Ancelotti defends Brazil, explains penalty and aims for new cycle after fall

Ancelotti did not speak when leaving the field, although FIFA requires interviews from coaches after World Cup games. Shortly afterwards, he appeared in the press room and answered 12 questions, almost all of which were asked by Brazilian journalists.

The coach's main message was that Brazil didn't play a bad game. For him, the Seleção had moments of control, created chances to win and ended up being punished for not turning the opportunities into goals.

Without mentioning names in a demanding tone, the coach recalled the moves that could have changed the elimination script. Among them, the penalty missed by Bruno Guimarães in the first half and the clear chance missed by Endrick at the beginning of the final stage.

"The game, at times, was good. We had opportunities in the first half and also in the second. The changes were to add freshness and try to win the match", he stated.

Ancelotti explained that the strategy against Norway required care. The coach said that pressing very high could make the Europeans' game easier, mainly because of Erling Haaland's speed.

"It looked like a controlled game. It would be very difficult to press very high, because that would be good for Haaland's speed," he said.

The entries of Endrick and Neymar were also justified by the Italian. According to him, Endrick was used to attack the spaces and give Brazil more depth. Neymar, in turn, came in to improve his creation in the last third of the field.

"Endrick came in to provide more depth and had an opportunity. After the break, we were counting on Neymar's quality in the final third", he explained.

One of the central themes of the press conference was the choice of Bruno Guimarães to take the penalty. Ancelotti stated that the decision took into account recent statistics, the hierarchy of hitters and the moment of the players on the field.

According to the coach, Raphinha was the best collector among the starters analyzed last year. In the general list, Neymar, Igor Thiago, Raphinha, Bruno Guimarães and Gabriel Martinelli appeared as options. Bruno was chosen because, according to Ancelotti, he was the most suitable name at that moment in the match.

“We chose Bruno because we understood he was the best on the field”, he declared.

Despite the early elimination, Ancelotti said he believed that Brazil had the squad to go further in the World Cup.

“Brazil, with this squad, could compete until the end of the World Cup,” he said.

The coach acknowledged the frustration, but made a point of valuing the group. He said that the team had a “good, not spectacular” World Cup and that, against Norway, they could have deserved to win.

"The experience was beautiful. We had a good group. I thank the players, who worked well and created a good atmosphere. Not everything is perfect", he said.

With a contract renewed until 2030 before the start of the World Cup, Ancelotti ruled out any sign of farewell. For him, the defeat opens a new stage in command of the Brazilian team.

"When something like this happens, a defeat is the beginning of a new adventure. We will continue working, improving and finding new ideas. It is not the end, it is the beginning of a new cycle. I will continue working for this team", he stated.

The coach said that the first step will be to manage the sadness of elimination. After that, the committee will begin to think about the future of a team that, according to him, mixes young people, veterans and names that can still gain space.

"Now we have to deal with the sadness. Then we start thinking about the future of this team, which has a solid group, with young people, some veterans and new players who could join", he added.

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With the defeat, Brazil says goodbye to the World Cup in the round of 16, something that hasn't happened since 1990. The team is also experiencing its longest period without a World Cup title, which will complete 28 years in the next World Cup, in 2030.