Ex-Internacional midfielder Alex transfered to Spartak Moscow last week, and made his first appearance for the club this Sunday against Zenit St. Petersburg. Alex was arguably the best overall player in the Brazilian Championship last season, especially in the second half on the season. However, I don’t believe this move was necessary to increase his profile for more national team call ups. Dunga has shown a willingness to look for talent in the Russian league, so Alex should not be any worse off in this respect.

In other news, during his match against Siena this weekend, Kaka re-aggravated his foot injury in his first appearance returning from that injury. Its unclear how long he will be out, and whether Dunga will have to replace him for the qualifiers. Should this happen look for the above mentioned Alex or Diego to get the call. Diego scored his ninth Bundesliga goal this weekend against Stuttgart.