Testing combinations, pushing younger players into the light
Após a derrota para a França, Carlo Ancelotti conduz os treinos da seleção brasileira com olhos voltados para o futuro — testando combinações, reintegrando Vini Jr. e avaliando jovens que pedem passagem. O duelo contra a Croácia se aproxima não apenas como um jogo, mas como um espelho das escolhas que moldarão o caráter desta equipe em construção.
- A derrota por 2 a 1 para a França deixou feridas abertas e acelerou a necessidade de respostas táticas antes do confronto com a Croácia.
- Marquinhos, pilar defensivo do PSG e da seleção, segue como dúvida após sentir dor na coxa, lançando incerteza sobre a espinha dorsal da defesa.
- A lesão de Wesley obrigou Ancelotti a improvisar, deslocando o zagueiro Ibañez para a lateral direita — um sinal de que a flexibilidade virou prioridade.
- Luiz Henrique e João Pedro emergem como apostas ofensivas, enquanto Andrey Santos e Danilo disputam a mesma vaga no meio-campo sem definição à vista.
- O retorno de Vini Jr. traz estabilidade ao lado esquerdo, mas o técnico ainda busca o equilíbrio certo entre os que falharam e os que pedem uma chance.
Carlo Ancelotti chegou aos treinos desta semana com uma lista de perguntas sem resposta e a Croácia no horizonte. A derrota para a França por 2 a 1 havia doído, mas também iluminou quem poderia assumir papéis maiores. Vini Jr. estava de volta, estabilizando o lado esquerdo. O trabalho real, porém, estava nas lacunas.
Luiz Henrique, que havia impressionado no segundo tempo contra os franceses, ganhou mais tempo de avaliação no time titular. João Pedro, artilheiro em boa fase no Chelsea, foi posicionado como opção central no ataque. Os dois representam tanto a continuidade das ambições ofensivas do Brasil quanto a disposição de Ancelotti em abrir mão de quem não correspondeu.
Na defesa, o cenário era mais nebuloso. Com Wesley lesionado, o técnico moveu Ibañez — zagueiro de origem — para a lateral direita, um improviso que revelava um raciocínio de longo prazo. A maior incógnita, porém, era Marquinhos: o capitão havia ficado fora do jogo contra a França por dor na coxa, e sua presença contra a Croácia seguia incerta. No meio-campo, Andrey Santos e Danilo disputavam a mesma posição sem que Ancelotti tivesse dado sinais de uma decisão.
O que esses primeiros dias de preparação revelaram foi o retrato de um treinador navegando uma transição. Brasil tropeçou, e agora Ancelotti testa combinações, empurra jovens para o centro das atenções e gerencia um elenco onde lesões e incertezas se misturam. A Croácia chegará em breve. Por ora, a tarefa é descobrir em quem se pode confiar.
Carlo Ancelotti arrived at Brazil's training ground this week with a roster full of questions and a match against Croatia looming. The Italian coach had just watched his team lose to France 2-1 in midweek—a defeat that stung but also clarified some things about who might be ready to step into bigger roles.
Vini Jr. was back in the fold, a return that steadied the left flank. But Ancelotti's real work lay in the gaps elsewhere. Luiz Henrique, who had made an impression in the second half against the French, was being given a longer look at the starting lineup. The winger had shown enough in those minutes to suggest he could be trusted with more responsibility. Alongside him, João Pedro—the Chelsea striker who has been playing some of his best football in the Premier League—was being positioned as the likely choice up front. Both players represented a kind of continuity with Brazil's attacking ambitions, but also a willingness to move past whoever had failed to deliver against France.
The defensive picture was murkier. Wesley, who had been in contention at right-back, was sidelined by injury, forcing Ancelotti to improvise. He moved Ibañez, a center-back by trade, into that right-back role during training. It was the sort of tactical shuffle that suggested the coach was thinking several moves ahead, building flexibility into a defense that might need to adapt on the fly.
But the real uncertainty centered on Marquinhos. The PSG captain and one of Brazil's most reliable defenders had missed the France match after feeling pain in his thigh. Whether he would be fit for Croatia remained unclear. The midfield, too, was unsettled. Both Andrey Santos and Danilo were competing for the same space in the center of the park, and Ancelotti had not yet decided which one—or if both—would start.
What emerged from these early preparations was a portrait of a coach working through a transition. Brazil had stumbled against France, and now Ancelotti was testing combinations, pushing younger players into the light, and managing a roster where several key figures were either injured or still proving themselves. The Croatia match would come soon enough. For now, the real work was figuring out who could be trusted to play.
Citas Notables
Luiz Henrique made an impression in the second half against France and is being given a longer look at the starting lineup— Match report
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why move a center-back to right-back? That seems like a significant risk.
Wesley's injury forced the hand. Ibañez can play there—he has the physical tools—but it's a test. Ancelotti is seeing what's possible if the usual options aren't available.
And Marquinhos being out, that's a bigger problem than a positional experiment, isn't it?
Much bigger. He's the captain and one of the best defenders in the world. His absence changes how the whole back line functions. That's why Ancelotti is being careful about whether he plays.
So the France loss actually opened a door for players like Luiz Henrique and João Pedro?
It did. They got minutes, showed something, and now they're being given a real chance to compete for starting spots. That's how you build depth.
Is this about finding the right team, or is Ancelotti still figuring out what Brazil actually is right now?
Both. He's testing combinations because the roster is in flux. Some players are injured, some are emerging, some need to prove they belong. Croatia will tell him a lot about which experiments worked.