Carlo Ancelotti, coach of the Brazilian national football team, spoke exclusively with CNN Brasil about the team's World Cup performance, squad restructuring for the new cycle, Neymar's international future, the development of young players, and Brazil's midfield needs, among other topics. This is the first part of the interview.

Coach, you've essentially led Brazil for only half a cycle, and this was your first World Cup as a manager. How do you assess your efforts so far? What lessons from the USA World Cup experience can we apply to the next World Cup cycle?

The World Cup preparation period was very difficult. We didn't have much time, but we did our best to prepare. This World Cup was disappointing. It's regrettable, but now we must look ahead. There is time to develop a new generation of players for Brazilian football, and now we will use these friendly matches to observe emerging young talents in Brazilian football.

You used the word "disappointment" at the press conference after the squad announcement, and you've mentioned it again now. Is this the same emotion the fans are feeling right now? Do you share that sentiment?

Of course. Brazil should be among the best national teams in the world, but we didn't achieve that. So we need to improve our efforts and perform better in the next World Cup.

In your internal planning with Brazilian Football Confederation executives, including Rodrigo Caetano, how far did you originally expect Brazil to go in this World Cup?

We didn't have much time to prepare, but I think we were very well prepared logistically and organizationally for this World Cup. Everything felt good until the match against Norway. We couldn't win against Norway. There was some bad luck involved, but ultimately it was a disappointing result. Now we must overcome this disappointment and move forward.

The past has already happened, and it's always easier to analyze because we can distance ourselves from the circumstances at the time. Looking back at the World Cup that just ended, is there anything you would have handled differently?

It's difficult to say. Of course, the players we called up were the best available at that time. I believe the final 26-man squad was correct because we evaluated these players over one year. The problem was that we suffered very significant injuries. Players were injured from March, April through June. Some players like Wesley and Hapinha were also affected by injuries during the World Cup period. This impacted the team's strength to some extent.

Speaking of injured players, Neymar struggled with injuries leading up to the World Cup, and there was endless speculation about whether he would ultimately be called up to Brazil's national team. Now that the World Cup is over, do you still believe bringing Neymar to the World Cup was the right decision?

Yes.

Why?

Because he deserved to be there.

Going forward, many young players have been called up to this Brazil national team, and the team has undergone significant changes. Previously, this generation's team was built around Neymar, but this World Cup seems to mark a turning point for this generation. You mentioned this point in a previous press conference. Does the 2026 World Cup mark the end of an era, a generation of players?

I believe this generation of players participated in three World Cups. The 2022 World Cup generation's cycle has now ended after this World Cup. Some players like Marquinhos could participate in the next World Cup. But overall, we need to bring in new players and build a new identity for the national team.

Does that include Neymar?

Are you asking about the future?

Yes.

No.

So...

In Neymar's case, his international career cycle has ended. He has confirmed he does not want to return to the national team.

So how will you replace Neymar? How do you replace a player like Neymar in Brazil's national team cycle?

Neymar cannot be replaced. He is an extraordinary and unique talent, a player who cannot be replicated. What we can do is build a strong framework and create a strong collective.

You called up many young players this time. Next year there will be the Olympics and Copa América. As you mentioned, this represents a generational transition after the generation that participated in three World Cups. Considering Copa América and the Olympics, how do you plan to manage this generational transition? And how will Brazil's senior national team and Olympic team be integrated?

We have players in the Olympic age group. We are also working with coaches from the U20 and U17 national teams to manage these players well and coordinate the various competitions. In fact, the Olympics are very important, and Copa América is equally important.

We must pay close attention to the development of these young players because a club's objectives for a player don't always completely align with the national team's objectives for that player.

This time you called up three very young goalkeepers. For a long time, Brazil's national team has basically always used the same three goalkeepers, all of whom were highly skilled and excellent players, and some have even been named among the world's best goalkeepers in recent years. Please tell us about this change in the goalkeeper position for Brazil's national team.

We want to observe different types of goalkeepers, but this doesn't mean Alisson has been excluded. Alisson is one of the world's best goalkeepers. If Alisson shows better form than other players in Copa América or the World Cup, Alisson will play.

Can we understand it this way? Since you already know Alisson well, you now want to get to know other goalkeepers more closely?

Of course. Because I believe many young Brazilian goalkeepers, not just in Brazil but across the board, are performing very well right now.

You also praised these three new goalkeepers at the press conference after the squad announcement. What special strengths do you see in each of these three young goalkeepers?

They are all very young and each shows different characteristics. Otávio has a strong personality. Hugo Souza has excellent reflexes. And Pedro Morisco is a young goalkeeper with the potential to become an excellent goalkeeper in the future.

Related article:

Carlo Ancelotti: Brazil lacks midfielders and hopes to develop more midfield talent over the next four years

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