Brazil twice crushed Ancelotti's World Cup dream. Now it's one they share

On May 24, Carlo Ancelotti was inactive successful complaint of Real Madrid. On May 25, helium took the agelong formation crossed the Atlantic truthful that connected May 26 helium could beryllium presented to the world's media arsenic Brazil's caller manager and sanction his squad for CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers astatine Ecuador and vs. Paraguay.

On May 27, helium was astatine the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos successful Rio de Janeiro to ticker Botafogo's Copa Libertadores lucifer against Universidad de Chile. On May 28, helium was checking retired the Seleção's grooming facilities successful the hills extracurricular the metropolis earlier catching Flamengo's lucifer against Deportivo Táchira astatine the Maracanã.

Ancelotti has been throwing himself into his caller occupation with a verve that belies the information that helium turns 66 adjacent week. In his ain low-key way, helium exudes the enthusiasm of an 11-year-old -- the property astatine which helium has his archetypal memories of the FIFA World Cup. It was Mexico '70, and his autochthonal Italy had travel done an epic semifinal against West Germany.

"We were excited to play the last against Brazil," helium recalled. "But Brazil were truly strong, with Pelé, Jairzinho, Tostão, Rivelino, Gérson, Clodoaldo. Italy tried hard -- it was 1-1 astatine halftime -- but [Brazil] won 4-1. It was the archetypal clip I realized however Brazilian players were talented."

Now that endowment is astatine his disposal arsenic helium goes successful hunt of his ain World Cup dream. Ancelotti has been a top-class nine manager for truthful agelong that it is casual to hide his history, and however overmuch of it is bound up with the World Cup.

"I've had 3 experiences with the tournament," helium said. "In 1986, I was a player." It did not spell well, and Italy's effort to clasp connected to the crown they won 4 years earlier fizzled retired early.

He was backmost successful the squad connected location ungraded 4 years later, a cardinal midfield enforcer with a coagulated passing range. He was injured during the people of the campaign. "I 100% agree," helium laughs erstwhile it's suggested that Italy would person had a amended accidental of winning had helium stayed fit. They came third.

Four years later, erstwhile Ancelotti was an adjunct to Arrigo Sacchi, the Azzurri went 1 better. Italy reached the final, losing connected penalties -- to Brazil.

"It was a fantastic acquisition to walk a batch of clip with your teammates," Ancelotti recalled, "and to hole for important games wherever each the state is down you. You person a truly bully feeling astir this."

It explains his caller prime of job.

"My thought was to effort again, to person this benignant of feeling, and truthful present I'm going to effort with the champion nationalist squad successful the world," helium said.

The clip spent arsenic Sacchi's adjunct makes him good alert of the differences betwixt managing a nine and a nationalist team.

"The quality is that I present person little clip to hole a crippled and hole a team."

For some, this is simply a mighty challenge. For the large simplifier, possibly not.

"Football is not truthful complicated, successful my opinion," Ancelotti said. "The champion players person to play, but you person to beryllium capable to find a bully equilibrium betwixt them. The cardinal connection successful shot is 'talent,' of course. Without endowment you cannot win. But equilibrium is besides precise important, due to the fact that the squad has to beryllium balanced betwixt defence and attack."

Had helium seen Brazil's past game, erstwhile Dorival Júnior's squad were humiliated from archetypal to past connected their mode to a 4-1 decision by Argentina?

"Yeah," Ancelotti grimaced, "I watched it." And with a small laugh, helium added, "No balance. Simple arsenic that. Talent, but nary balance."

The severity of the decision makes his short-term task precise clear.

"Brazilian players, successful general, person much endowment than the others," helium said, having successfully worked with truthful galore during a storied nine vocation that besides included titles won with AC Milan, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. "And past you person to find a transportation betwixt the talented players and the others. Every squad doesn't person 11 talented players -- the others enactment the talent, with sacrifice, commitment, attitude."

His archetypal squad was drawn up with the assistance of members of the coaching unit of the CBF, Brazil's shot association. There were immoderate names that helium insisted upon, 1 of them being Casemiro, retired of the planetary representation since 2023. The Manchester United (and erstwhile Real Madrid) midfielder could good beryllium an hold of Ancelotti connected the pitch, helping proviso the operation that was truthful severely missing against Argentina.

As for the remainder of the team, "We volition play with a backmost four, for sure. After that, we tin adapt. Brazil has truly fantastic wingers, truthful we tin play 4-4-2, but we tin besides spell with 4-3-3 oregon 4-5-1."

The exemplary whitethorn good beryllium the pre-Kylian Mbappé Real Madrid, wherever Vinícius Júnior chopped successful from the near helping to capable the halfway guardant position, but determination volition beryllium nary 1 fixed approach.

"I don't privation my teams to person a wide identity," Ancelotti said. "Take the crippled forward, beryllium back, property high, support debased -- determination are tons of things you request to bash to beryllium successful. After 40 years, I inactive don't cognize the champion strategy for winning games, but I bash cognize that it depends connected the characteristics of the players you have, and I privation to bash that with Brazil's players, getting them unneurotic with 1 objective: to triumph the World Cup."

Ancelotti has a declaration until the extremity of the 2026 tournament. By then, helium volition person been judged a success, if helium wins the World Cup, oregon a failure, if helium doesn't.

"I know," helium said, "but determination is not much unit than Real Madrid. The unit is the same. But I don't person to deliberation astir the pressure, I person to deliberation that I person a fantastic opportunity. I privation to unrecorded this play astatine the champion of my possibilities."

With his raised eyebrow and low-key leadership, Ancelotti's charm violative was underway close from the start. He gave his archetypal quality league successful Spanish, but already determination were attempts to talk successful Portuguese, and the committedness that helium volition get to grips with yet different language.

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Marquinhos hopes Ancelotti brings 'PSG-type energy' to Brazil

Brazil skipper Marquinhos says Carlo Ancelotti has made a large archetypal content arsenic helium takes complaint of the Seleção for the archetypal time.

Nevertheless, immoderate volition inactive spot him arsenic an intruder.

The CBF made a large effort to marque Ancelotti consciousness welcome. At his presentation, Luiz Felipe Scolari, victor of Brazil's past World Cup successful 2002, took the signifier to symbolically walk connected the baton. There were video messages from 1994 World Cup-winning manager Carlos Alberto Parreira and from Zico.

Not each of the aged defender are enthralled astatine the thought of having a foreigner successful complaint of the five-time satellite champions, though. Chief among them is erstwhile Real Madrid and nationalist squad manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo, who connected Brazilian programme "Galvão e Amigos" past week, portion expressing that helium had thing against Ancelotti, vociferously complained that "Brazilian coaches are present useless? We're seen arsenic ... dogs -- this is the large truth. Someone coming successful from overseas is worthy overmuch much than we are."

"I deliberation that present the satellite is global," Ancelotti commented, arsenic ever, trying to instrumentality vigor retired of the situation. The somesthesia volition emergence if results are disappointing, though.

Everything depends connected what happens successful the people of a fewer abbreviated weeks successful the mediate of adjacent year. Ancelotti's task is to signifier the squad to escaped the talent, conscionable arsenic Mário Zagallo was capable to bash successful Mexico '70 successful that lucifer that near specified an content connected the 11-year-old Ancelotti.

Brazil thwarted his World Cup imagination then, and again successful 1994. Now the large squad and the large manager are moving unneurotic toward a shared imagination of bringing the Jules Rimet Trophy backmost to Brazil for the archetypal clip since 2002.