The head coach of Selecao, Tite, has a blessing and a curse when it comes to the abundance of the high level of players that he has under his orders. That makes him often wonder about the players he will use and how he will arrange them in the starting XI. There are many palyers he wants to put in test and due to the small number of games to be played some of them face the risk of not being involved enough with the national team. The center of the defense is one of the positions that appears to “suffer” because of this.
He appears to have found a successful solution to that particular dilemma, however, and it involves Eder Militao playing at full back. Choosing just two of Marquinhos, Thiago Silva and Militao is not an enviable task, but Tite managed to play all three against Ghana on Friday night by fielding the Real Madrid player at right back.
Militao impressed in the 3-0 win and it now seems that this set-up could be a serious option for the Canarinhos in Qatar. It's a position the former Porto defender is not completely alien to, but it has been a while since he played there with any regularity. Tite's decision shouldn't have come as a complete surprise, however, as he hinted at the possibility when he announced his squad.
With the inclusion of only one natural right back, Danilo of Juventus, the question was asked at his press conference. Playing on the right of a back four in defence and a back three in attack, Militao made 58 passes against Ghana with an accuracy of 94.8%, which increased to 96.3% on passes in the opposition half. He also had one shot on goal, another blocked, won 37% of his duels, lead his team in clearances and interceptions, and won the ball back four times. He did give the ball away on five occasions, but overall had an impressive game.
"No one knows the future, we're just looking at the present. Eder is a great defender, he's grown a lot and has played [right back] for Sao Paulo and Porto. He also played there against Japan [in June] in the second half. Just like in the middle, on the flank he has good qualities in terms of speed and duels. Also, he stands out in terms of bringing the ball out in build-up play. He had a great game and he can do that role”, Brazil's coaching staff said while speaking for MARCA.
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