With starters in the last two World Cups losing guaranteed call-ups, Brazil faces difficulties in finding the new owner of the striker position; Igor Jesus will be the starter against Chile.
The journey of Igor Jesus to the Brazilian National Team
Among the many challenges faced by the Brazilian national team during this crisis moment, one of the main ones is finding a new number 9.
Since the Qatar World Cup, nine attackers with different characteristics have played at the forefront of Brazil’s attack without managing to secure their spots.
Tonight, coach Dorival Júnior will field the tenth different striker in this cycle: Igor Jesus, who is enjoying a good phase at Botafogo and will make his debut as a starter wearing the yellow jersey against Chile at 21:00 (Brasília time) at the National Stadium in Santiago during the ninth round of the qualifiers.
Before him, interim coaches Ramón Menezes and Fernando Diniz, along with Dorival himself, gave opportunities to the following strikers: Endrick, Evanilson, Gabriel Jesus, João Pedro, Matheus Cunha, Pedro, Richarlison, Vitor Roque, and Yuri Alberto.
The national team is looking for an owner for the number 9 shirt — Photo: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF
Brazil has also experimented with playing with a false 9, a formation used in friendlies against England and Spain and in much of the Copa América.
The current renewal phase of the attack directly involves the form of Gabriel Jesus and Richarlison, Brazil’s number 9s in the last two World Cups. The duo, which was previously a certain presence in call-ups, has lost ground even in their clubs.
The Arsenal striker has only three starts this season. Meanwhile, Richarlison, who has been sidelined for over a month due to injury, has played just 25 minutes for Tottenham.
More news from the national team:
- Dorival confirms Brazil with two changes in the lineup
- See the squad numbers for this FIFA date
In this context, Gabriel Jesus has not been called up since November last year, while Richarlison has been out of the national team for seven months.
The situation faced by both players has opened the door for new faces. Dorival saw Pedro as a potential candidate to fill this gap, but the Flamengo player was injured in training during the last FIFA date and will only return to play next year.
Although praised by Dorival, Endrick does not fit the technical and physical characteristics the coach seeks at this moment. Despite wearing the number 9 shirt, he will start this evening’s match on the bench:
– We need to push the opponent’s back line further towards the goal to have players arriving in a different condition to create and fill the area – said the coach last Wednesday.
– What I see is that Igor’s moment is very interesting, Endrick is still getting to know his club, he’s arriving at the world’s biggest football club facing great competition, but even so, he is making his mark. It’s also a matter of finding that moment for him in the team. I think that, at this moment, Igor’s own experience and current phase may be a little different. Who knows, the presence of players with this profile might be important for a game of this magnitude right now – added Dorival.
Igor Jesus during Brazilian national team training — Photo: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF
More than just a striker, Brazil is looking to find the way to victory. The national team is trying to recover after four defeats in their last five qualifying matches.
Currently, Brazil sits in fifth place in the competition with ten points, eight behind leaders Argentina.
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