Ancelotti could end his coaching career with a win at the 2026 World Cup. And we predicted its appearance in Brazil last year!
Important news has arrived from Brazil: according to ESPN, Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti will lead the Brazilian national team. The 63-year-old specialist will start work at the end of the club season. It is noted that the Brazilian players of Real Madrid - Eder Militao, Rodrigo Goes, and Vinicius Junior - are already aware of the departure of the Italian specialist to their national team.
"Championship" back in December 2022, after leaving the post of coach of the Brazilian national team Tite, noted that Ancelotti was an excellent option for a vacant position. Here are the reasons why this is so. Short:
-Ancelotti's tactics depend on the abilities of the players. The comfort of the players is in the first place for him;
-Carlo builds relationships with players that are close to friendly;
-critical moments do not prevent Ancelotti from making the right decisions;
-Ancelotti is a champion coach.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and its president, Ednaldo Rodriguez, considered several candidates for the coaching position. The management wanted the team to be led by a specialist with a big name. The list of candidates, in addition to Ancelotti, included José Mourinho, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Enrique, Thomas Tuchel, and even Josep Guardiola. But it was the Italian who was the priority option for Brazil. It is noted that the contract details are still being discussed, but it is already known that it will be concluded over three years. The coach himself reacted diplomatically to the news.
"Brazil team? I don't know anything about it, and I don't even know about what was reported in Brazil. I am a Real Madrid manager, and my contract is valid until June 2024," Ancelotti said.
Neither Brazil nor Ancelotti will confirm the rumors due to the specialist's contract with Real Madrid. At the same time, the president of the "creamy" Florentino Perez, according to Globo, will hold a meeting with the leadership of the Brazilian Football Federation regarding the departure of the Italian.
As head coach of the Brazilian national team, Carlo will face several challenges. Firstly, in 2024, Copa America will be held in Ecuador. Brazil must pick up the title after losing the 2021 final to Argentina. Two years later, the USA, Mexico, and Canada hosted the World Cup, in which the Brazilians failed five tournaments. Undoubtedly, the Selesao will go there only for a victory, and for Ancelotti, the first task will be to prepare a combat-ready team.
Here we face another critical question: can the Italians rebuild the team in three years? Yes, on paper, Brazil was also the most potent team at the 2022 World Cup. But by 2026, essential players will become even older: Thiago Silva will turn 41 years old, Danilo - 35, and Casemiro and Neymar - 34. Ancelotti will have to work on the defensive line thoroughly (fortunately, he has excellent experience behind him), find a balance in the middle rope, and place the stars in the attack (by 2026, there will probably be even more of them).
Carlo will also face the "Portugal dilemma": an aging Neymar, who was not a pressure machine in his youth, could become a problem for the team, like Ronaldo for the Portuguese at the 2022 World Cup. The coach will have to decide: to put a stellar but relatively passive player in the base or to get a toxic element in the team. Fortunately, Carlo is one of the best football psychologists, so he must solve this problem.
If Ancelotti leads the Brazilian national team, this will be his first experience as the head of the national team. It is symbolic that this is where his coaching career will most likely end. Earlier, Ancelotti said he would stop working after the end of the contract with Real Madrid. But the prospect of trying something new, winning the World Cup, and going down in history as one of the best coaches in the history of football is too attractive. This will be an excellent career finish for Ancelotti. And Brazil will finally get a status and strong coach capable of leading the Selesao to the coveted sixth World Cup.
10.02.2023