Earlier today, there was a bit of a shock when Tite left out Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus from his Brazil squad for their upcoming friendlies.
The striker has been in fine form for the Gunners since his big transfer from Manchester City, and many thought he would be a shoe in to represent his country over the next international break.
That won’t be the case, which now leaves a call-up for the World Cup in doubt, as those featuring in the next games will be able to show Tite first-hand what they can do.
Unlike Philippe Coutinho, who hasn’t been at his best for Aston Villa, the Arsenal star will probably be wondering as to what he needs to do to convince the national team manager, who still went out of his way to praise the player, despite leaving him out.
He said, relayed by Globo Esporte: “Coutinho is an extraordinary player. Gabriel Jesus too. We are talking about David Neres, Martinelli. It’s very difficult.”
Here, the main argument is that there is a lot of competition for a spot in the team, which is great for Tite, but not exactly ideal for the Arsenal forward.
In the meantime, all Gabriel Jesus can do, on top of scoring and assisting aplenty, which he is already doing for the Gunners, is to keep himself fit, just in case an opening does appear before the World Cup.
Tite added, relayed by UOL: “This is a call up for these two games. Here is a very clear message to all athletes, with a lot of transparency that has been until then: do your best. Prepare well physically, take care of themselves clinically, be at the highest levels in their clubs so that 60 days from now, they will be competing. Then yes, it’s the definitive list.”
