Dunga Faces Selection Headache Ahead of Brazil Friendlies Next Month

Still digesting the effects of a job competently accomplished against Colombia and Ecuador, Brazil boss Dunga is set to name his second squad tomorrow morning at Brazilian Football Confederation headquarters in Barra da Tijuca.

The Selecao travel to China and Singapore, for matches against Argentina and Japan respectively, on October 11 and 14. Beaten finalists in the FIFA World Cup, Brazil's oldest rivals are likely to offer Dunga and his charges their sternest test of the year. Brazil will also play Turkey, in November, and an as yet unnamed opponent before 2014 is out.

But whilst this announcement comes rather early considering the dates of the friendlies, there may be disputes and negotiations in the weeks leading up to the matches. Several Brazilian clubs have already made their feelings about potential call-ups abundantly clear: Thanks, but no thanks.

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Jefferson, Gil, Elias, Everton Ribeiro, Ricardo Goulart, Diego Tardelli. All were called up for the games earlier this month, and all are of vital importance to their clubs, especially at this stage of the domestic season.

The Campeonato Brasileiro is entering the business end of the campaign, and storylines at the summit and the foot of the table are becoming intriguing.

Goalkeeper Jefferson is currently embroiled in a relegation battle with Botafogo. The Cruzeiro pair of Ribeiro and Goulart saw their club's lead at the top cut to just four points following Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Sao Paulo.

One of the clubs that could potentially catch them, Corinthians, ceded Gil and Elias earlier this month. No one wants to take unnecessary risks in friendlies as the domestic action begins to bubble.

Dunga has already spoken of giving other players a chance before this calendar year is finished, as reported by Brazilian sports daily Lance (link in Portuguese).

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The problem for the new boss is other names linked with, or deserving of a place in his Selecao squad. In the local press, it is a given that favouritism will be shown to those plying their trade locally rather than in Europe.

Subsequently, the players most heavily linked with a chance at international level are playing in the Brazilian league. And right now, there are a number of options on these shores knocking at the Selecao door.

But Dunga and his staff are likely to face the same problems already expressed by Cruzeiro, who have categorically stated they do not wish their players to be representing Brazil in the middle of October, when the Brasileirao has only six weeks to run. The club have made an appeal to the CBF to omit their players from the squad, as reported by Goal.com (link in Portuguese).

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Corinthians boss Mano Menezes has gone one step further, and suggested Dunga decide against calling up any players based in Brazil, as reported by Bahia Noticias (link in Portuguese).

Of course, these grand statements fail to take into consideration the sentiments of the players themselves.

The form team in Brazil right now is second-placed Sao Paulo. The Morumbi outfit have won their last three league games, and, in an impressive statistic, are unbeaten whenever their fantastic four have played together: Kaka, Paulo Henrique Ganso, Alexandre Pato and Alan Kardec.

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Whilst Pato has been mooted for a possible Selecao return, with eight goals this term, it would be difficult to find a playmaker more on top of his game right now than Ganso.

After years in the wilderness, following fallouts, injuries and virtual anonymity, the man who initially had Neymar in his shadow is once again repeating the kind of form that prompted Neymar to draw comparisons with one Zinedine Zidane four years ago, as reported by BBC's Tim Vickery.

His performance against table-topping Cruzeiro on Sunday was exquisite. After just nine minutes, the ball fell to him on the edge of the penalty area. His subtle touch to control and send a volley whistling just over the bar was the sign of a man brimming with confidence.

Add to that the fact he won the penalty for the opening goal, tricking fellow Brazil hopeful Dede with a neat jink, and his contribution to his side's 2-0 win was substantial.

Is Ganso deserving of a call-up? On this form, certainly. But whether it will come as his club chases a first league title since 2008 is still to be decided.