Former coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo criticized this Saturday (13) the performance of the Brazilian team in its debut at the 2026 World Cup, the 1-1 draw against Morocco.
Luxemburgo stated, in a video posted on his Instagram, that “some things need to be reviewed” and analyzed the performance of some players and the way Carlo Ancelotti’s team played.
According to him, midfielder Casmiero “can no longer stand playing in a midfield with just two [jogadores]. There needs to be three” and striker Igor Thiago “got the ball 3 or 4 times, which is not enough for a World Cup”.
He also stated that “Neymar’s arrival [se referindo à chance de o jogador do Santos conseguir atuar no Mundial] will give quality to a team that doesn’t have that quality. [tem] Vini Jr. is one on one. It’s very little for Brazil.” He also mentioned the fact that the defense plays on line.
Still according to the former coach, Ancelotti needs to “play players who are asking for passage”. He mentions “Danilo”, without specifying whether he is referring to the Botafogo midfielder or the Flamengo full-back/defender. Both started the match against Morocco from the bench and came on in the second half.
Luxemburgo coached Brazil from 1998 to 2000. During this period, he won the 1999 Copa América. He was fired from his position after losing to Cameroon at the Sydney Olympics.
For clubs, he was one of the greatest coaches in the country in the 1990s and 2000s.
His achievements include five Brazilian Series A Championships (1993 and 1994 with Palmeiras, 1998 with Corinthians, 2003 at the helm of Cruzeiro and 2004 coaching Santos), one in Series B (Bragantino, 1989) and one Brazilian Cup (Cruzeiro, 2003). He also spent almost a year (2005) ahead of Real Madrid.
His last title was the 2020 Campeonato Paulista, ahead of Palmeiras, and the last club he coached was Corinthians, in 2023. He announced his retirement last year and is tipped to run for a seat in the Senate in this year’s elections.
