Picking World Cup Squads in the Dark

The World Cup in South Africa is one month away, but the 32 national team coaches are obliged to name at least provisional squads right now.

Some will need the judgment of Solomon to know which players are ready to peak. Some are already clinging to medical opinions about the recovery of long-injured stars. And, with Europe’s club season not yet finished, some are having to pencil in players who might yet break a leg before they even reach training camp.

It is ever thus in the global picture of overlapping calendars. But as public expectations rise, from Australia to Brazil, from Honduras to Japan, some national coaches are placing almost spiritual trust in players whose fitness or form have long been suspect.

Brazil, of course, is most people’s choice to push it to the limits because Brazil, the first country to hire whole phalanxes of mind and body specialists around its national team, has the experience of winning five World Cups.

Brazil’s coach, Dunga, has 190 million countrymen telling him whom to pick and whom to discard. He dares to tell Brazilians that flair alone will no longer beat the world. His methods are more pragmatic, more based on physical fitness than many would like.

Dunga has what may prove to be his only opportunity to win the World Cup as a coach, as he did in 1994 as a player. He decided to name his definitive 23 players this week, rather than allow the national debate to continue to June.

On Tuesday, Dunga did what those who know him expected him to do — he stuck to his principles. He resisted the clamor to recall Ronaldinho and Adriano. He ignored the popular appeal to promote Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso, the exciting rising stars of Pelé’s old club. He stuck solidly to players he has tried and trusted over the past two years.

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