Baptista has been coming on strong of late after a very disappointing 05 and early 06. I know he has no chance of starting on the first 11 but what are his chances of making the squad? I've always been a big admirer of his since his days with Sevilla but would use be prepared to take him to the Wol Cup? I really think that when he is at his best he can change a game. For me he offes something that is lacking in the Brazil NT which a power house with a great eye for goal who can through instinct will help out defensively.
It's a tough one. I haven't been one of his fans since he came to Madrid. As a midfielder he is mediocre. As a forward he had those 2 great years at Sevilla. But do we need forwards with the likes of Adriano, Ronaldo, Fred, maybe even Ricardo Oliveira ? I am not so sure. But I think Parreira may end up taking him because of his versatility. I've seen many people say he can play holding midfield, attacking midfield, and forward and therefore can be an important piece in the team. But as I stated above, I am not impressed by his performances in the midfield or attacking midfield positions.
I am not to fond of baptista either in madrid he really hasn't done much up until lately he is getting his game back and in sevilla he was good but right now i wouldn't take him to the World cup.
He didn't actually play as a striker at Seville but as an AM. The same position where he is starting to look quite promising in for Madrid. He was actually playing so badly because he was playing in a wide left position under Luxa and as a striker for a while under Caro. Baptista isn't a palyer who likes to play on the sholder of defenders and I know as well as the rest of us that Ronnie, Adriano etc are far better at doing so. However, he could actually play in Emerson's position if Brazil were in need of a goal. Give him space to un into and he is a real threat. He is a great threat running at defenders and is a nightmare for defenders when he has the ball. He also provides a good aerial threat which is something we don't get from Ronaldo. I only hope the injury he sustained in the game yesterday doesn't hamper his WC hopes
I was under the impression he actually played as a striker at Sevilla. I remember most of his goals came from runs that were very similar to Ronaldo's and there was no striker in front of him. So their striker was playing wide left or right at that time ? You do make a good point. Personally I think Emerson is too old to play the DM position and Gilberto Silva should start. What I really don't like about him is his lack of touch and his passing game. If he is to be used effectively he would have to be played in a very specific postion where he can shine.
baptista has played very well as of late, especially in Ronaldo's absence. I think Parreira likes him, but I'm not sure if he can supplant Ricardinho, who's played well in our recent friendlies, even if they were against mediocre opponents. The catch though is that I havent heard much of Ricardinho since his switch to Corinthians. Both players are versatile, but in different ways. Julio Baptista, although a volante at one point, is now a full-fledged attacker. I think for this reason alone, we might not need him. His strength though, is an asset, and could prove useful when we play more physical teams like Croatia. Ricardinho on the other hand, is more of a Juninho Pernambucano type player...more of a two-way midfielder, one who is capable of holding as well as attacking. He's not on the level of Deco, but I do think he is a slight notch below. I'm still not sure who I'd take to be honest. We can even throw Alex into the mix. In terms of our attacking subs, I'm really only confident in Robinho and Juninho. Still iffy on that 4th striker (likely Fred)...and like I said, Ricardinho isnt exactly an AM. I guess the more I think about, the more I'm leaning towards Baptista even, especially given Adriano's poor form this year...and Ronaldo's health woes. At first I thought we would have a lot of depth in the attack, a rarity in recent World Cups, but yeah, now I'm not so sure. But, I think that Parreira will likely call up Ricardinho either way as he's been getting called up regularly. Both Alex and Baptista havent been called up since our late qualifyers...so we'll see. I still will stand by my theory that Parreira will have to call up a few Brazilian based players. This team will likely include our lowest total...with one of our keepers, gustavo nery (probable), and ricardinho.
Re: Julio Baptista's Julio Baptista most likely leaving Arsenal http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/6570853.stm