A couple of weeks ago, it was reported by ESPN that the Brazil manager Tite would be travelling to London to watch Chelsea.
The reason for the trip was David Luiz, who’s having a great season for his club and should be making a comeback to the Seleção after quite some time being left out.
But journalist Mauro Cézar Pereira has an update on the situation, and claims that due to family issues, Tite won’t be able to fly to England. In his place, CBF are sending fitness coach Fabio Masseredjan and assistant Sylvinho, who’s a former Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester City player.
The most interesting thing about the trip is how serious both sides are taking this call-up. In addition to inviting Tite to spend a day chatting at Cobham, Antonio Conte was also supposed to deliver a report about David Luiz made by club director Michael Emenalo.
This file would have details regarding the defender’s physical condition, tactical discipline and repertoire, leadership and emotional intelligence.
With Tite’s absence, it’s his assistants who will be getting the report and watching Chelsea play Southampton at Stamford Bridge. One of these officials managed to get to London earlier and watched David Luiz in the FA Cup game against Tottenham on Saturday.
It’s hard to know if all these preparations come from Chelsea or Tite, but this is surely much more than a regular call-up. Especially for a player who already has over 50 caps for Brazil.
