No Neymar, No Chance? How Will Brazil Fare at Copa America Without Barca Star?
LOS ANGELES — Fingers can justifiably be pointed at Brazil coach Dunga for many reasons, and frequently are, but this summer it seems like circumstances are conspiring against him, too.
Despite his best efforts to change the situation, the CBF (Brazilian football federation) were involved in a Mexican standoff with Barcelona over Neymar's availability for the Copa America Centenario and the Olympic Games, which they eventually lost.
Dunga wanted the country's star player to feature in both, Barcelona insisted it could only be one. Brazil could call him up for the Copa and there would be nothing the Catalans could do, but then his club could block him from appearing at the Rio Games.
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Of the two tournaments, the one Brazil are more desperate to win is the latter, first because it's on home soil and second as they have never won it before.
So, despite a trip to Catalonia to negotiate with the club, eventually a deal was struck that sees him feature in the Olympics instead of the Copa, rather than as well as.
Then there are the drop-outs. Another Barcelona player, Rafinha, was called up but then was forced to leave the squad because of injury, with PSG's Lucas Moura replacing him.
Ricardo Oliveira and Ederson were also injured, replaced by Jonas and Marcelo Grohe, respectively.
The second huge absence is Bayern Munich star Douglas Costa. He was in the squad but suffered a thigh injury and had to be replaced by Kaka.
Kaka then managed to get injured himself and has been replaced in the squad by Sao Paulo midfielder Ganso.
Dunga had hit out at Palmeiras youngster Gabriel Jesus, according to Sambafoot, hinting that he would rather have not called up Orlando City veteran Kaka but was forced to because the former had not sorted out his own U.S. visa. Dunga said:
"We would like to count on all the players. We have repeated here that players must always be in touch with Gilmar [Rinaldi, general coordinator of the Brazilian national team], with CBF and always ready to play. Not just physically and technically, but with all the documents. The choice of Kaka, firstly, was a technical decision. Unfortunately, other players could be here but they're not here because they had no documentation.
"
That was the end of the trouble, right? Wrong. Captain Miranda was a doubt but passed a late fitness test for the Ecuador game, per Goal. And then first-choice defensive midfielder Luiz Gustavo pulled out of the squad for personal reasons.
There are other fine Brazilian players missing, too. Thiago Silva, Oscar, Marcelo, Roberto Firmino and David Luiz among them, but it's unclear whether they've been reserved for the Olympics or simply dropped.
Dunga's selection decisions have often been problematic, but while he is in charge, they have to be accepted.
So Brazil head into the tournament without a galaxy of stars, but several talented players remain in the squad. Can Dunga improve on the country's horrendous showing in Chile a year ago?
After struggling through the group stage by beating Peru and Venezuela but losing to Colombia, they were knocked out on penalties by Paraguay.
Their World Cup qualifying campaign for Russia 2018 has gone horrendously so far, losing to Chile and drawing with Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. The only positive result was a win against Peru in November 2015.
In March, they went two goals ahead against Uruguay, but then Luis Suarez dragged the Celeste back into it, resulting in a 2-2 draw, which was repeated against Paraguay. This time it was Brazil’s turn to come from behind, with Ricardo Oliveira and Dani Alves netting in the final 11 minutes to salvage a draw.
Their one warm-up friendly saw them beat Panama 2-0 in a solid but thoroughly unspectacular display, words that can also be used to describe the level of ambition of the current Brazil setup.
Brazilian journalist Fernando Kallas, who works for AS, says fans don’t believe in the current national team.
"Expectation levels are really bad. The previous games against Uruguay and Paraguay in World Cup qualifying were awful, and the entire nation is against Dunga," he told Bleacher Report.
"If you add in the general feeling against the corruption in the CBF (Brazilian Federation), I would even go as far as to say that a lot of people in the country are against Brazil. Rooting for them to do badly so things can finally change. The Selecao is no longer a representation of the majority of Brazilian fans."
Barring a spectacular failure where they do not even make it out of Group B, where they are vying for qualification with Ecuador, Peru and Haiti, Dunga will still be in charge at the Olympics. But between the two tournaments, if there is no success, then he will surely be axed.
Kallas said: "It's very realistic [that Dunga could be sacked if Brazil do badly]. But due to the losses of Neymar, Douglas Costa and others, I think the evaluation will be for both Copa America and the Olympics together.
"Dunga asked to lead the Olympic team and it's at home, with Neymar. The pressure of finally winning the gold is bigger than doing well in the Copa America. If he doesn't win in the USA and then also fails in Rio, then that will be the end of him at the Canarinha. That will be his big stage. He has to win—no other result will be accepted by the fans."
Regardless of the ill-feeling around the national team and the selection problems for Dunga, there are still players who can fire Brazil to glory this summer.
One of them could prove to be the young Santos striker Gabriel Barbosa. "Gabigol," as he's known, 19, made his debut against Panama as a substitute in the recent friendly and scored his country's second goal.
He may, in fact, be the one Brazilian who likes Dunga, running over to embrace his coach after finding the net.
"I am very happy to score on my debut and I will never forget that moment for the rest of life,” he said, per Goal.
“I am grateful to many people, the coach Dunga for giving me the opportunity and my team-mates for the trust they showed.”
The Sun has claimed that Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are all tracking the Santos forward, so if he performs at the Copa America, it could be an excellent platform to earn a big-money move from, following in former Santos star Neymar’s footsteps.
Another player who will have a big influence at the tournament will be Willian. The Chelsea man shouldered the weight for his club this season, their clear standout player, and he may need to take on the same role with his country.
When he plays for Brazil, he looks freer to improvise going forward, as long as he works hard on the right flank when it comes to defending. He will need to be at his very best if he is to inspire the Selecao.
However, Kallas thinks that rather than Willian, fans will look to Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho to be Brazil’s driving force at the tournament.
"The big expectations are for Coutinho, more than Willian. People like Willian but don't see him as a star, a difference maker,” he explained.
That was certainly the case against Panama, with the Liverpool man playing a starring role. Although he missed a couple of good chances, a lot of Brazil’s best moments came through him.
Renato Augusto is another player who could be essential for Brazil this summer. The midfielder, a fine passer, has finally shaken off his bad luck with injuries to play consistently.
Even though you’ll find him plying his trade in China, at Beijing Guoan, the 28-year-old is no washed-up has-been. His international career is only just getting started.
This is one of the few successes Dunga has had, calling Renato back after four years out of the frame. He scored a well-taken goal against Uruguay, shimmying his way around Fernando Muslera and blasting home.
Renato was also, curiously, used as the deepest midfielder at one point in the game against Panama, which is a different strategy than what we have grown used to seeing Brazil try to do these days.
And while the likes of Thiago Silva and Luiz have been abandoned, Gil and Miranda are solid centre-backs, with Filipe Luis and Dani Alves offering a combination of solidity and flair in the full-back slots.
Regardless of Brazil’s malaise, the talent base they can call upon shows they are automatic contenders for the trophy.
They should make short work of their group-stage opponents, although Ecuador could prove to be trickier than some expect, with excellent options down the flanks. There could be some fine running battles between Jefferson Montero and Alves, for one.
If Brazil don’t at least reach the semi-finals of the Copa America, it will be another blot in Dunga’s copybook. But at least this time he has the mitigation of Neymar’s absence.
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