Almost a year on, Carlo Ancelotti still has to deliver | OneFootball

Nearly a year is enough time to demand more than good intentions. Carlo Ancelotti arrived at the Brazil National Team with a résumé that needs no introduction. The problem is that a résumé does not organize the build-up, occupy space, or create chances.

The team does that. And so far, the team has offered more doubts than answers.

The criticism does not stem from one specific defeat. It comes from repetition. The Brazil National Team alternates between moments of pressure and passivity, moves the ball around without turning possession into danger, and struggles to attack compact defenses.

When it loses the ball, the reaction is not always coordinated. When it needs to control the game, it often lets the match slip into a more evenly contested scenario than it should.

There is no need to rely on behind-the-scenes stories to find the problem. Just watch the games.

The build-up still fluctuates. The use of space in attack is not consistent. The movements to open up the opposing defense often depend more on one player's initiative than on collective action. And when the match calls for a tactical response, it does not always appear clearly.

For nearly a year of work, that is a difficult case to defend.

Carlo Ancelotti’s résumé explains the expectations. It cannot explain the performances forever.

The football played by the Brazil National Team needs to justify the choice. So far, it does not.

Carlo Ancelotti still has not seen the problem on the pitch

This is not about placing all the responsibility on the coach. Players also need to execute, compete, and make better decisions. But there is a difference between demanding execution and recognizing that certain mechanisms keep failing. It is up to the coaching staff to create reference points so that individual talent is not the only way out.

The friendlies during this FIFA window made that even more evident. These were matches to test solutions, fine-tune movements, and give the team’s structure more consistency. The Brazil National Team was inconsistent again. At certain moments, it had the ball but not control. At others, it regained possession but could not turn that recovery into dangerous attacks.

That is exactly where the criticism becomes more uncomfortable. No one is asking for perfect football. Nor for a spectacle in every game. What is being asked is the minimum from a team preparing for a World Cup: to know how to play out, how to press, how to occupy the pitch, and how to attack when the opponent leaves little space.

Nearly a year later, those answers still come only in pieces. A good move here. An individual flash there. A spell of dominance that does not last. Then the team becomes inconsistent again.

Ancelotti can fix it. Of course he can. But the proximity of the World Cup makes every adjustment more urgent and every repeated mistake heavier. The period of observation needs to produce conclusions. The National Team cannot arrive at the tournament still trying to figure out how it wants to play.

In the end, the issue is simple: Carlo Ancelotti took over a National Team full of talent. Nearly a year later, he still has not delivered a team worthy of it.

(*) Wilson Pimentel is a journalist, radio host, businessman, and co-founder of RTI Esporte Agency.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.