Brazil desperately in need of a new striker

Talk of Argentinian forward Lucas Pratto switching allegiances to the Selecao highlights how desperate the Selecao's hunt for a no.9 s becoming

This week 93% of Globo readers agreed that naturalising 27-year-old Argentine striker Lucas Pratto was something Brazil should consider.

The debate was sparked by news that the Atletico Mineiro forward, who has bagged 12 goals in 29 appearances in the Brazilian first division, was due to apply for Brazilian citizenship in January.

“I will always be Argentine,” he told Globo.

“[My forthcoming] naturalisation is for my personal life, not so much for my future in the national team. It's so my family can get passports.”

Under Fifa regulations he would not be eligible for Brazil until 2020, however, as Pratto has no family ties to Brazil and so must complete five years in the country before he would be available for selection.

That would be a full 100 years since the last time an Argentine represented Brazil. In 1920 an inflammatory newspaper article days before an Argentina vs Brazil clash in Buenos Aires resulted in half the Brazil team refusing to play, leaving local players to make up the numbers before an incensed local crowd quickly put a stop to it.

A century on, that Brazilian fans would react favourably to the possibility of an Argentine switching allegiance highlights just how serious Brazil’s striking problems have become. Gone are the days where a Romaro, Ronaldo or Adriano picked themselves.

Since returning to the post in July 2014, Dunga has been through six centre-forwards in his search for the perfect false no.9.

Diego Tardelli appeared to have cemented the role after some fine performances early on, but Dunga was disappointed with his decision to move to Chinese football and he appears to have been cast aside after losing his place to Roberto Firmino during the Copa America.

Robinho was perhaps Brazil’s best player during that tournament, but he too was left out of both post-Copa America squads following a transfer to China.

AC Milan’s Luiz Adriano started in the role during last year’s matches against Turkey and Austria but failed to impress and no longer appears to be in Dunga’s thoughts.


Hulk returned to the squad in September, dislodging Firmino from the side, but the Zenit striker was dropped for the victory over Venezuela for 35-year-old Ricardo Oliveira, who certainly isn’t a long-term solution.

Exactly where Brazil’s strikers have gone is something of a mystery, with Oliveira recently suggesting that perhaps coaching hadn’t evolved as quickly as the game itself. With the majority of teams now playing with a lone front man, the Santos striker insists the role calls for a different set of attributes.

"It's the modernisation of football. You can no longer just stand in the area waiting to finish a move… Now you must be mobile, drop, create space for those around you,” he told Globo earlier this month.

“Brazil is fertile, but in need of manpower to instruct and educate the [young strikers] in training."

Perhaps the best example of that fertility can be seen in Olveira’s club-mate Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa. He continues to earn rave reviews in Brazil and has contributed 8 goals and created 22 chances in 26 league outings for Santos.

Predictably, and unfairly, dubbed the ‘new Neymar’, he plays more centrally than Brazil’s current captain and his smart movement, quick feet and creativity offer many of the attributes required of a false no.9.

However, he is still wildly inexperienced at international level and was so disappointing at the South American under-20 tournament that he didn’t even make the squad for under-20 World Cup in New Zealand.

Gabigol may be the future, but it’s difficult to imagine him providing any immediate solutions for Dunga and it would be a shock were his name to be announced on Thursday when Dunga names his next squad.

Alexandre Pato recently proclaimed himself Brazil’s best striker after being reborn at Sao Paulo, but Dunga insists he is best deployed from wide – a position in which Brazil have no shortage of options.

Former Dynamo Kyiv striker Andre, now in glittering form for Sport Recife, and Corinthians’ Vagner Love may believe they deserve a recall. Guangzhou Evergrande’s Elkeson, meanwhile, is devastatingly prolific, but likely won’t be considered by Dunga for as long as he remains in Chinese football.

All of the above have left the loss of Diego Costa to Spain looking increasingly costly, the loss of form of Leandro Damiao increasingly disappointing.

And so it seems unlikely Dunga will start with a new face when his side travel to Buenos Aires to meet the old enemy on November 13, when the front-line will at least have some added bite with the return of Neymar from suspension.

Dunga will once again set his side out to hit their historic rivals with quick counter-attacks and so Hulk will likely return to the starting line-up ahead of the less mobile Oliveira, particularly with Firmino recovering from an injury which kept him out of this month’s squad.

“I start to think about Argentina,” Dunga said after the victory over Venzuela. “Today we had a centre-forward but against them that can change.”

It likely will. But Brazil’s search for the perfect centre-forward looks set to continue. (GOAL)