Latest news with #Ancelotti
Euronews
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Euronews
Carlo Ancelotti: Can he lead Brazil to World Cup glory?
With 31 major medals won as a coach - including five Champions League titles - Carlo Ancelotti is the most successful club manager in the history of the sport. The 65-year-old has taken on a new challenge as the head coach of the Brazilian national team. Can Ancelotti lead 'La Seleção' back to their former glories? ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ
Sinar Daily
4 days ago
- Sport
- Sinar Daily
Five challenges Ancelotti faces as Brazil reign kicks off
The 65-year-old Italian led his first training session on Monday in Guayaquil, Ecuador, ahead of what should be his first match, if his move from Real Madrid passes scrutiny by football's governing body FIFA. 04 Jun 2025 09:48am Brazil's national football team head coach, Italian Carlo Ancelotti, looks at his players during a training session in Sao Paulo, Brazil on June 3, 2025, ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier football match against Ecuador on June 5 at the Monumental Stadium in Quito. (Photo by Nelson ALMEIDA / AFP) SAO PAULO - After a warm welcome to Brazil, Carlo Ancelotti, the Selecao's first foreign coach in more than 50 years, is on a mission to fix a stuttering team and win back fans which starts on Thursday against Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier. The 65-year-old Italian led his first training session on Monday in Guayaquil, Ecuador, ahead of what should be his first match, if his move from Real Madrid passes scrutiny by football's governing body FIFA. Brazil's national football team head coach, Italian Carlo Ancelotti, looks at his players during a training session in Sao Paulo, Brazil on June 3, 2025, ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier football match against Ecuador on June 5 at the Monumental Stadium in Quito. (Photo by Nelson ALMEIDA / AFP) AFP identifies five issues Ancelotti faces: Qualify! "The only goal is to win the 2026 World Cup," said Ancelotti when he took the job. First he has to get there. The South American group is a two-year, 18-match marathon. Brazil's campaign has included a first-ever home World Cup qualifying defeat, 1-0 at the Maracana to old enemy Argentina, part of a run of three straight defeats in 2023 that ended the coaching reign of Fernando Diniz. Their last match was a 4-1 humiliation in Argentina in March that finished off former coach Dorival Junior. Yet the format is forgiving. The top six in the 10-team group qualify directly for the World Cup. Brazil are fourth, six points clear of Venezuela in seventh with four matches to go. Ecuador may be second in the group, but are only two points ahead of Brazil, who then host Paraguay, who are fifth. Qualifying ends in September with a visit to last-place Chile and a home game against struggling Bolivia. Find a centre forward Brazil is still churning out dazzling attackers but the production line has stalled on No. 9s. In this century, Romario, Ronaldo and Adriano have all led the attack and banged in the goals. The nearest player to a classic No. 9 in Ancelotti's first squad is a player he coached at Everton, Richarlison, now of Tottenham. Yet Ancelotti has won without a central striker before. His 2024 Champions League winning side was led by two Brazilians: Vinicius Jr, who is in Ancelotti's squad, and Rodrygo, who he did not select. Ancelotti also has Raphinha of Barcelona, who was joint top scorer in this season's Champions League. - Sort out the midfield - A bigger problem might be supplying the attackers, veteran Brazilian football journalist Juca Kfouri told AFP. With Brazil's youth academies focusing on defensive midfielders and quick wingers rather than classic creators, the Selecao faces a shortage of ideas in midfield. In Brazil's last two outings Dorival Junior tried Bruno Guimaraes, Gerson, Andre and Joelinton in the role. None convinced. At Madrid, Ancelotti "had Toni Kroos as a supply line for Vini. Brazil does not have a Toni Kroos," said sports writer Tim Vickery on his 'Brazilian Shirt Name' podcast. Ancelotti has recalled Kroos's former Real Madrid midfield partner Casemiro, although the 33-year-old now with Manchester United is primarily a defensive player to add, the coach said, "charisma, personality and talent." Find full-backs The supply of swashbuckling fullbacks, such as Carlos Alberto, Cafu and Roberto Carlos -- another hallmark of great Brazil teams -- has also dried up. Ancelotti has recalled Carlos Augusto, part of the Inter Milan team crushed in the Champions League final, and picked Flamengo duo Wesley Franca and Alex Sandro after seeing them play last week in a 1-0 victory over Venezuelan team Deportivo Tachira in the Copa Libertadores. Win back the fans Ancelotti needs to rebuild the bond between the team and the public. Part of the problem is that after Brazil won five World Cups playing -- mostly -- the "jogo bonito" (the beautiful game), fans have little patience with mediocrity. But many supporters have been turned off by the way the famous yellow jersey has been hijacked as a symbol by supporters of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro. "This issue of the extreme right appropriating the jersey has distanced part of the country," said Kfouri, adding Ancelotti called on the fans when he took the job saying, "I hope to have the support and help of the country." - AFP
Forbes
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Real Madrid Star Rodrygo Makes Decision On Future
Real Madrid star Rodrygo appears to have made a decision on his future amid the arrival of new head ... More coach Xabi Alonso. Real Madrid star Rodrygo appears to have made a decision on his future amid the arrival of new head coach Xabi Alonso. The Brazilian, who landed in the Spanish capital from Santos upon turning 18 in 2019, didn't end the 2024/2025 season in the best of fashions as his club went without major silverware. As Rodrygo lost his place in the starting line up to Arda Guler, Radio MARCA reported that he didn't want to play for Los Blancos again. When Guler started El Clasico, and then-manager Carlo Ancelotti brought on Victor Munoz instead of Rodrygo as Madrid looked to equalize FC Barcelona in an 4-3 loss that pretty much saw the visitors cede the La Liga title in Montjuic, it seemed like the end was night for the number 11. Recent weeks have seen him linked with a potential transfer to Arsenal, while there have been constant rumors of becoming a protagonist on Manchester City's frontline ever since Madrid fans blasted him for praising Pep Guardiola's team in a poorly thought out interview in 2024. Though there doesn't seem to have been a fallout between Ancelotti and Rodrygo, the Italian taking up the reins for the forward's national team has meant a changing of the guard in that Xabi Alonso now mans Los Blancos' dugout. A video of Alonso running instructions past Rodrygo on the training ground has already done the rounds on social media, and the player himself took to Instagram by posting pictures of himself preparing for the Club World Cup with the simple caption: 'HAPPY' SPORT reports that the 'tables have turned' for Rodrygo, who was been convinced to stay at Madrid and 'try to be important in the team' which could above all mean taking back his spot in an attacking trident completed by Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe. Ultimately, however, Rodrygo's Real Madrid future might not be in his hands. With his future already threatened by Guler, we also must consider the expected arrival of River Plater wonderkid Franco Mastantuono, who should cross the Atlantic to join Alonso's squad after the Club World Cup.
France 24
12-06-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Brazil and Ecuador book their ticket to the 2026 World Cup
Sport 05:00 Issued on: 05:00 min Sports With the World Cup just one year away, the list of qualified countries is growing. In South America, Brazil and Ecuador will be taking part. Ancelotti scores his first win with his new team. And then, from one World Cup to the next, clubs from all over the world arrive in the United States for Fifa's brand new competition. Barely crowned European champions, PSG already have their eyes set on a new trophy.
Kuwait Times
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Brazil, Ecuador book World Cup berths, Uruguay on brink
Top six finishers in S America qualify automatically for the World Cup SAO PAULO: Brazil booked their place at the 2026 World Cup in North America on Tuesday with a lackluster 1-0 home victory over Paraguay, the first win of Carlo Ancelotti's reign. The five-time world champions punched their ticket to the finals in Canada, the United States and Mexico thanks to Vinicius Jr. The Real Madrid star poked in from close range in the 44th minute in Sao Paulo after a cross from new Manchester United signing Matheus Cunha. It was the perfect gift for the Italian Ancelotti on his 66th birthday, having seen his new side held 0-0 by Ecuador last week in his first game as coach. Former Real Madrid boss Ancelotti praised his team's 'commitment' and 'attitude'. 'It was a good match with a very good first half, although obviously we suffered a bit because Paraguay are very solid opponents and we slowed down a bit in the second,' he said. Uruguay's 2-0 win over Venezuela in Montevideo had raised the prospect of qualification for both Brazil and Paraguay at Corinthians Arena. Paraguay needed only a point to qualify while Brazil knew they could advance with a win. In the event it was Brazil who seized the opportunity presented by Venezuela's loss with Vinicius scoring the only goal just before half-time. Brazil had struggled to create many chances up until that point, with Cunha squandering a golden chance in the 35th minute after heading wide from point-blank range. Cunha made up for it with a key part in the goal, capitalizing on good work from Raphinha to dart into the box and whip in a low cross for Vinicius, who stabbed home the finish. The win lifted Brazil into third place in the South American standings with 25 points from 16 games, guaranteeing them a top-six finish and an automatic qualifying berth. Looking ahead to next summer, Ancelotti said he had 'a very long list' of 70 players in mind, including Neymar, who was missing with injury. He added: 'I really liked those who were with me in this squad for their commitment, their attitude, and the atmosphere.' The defeat left Paraguay with 24 points, meaning they need one point to secure their first World Cup appearance since 2010. Ecuador book place Surprise package Ecuador joined Brazil by sealing qualification with a point following a 0-0 draw with Peru in Lima. In other games, Uruguay edged closer to qualification with their win over Venezuela while Chile were eliminated with defeat to Bolivia. Goals from Rodrigo Aguirre and Giorgian de Arrascaeta secured all three points for Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay to leave the two-time world champions firmly on course for a place in next year's finals. Like Paraguay, Uruguay need only a point from their final two games to qualify. Venezuela, who are bidding to reach the World Cup for the first time in the nation's history, are seventh with 18 points from 16 games. Argentina, who have already qualified, came from behind to frustrate Colombia with a 1-1 draw in Buenos Aires. Liverpool star Luis Diaz fired Colombia into the lead with a superb 24th minute goal, and the Colombians were given a further boost midway through the second half when the world champions were reduced to 10 men after Enzo Fernandez's dismissal. But Colombia's hopes of a vital win were dashed nine minutes from time when Thiago Almada weaved into the box and found the target to level. The top six finishers in South America qualify automatically for the World Cup, with the seventh-placed team advancing to an intercontinental playoff. Bolivia defeated Chile 2-0 to end the former South American champions' hopes of qualification. It is the third straight World Cup that Chile have missed out on. The loss continues a dramatic fall from grace for 'La Roja', who won back-to-back Copa Americas in 2015 and 2016. – AFP
