If the Brazilian team is successful in the World Cup, it will be a lot of work over the next five weeks. There is no point in listening to prophets of the apocalypse announcing the fall, which may occur, and then celebrating the prophecy. The diagnosis is clear: Brazil lost four years.
Carlo Ancelotti’s last 12 months could have brought the best-finished team to the World Cup. And he makes mistakes, like calling up 15 players with experience of losing World Cups. The Italian coach has also realized that he made mistakes in the final list and will have to try to correct it with what he has.
The only solution is to make the team lighter.
Casemiro cannot play with the toughness of a manta tying around curves on the Santos road. Can be replaced by Fabinho; or Ederson. Danilo, from Botafogo, and Endrick ask to join the team. Not with your mouth, with your feet.
The biggest dilemma is the right side. The loss of Wesley and the crazy idea of using Ibañez in the position force him to cast whoever went to the World Cup only as a leader. Danilo is a reference for Ancelotti for saying and showing where there are minefields. There was no need to play.
In practice, the group of 26 would only have 24 useful, because Neymar will play few times – if he plays at all – and Danilo, from Flamengo, would be on the bench.
If the formation becomes lighter, there is a chance of finding the team. From the middle to the front, let’s say: Fabinho, Bruno Guimarães and Danilo Santos; Raphinha, Endrick and Vinicius Júnior.
During the debut against Morocco, a journalist next to me asked, ironically: “Who will debut in the World Cup sooner, Raphinha or Neymar?” If Raphinha doesn’t get into gear, Luiz Henrique and Rayan are options.
The blunt truth: you’ll have to find the team.
There were World Cups in which this happened during the campaign. The most latent case happened in 1958. After the draw against England, the first 0-0 in the history of the World Cup, Vicente Feola replaced Dino Sani, Joel and Mazzola for Zito, Garrincha and Pelé. The team was light.
It worked out.
Twenty years later, Brazil started the World Cup in Argentina by drawing and playing poorly against Sweden and Spain. Coach Cláudio Coutinho replaced Jorge Mendonça and Roberto Dinamite in the places of Zico and Dirceu. It improved, but there was no time to reach the final.
It happens. Time takes its toll.
Ancelotti’s point is in the phrase that reveals that we have an Italian coach. “You don’t win the World Cup in the first game.” On this point, he is completely right, although few people pay attention to the story.
Of the 22 world champions, only four have won every match: Uruguay (1930), Italy (1938), Brazil (1970) and Brazil (2002). That is, of the team’s five titles, three were tied, in 1958, 1962 and 1994.
Of the 17 World Cups with a group stage of three matches, only Brazil (1970), Brazil (2002) and France (1998) had 100% and then lifted the trophy. In the last five World Cups, in which the team failed, 11 teams scored nine points at the start. None took the title.
In this World Cup, Brazil is like a high school student, very intelligent and who hasn’t studied for the test in the last three years. Now you have 30 days to recover the material and pass the Enem.
It will take work to transform good players into a great team.
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