Dorival specifies: Endrick to start for the first time against Uruguay; Arana returns to the national team | Brazilian national team

Coach Dorival Junior has identified Endrick As a substitute for the suspended Vinicius Junior, in the quarter-finals of the Copa America, Saturday, against Uruguay. The classic match will be held at 10 pm (Brasilia time), at the Allegiant Stadium, in Las Vegas, in the United States.

The 17-year-old striker will be a starter for the Selecao for the first time and will form an attacking trio with Rodrygo and Raphinha.

“I hope we can continue to find the way to the goals. Provide the strikers with the possibility to attack the opponent’s last line. We lost an important player, but we gained a young player who is looking for an opportunity. Who knows, maybe this is Endrick’s moment,” Dorival said at a press conference on Friday.

The young player played nine matches with Al-Hajla and scored three goals.

– I think Endrick is not exactly a 9, he plays fixed, prefers pivot. He is a player who floats and moves. In fact, in my last teams I have always had a striker, but I have to respect the characteristics of the players we call up. We meet and we are aware of the moment of each person, their characteristics. Everything will happen calmly. That’s why I said it, so that we don’t rush to go to Endrick. And in time, there will be a possibility. The team is evolving at every moment. He commented: It’s a matter of time before we find the best coaching.

Dorival also confirmed another change in the team: Guilherme Arana He returns to the starting line-up in place of Wendell. The Atletico MG player also started the match against Costa Rica in the second round of the group stage.

Therefore, Brazil must go to the field with: Alisson, Danilo, Eder Militao, Marquinhos and Guilherme Arana; Joao Gomes, Bruno Guimaraes and Lucas Paqueta; Raphinha, Rodrygo and Endrick.

Whoever qualifies for the Brazil-Uruguay duel will play in Wednesday’s semi-final against Colombia or Panama, who will face each other at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Check out other statements from Dorival Júnior below:

– Overall, it’s a great classic in South America. An important match for Brazil and Uruguay. It’s a team that deserves all the respect, and it’s in a phase of development, just like Brazil, which has found its way. I have no doubt that Uruguay will have problems against our team. These are teams that know each other, respect each other, and we will have everything we need to put on a great match.

Opponent characteristics

– I highlight the marking order, the almost individual marking action is very interesting. When the first player withdraws, there is a general timing to recover the ball quickly. The men outside create an uncomfortable situation for the defenders. Long plays, always looking to attack, strong offside movements, causing situations in their last line. This makes the pitch very long. It is a team that works very well, with well-defined behaviors. We will have some important details to take into account to harmonize in the marking process, mainly, how to attack it. The speed when exchanging passes will be very important for the teams.

– Any professional learns to deal with anxiety at some point. I have had this opportunity on 19 occasions in my career. There have been 14 titles and five runners-up. There will be nothing new for me. I will act with the same calmness as always. I know what makes up the balance of the team and getting results. This work could surprise many people until the end of the Copa America. I don’t want the Uruguay game to be seen as a decisive match. If we pass, we won’t be satisfied either, and the great thing is that we will be very anxious about the upcoming matches and the adjustments that the team needs. We can speed up the steps. The work is progressing, even if people don’t want to see it. All teams have difficulties, even those that have had more time to work, but they also have very difficult situations. It won’t be just our team. We are the sixth team in the World Cup qualifying phase and, suddenly, we could be in the semi-finals of the Copa America. So, I think that everything will happen at the right time for us to achieve better times.

– Everyone knows that it is a team in the making. In total, we have been together for 37 days, about 20 official periods, with everyone together, the whole staff. Football cannot skip steps. We have to find talent in a good collective system. In games, mistakes are shown and corrections are sought. Criticism will always be there, regardless of where we are in the table. If I am not mistaken, the last two times we have been Copa America champions, we have finished second, under the same circumstances. [em 2019 o Brasil foi líder do grupo]The level of difficulty of the competitions has increased. In the Copa America and the Euros, the big teams have faced uncomfortable situations. We have seen many developments, other problems that we have to solve, but it is part of the process. The important thing is to move forward until we find the right path for the team that will play its eighth match tomorrow.

– As for the results, no. We are classified. We were very careful, because at one point against Costa Rica, if we had taken risks and had another striker, we could have conceded a goal and today we would be out of the Copa America. We have to be very careful about everything that can happen. Although it seems very difficult to understand, for a team like Brazil, every point has to be evaluated. When we kept the team recovering the ball in the opponent’s court, we did not give them chances. So, these are the details that are fundamental for a coach to define. I still have a team that fluctuates a bit. It is normal for training to go through this process. We need balance and patience in releasing three players with the same profile, without them being in a team that is already compatible. And we cannot lose our organization, because we will have to have players with decision-making power in this process. And at the right moment, present an opportunity. I hope Endrick is ready.

Uruguay and a half mark

– In the match against Colombia, we had different moments in the match, up to 20 in the first phase and in the second favorable moments, and the rest for Colombia. But they did not sneak into our defense, except for the goal. It was an even match, they were a little bit better in the important moments, but we had 51% possession. It was not a normal day for our team. The Colombian and Uruguayan midfield deserves attention. But also for us, they know and they know. It could be a semi-final or a final for two teams who may have a chance to go forward.