Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti broke his silence and spoke about the error he committed during the in the round of 16 at the .
This acknowledgment came during an interview with TV Globo just under a month after Brazil’s elimination. The Italian explained that his substitutions, made towards the end of the match, led to a drop in the team’s performance.
“I think that we were well positioned just prior to the hydration break in the second half,” said Ancelotti. “We’d had a chance from the penalty spot, as well as Endrick’s shot.”
One minute before the hydration break, the coach made two changes, bringing on Danilo Santos and Neymar for Gabriel Martinelli and Rayan.
“If there’s a mistake that I made, which I saw after the game, it’s that I changed the team’s shape after the hydration break, and that cost us control of the game,” he acknowledged.
Ancelotti highlighted the fact that his work would be judged based on the result of the game, but pointed out that he had only one year to work with the team. He also made a point to emphasize that they had lost eight players to injury. The likes of Eder Militao, Estevao and Rodrygo were unavailable prior to the squad announcement, while Lucas Paqueta and Raphinha picked up injuries during the tournament.
Reflecting on a World Cup campaign cut short, Ancelotti noted that – in contrast to the game against Norway – the changes made during the 2-1 victory over Japan in the first knockout round worked out well.
“I was looking to take back control of the game by bringing on Neymar,” said Ancelotti. “I wanted to have more quality up front to help us win the game. That was part of my decision. You have to make decisions in knockout football. It’s the same as it was against Japan. Sometimes your decisions are the right ones because the result goes your way. Sometimes your decisions are terrible because it doesn’t.”
As well as the changes to personnel, another matter that came under scrutiny following Brazil’s elimination was their ball possession, with the five-time winners managing only 34 per cent. Ancelotti played the figures down as he explained his strategy.
“When you’ve got players like Vinicius Junior, Endrick, Estevao and Raphinha, you don’t need a lot of the ball,” he said. “You need to play more vertically, so the style is based around what the players can offer. If new players come into the fray, such as a high-quality midfielder, then obviously you can play a more possession-based game.
“It’s true that Norway had a lot of the ball, but most of that was in their own half, with [Martin] Odegaard dropping back. If you press them a lot, they’ll look to get through the press by playing a transitional game. I don’t think that the possession percentage really holds much weight.”
Another topic discussed by Ancelotti was that of renewal. The coach stated that his priority over the coming years would be to find more midfielders for the team. He also made “official” what already seemed very likely: the end of the international careers of some of the players who defined the country’s most recent era.
“I feel that this World Cup marks the end of a generation of very important players. Neymar is an obvious one, and there’s also Danilo and Casemiro among the players who were over 30 at the World Cup,” he said. Two exceptions to this, however, could be centre-back Marquinhos and goalkeeper Alisson.
“We are going to be on the lookout for new players who could be ready to join the group, not necessarily for the 2030 World Cup, but rather for our first target, which is the 2028 Copa America,” he added.
One of the routes to renewal involves closer ties with Brazil’s youth sides. “We need to build a very strong link with the U-20s as they prepare for the Olympics. That might be where we see some players who will take the field at the next World Cup,” he concluded.
Sources: FIFA Official
