Ancelotti faces "countless problems" with the Brazilian national team
 |
| Ancelotti faces 'countless problems' with Brazilian |
Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti faces "countless problems" after being appointed coach of the Brazilian national football team. He will only have about 12 matches left before leading the team to the 2026 World Cup if he hopes to lead the Samba Dancers to victory.
Ancelotti's first challenges will be resolving defensive issues, strengthening the midfield, and selecting a squad that doesn't rely excessively on Neymar, who is constantly plagued by injuries.
The Brazilian Football Confederation announced on Monday that the 65-year-old veteran coach will leave his current club, Real Madrid, one year before the end of his contract, to take over as coach of the Brazilian national team on May 26, immediately after the end of the final round of the Spanish league. Details of the deal were not disclosed.
Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, said: "Ancelotti's influence goes beyond results. He is a strategic coach who can transform teams into legends. Brazil, with its unique traditions, and Ancelotti, with his revolutionary vision, will form a partnership that will go down in history."
Ancelotti's first challenge will be to restore confidence to the team, currently fourth in the South American World Cup qualifiers. The team suffered a devastating 4-1 defeat to arch-rivals Argentina after a string of poor performances that led to the dismissal of Dorival Junior as coach, just as his predecessors Ramón Menezes and Fernando Diniz had.
Midfield and Attack
Brazil's midfield is also struggling, frustrating many of the team's top strikers. The lack of creative play from the midfielders has limited the scoring ability of forwards Vinicius Junior, Rafinha, Matheus Cunha, and Endrick.
Defense and Goalkeeping
Brazil has conceded 31 goals in just 25 matches since the last World Cup in Qatar. Unlike Brazil's attacking prowess, which boasts several talented players and some solid options on the bench, the team's defense has lacked talent at right and left back for years. Even in goal, Ancelotti will have to make crucial decisions.
Alisson Becker was in goal for the last two World Cups, when Brazil were eliminated in the quarterfinals. With the start of the new season and the injury of Liverpool's goalkeeper, Ederson Moraes took over for Manchester City. However, Ederson subsequently suffered an injury, and Alisson regained his starting spot. While they were competing for the starting goalkeeper spot, both were injured, leading to Bento taking over against Argentina.
Leave a Comment