Can Kaka Still Make a Telling Difference for Dunga and Brazil?

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a piece debating whether Dunga should be looking to the future rather than considering veterans like Kaka. Now, we will get a chance to see which way that particular cookie crumbles.

The 32-year-old has been called up for next week's friendlies against Argentina and Japan in the place of Cruzeiro's Ricardo Goulart. It is his first since March 2013.

In one aspect, it is an encouraging and relieving sign that the former AC Milan and Real Madrid star is finding his form.

The move could well prove to be a shrewd one from the Brazil coach. This is a critical time for international football's most successful nation.

Pressure is on this group like never before. A recovery is demanded and desperately needed after the FIFA World Cup, and the spotlight is shining bright on those involved in the rebuilding process.

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For some, the intensity may prove to be too much. To have someone like Kaka on your side can go a long way.

He is a player that never goes missing. Watching him back at the Estadio Morumbi shows he remains hungry for the ball, searching for it at every opportunity. He is willing to stand up and be counted.

Kaka has been instrumental in Sao Paulo's form at the top of the table, and more importantly is flourishing in a system similar to the one Dunga is hoping to implement with the Selecao.

In the same way he has helped improve the fortunes of lost boy Alexandre Pato, so he can lead from the front in the yellow of Brazil. Neymar was the only player to emerge from the World Cup debacle with his reputation enhanced, but he would be kidding himself if he thought he could not improve from listening to his experienced teammate.

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Kaka has been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. Not only can he pass on his considerable experience, the Barcelona starlet could be the fortunate beneficiary of his ability to seemingly unlock a defence at will.

But on the other hand, it is slightly damning about the regard the national boss holds for rivals for an attacking position in the Brazil line-up. Kaka is no spring chicken and is certainly not the future, the pivot around which the attack could be built, in the way he was when Dunga began his first spell back in 2006.

Whilst it may not be considered a step backwards—Kaka remains one of the most incisive and visionary passers and providers available—he remains a short-term solution.

Brazil need answers, not victories in meaningless friendlies. Any meeting between Brazil and Argentina is always of gargantuan interest, but in practical terms for Dunga and his backroom staff, emerging victorious is not the most important outcome of this contest.

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This is a time for learning. Such was the enormity of Brazil's humiliation against Germany, one could almost say they are in the midst of a healing process. There is no quick fix.

Which makes Kaka's inclusion baffling in one respect. After all, in straight numbers, he has just one assist to his name this season, per Whoscored.com. There are other options available to Dunga.

Paulo Henrique Ganso, who plays alongside Kaka in the Sao Paulo ranks, has been reproducing some of his finest form over the last three years. If Dunga is building a side with the 2018 World Cup in mind, would it not be more prudent to opt for a player who is just 24 rather than 32?

Kaka has been the subject of fierce debate since his call-up. His finest days and fondest memories are probably behind him now; Brazil's opening goal at the 2006 World Cup against Croatia, the pinpoint pass that released Hernan Crespo to net Milan's third against Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final.

He may not be able to contribute as substantially as he has done previously, but don't bet against him making a telling difference, in his influence on those around him, if called upon next week.