Douglas Santos on World Cup parity: “No game will be easy” | OneFootball

Brazil national team left-back Douglas Santos spoke about the fiercely contested start to the World Cup, marked by closely fought matches in the opening round of the group stage. In a press conference held this Tuesday (16) at The Ridge hotel in New Jersey, United States, he said that “there will be no easy game.”

“We’re talking about the World Cup, where the best players in the world are gathered. As I’ve been saying, there will be no easy game. We know there have been a lot of balanced matches, a lot of draws, like what happened yesterday. We have to be emotionally and physically prepared so that we can give our best in every game, knowing that it will always be very difficult,” said the 32-year-old defender.

Importance of the mix in the squad

The Zenit player, from Russia, spoke about the importance of the mix between younger and more experienced players. Names such as Rayan, Danilo Santos, Léo Pereira and Igor Thiago are experiencing their first call-ups to the senior national team, alongside veterans such as Casemiro, Marquinhos, Danilo, Alisson and Neymar.

“The younger players bring balance to those who are a little older, in terms of maturity and intensity. Everyone here in the national team is prepared to give their best with intensity, along with experience. And, for sure, we will help these younger boys in our national team,” he pointed out.

Douglas Santos during a press conference for the Brazil national team in New JerseyCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Backed by Carlo Ancelotti

The Brazil left-back also highlighted the trusting relationship he has with coach Carlo Ancelotti. He said that the Mister pointed out the defensive qualities he has shown at Zenit and asked the player to enjoy the opportunity to wear the national team shirt at the World Cup.

“The Mister has said a lot that I’ve grown a lot defensively there at Zenit. He has been following me with the whole staff and has asked me to enjoy it. He knows my characteristics and it has been working out. I’ve been pushing myself to the maximum, fully focused on always giving my best for the national team,” he said.

Douglas Santos during a press conference for the Brazil national team in New JerseyCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Douglas Santos looked ahead to next Friday’s (19) match against Haiti at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, United States, at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time, for the second round of the World Cup group stage. The player highlighted the opponent’s quality and stressed that the national team is focused on securing its first win in the competition.

“We’re talking about a national team that is very physically strong, with an intensity that we could see in the game they played against Scotland, and that has shown itself to be a very qualified team. It will be a very difficult match, in which the first thought is to win, because we cannot be arrogant and say that we’re going to thrash them. We have to keep our feet on the ground, stay humble, and know that getting the three points is the most important thing at this moment,” he stressed.

Spot at left-back

The left-back recalled the moment he was called up and the competition for a place in the position, stressing that “there were great players to choose from.”

“We’re talking about the Brazil national team, where the best players in the world come together. And at left-back, there are many quality players. I knew there would be great players to choose from, and whoever was picked would do a great job for the national team. I’m here and I’ll try to give my best so that we can have a very beautiful journey at the World Cup,” he concluded.

Douglas Santos during a press conference for the Brazil national team in New JerseyCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

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