Will Neymar play at the World Cup? Ancelotti provides his clearest answer yet
The Brazil head coach spoke to the media about Neymar’s injury, Vinícius’ key role in the team and also confirmed the starting lineup for tomorrow’s game against Panama.
Brazil has been in full World Cup mode for several days. The Seleção will host Panama at the Maracanã on Sunday (5.30 p.m. ET) in a friendly that will give Brazilian fans a chance to send off the team before it travels to the United States.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke to reporters to share his final thoughts ahead of the World Cup. He was asked about Neymar’s physical condition, the reasoning behind his squad selection and the roles players such as Vinícius and Raphinha will play for Brazil during the tournament.
What is Neymar’s injury situation?
As expected, the first question of the press conference focused on Neymar’s injury situation.
Ancelotti explained that Brazil initially received a report from Santos detailing the injury Neymar had been carrying since his last appearance for the club. From that point on, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) took over management of the player’s recovery.
The Italian coach and his staff believe Neymar will be available during the group stage of the World Cup. If he is not ready for Brazil’s opening match, they expect him to return for the second game.
Ancelotti said Neymar is working well in his recovery and appears highly motivated ahead of the tournament.
The coach was later asked about the process behind selecting the Brazilian star. Ancelotti said he had spoken directly with Neymar about his rehabilitation and the role he could play for the national team at the World Cup.
He praised the forward and once again emphasized the effort Neymar has been putting into training.
Who will be team captain for Brazil?
As for the team’s leaders, Ancelotti said that, alongside Neymar, both Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha will be extremely important for Brazil at the World Cup.
However, Marquinhos will remain the team captain. Ancelotti also wished him luck in the Champions League final, extending the same message to Gabriel.
The former Real Madrid coach acknowledged that some difficult decisions had to be made during the squad-selection process. The coaching staff focused on choosing the players they believed would contribute most to the collective effort.
According to Ancelotti, there has never been any outside pressure regarding Neymar or any other player.
Interestingly, after discussing Brazil’s most influential players, a reporter asked about managing egos within the national team.
Ancelotti responded by drawing a distinction between “stars” and “champions.”
He said stars use their egos outwardly, while champions channel their egos into helping the team and improving the group as a whole.
To conclude the press conference, the Italian manager revealed Brazil’s starting lineup for the friendly against Panama at the Maracanã:
Alisson; Wesley, Bremer, Léo Pereira, Alex Sandro; Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Luiz Henrique; Vinícius Júnior, Matheus Cunha and Raphinha.
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