Opinion – The World Is a Ball: Firmino, the absent

Tite, in the call-up of the players who will defend Brazil in the World Cup that starts on the 20th, included two surprises, defender Bremer (Juventus) and striker Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), and exposed a significant absence, striker Roberto Firmino.

My focus is on Firmino, a 31-year-old who has played for Liverpool since 2015.

As I commented on a TV Folha program held shortly after the release of the 26-man squad, the non-inclusion of Firmino leaves a relevant gap in the selection’s selection options, in case Neymar is absent, either due to injury or suspension.

Undisputed holder, Brazil’s main star, Neymar is, without the presence of Firmino, without a substitute that mirrors his current characteristics.

It’s been a few years since Neymar stopped being that player who stayed most of the time on the left side of the attack, receiving the ball and going over his marker(s), in individual plays that could result in crosses or submissions.

The number 10 of PSG and the national team has been playing another role for some time, that of articulator.

Often, he retreats to receive the ball in the offensive midfielder to distribute the play. Trying a pass that leaves someone in front of the goal or starting a table or triangulation. Throws or taps and sends itself to or near the area to receive it back.

Neymar is very good in this role – intelligent, skillful, thinks fast, has a good pass.

His flaw is that sometimes he holds the ball too much, sometimes he wants to dribble too much, which increases the chance of an opponent disarming him and makes him susceptible to receiving more fouls.

Fouls that can be violent and can result in an injury. If this situation occurs and Neymar cannot be selected, who will play?

The almost always smiling Firmino does the same job, playing a “false 9” for Liverpool.

At the same time that he has the ability to be in the area to finish and score goals, the Alagoan returns to midfield to trigger teammates in speed, today mainly Salah and the sides Alexander-Arnold and Robertson, before also Mané, who left the team .

The importance of Firmino – scorer of the goal that gave Liverpool the world title against Flamengo at the end of 2019 – for the national team becomes even greater due to another absence, that of Philippe Coutinho, holder of the Cup in Russia, who was injured in training at Aston Villa and is no longer an alternative for the Cup in Qatar.

Coutinho’s characteristics enable him to make this frame executed by both Neymar and Firmino.

Tite could well have left out Martinelli, who, it should be noted, is playing very well at Arsenal, to choose Firmino. Tactically, it was the correct way.

Martinelli has a huge chance, like Taison at the 2018 World Cup, to spend the entire competition “clapping his hands”, that is, sitting on the bench encouraging colleagues on the field.

He is, theoretically, the last option for an attack that has, in addition to Neymar, Richarlison, Vinicius Junior, Gabriel Jesus, Raphinha, Rodrygo, Pedro and Antony.

Firmino is no superstar, but he has had a good season at Liverpool (in 19 games, he scored eight goals and provided four assists) and he has much more national team experience (more than 50 games) than Martinelli (or Rodrygo, or Antony). , or that Raphinha).

To check if at the World Cup, if Neymar can’t play, Tite won’t look around and discover that the best substitute, to keep the team playing the same way, was Firmino – and then realize that he’s not there.