Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t universally popular. A five-time Champions League-winning coach, the only man to win a league title in each of Europe’s big five leagues and one of the most decorated bosses ever – but it wasn’t enough for some.
Although the reaction to the former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Milan coach taking charge of Brazil had little to do with his CV and more to do with what his hire as the first non-native to take charge of the Selecao symbolised.
The South Americans are the World Cup’s most-successful team with five previous wins and have a proud heritage of producing a conveyor belt of homegrown players and coaches who have consistently beaten the globe’s best.
To betray that by becoming only the third former World Cup-winning nation – alongside Uruguay and England – to turn to a foreign coach is hard for some to take, regardless of Ancelotti’s pedigree.
For many in Brazil, only winning in North America this summer would justify such a move.
The challenge for Don Carlo is that for much of his tenure, this side has rarely looked like obvious champions and he’s having to devise a new way to win that doesn’t fit the traditional Brazilian style.
A tumultuous qualifying campaign that was partially disrupted by the Brazilian Football Confederation waiting for Ancelotti’s latest stint at Real Madrid to end suggests he had a big job on his hands when he finally arrived in post last year. And since then, improvements have been gradual rather than revolutionary.
Why don’t Brazil look like genuine contenders?
Sure, Vinicius Jr and co. topped their group to qualify from the group stage undefeated, but their first half showing in the 1-1 draw with Morocco in their tournament opener was unconvincing. Wins against Haiti and Scotland settled the nerves, but those same fallibilities were on show in the last-32 tie with Japan before Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli’s goals turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win.
The side’s lack of athleticism in midfield has been a major explanation for their struggles. There were times in both the Morocco and Japan games when their high-intensity counter-attacks left Brazil’s midfielders chasing shadows, unable to do more than cope with the energy they were facing.
Yet, for those failings, the Selecao found a way to come through on both occasions – mainly due to the in-game changes Ancelotti made.
“[We] focused on the things that could hinder our game,” he said after the Japan win. “The psychological aspect, the suffering, is normal, especially in modern football.”
It’s the sort of quiet confidence Ancelotti provides. Acceptance of the issues, a willingness to work through weaknesses and negotiate the situations that come up. There’s no need for players to panic in moments of struggle because there’s a man on the bench who knows how to find a way, to win matches and trophies.
In recent years, an early setback would have knocked Brazil irretrievably off course. Before the Japan match, only once in 12 occasions since 2023 have the Selecao won after conceding first, so the psychological impact of doing that – after recovering against Morocco to draw too – is significant.
Why Ancelotti may hold the answer
Ancelotti’s calm demeanour and protection of his players are crucial in a national team setting. This is a place where tactics aren’t as sophisticated as the club game, so softer skills play an even more important role and Ancelotti has those in abundance.
Although that can only paper over so many cracks. And if Brazil are going to win their first World Cup since 2002, they can’t afford too many more slow starts. Defensive vulnerabilities need to be covered up because an element of pragmatism is a key ingredient of most major tournament successes.
That’s how Brazil won the last time the World Cup was in the US in 1994 and there were signs of that again when they triumphed in 2002. Those sides weren’t as revered back home as the great Jogo Bonito sides of Pele’s all-conquering era or the swashbuckling 1982 team that failed to win despite some thrilling performances, as the more defensive-leaning displays were viewed as an “un-Brazilian” way to win.
With Ancelotti on the sideline, there may be more begrudging acceptance of that this time. If the Brazilians have to swallow an Italian as coach, a different style may also be more palatable.
They’ve become more accepting of Don Carlo’s place in the dugout already. His willingness to move to Rio de Janeiro upon taking the job endeared him to the cynical public, as did his decision to call up Neymar to his squad to quieten the noise the forward’s potential exclusion would have brought with it.
Ancelotti’s charm offensive is clearly working its magic on his players and the public. Making the next step to make sure Brazil are genuine contenders may be the biggest one of all.
