Brazil national team boss, Dunga, has released his squad list for the upcoming Copa America, with Chelsea’s Willian and Filipe Luis included in the 23-man list. While Ramires’ exclusion isn’t all that surprising, one of the biggest surprises is the exclusion of Chelsea’s Oscar Santos de Emboaba.
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According to Dunga, the 23-year old Chelsea FC attacking midfielder was has been omitted from the squad due to an injury sustained recently, following discussions with Chelsea’s medical staff.
Dunga said, as quoted in The Daily Mail, “Oscar got an injury in his last training session with Chelsea. We spoke with (Chelsea manager Jose) Mourinho and the doctor at Chelsea. His recuperation will take time and he won’t be at his best during the Copa America. After the Copa America we have the World Cup qualifiers, and we thought it best for him to be ready for the qualifiers.”
Liverpool’s Phillipe Coutinho and FC Porto’s Casemiro are the players who have been drafted into the squad in his absence.
Oscar took to Instagram and Twitter to confirm his exclusion from the squad, stating: “I am very sad that I can not defend my country in the Copa America because of this injury. I’ll be cheering for my teammates to bring this title for us!! Thank you all for caring and for incoming messages. I’ll be back!!”
This recent situation may come as a huge blow to the youngster, who has been a key player for the Brazilian national team since he made his debut in 2011. In all, he has made 45 appearances for the national team, scoring 12 goals, and had made himself a vital cog in the team alongside Neymar and Willian since Dunga took over the team from Scolari last year.
But for Chelsea, this must come as positive news as the lad has had to play a lot of football consistently over the past 3 years as a result of both club and national team commitments, to the detriment of his performances for the club. From his participation in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the 2013 Confederation’s Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he has not had an extended summer break after his club commitments.
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The fatigue associated with the constant football has played a major role in his apparent loss of form in the second half of every season he has spent at the club. Mourinho’s lack of squad rotation has also seen him play way too many games, as he was a regular fixture in every single tournament for the club in the first half of this season.
Also, his style of play, which involves a lot of running and pressing (as he is the club’s designated first line of defense, as evidenced by the number of tackles he completes) ensures that he expends more energy than most of his team mates.
He, as well as Willian, are the major reasons why Chelsea FC were so successful at killing off teams due to his tendency to close down opposing players as soon as the team loses the ball. So it is no surprise that the team’s drop in intensity in the second half of the season coincided with Oscar’s drop in form as well.
With his omission from the squad, he finally has the opportunity to get a good deal of rest for the first time in 3 years and get back to the player Chelsea signed in 2012. He has been criticized for not showing up for the duration of the season, but with this extended period of rest, he has no excuse for not being able to put impressive performances for the club all through the season.
Brazil squad in full
Goalkeepers: Jefferson, Diego Alves, Marcelo Grohe
Defenders: David Luiz, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Miranda, Danilo, Fabinho, Marcelo, Filipe Luis
Midfielders: Luiz Gustavo, Fernandinho, Elias, Casemiro, Everton Ribeiro, Douglas Costa, Willian, Coutinho
Forwards: Neymar, Diego Tardelli, Robinho, Roberto Firmino
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