Ageing Brazil need major surgery - but is Ancelotti the man to do it?

Brazil's World Cup exit to Norway in the last-16 is described as an "unmitigated disaster," marking a decline from previous tournaments where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals. Coach Carlo Ancelotti, who took over after a 4-1 thrashing by Argentina in March 2024, has won 10, drawn three, and lost three of his 16 games in charge. While he turned around a struggling qualifying campaign, the team now requires "major surgery," particularly in midfield, where Brazil has lost its traditional creativity and was "comprehensively outpassed" by Norway. Ancelotti's reliance on Casemiro, recalled after 18 months out, provided structure but also vulnerability in open space, forcing Brazil to defend deep. The absence of injured Lucas Paqueta left the coach without a like-for-like replacement, leading to an attack overly dependent on quick direct breaks. Ancelotti's decision to only call up five midfielders initially was criticized as a "serious lapse." The article also notes that Brazil is producing an abundance of wide strikers but not enough quality midfielders. The handling of Neymar is singled out as a major error. Despite Ancelotti stating Neymar would only be called up if he deserved it and that he wouldn't take injured players, he broke those red lines for Neymar. In a cameo against Scotland, Neymar looked like a retired player, and using him in a live game forced a rejig that pushed Vinicius Jr and Endrick out wide and deeper, away from goal, opening up the side.