20s.
In the press conference last time Ramon Menezes said he was given carte blanche to call whoever he wanted to. He also had access to the team of analysts and their wider list of 55 or so players. As with last time, it's practically impossible to predict a call-up with an interim coach and no clear criteria. Still, it's always fun to speculate. His last call up mostly had the backbone of the team, 5 U20 players and a number of Brazil-based players. Some of the choices were notably unexpected, especially the absences of Allison, Bruno Guimarães and Gabriel Martinelli. If he does call U20s I think the same ones as last time are likely, with Marcos Leonardo maybe instead of Vitor Roque since he is the current #9 and leading scorer. (The other U20s called up in March were GK Mycael, RB Arthur, CD Robert Renan and Andrey Santos.) But maybe he doesn't call them this time as it could be disruptive mid-tournament or just cause they could need a break. CBF wants the national team to reconnect with fans. That's difficult with the current friendlies still being played in Europe, but the reaction to some of the Brazil-based players in March was positive. I think they should do so again in June, but personally I think the choices could be more productive. In summary: I'd focus on the backbone of the team, but make a point to include a number of players based in Brazil. I'd avoid calling any of the U20s at the World Cup, but any U20 who wasn't called to the World Cup would be fair game. GK: Alisson, Weverton, Bento - If you're going to drop one of the two usual names who play in Europe, drop Ederson, in my opinion. I'd go back to calling up future options as the 3rd keeper, but not necessarily youth players. Bento would be my choice for June. RB: Emerson, Vanderson - As we all know, this position is really lacking. Emerson hasn't done well, but is in kind of by default. I'd use the other spot for a future RB who is likely to be called during the 2024 Olympic cycle and expected to be on the national team radar in the future. Vinicius Tobias would be another such option. No option in Brazil stands out enough for me. If Ramon does call U20s, Arthur is very likely here. CD: Marquinhos, Militão, Bremer, Nino - I'm not high on Gabriel right now, so I'd pick Nino ahead of him. Ibanez would be fine too and has arguably been more solid than Bremer in this end of season. Nino is also an easy pick from players in Brazil right now. He has been called in before, played the Olympics, and is one of the standout players in the Brasileirão's early stages. If we were to call a U20 CD, I'd drop Bremer for that spot. LB: Alex Telles, Caio Henrique - Alex Telles doesn't excite me, but I expect we'll see at least one of the players called up in March. Also, we know CH is on the radar, so we're constantly picking him to finally join the team. I wouldn't be surprised to just see Telles and Lodi though. Personally, I think Carlos Augusto and Caio Henrique should be tested in the Alex Telles slot this year and Arana should be seen as a lock for September if his return from injury is smooth. To me that would be an obvious upgrade over Lodi/Telles. MID: Casemiro, André, Bruno Guimarães, Douglas Luiz, Lucas Paquetá, Raphael Veiga - I think this would be a productive midfield call-up. Joelinton certainly deserves a spot but it's anyone's guess if that will come now or with the new manager. Veiga is arguably more deserving now than in March. André is the other notable in Brazil that can be called up based on current form and future expectations with the national team. Of course there are tons of other options here, without even getting into the U20s. João Gomes and Danilo. Fred. Who knows. If U20s are called up, Andrey would be an obvious pick here, but on current form I would actually not call him. FWD: Vini Jr., Gabriel Jesus, Vitor Roque, Pedro, Rodrygo, Raphinha - With so many surprises last time, the only guarantee is Vini Jr. will be here. Rodrygo might be a guarantee I suppose, maybe a 99%. Richarlison was called in March despite his poor form and I really like him, but I suspect he might be skipped this time. Because of that, I'd pick Pedro. And because Martinelli is out injured, I ended up going with 3 center-forwards. Rodrygo could end up on the list of midfielders though and throw a wrench in this. I think Pedro and Vitor Roque would be productive options among Brazil-based players. If U20s are called, Marcos Leonardo would be deserving. Sávio would be the most deserving wide player on current form (let's hope he keeps it up tomorrow) but there are plenty of options on the wings. This list only has 7 players based in Brazil. That number was higher March, but inflated by the U20s, so 7 (out of 23) seems like a reasonable number. Once competitive games resume in September, I hope the call-ups go back up to 26 players, but I would be surprised to see more than 23 in June.
Call-up made just now, press conference in progress: Additional details: Ricardo Gomes will once again be the coordinator for this period. Newcomers: Vanderson, Ayrton Lucas, Nino, Joelinton. Malcom was called up before, though he hasn't played.
Here is the press conference if anyone would like to watch: A few notes based on the call-up and the press conference: Ramon Menezes certainly doesn't seem to be focused on the full team right now. Not a great sign, also not surprising and not his fault. (He called Joelinton "José Wellington" at one point - 15min 31sec in the video above) The new names at right and left back are very welcome but there is a clear mandate to bring in an experienced player if bringing in a new player. Hence Vanderson (new) but no Emerson, instead Danilo is back. Hence Ayrton Lucas, but rather than another new left-back like Caio Henrique, Alex Telles remains. No U20s, which I sort of expected and makes sense, but Vitor Roque, who is not at the U20 WC, could have been included instead of any of the center-forwards (Rony, Pedro, Richarlison). Glad that Alisson is back, but I would have liked to see one of Ederson/Weverton out to see who is next on the list right now.
Ombak, thanks for the string of outstanding and highly informative posts. We fans only catch glimpses of what players' personalities were like in their younger days, but we can form opinions. Edmundo wasn't a choir boy and Paulo Nunes enjoyed provoking others. I don't recall Ramon doing any of that when he was at Vasco. As such, I can only make educated guesses. As such, Ramon appears to be displaying some humility. He knows better than we do that CBF has wanted Ancelotti and he also knows that guys like Abel Ferreira (yes, still my choice) are far more favored to take the job than he is. I therefore give him credit for juggling the U-20 and the senior team. That said, with the friendlies cited above, he'll be turning all his attentions to the senior team after June 11 (the final day of the current FIFA U-20 World Cup). All the more if Ancelotti and/or whoever else isn't signed and August arrives and there is no new permanent replacement for Tite; CBF might as well give Ramon a chance, all the more as 2026 WCQ starts in September. From what I've seen, CONMEBOL hasn't made the dates official, but looking at precedent (2006 WCQ - the last, and apparently, only time CONMEBOL WCQ started in September), it's likely the first fixture will occur during the first 7-10 days of September. And while of course the U-20s and the senior team are two wholly different situations, Ramon did win the South American Championship. Should he win, or at least, take Brazil far in the U-20s, that'll strengthen his political capital within CBF while (hopefully) honing his skills as a manager.
I don't think Ramon Menezes for the next few matches would be the disaster the Brazilian press makes it out to be, but the negativity around the seleção some times is just astonishing. Having said that, for now CBF still sees Ancelotti as the option. I don't know if they realized at first they really would have to wait until the end of the season, but they won't move on to the next option until then: https://www.uol.com.br/esporte/fute...s-reforca-desejo-por-ancelotti-na-selecao.htm
Surprise for me is Malcom. He is a Zenit right now. Looked up his stats and I guess he was called up because his banging in goals there. 22 goals in 26 games right now.
La Liga over for Real Madrid and Carlo is talking about next season. Hope CBF has a Plan B, C, and D in place. Carlo ain't leaving Madrid nor did he ever really want to manage our NT.
I still have no problem with CBF waiting until now to try to get Ancelotti. The problems I have are two: I doubt CBF's negotiation approach is more elaborate than "We can offer you this much money and hey, everyone wants to coach Brazil, right?" And beyond that, they'll maybe adjust expectations on whether the coach has to live in Brazil and whether they are willing to pay for Real to release him. The fact that they accomplished nothing in the months since they decided to wait for Ancelotti. No director of football news, and the way the two call-ups went, it seems clear that the freedom they gave Ramon for the first one was not productive. Well, I suppose my third problem is I'm not particularly excited about some of the back-up names. For me I'd be ok with Diniz or Dorival at this point, but Abel and JJ don't fit in my eyes.
Somewhat interesting news here: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...enxuga-comissao-de-ramon-para-amistosos.ghtml The headline is that Taffarel is back (he wasn't part of the March coaching staff) but the additional information is more telling. Ramon gets to keep his assistant coach, but the rest of the staff are chosen by CBF, not by Ramon. Other news from today about the national team: Brazil will wear black in the first half against Guinea (in Spain) as part of the anti-racism message of the event. https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...oso-na-espanha-em-acao-contra-o-racismo.ghtml (And, if you missed it earlier this week, Brazil will play Spain in March of 2024 https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...enfrentar-a-espanha-em-amistoso-em-2024.ghtml)
Today's news is about Dorival Jr. Reportedly CBF wants to hear his ideas for the national team: https://www.uol.com.br/esporte/fute...procura-dorival-jr-e-quer-ouvir-treinador.htm Also: "A entidade se reunirá com outros treinadores, mas quer ouvir o projeto de Dorival para a seleção. Não haverá proposta em cima da mesa, mas o nome de Dorival ganhou força na CBF..."
The coaching staff and Alex Telles are in Barcelona for the international break already. Most players will arrive tomorrow, with the last ones reporting on Tuesday. https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...a-para-amistosos-contra-guine-e-senegal.ghtml Matches are Saturday and the following Tuesday.
Plenty of news for the upcoming friendlies on ge now that the international week is here. https://ge.globo.com/futebol/selecao-brasileira/ Nino is out due to an injury in yesterday's match. No word on who will replace him (if anyone) yet: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...ntar-a-selecao-para-amistosos-na-europa.ghtml With most players from Europe already on vacation for over a week, I think we might see someone who plays in Brazil, like Jean Pedroso from Coritiba and the U20s. Bremer would be the safe bet if he were active, so I guess it depends on what he's doing for vacation! Joelinton and Vanderson were the players who participated in the daily press conference today. In other news, Jorge Jesus has left Fenerbahçe officially and while he is linked to a Saudi club, he is apparently going to wait and see what happens with the Brazil job. https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...movimentos-da-cbf-na-europa-por-tecnico.ghtml
Robert Renan will join the team on Wednesday to replace Nino: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...substituir-nino-em-amistosos-da-selecao.ghtml
I still think that CBF should have gotten a green signal that Carlo would want to come in case they didn't win the CL or La Liga. I guess CBF was counting on Florentino firing him because that's what he does after a disappointing season. Seems like the CdR title saved his job. Abel is out of question. He ain't leaving Palmeiras. The relationship there is too good. São Paulo will not want to let Dorival go as he has done well for them. Flu will not want to let Diniz go either. JJ is now available and will probably be at least approached. The options are slim right now.
Depending on who you read as a source (or when the source was published) they did have a green light. Although more recently it sounds like they felt that he was giving them a green light. I don't like the idea of taking a coach away from a team just a couple of months after he started, but I don't see Dorival staying if CBF wants him. Some journalists are saying he is hoping to get the call. Also, SP don't have the financial pull of Flamengo or Palmeiras and don't offer the same reliability Abel can count on with Palmeiras.
In news today, CBF made $1 million more for the Morocco friendly than they used to with friendlies organized by Pitch. Pitch is trying to get CBF back, even offering a friendly with Germany in March, but CBF don't want to work with them and Ednaldo doesn't like signing long-term deals that will stand after he is gone. https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...-novo-modelo-de-negociacao-de-amistosos.ghtml Line-up in training was: Alisson, Danilo, Éder Militão, Marquinhos, Alex Telles; Casemiro, Joelinton, Lucas Paquetá; Rodrygo, Vini Jr, Richarlison I like it. Ayrton Lucas and Raphael Veiga got some time with the starters too, in place of Telles and Paquetá. Robert and Ederson will only arrive tomorrow. https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...m-primeiro-esboco-de-time-para-amistoso.ghtml