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Why is Gabriel Jesus not in the Brazil squad?
Mikel Arteta must have been relieved, but Gabriel Jesus would have been bemused. When Tite announced Brazil’s latest international squad list without the striker’s name on it, it felt harsh to say the very least.
Moving to Arsenal from Manchester City would have been with in the World Cup in mind, at least in part. Highly rated by everyone at City, not least boss Pep Guardiola, the 26-year-old felt he had to go and find more regular football, especially with the sight of Erling Haaland coming over the horizon. The £45m deal with Arsenal seemed to suit everybody; Jesus got his move, the Gunners a striker with a proven goalscoring record who just needed a run of games, and City a healthy fee for a player who wouldn’t feature much. Five goals in his first nine Premier League games this season did little to alter that consensus.
He has helped elevate Arsenal to a new level on the early evidence of this season. They are looking like the main challenges to both Jesus and Mikel Arteta’s former club so far; while there are doubts over how far they can push the current champions, there is a general sense of optimism around the Emirates Stadium these days. That’s what makes Jesus’ recent Brazil exclusion all the stranger.
There was once a genuine hope when Jesus was a teenager that he would finally prove the elusive replacement for Ronaldo. Once ‘the phenomenon’ retired, Brazil have struggled for a talismanic number 9, and there success has been relatively difficult to come by since. They certainly haven’t come close to adding to their five World Cup titles in recent times. Jesus showed promise as a teenager, but he hasn’t really grasped his opportunity on the international stage despite a respectable record, scoring 19 goals in 56 matches over six years.
It is also worth adding that the Seleccao are amongst the favourites in Qatar with, or as is now looking likely, without Jesus. But there aren’t many strikers in better form than him in the early weeks of the season. From an Arsenal perspective, if he misses the tournament, it will give Arsenal confidence that they can push on for the title, and certainly put themselves in a good place for Champions League qualification. But Brazil would be missing a trick not taking him, even if Tite doesn’t trust him to lead the line, which has been a question for some time now.
Even more curious is the cross-London narrative that seems to have developed with Richarlison. Tottenham’s biggest summer signing was selected in the last international break, and there has been very little to mask the fact that it was one or the other, and will be for the World Cup. With that being the case, whoever joins Neymar in attack over the winter, will do so in an attack without a traditional number 9. While that is far from uncommon these days, it feels very shortsighted to not take Jesus at all, given how good he is in the 18-yard box, how regularly he is scoring, and how he hasn’t taken much time to acclimatise to his surroundings. As options go, there aren’t too many better.
But why does it have to be one or the other? Tite had a lot of versatility in the last squad he named, which consisted of 26 players, three more than he will be permitted to select for the World Cup. All of the forward he named (Neymar, Vinicius Jr, Roberto Firmino, Richarlison, Matheus Cunha, Raphinha, Rodrygo and Antony) have played across the front three, and although Jesus did play on the right for City last season, he is the player with the best goalscoring record at the highest level.
Pedro, the 25-year-old Flamengo striker, was also named. He has scored once for Brazil in two appearances since 2020; while he has a decent record at club level (26 in 67 since joining permanently from Fiorentina after 18 in 45 on loan), it is puzzling why he would get in ahead of Jesus or Richarlison. Rodrygo, while having a greater impact for Real Madrid, has just five Brazil caps in three years. It doesn’t feel like Tite has quite got the balance right.
Of course, both could be left out with the next squad needing to be smaller, but that doesn’t aid Jesus’ case. There is a new confidence about him since he moved to Arsenal, and that hadn’t been reflected by Tite as of yet. He has a matter of weeks to realise the error of his ways, or it could be a huge missed opportunity.
Brazil will be a contender whatever happens in Qatar; their team is coursing with quality and always has been. But the ‘new’ Jesus would offer something different, and something vital: goals.
