With the new coach retaining just 10 of the 23 players that made up Luiz Felipe Scolari's World Cup squad, GBGT takes a closer look at the new arrivalsEcuador, securring two 1-0 victories over Colombia and Ecuador as the Selecao found a fresh start following a fourth-place finish at the World Cup.
Dunga retained 10 of the 23 players who made up Scolari’s World Cup squad, with the likes David Luiz, Maicon, Ramires, Oscar and Neymar all having led the charge in Miami and New Jersey.
The 12 newcomers that came into the squad in September have reatined their places for next month's fixtures, and have been joined by Dodo and Mario Fernandes. GBGT takes a closer look at some new faces, and a few we’ve seen before.
| NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK |
Gil (Corinthians)
The 27-year-old central defender earned his first international call-up after a string of impressive performances for Corinthians. One of the six home-based players to be in the squad, he began his career with Americano in Rio de Janeiro in 2004 and five years later earned a move from Cruzeiro to Valenciennes in France. He joined the Timao for € 3.5 million last year and helped them to the ReCopa Sudamericana title and a Paulista state championship. A safety-first, sturdy defender, he will hope to cement his place as an alternative option.
Everton Riberio (Cruzeiro)
The 25-year-old was the league’s standout performer as he inspired Cruzeiro to the Brasileriao title in 2013, instantly attracting major interest from Europe. Born in Sao Paulo, the classy attacking midfielder began his career as a full-back and broke into the Under-20 setup in 2009. He was loaned to Sao Caetano after failing to break into the Corinthians first team. A successful spell at Coritiba followed, earning him another shot at the big time with Cruzeiro – picking up the league-winners medal in a season that saw him voted the tournament’s best player.
Ricardo Goulart (Cruzeiro)
Forming a formidable partnership with team-mate Everton Riberio, the 23-year-old has been a major force behind Cruzeiro’s recent success. He hit 10 goals last season and is the current top scorer of the Brasileirao 2014 with nine goals to inspire his side to a seven-point lead at the halfway stage. He began his career with Santo Andre and had a brief spell with Internacional before finding his shooting boots with Goias, finishing 2012 as the side’s top scorer with 25 goals.
Dodo (Inter Milan)
The 22-year-old left-back began his career in the Corinthians youth academy before a successful loan spell with Bahia. He returned to the Timao for just a handful of first-team appearances before being snapped up by Italian Club Roma. An international at youth level, he has impressed Dunga since arriving at Inter on loan in the close season and replaces Real Madrid’s Marcelo for the tour of Asia, in which he is hoping to make his full international debut.
Mario Fernandes (CSKA)
The former Gremio right-back may feel like he has some making up to do after mysteriously rejecting a 2011 call-up to the Brazil squad. A one-time teenage sensation who was tipped to be the Selecao’s right-back for many years to come, his career went slightly off the boil before a 2012 move to Russia got him back on the right track. With Maicon having been sent home from the squad in September and unlikely to return, the 23-year-old has a real chance to cement a permanent role in Dunga’s new Brazil.
| DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK |
Rafael Cabral (Napoli)
The Napoli goalkeeper may well feel slightly unfortunate to not have been a part of Scolari’s World Cup squad. He was drafted into the side under former coach Mano Menezes and was making his claim for starting role with the Selecao, but injury ruled him out of the Olympics and he never made it back into to international set-up. A Copa Libertadores winner with Santos, he will be competing with Jefferson for the No.1 jersey.
Miranda (Atletico Madrid)
The 29-year-old central defender was one of Europe’s finest last season as he played a major role in Atletico Madrid’s Liga title success. He began his career with Coritiba before moving to Sao Paulo in 2006, via a brief stay in French football with Sochaux. He was a part of the set-up in Dunga’s previous stint and a member of the 2009 Confederations Cup-winning squad. He also missed out on a place in Scolari’s squad, but was named on the standby list. He has six caps for the Selecao and will be targeting a starting role at the centre of a new-look Brazilian back four.
Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)
The 20-year-old central defender will be hoping to join new club team-mate David Luiz at the heart of the back four this week. With captain Thiago Silva still recovering from a back injury, the former Corinthians man returns to the squad after making his debut under Scolari in November last year. The youngster cost the French champions more than €30 million when he joined from Roma last year and is hotly tipped to be a future Selecao star for years to come.
Filipe Luis (Chelsea)
Like Miranda, Filipe Luis played a huge role in Atletico Madrid’s recent success, culminating in a summer switch to Premier League club Chelsea earlier this year. The 29-year-old left-back will be hoping to dislodge Marcelo from the starting line-up, particularly after the Real Madrid stopper was initially left out of the Dunga’s squad. He was a member of Scolari’s 2013 Confederations Cup-winning squad and was expected to make it to the World Cup but eventually lost his place to Maxwell of PSG.
Danilo (Porto)
A team-mate of Rafael Cabral at Santos, he too claimed a Copa Libertadores title with the club before moving to Europe. A strong, athletic and technically-gifted right-back, he claimed an Olympic silver with Brazil in London 2012 and is a world champion at U20 level. He joined Porto in Portugal two years ago and, at 23 years old, is seen as one of the most promising full-backs in Europe. He has six caps for the Selecao and is aiming to make his first appearance since the 4-1 victory over USA in May 2012.
Elias (Flamengo)
The 29-year-old made his debut with the Selecao in 2010 and became something of a favourite under Mano Menezes, his current boss. The midfielder began his professional career in 2005 with Nautico and helped Corinthians to the Brazilian second division title in 2008. His run under Menezes earned him a move to Atletico Madrid in 2011 but he returned to Brazil two years later via a brief spell in Portugal with Sporting. He was a Copa do Brasil winner with Flamengo last year and has 13 caps for Brazil. He returns to the national side for the first time since February 2012.
Coutinho (Liverpool)
The 22-year-old was a teenage sensation when he came through the ranks at Vasco, earning him an early move to Italy when he joined Inter as an 18-year-old in 2008. He enjoyed an extended stay in the first team under Rafa Benitez but struggled to hold down a regular starting role. Impressive displays during a loan spell at Espanyol proved he was maturing, however, and he has been in sensational form since making the move to Liverpool. He returns after a four-year absence from international football, his sole appearance coming against Iran in 2010.
Robinho (Santos, on loan from Milan)
The 30-year-old missed out on Luiz Felipe Scolari's squad despite a positive showing in November last year, netting the winner in a 2-1 victory over Chile in Toronto. After a mixed spell with Milan, he returned to Santos on loan in August and is rediscovering his form back at his boyhood club. The former Real Madrid man was the second-most used player of Dunga's first stint in charge of Brazil, hitting 21 goals in 53 games.
Diego Tardelli (Atletico Mineiro)
The 29-year-old forward's previous five Brazil appearances all came under Dunga, and the pacey striker is hoping to return to action for the Selecao for the first time since 2010. A Copa Libertadores winner last year, he has had spells in the Netherlands, Russia and the Middle East but has always played his finest football in Belo Horizonte and had netted five goals in 14 league games so far this season.
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