Carlo Ancelotti has spoken for the first time since his last 16 exit from the World Cup with Brazil.
The Italian ended the campaign in disappointing fashion and is facing questions over his future.
Instead, he’s made everything about the future, ending the international careers of a number of veterans.
Ancelotti calls an end to Neymar’s Brazil career
Reflecting on the tournament to O Globo, he said: “I think this World Cup marks the end of a generation of very important players.
“Starting with Neymar. Going through Danilo, Casemiro, all those players who were over 30 years old at the World Cup.
“We are going to map out new players who can enter, I’m not saying for the next World Cup in 2030, but who can already be competitive in the first objective, which is the Copa América in 2028.
“I’m not going to say I’m going to change all 26 players. We’re going to keep some important players who can continue the work, like Marquinhos, to name one.
“I think it’s important that they stay to give a sign of continuity to the work. But the idea is to change, to bring in a new generation.
“I already spoke with them after the World Cup. I spoke with some when we made the final decision and I will speak with them, I have no problem with anyone.
“I spoke with some during this period. Yesterday, Neymar was very clear in his statement that his time with the National Team is over, and this is a natural progression in a player’s career. Sooner or later, it ends.”
Ancelotti suggests Alisson’s Brazil career is over
Ancelotti then went on to suggest that long-time No.1 Alisson Becker will likely be saying goodbye too.
“I think we need to look at new goalkeepers,” he said. “And there are new goalkeepers.
“There are young goalkeepers playing in the Brazilian Championship that we need to watch.
“Taking into account the qualities that Alisson and Ederson still have, the idea is to make a very careful assessment of the new goalkeepers.”
Ancelotti was then asked a series of telling questions about his team’s exit against Norway.
“It had an impact,” he said. “It had a huge impact on a personal level.
“In my career, I’ve won a lot, but I’ve also had many defeats. More defeats than victories.
“This one is different because you don’t have time to think and react. At a club, you lose a game, but after 15 days or a month, you have that possibility.
“Here, the timeframe is longer, and you have to digest it little by little. It’s more complicated.
“The defeat is digested; it was a disappointing defeat because I think Brazil should have gone further in the World Cup. But it happened, we have to look ahead.”
He added: “I think the team needs to have a style based on the characteristics of the players.
“The truth is that you might receive criticism because the team had less possession than Norway.
“The structure, the characteristics of the players, are not suited to playing a possession-based game.
“When you have players like Vinicius, Endrick, Estêvão, and Raphinha up front, you don’t have to play a possession-based game. You have to play a more vertical game.
“So the style is based on the characteristics of the players. If new players emerge, a very high-quality midfielder, obviously you can play a more possession-based game.”
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