Andreas Pereira insists Brazil are ready to take on England at Wembley… as the five-time world champions target a new beginning under a third coach in 13 months

Brazil’s new beginning arrived in green Hertfordshire with Dorival Junior, their third boss since the World Cup in Qatar. He gathered his squad for the first time and hammered home the message about what they stand for and what their goal should be.

They are five-time world champions and, despite a terrible start to the qualifying campaign and more than a year of leaderless drift, nothing short of winning gold again in the United States in 2026 will do, Dorival told his players.

Looking back at the 61-year-old was a room full of talented footballers. Two young Real Madrid strikers in Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, and Endrick, the exciting Palmeiras teenager who will move to the Bernabeu Stadium in July when he turns 18.

Several would be familiar faces to an English audience, including Tottenham’s Richarlison, West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta, Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz and Fulham’s Andreas Pereira, and there was a small group of fans outside the team headquarters on the hunt on selfies.

However, this hardly feels like vintage Brazil. Certainly not someone who got the blood moving like when Pele led the team to defend their world title in 1966 or when Zico and Socrates arrived in 1981 or when Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos arrived in 1995.

Perhaps there are simply fewer secrets in modern football. We are fortunate that the best players in the world beam into our living rooms. Football cultures are less different than ever and that is why a Brazilian team in London has less cachet than before.

Yet there are genuine concerns about the state of this great – perhaps the greatest – football country.

It’s been 22 years since Japan won the World Cup, and Brazil is in danger of being lost in the transition.

They continue to produce thousands of top professional footballers, perhaps more than ever, but now that they are spread across the world, can they really hope to weld this wealth of talent back into a winning unit?

This squad does not include Neymar, who is injured and is certainly nearing the end of his record-breaking international career. There is no Thiago Silva, now 39. No Roberto Firmino, Fabinho or Willian, all in their twilight.

The Brazilian Football Association waited out two interim appointments in the hope that Carlo Ancelotti would become the next manager to succeed Tite, who stepped aside after a quarter-final exit in Qatar.

Ancelotti fluttered his eyelashes before deciding to sign a new contract with Real Madrid in January. So they turned to Dorival and lured him away from his work at Sao Paulo in the hope that he could save the future.

Now injuries have devastated his first squad, an exodus of unavailability led by their two senior Liverpool goalkeepers Alisson and Ederson.

Dorival has three goalkeepers in his squad and none of them have a cap.

Manchester United’s Casemiro, who was expected to captain the team against English at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, has withdrawn, along with Arsenal trio Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Maghalaes and Gabriel Martinelli and several others.

The point Pereira made on Tuesday when asking questions was that Gareth Southgate’s England was everything Brazil was not: established, experienced in competition, used to playing together.

“We don’t necessarily feel there is a big gap,” said the 28-year-old Fulham midfielder. ‘The last time Brazil won a tournament was fewer years ago than when England won a tournament. We could say there is a gap. But Brazil will always have big, big players and a big team.

‘We have a lot of respect for England, especially because of me. I play here in England and I am very grateful to be able to play here in the Premier League. We know they have great qualities. We respect them and we know it will be a tough match, but we are definitely ready and we know what we are capable of.”

Pereira, who has played just one Brazil cap in his career so far, is one of those benefiting from others’ absence. He spent three months under Dorival at Flamengo, on loan from Manchester United, and received his first call-up since 2018.

“It’s very important to me,” said Pereira, who was born in Antwerp to a Brazilian father and a German mother and played in Belgium’s youth academy. ‘I am very happy. It is a great honor to be part of this Brazilian team, especially in this new beginning.

‘Hopefully I can now consolidate my position and do a good job. I have found my happiness and my great form again. I’m experiencing one of the best moments of my career. I have recognition from the national coach. He knows me as a person and my qualities and has been very clear about what he wants.’

Another player taking on new responsibility is Richarlison, who will win his 49th cap when he plays at Wembley and reaches the half-century against Spain next week.

With 20 international goals, he is the top scorer in the Dorival squad, seemingly free of the emotional pressure he bravely spoke about at the start of the season after breaking up with his agent, when he revealed he would seek psychological help.

“Mental health issues don’t just happen in football, they happen in life too,” Richarlison said. ‘People should have the courage to seek that help because it can change a lot to live a better life.

‘I am an example because I have access to the media, which allows me to send a message to everyone.

‘It is very important in an athlete’s life to have the support of a psychologist. All players should have that support. That really helped. Back when I played, the problems were always the things that happened on the outside of the game. When I play now, I am mentally completely focused on my football.’

Richarlison has been in good form for Spurs since groin surgery in November, with a run of nine goals in 10 games before a knee injury ruled him out for a month.

He returned from the bench in the defeat to Fulham on Saturday. “I’m in good shape,” the 26-year-old striker said yesterday. “I have fully recovered from the surgery, as you can see.”

Brazil has not won in four games. In their last appearance they were defeated at home by Argentina. On the previous one, they were defeated for the first time by Colombia in a World Cup qualifier.

They’re languishing in their qualifying group, and while there’s little chance they won’t qualify for a bloated tournament in the US, the future starts now.

And they are Brazil, so you would be wise to underestimate them.