Brazil coach Tite has announced a list of 26 players who will be called up for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup agenda. One of the 26 players is former Barcelona star, Daniel Alves.
Tite’s decision to call Dani Alves can be said to be quite risky. Because, Dani Alves is 39 years old and no longer plays in Europe. The former Juventus right-back is now defending the Mexican League top caste team (Liga MX Apertura), UNAM Punas.
Tite’s decision is increasingly being questioned because Dani Alves is currently suffering from a knee injury. The injury meant that Dani Alves had not played for more than a month. Regarding the decision to call Dani Alves, Tite has his own reasons.
Tite admits that Dani Alves’ ability level has now decreased considerably due to age. However, Tite believes that the Brazilian national team still needs Dani Alves due to his experience and ability to manage the game.
“Dani Alves added an impressive technical and tactical aspect. He is an organizer and an articulator,” Tite said. “I know Dani Alves can no longer sprint 60 to 70 meters. However, he has other advantages. Dani Alves has not only added technical quality but also a mental aspect to the Brazilian national team,” said Tite.
Regarding Dani Alves’ injury, Fabio Mahseredjia as the Brazilian team doctor has opened his voice. Fabio firmly believes Dani Alves has recovered from a knee injury and is ready to play when the Qatar 2022 World Cup kicks off.
“We have followed Alves’ recovery process closely. We also have all the data from the Barcelona doctor,” said Fabio. “The data shows that Dani Alves is still fit to play,” Fabio added.
Throughout his career, Dani Alves has bagged a total of 124 appearances for the senior Brazil national team. The former Sevilla player played a major role in Brazil’s success in winning the 2007 and 2019 Copa America. Dani Alves is also an important figure behind the success of Brazil’s U23 national team in winning the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Regarding the World Cup, Dani Alves has participated in two editions of the football’s biggest parties in 2010 and 2014.
Another Tite decision that has been in the spotlight is not calling Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) and Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal). In fact, Firmino and Gabriel have performed well as pillars of their respective teams this season. Firmino has recorded eight goals and four assists from a total of 19 matches with Liverpool this season.
Firmino’s goal stats are much better than those of Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal) and Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur). Unlike Firmino, Gabriel Jesus and Richarlison received calls from Tite. Meanwhile, Gabriel Magalhaes is an important pillar of Arsenal’s back line, which has only conceded 11 times in 13 Premier League matches this season. Gabriel Magalhaes was not called up to the Brazilian national team because he could not compete with Thiago Silva (Chelsea), Bremer (Juventus), Marquinhos (PSG), and Eder Militao (Real Madrid). At the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the Brazilian national team is in Group G with Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.
