In an exclusive interview with The Striker, Dunga — Brazil's captain for the World Cup-winning 1994 squad in the United States-hosted tournament — had some thoughts about the upcoming World Cup, and wasn't shy about expressing which team he thought might impress at the upcoming 2022 World Cup, starting on Nov. 20 with the host nation of Qatar hosting Ecuador.
It wasn't Brazil.
"Mexico's national team may well surprise in the Qatar Cup," Dunga predicated. "Mainly because now there is no expectation. In the past, due to the players they had and the technical quality, a lot was expected and that ended up not being confirmed. Now, without that pressure, the players, who continue to have a lot of quality, will play more loosely."
Pressed further about his expectations for the World Cup, he made an important observation about the time of year the World Cup will be played — an unusual departure from the typical summer timing of the tournament.
"I hope it will be a very technical World Cup," he noted. "Mainly because, contrary to what usually happens, it will be a tournament played in the middle of the European season and most of the players play in Europe. With that, they will be at the peak of physical and technical conditioning. And that will make the game much more beautiful."
Dunga, who went on to coach the Seleção during the 2010 World Cup, noted that Brazil's '94 team played with the pressure of the soccer-crazed nation failing to get a title since Pelé and that generation of players got the job done in 1970.
"It is difficult to make a comparison between the Brazil of 1994 and that of now," he noted. "But one thing I can say is that it will be difficult to have a team like the one in '94, not only from a technical or tactical point of view. I doubt that a team will be able to withstand the pressure that team suffered because of Brazil's 24 years without a title. That team broke many paradigms and had a group with a very strong personality. With all this, I doubt that a team can play with the pressure that the ['94] team played [with].
But Dunga sees many virtues in the team coached by Tite, seeking the world title for Brazil as one of the tournament favorites.
"The Brazilian team has evolved," he reflected. "For the second time in history, a coach continued his work and that is important. The expectation is very high and our team has improved a lot. The youngsters who joined, such as Anthony, Raphinha, Vinícius Júnior and Paquetá provide important support for Neymar."