Brazil boss Luiz Felipe Scolari has stated that he is very much hoping that Chelsea midfielder Oscar will return to national team duty after missing the past few friendly matches and trainings sessions in order to be with his family. Oscar recently became the father of a baby girl, Julia. As a result, he has been unavailable with the national team squad. With the tournament set to start against Croatia on June 12, Brazil will be hoping to get back as soon as possible.
In the eventuality that he does not return in time, Scolari has stated that he has other options in this position. Brazil have taken a number of midfielders who are capable of playing in the number 10 role. This includes Willian, who comes from the back of a brilliant first season at Chelsea. Scolari has stated that the 25-year-old has all the attributes needed to replace a player like Oscar. Willian is capable of playing a number of positions behind the striker, while Scolari has also praised his ability on the ball.
Brazil have been showing inconsistent form in the warmup friendly matches and this has led to Scolari stating that he is concerned about their form going into the tournament.
“It depends on the conversation I have with Oscar. I believe he will arrive back happy and say he is ready to play. The idea is to start with the team that will start the World Cup, and that includes Oscar. But if he can not, there are people can replace him. If Willian has to start the game tomorrow, or against Croatia, to me it doesn’t change much. He also adds some new features to the team. Willian is very fast, can dribble, and he strikes the ball very well,” said Scolari ahead of the World Cup 2014.