Barca News
Fernando Diniz made his debut on Friday as the Brazilian coach (he will be there until July 2024 because the CBF swears and perjures that Carlo Ancelotti will then arrive) giving the list of summoned for the FIFA date of September, when the starting gun will be given to the qualifiers South American for the 2026 World Cup. The ‘Canarinha’ will face Bolivia and Peru.
In Brazil, the presence of Vitor Roque was taken for granted , whom his compatriots unanimously see as the ‘9’ of the Seleçao in the next World Cup. Well, the future Blaugrana striker was not called up. In his place Diniz opted for Richarlison (Tottenham) and former mattress player Matheus Cunha ( Wolverhampton).
T he absence of ‘Tigrinho’ created debate in his country and hit Deco and the entire Blaugrana sports management like a shot, who do not understand the football reasons for the absence of the most promising striker not only in Brazil but in all of football South American.
Barça was confident that Vitor Roque would be called up for all the FIFA dates in this final stretch of the year . It is understood that his presence in the main Seleçao was more than deserved due to his good performances in the Copa Libertadores and in the Brasileirao. He would help him continue to mature as a player and as a person, facing increasingly demanding challenges before he landed in Barcelona, which everything indicates will be in the next winter market, as Xavi revealed at a press conference .
Barça is right in its discomfort with the new Brazilian coach. The numbers confirm this. Since January, coinciding with the start of the new World Cup cycle, Vitor Roque has already scored 18 goals with Ath. Paranaense (plus eight assists). If the six that he made in the South American Sub-20 with Brazil, where he was champion and gunner, are counted, he reaches 24.
In this same period of time, the joint goalscoring records of the ‘double’ of ‘9’ chosen by Diniz reach… three goals. Richarlison has only scored once in 2023 with Tottenham. It was on April 30 in the 4-3 defeat on their visit to Liverpool on matchday 34 of the Premier.
And with Matheus Cunha (nobody understands the reason for his call) it is more of the same. There are two goals: one in the loss at home for Wolves against Leeds (2-4) on matchday 27, on March 18, and another in the defeat at Leicester City (2-1) on April 22 on the 32nd day
Neither of them has seen the goal in the first two days of this 2023-24 season in England.
Source: Sport
