World Cup 2026: Brazil need major surgery but is Carlo Ancelotti the man to do it?
Four years ago, Brazil had no chance of exiting the World Cup to Croatia in the quarter-finals. They were a bit unlucky to fall to Belgium at the same stage four years ago. This time they didn’t even manage to get that far, and they were unlucky. lost to norway.
This is, frankly, an unmitigated disaster.
Carlo Ancelotti came with a band-aid after losing 4-1 to Argentina in March last year.
Of the 16 matches he played for the national team, he won 10, drew 3 and lost 3. He turned down a struggling team in World Cup qualification and lost four of five games before his arrival.
But this was not enough.
Brazil now needs major surgery; starting from midfield, the area where they used to be so strong, so creative and so impressive.
Turning their backs on creative midfield play has caused Brazil to lose some friends and they are also losing matches. It is truly surprising that they have comprehensively outclassed Norway in this World Cup on a hot summer afternoon; But this also depends on the structure of the team.
Ancelotti was Casemiro’s hostage. The first thing the coach did was to recall the player, who spent 18 months on the international stage.
It had its pros. Casemiro brought structure to the team and released Bruno Guimaraes, who was enjoying a fine tournament until he missed a penalty early against Norway (and what a difference that could have made).
But Casemiro’s vulnerability in the open field has always been a problem; This was clearly seen in the second minute when Norway’s goal was disallowed. And so Brazil’s way of defending was to drop deep and watch Norway exchange passes and gain confidence.
There is also the absence of Lucas Paqueta, who was injured against Japan in the previous round. Ancelotti admitted that he does not have another player with the same characteristics. Gabriel Martinelli arrived from Arsenal and this had the effect of making the team’s attack almost entirely dependent on fast direct attacks.
The coach made a mistake on his first call; Having only five midfielders was a serious mistake, and when right-back Wesley was injured in the final warm-up match, Ancelotti used the opportunity to bring potential transfer Ederson to Manchester United. But if the coach is guilty, the country is also guilty.
