Brazil’s new start has burst forth in leafy Hertfordshire with Dorival Junior, their third manager since the World Cup in Qatar, bringing his team together for the first time and hammering home the message of what they stand for and what their goal should be.
They are five-time world champions and, despite a terrible start to their qualifying campaign and more than a year of drifting without a leader, nothing other than winning gold again in the United States in 2026 will be enough, a declared Dorival to his players.
In front of the 61-year-old was a room full of talented footballers. Two young Real Madrid strikers, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, and Endrick, the exciting teenager from Palmeiras who will move to the Bernabeu Stadium at the age of 18, in July.
Several faces would be familiar to English audiences, including Tottenham’s Richarlison, West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta, Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz and Fulham’s Andreas Pereira. hunting for selfies.
However, this hardly resembles vintage Brazil. Certainly not one to stir blood as was the case when Pele led the team to defend his world title in 1966 or when Zico and Socrates arrived in 1981 or when Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos arrived in 1995.
Dorival Junior brought together his Brazil team for the first time before facing England
The former Sao Paulo coach is Brazil’s third different coach since the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Vinicius Junior and rising star Endrick are among the exceptional talents of the Brazilian team
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Perhaps there are simply fewer secrets in modern football. We are fortunate to be able to welcome the best players in the world to our lounges. Football cultures are less distinct than ever and so a Brazilian team in London has less cachet than it used to.
There are, however, real concerns about the state of this great – arguably the greatest – footballing nation.
It’s been 22 years since Japan’s World Cup glory, and Brazil risks getting lost in the transition.
They continue to produce thousands of elite professional footballers, perhaps more than ever before, but with them scattered across the world, can they really hope to forge this wealth of talent into a winning unit again?
In this squad, there is no Neymar, injured and surely at the end of his record international career. There is no Thiago Silva, now 39 years old. No Roberto Firmino, Fabinho or Willian all in their twilight.
The Brazilian FA has waited for two interim appointments in the hope of appointing Carlo Ancelotti as the next manager to succeed Tite, who stepped down after a quarter-final exit in Qatar.
Ancelotti batted his eyelashes before opting to sign a new contract at Real Madrid in January, so they turned to Dorival, luring him away from his job at Sao Paulo in the hope he could salvage the future.
Now injuries have devastated their first cap, an exodus of unavailability led by their two senior goalkeepers Alisson of Liverpool and Ederson.
Dorival has three goalkeepers in its squad and none of them have a cap.
Dorival has been tasked with rebuilding Brazil, sixth in South America’s qualifying rankings for the 2026 World Cup after three defeats in their first six matches.
Brazil has not won in its last four matches and lost at home to Argentina in November.
Injuries have disrupted Dorival’s first team, but Andreas Pereira, left, and Joao Gomes are among the familiar names in the Premier League.
Manchester United’s Casemiro, who was due to captain the team against the English at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, has withdrawn, along with Arsenal trio Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Maghalaes and Gabriel Martinelli, and several others.
The argument put to Pereira as he answered questions on Tuesday was that Gareth Southgate’s England were everything Brazil were not, settled, competitively experienced, used to playing together.
“We don’t think there’s necessarily a big gap,” said the 28-year-old Fulham midfielder. “The last time Brazil won a tournament was fewer years ago than when England won a tournament. You could say there is a gap. But Brazil will always have very big players and a great team.
“We respect England a lot, especially from me. I play here in England and I’m very grateful to play here in the Premier League. We know they have great qualities. We respect them and we know it will be a tough match, but we are certainly ready and we know what we are capable of.
Pereira, with just one Brazilian cap in his career to date, is among those benefiting from the absence of others. He played under Dorival for three months at Flamengo, on loan from Manchester United, and received his first call-up since 2018.
“It’s very important to me,” said Pereira, who was born in Antwerp to a Brazilian father and German mother and who played in the youth ranks for Belgium. ‘I’m really, really happy. It is a great honor to be part of this Brazil team, especially in this new beginning.
“I hope I can consolidate my place now and do a good job. I found my happiness and my great shape. I’m experiencing one of the best moments of my career. I have the recognition of the national team coach. He knows me as a person and my qualities and has been very clear about what he wants.
Richarlison will also be called upon to take on new responsibilities. He will win his 49th cap if he plays at Wembley and reaches the half-century against Spain next week.
With 20 international goals, he is Dorival’s top scorer, seemingly free of the emotional pressure he bravely spoke about at the start of the season following the breakdown of his relationship with his agent, when he revealed he would seek psychological help.
Pereira insists Brazil do not believe there is a big gap with England, even though the Three Lions have a more stable squad.
Tottenham striker Richarlison is Brazil’s top scorer with 20 for the Selecao
Richarlison has spoken openly about his mental health and how having the support of a psychologist helped him after problems off the field.
“Mental health issues arise not only in football but also in life,” Richarlison said. “People should have the courage to find this help, because it can change a lot of things and improve their lives.
“I am an example because I have access to the media, so I can send a message to everyone.
“It’s really important in an athlete’s life to have the support of a psychologist. All players should benefit from this support. It really helped. Before, when I played, the problems were always what was happening outside the game. Now, when I play, I am totally mentally focused on my football.
Richarlison has been in fine form for Spurs since his groin operation in November, with a run of nine goals in 10 games before a knee injury ruled him out for a month.
He returned from the bench in Saturday’s defeat at Fulham. “I’m in good shape,” the 26-year-old striker said yesterday. “I am completely recovered from the operation, as you can see.”
Brazil has not won in four matches. In their last outing, they were beaten at home by Argentina. In the previous one, they were beaten by Colombia for the first time in a World Cup qualifying match.
They’re behind in their qualifying group, and while there’s little chance they’ll fail to qualify for a crowded tournament in the United States, the future begins now.
And they are Brazil, so it would be wise not to underestimate them.