Why did Dunga opt for Kaka over Jadson

When Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho was forced to pull out of Brazil’s October qualifiers against Chile and Venezuela, Jadson of Corinthians would have been forgiven for cradling his phone in his hand, waiting for it to ring. The Timão number ten has been one of the revelations of this season’s Brasileirão, scoring 12 goals from midfield […]
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sambafoot_admin
2015-10-05 19:59:00

When Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho was forced to pull out of Brazil’s October qualifiers against Chile and Venezuela, Jadson of Corinthians would have been forgiven for cradling his phone in his hand, waiting for it to ring. The Timão number ten has been one of the revelations of this season’s Brasileirão, scoring 12 goals from midfield with Corinthians 5 points clear at the summit of the league table. His goal tally is bettered only by Santos striker Ricardo Oliveira, who earned a call up to Dunga’s squad, with Neymar suspended.

It seems certain that Jadson, who joined Corinthians from city rivals São Paulo in 2014, will compete with Oliveira for the Prêmio Craque do Brasil (player of the season) award. However, Jadson has again been overlooked in favour of Kaká, now playing for Orlando City in the MLS. Now 32, age might have been deemed a reason to overlook the Corinthians man were Kaká not 14 months his senior. In the past, Jadson has been accused of standing on the periphery of games for long spells, but that certainly has not been the case this season. Alongside his 12 goals this season, he has registered 8 assists.

That said, Kaká featured in the last Brazil squad and it could be that Dunga considers him as more integrated into the group. There is no doubt that Dunga cherishes Kaká’s role as a senior figure of aspiration in the group. Dunga had been accused of recalling the ex AC Milan and Real Madrid man for commercial reasons for September friendlies in the USA, where Kaká now plays his football. But his recall on this occasion for competitive fixtures would suggest not.  Clubmates Gil, Elias and Renato Augusto all made the cut for the October qualifiers, with an important league fixture against Goías on Wednesday, there is an argument that Dunga did not want to take a fourth important player away from the league leaders at a delicate stage of the title race.