After saying on Monday (30) that he already has a “very clear idea” of the squad he will take to the World Cup, Carlo Ancelotti stated that he was very satisfied with the performance of the newcomers he sent to the field this Tuesday (31), in the 3-1 victory over Croatia, expanding his doubts before finalizing the final squad.
The Italian coach especially highlighted the front men, such as strikers Igor Thiago, a player from Brentford (ING), and Endrick, from Lyon (FRA). The two entered the second half and were decisive in the end of the game. The athlete from the French team suffered the penalty converted by the player from the English team. Afterwards, he assisted Gabriel Martinelli to score Brazil’s third.
“What makes me satisfied is that the players took advantage of the opportunity. It increases the doubt for the definitive list. Igor Thiago did very well, Léo Pereira did well, Danilo, Endrick very well. Kaiki, too. It’s a positive sign for the team. Now we will continue evaluating what they will do in the European leagues and also in the Brazilian Championship”, declared Ancelotti.
“The new ones who were here took advantage of the opportunity. The entire committee is happy with the work of the players”, added the coach, who scheduled the release of his final list for the World Cup for May 18th.
Until then, he intends to continue his observations, but now only with the athletes’ performance wearing their club’s shirts.
Of the 26 players he called up for the games against France and Croatia, eight played for the first time under his command in the Brazilian national team: defenders Bremer (Juventus), Ibañez (Al Ahli) and Léo Pereira (Flamengo), midfielders Danilo (Botafogo) and Gabriel Sara (Galatasaray) and attackers Endrick (Lyon), Rayan (Bournemouth) and Igor Thiago (Brentford).
For midfielder Casemiro, one of the leaders of the Brazilian squad and a clear name at the World Cup, the team still has room for growth. “We know we need to improve a lot of things, but we are a factory of players, we will arrive strong and give everything in the World Cup.”
The CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) schedule now includes two more games before the World Cup, both with the World Cup squad already defined. On May 31st, the team says goodbye to the country in a friendly against Panama, at Maracanã. Then, already in the United States, he faces Egypt, on June 6th.
The World Cup debut is scheduled for June 13th, against Morocco, in what should be their most difficult game in Group C, also made up of Haiti and Croatia.
