Ancelotti on squad changes: “Chance to assess and clarify final list” | OneFootball

The coach of the Brazilian National Team, Carlo Ancelotti, explained his decision to call up eight new players for the friendlies against France and Croatia, during a press conference after announcing the list this Monday (16). Out of the 26 athletes, the coach chose eight who will be making their debut under his leadership with the Seleção: Léo Pereira, Bremer, Ibañez, Danilo, Gabriel Sara, Rayan, Endrick, and Igor Thiago.

“The choices for this list depended a lot on injuries. It’s a list created with players who are in good physical condition. We had important injuries, such as Militão, Bruno Guimarães, Estêvão, Rodrygo... And we also considered the call-ups of some players I don’t know yet, like Ibañez, Bremer, Rayan, Danilo, and Gabriel Sara. This is our last opportunity to get to know them and make a final list with a clearer idea,” he explained in detail.

“When we call up new players, it’s not because we want to see how they play on the field—we already know that. We want to see how they fit into our environment, their character; for all the new players, that’s what we’re going to observe. We are evaluating everyone. Also, there are players who deserve to be here because they are performing well in their leagues,” he added.

Carlo Ancelotti during the squad announcement for the friendlies against France and CroatiaCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Of these eight selected names, Léo Pereira, Gabriel Sara, Rayan, and Igor Thiago are making their debut with the Seleção. Meanwhile, Ibañez, Bremer, Danilo, and Endrick are returning after periods of absence and will be under Ancelotti’s command for the first time.

In their first match this year, Brazil will face two strong European teams. Ranked third in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking, France will be the first opponent, at 5 p.m. (Brasília time) on the 26th, at Gillette Stadium in Boston. Next, the Seleção will face Croatia, ranked 11th, on the 31st, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, at 9 p.m. (Brasília time).

Carlo Ancelotti during the squad announcement for the friendlies against France and CroatiaCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

According to Ancelotti, with the World Cup in mind, it is essential for the Seleção to face high-level teams. He also highlighted the importance of having already played against different footballing styles from around the world, such as Asian teams (matches against South Korea and Japan in October) and African teams (friendlies with Senegal and Tunisia in November).

“We need to play against high-level teams. The schedule that was made is very good. We played against African teams and will play against Morocco in the World Cup. We played against Asian teams and could face Japan after the group stage. Now, we need to test our level against top European teams—France, with extraordinary quality, and Croatia, who have World Cup experience, a very tough team for Brazil in recent World Cups and one we must respect,” he said.

Carlo Ancelotti during the squad announcement for the friendlies against France and CroatiaCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

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