After a warm welcome to Brazil, Carlo Ancelotti, the first foreign coach of the Selecao in more than 50 years, is on a mission to repair a stuttering team and to recover fans who starts on Thursday against Ecuador in a world cup qualification.
The 65-year-old Italian led his first training session in Guayaquil, Ecuador on Monday, prior to what his first match should be, as his relocation of Real Madrid Passes passes by the FIFA administrative body.
AFP identifies five songs Ancelotti faces:
1. Qualify for the World Cup
“The only goal is to win the World Cup 2026,” said Ancelotti when he took the job. First he has to get there.
The South American group is a two-year marathon of 18 games. The Brazil campaign included a very first World Cup-qualifying defeat, 1-0 in the Maracana to Old Enemy Argentina, part of a series of three straight defeats in 2023 that ended the coaching of Fernando Diniz.
Their last game was a 4-1 humiliation in Argentina in March that finished former coach Dorival Junior. Yet the format is forgiving.
The top six in the 10 teams group is directly eligible for the World Cup. Brazil is in fourth place, six points free from Venezuela in the seventh with four games to go.
Ecuador can be second in the group, but are only two points ahead of Brazil, which then organize Paraguay, who are fifth.
Qualification ends in September with a visit to last place Chile and a home game against wrestling Bolivia.
2. Find a center ahead
Brazil still comes out dazzling attackers, but the production line is stuck at no. 9s. In this century, Romario, Ronaldo and Adriano all led the attack and made it into the goals.
The closest player of a classic No. 9 in Ancelotti's first team is a player he coached in Everton, Richarlison, now from Tottenham.
Yet Ancelotti has previously won without a central striker. His 2024 Champions League -winning side was led by two Brazilians: Vinicius JR, who is located in Ancelotti's team, and Rodrygo, which he did not select. Ancelotti also has Raphinha from Barcelona, ​​who was a joint top scorer in the Champions League of this season.
3. Sort the midfield
The attackers can cause a bigger problem, Veteran Brazilian football journalist Juca Kfouri told AFP.
With the Brazilian youth academies that focus on defensive midfielders and fast Wingers instead of classic makers, the Selecao stands for a shortage of midfield ideas.
In the last two outings of Brazil, Dorival Junior Bruno Guimaraes, Gerson, Andre and Joelinton tried in the role. No one convinced.
In Madrid, Ancelotti 'Toni Kroos had as a feeding line for Vini. Brazil has no Toni Kroos, “said sports writer Tim Vickery on his” Brazilian shirt name “Podcast.
Ancelotti has remembered Kroos' former Madrid-Middenveld partner Casemiro van Kroos, although the 33-year-old now with Manchester United is primarily a defensive player to add, the coach said: “Charisma, personality and talent.”
4. Find full-backs
The range of Swashbuckling Fullbacks, such as Carlos Alberto, Cafu and Roberto Carlos – a different characteristic of large Brazilian teams – has also dried up.
Ancelotti reminded Carlos Augusto, part of the Inter Milan team crushed in the Champions League final, and Koos Flamengo Duo Wesley Franca and Alex Sandro after seeing them playing last week in a 1-0 win over the Venezuelan Tachira in the Copa.
5. Win the fans back
Ancelotti has to rebuild the bond between the team and the audience. Part of the problem is that after Brazil had won five world cups – usually – the “Jogo Bonito” (The Beautiful Game), fans have little patience with mediocrity.
But many supporters are eliminated by the way in which the famous yellow sweater has been hijacked as a symbol by supporters of extreme right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro.
“This issue of the extreme right that the sweater has -ownerses part of the country,” said Kfouri, and added that Ancelotti had called for the fans when he took the job and said, “I hope to have the support and help of the country.