Who made the latest Brazil squad, who will replace Neymar, who's in and who's out?

Brasil Global Tour

Who made the latest Brazil squad, who will replace Neymar, who's in and who's out? image

On Monday Brazil coach Tite named his squad to face Russia and Germany in March’s Brasil Global Tour double-header.

The Selecao meet World Cup hosts Russia in Moscow on March 23 before meeting Germany in Berlin on March 27.

Below, Brasil Global Tour takes a closer look at the 25 players called up for what will be coach Tite's final matches prior to announcing the 23 that will go to the World Cup.


WHO MADE THE BRAZIL SQUAD?


Coutinho Willian Brazil Ecuador Eliminatorias 2018 31082017

17 members of Tite's previous squad retained their places for March's internationals.

Eight were cut, with Neymar the only one to miss out because of injury (Alex Sandro, Danilo, Cassio, Diego, Diego Souza, Guiliano, Jemerson and Neymar)

They were replaced by Neto, Fagner, Filipe Luis, Pedro Geromel, Rodrigo Caio, Fred, Anderson Talisca and Willian Jose.

Brazil squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Alssion (Roma), Ederson (Manchester City), Neto (Valencia).

Full-backs: Dani Alves (PSG), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Fagner (Corinthians).

Defenders: Pedro Geromel (Gremio), Marquinhos (PSG), Miranda (Inter Milan), Rodrigo Caio (Sao Paulo), Thiago Silva (PSG).

Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid), Fernandinho (Manchester City), Fred (Shakhtar), Paulinho (Barcelona), Coutinho (Barcelona), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan), Anderson Talisca (Besiktas), Willian (Chelsea).

Forwards: Douglas Costa (Juventus), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), Taison (Shakhtar), Willian Jose (Real Sociedad).


WHO ARE THE NEW ARRIVALS?


Anderson Talisca Besiktas

Of those eight, Neto, Talisca and Willian Jose were all included in a Brazil squad for the first time under the current coach.

Tite and his staff have toured the world extensively since his June 2016 appointment, including multiple trips to Europe and Asia as they scout potential Brazil international's first-hand.

Besiktas star Anderson Talisca has impressed over a number of UEFA Champions League weeks that have brought a delegation of onlookers from Brazil.

Neto, the 28-year-old Valencia goalkeeper, arrives after enjoying a fine season so far in La Liga, following two campaigns playing back-up to Gianluigi Buffon at Juventus.

Striker Willian Jose has hit 12 goals in La Liga this season and a further five in five starts in the UEFA Europa League to earn himself the accolade of being Real Sociedad’s first ever Brazil international.


WHERE IS NEYMAR?


Neymar injured PSG Marseille 02252018 Ligue 1

The PSG forward fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot in a 3-0 Ligue 1 win over Marseille at the end of last month, leaving him in a race to reach peak fitness ahead of the Selecao's World Cup campaign in Russia.

He has since undergone surgery back home in Brazil and will remain in his homeland for the rest of the club season, with Brazil's physical preparation specialists confident he will be ready to lead the charge in Russia.


WHO HAS PLAYED MOST UNDER TITE?


Minutes under Tite 13032018

Of the 15 players with the most appearances under Tite, only Neymar is absent from Brazil's latest squad. The remaining 14, in order of caps, are Renato Augusto, Philippe Coutinho, Willian, Paulinho, Alisson, Marquinhos, Gabriel Jesus, Daniel Alves, Miranda, Fernandinho, Casemiro, Marcelo, Thiago Silva and Roberto Firmino.

Fenerbahce's Giuliano is the player with the most caps under the current coach (6) to miss out this month.

Juventus left-back Alex Sandro is the man with the most minutes under his belt for Tite (301) to be left out. 


WHO WILL MAKE BRAZIL'S WORLD CUP SQUAD?


Brazil WC squad 19022018

Last month Tite revealed that he was already decided on 15 of the 23 players he will take to this year's World Cup in Russia. 

His latest squad includes 14 of them, with Neymar the only absentee.

Since his June 2016 arrival, Tite has worked with a consistent and settled squad, with the past 20 or so months bringing just one change to his preferred starting line-up, as Philippe Coutinho replaced Willian on the right side of his preferred 4-5-1 setup.


HOW WILL BRAZIL LINE UP WITHOUT NEYMAR


Brazil without Neymar GFX

Tite has fielded four Neymar-less Brazil sides since his June 2016 appointment, winning three and losing just once.

Moreover, reducing Brazil’s ‘Neymardependencia’ is a task on which Tite has focused heavily since his arrival and, having seen the Selecao collapse without their talisman in the 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Germany in 2014, the coach has been keen to find a Plan B that doesn’t include Neymar.

His preferred approach would be to move Philippe Coutinho from the right to the left and return Willian to the right-sided midfield role in a 4-1-4-1. The Chelsea man is the only player to have lost his place in the starting line-up under this coach, and is undoubtedly Brazil’s ‘12th player’.

There are some suggestions Tite could try a few of his new faces against Russia, but will field the strongest possible side against Germany in Berlin, which would likely look as above.

However, Liverpool's Roberto Firmino may well be in with a chance should Tite drop Coutinho into midfield. That could be an option for the Russia game, though the coach has previously suggested he does not believe playing the Barca man deeper would be effective against the world's top international teams.


WHAT DID TITE SAY?


Tite 12-03-2018

On Anderson Talisca: "Talisca can shoot from long-distance, is good in the air and he has a physical presence that can be an advantage against defences set up in lines of four or five.”

On Willian Jose: "He has had two great seasons at Real Sociedad, really developing as a player."

On Neymar: "Team strength is the key and we have to have that strength to overcome adversity with that, but we are preparing to have Neymar for the World Cup."

On the process: “Every great professional needs to be able to evaluate their process. If he does not evaluate that, he can lose himself. The objective is the final result, it is winning, but the secret lies in the evaluation of that process."

Brasil Global Tour