Carlo Ancelotti remains optimistic about Brazil’s prospects for the upcoming World Cup, despite their recent 1-0 loss to Bolivia.
This match concluded their qualifying campaign, with Miguel Terceros scoring a penalty in the first half, securing Bolivia’s spot in the intercontinental play-offs. Brazil had already secured their place in the tournament set to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
During the match against Bolivia, Brazil struggled to find their rhythm. They managed an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.36 from 10 shots, only three of which were on target. In contrast, Bolivia achieved an xG of 1.78 from 23 attempts. This defeat marked Ancelotti’s first since taking over as coach in May, replacing Dorival Junior after a series of poor performances.
Ancelotti led Brazil through their final four qualifying matches, securing two victories against Paraguay and Chile and a draw with Ecuador. Despite these results, Brazil experienced their worst South American qualifiers campaign ever with a 52% success rate. However, it’s worth noting that their second-worst campaign in 2002 ended with them winning the World Cup.
The game against Bolivia was challenging both technically and physically. Ancelotti commented after the match: “Today was a difficult game, both technically and physically… We’re on the right track for the World Cup.” He expressed confidence that Brazil would prepare well for future matches and arrive at the World Cup ready.
With qualification already secured before facing Bolivia, Ancelotti made nine changes to his line-up. Alisson and Bruno Guimaraes were the only players retained from their previous win against Chile. New faces like Andrey Santos, Lucas Paqueta, Richarlison, Caio Henrique, Alexsandro Ribeiro, Fabricio Bruno, and Vitinho were included in the starting eleven.
Ancelotti explained his decision: “All the players in this group will have new opportunities because they worked very well all week… I wanted to use this match to get to know some of the players.” Despite these changes, Brazil couldn’t secure a win.
Criticism from Brazilian Football Confederation
Following the defeat to Bolivia, Samir Xaud, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), criticised various aspects of the match. He described it as “a real mess,” expressing disappointment with what he saw as subpar football conditions. Xaud stated: “What we want is to make it even bigger… With this kind of attitude… it’s difficult to play football.”
Xaud also called for action from CONMEBOL due to perceived unfairness during the game: “I hope CONMEBOL takes action… This can’t happen.” His comments highlighted frustrations with both on-field performance and external factors affecting play.
Despite these challenges and criticisms, Ancelotti remains focused on preparing Brazil for success at next year’s World Cup. The team aims to improve its performance and build momentum leading up to the tournament.