The current squad of Brazil National Football has some of the most recognisable names in football. With world-class players in almost every department, the team is dubbed as one of the favourites to win this year's World Cup.
But one problem that has been bugging the head coach Tite for quite some time is the lack of a proper holding midfielder. The squad that has been declared for the matches against Ghana and Tunisia recently only has six midfielders compared to the numerous attacking and defensive options.
Of the six midfielders, Casemiro, Fabinho, Lucas Paqueta, and Everton are either attacking or defensive midfielders. That leaves the team with only two full-blown central midfielders, Fred and Bruno Guimaraes, and none of them is proven or considered to excel in Brazil’s famous yellow.
Fred has been an Achilles heel for Manchester United for quite some time now, with fans and experts wanting him out of the club. Despite having played a few games at the centre, Bruno Guimaraes is more comfortable as a pivot, putting him in direct competition with Casemiro and Fabinho.
A world-class central midfielder who can dictate plays and set the pace of a match is essential for any team looking to succeed on the international stage. In the past three World Cups, each of the champions had a midfielder of this sort, with Xavi for Spain in 2010, Kroos for Germany in 2014 and Pogba for France in 2018.
Not having a player who can set the tempo of the match is definitely one of the biggest weaknesses this Brazilian team will face in the World Cup.
Although Tite can go for a makeshift option by setting players like Paqueta as the central midfielder, someone like Paqueta will be too attack-minded to function properly in that position as he was originally a number 10.
It would be interesting to see how Tite comes up with a plan in this regard, as some of his makeshift plans have helped Brazil to clench success, notable among them being the Copa America of 2019.
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