Although Carlo Ancelotti faced absences in almost all positions before closing the list for the friendlies against France and Croatia, on March 26th and 31st, the absences in midfield and, mainly, on the flanks are what worries the coach the most.
The coach points to these sectors as the most lacking in the Brazilian team at the moment, with fewer consolidated options compared to the attack, where competition for places is greater.
The list released this Monday (16) shows that the commander expanded his offensive range with the possibility of observing young attackers Endrick (Lyon), 19, Rayan (Bournemouth), 19, and Igor Thiago (Brentford), 24.
Physically and technically, the trio meets the two fundamental requirements defined by the Italian coach to call up a player. This is also the reason why Neymar was passed over again, since, according to Ancelotti, he is still not 100% physically.
Injuries are another physical problem that keeps the commander on alert. Some casualties for this FIFA Date were expected, such as those of defender Éder Militão and midfielder Bruno Guimarães. But recently, the list of injured athletes was expanded with full-backs Caio Henrique and Vanderson, as well as striker Rodrygo, the latter already out of the World Cup after suffering a serious injury to his right knee.
That’s why, instead of presenting a list very close to the one that will be released on May 18th, with the names that will represent Brazil at the World Cup, Ancelotti decided to use his last testing window to expand his observations.
In addition to the attacking trio, defenders Bremer (Juventus), Ibañez (Al Ahli) and Léo Pereira (Flamengo) were also called up for the first time by the Italian, as well as midfielders Danilo (Botafogo) and Gabriel Sara (Galatasaray).
The coach is expected to take nine defenders to the World Cup, including four full-backs and five defenders. The technical committee’s idea is to close the list with names that can alternate between the two sectors if necessary throughout the competition.
In the squad for the friendlies against France and Croatia, there are four full-backs: Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Danilo (Flamengo), Douglas Santos (Zenit) and Wesley (Roma). And five defenders: Bremer, Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Ibañez, Léo Pereira and Marquinhos (PSG).
Despite giving opportunities to players he had not yet worked with in the national team, Ancelotti once again stated that he already has 17 or 18 players defined for his final call-up.
“The structure of the team is quite clear, there is not much doubt. We have a lot of options up front. Many, many. A little less in the middle and a little less on both sides. That’s why, in this call-up, for example, we called two midfielders that I don’t know, who are doing very well, like Danilo and Gabriel Sara, because we need players with these characteristics in the team”, said the coach.
“And also defenders to be close to those who are fixed, Marquinhos and Gabriel [Magalhães]including Militão, who needs to recover well”, he added.
With less than a hundred days to go before the start of the World Cup —86 as of this Tuesday (17)— the physical recovery of injured players and the care of those who are playing are the coach’s biggest concerns.
After this FIFA date, the technical committee of the Brazilian team will meet to define the pre-list for the World Cup, with a deadline of May 11th for sending it to the clubs. In total, up to 55 players can be included in this broader list.
On May 25th, the cast begins preparation at Granja Comary, in Rio de Janeiro. On May 31st, the team will play a friendly against Panama, at Maracanã, as they say goodbye to the country before heading to the United States, scheduled for June 1st.
Already on American soil, Brazil will play its last game before the World Cup, against Egypt, on the 6th. Their debut in the World Cup will be on the 13th, against Morocco. Then, they face Haiti, on the 19th, and close the first phase against Scotland, on the 24th.
