Dorival Junior took charge of Brazil earlier this year, halfway between the last FIFA World Cup\u2122 and the next. With the Copa America just around the corner in the USA, the coach can put his team to the test in a highly competitive environment and set the standard for the FIFA World Cup 26\u2122 qualifiers, where Brazil are currently sixth in the 10-team standings after six games.<\/p>\n
The Copa America is, of course, an important competition in its own right and much more than just a preparatory tournament. A good campaign in the States can lift the spirits and confidence of both players and fans.<\/p>\n
Brazil only have to look to the example of rivals Argentina, who became continental champions in 2021, ending a trophy drought that had stretched back to 1993, and then went on to win the World Cup the very next year. But on the flip side, a set of poor results could generate a lot more unwanted pressure for A Sele\u00e7\u00e3o.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Brazil, there\u2019s no such thing as a friendly,\u201d teenage sensation Endrick told FIFA. \u201cA lot of people say that only the World Cup matters to Brazil, but if we don\u2019t win other tournaments, we come in for a lot of criticism. We\u2019re going to the USA to win the competition. The World Cup is still a long way away, but if the players go well at the Copa America it\u2019s going to help them a lot to stay in the team, though everyone has to show they\u2019re worth their place whenever they get the call.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Dorival has every confidence in his team, he also knows he has to prepare and plan for 2026. \u201cIt\u2019s a young side but we have two years in which to hit our peak and find our form in the qualifiers,\u201d he said in a press conference. \u201cThe team is gradually going to mature, take shape and give our young players the chance to shine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brazil beat Mexico 3-2 and drew 1-1 with the USA in Copa America warm-up matches recently, with Dorival later stating he is enjoying watching his team develop, while also implying he has yet to settle on a starting XI.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are some players who are definitely in and some who aren\u2019t, but the main thing is that I\u2019m very confident,\u201d said the coach after the draw with the Stars and Stripes. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a big journey ahead of us and it\u2019s only natural that you have these ups and downs in games. We\u2019re playing with two completely different formations, but the players are already beginning to deliver what we want, even though we\u2019ve not been working together for long. We\u2019ve got many more days in front of us and I hope we can step up the quality.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is still time for Dorival to make adjustments, with Brazil not kicking off their Copa America campaign until 24 June, when they meet Costa Rica. In the lead-up to that tournament opener, he will continue to experiment with different players and tactics, while avoiding a rigid, positional game and continuing the transition towards the style of play he wants to see.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou might think we play a positional game but that\u2019s exactly what I don\u2019t want,\u201d said Dorival. \u201cI want players to alternate between positions. I want to see a lot of freedom of movement so we can get a lot of guys forward to finish moves. We had that against Mexico, with options on both sides and attacking the space. We\u2019re looking for moves that are well thought out, and it\u2019s all very positive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The whole process is taking place without Neymar, who is still recovering from knee surgery. But Brazil are not short on creative talent, with the likes of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo around, both of whom are coming into their own for A Sele\u00e7\u00e3o. Aside from the individuals, Dorival believes the team as a whole can grow in the weeks ahead, adding: \u201cIt\u2019s a young side but they\u2019ve been consistent and will only get better. We\u2019re very confident we can have a great Copa America.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among his brightest young stars, Endrick appears to have a key role to play, not just because of his ability to score decisive goals, as he did in the friendlies against England, Spain and Mexico, but for his versatility and willingness to appear in different positions in attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to play,\u201d said Endrick. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s on one side, the other, in the box or in the centre of attack. I\u2019ll be happy just to be selected. The more jobs I can do, the better for me and the team. We\u2019re going to have games where we score early and need to hold on, and others where we\u2019ll have to chase the game. So if I know how to do different things, it helps me stay on the pitch longer.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dorival Junior took charge of Brazil earlier this year, halfway between the last FIFA World Cup\u2122 and the next. With the Copa America just around the corner in the USA, the coach can put his team to the test in a highly competitive environment and set the standard for the FIFA World Cup 26\u2122 qualifiers, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":993817,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20966],"tags":[9648,27192],"class_list":["post-993816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fifa-news","tag-fifa","tag-fifa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/993816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=993816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/993816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/993817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=993816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=993816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=993816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}