World Cup: Carlo, Redeemer? Ancelotti’s shadow looms between Brazilian flair and pragmatism

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti (AP Photo) You can call it irony or a simple twist of fate. The 35-year-old, who had just ditched his soccer jersey for a trainer’s tracksuit, was leading a drill with the Italian team at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.It was the summer of 1994. Under the venerable Arrigo Sacchi, one of AC Milan’s most famous sons, Carlo Ancelotti, was learning the tricks of the trade to destroy Dunga’s Brazil. But had it not been for the shootout loss, Ancelotti’s first attempt as coach would have been a stunning success against the power of the Romario-Bebeto combination.Thirty-two years later, five Champions League titles later, Ancelotti will once again grace the US trenches. This time, however, he will represent the resurrection of the Selecao, a job that has never gone to a non-Brazilian for a long time. History struggles to remember three outsiders who coached Brazil, but the fourth has certainly gone down in the annals. Already.The calmest trainer, as they now call him, has stepped into the most emotionally demanding job on the planet. Ancelotti’s appointment was met with some reservations from native Brazilians. Even Brazilian President Lula questioned the Italian’s inexperience with national teams. It was politely said that Italy, who failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, never asked for Ancelotti’s help. Sacchi’s most famous replacement was undeterred and steered the struggling yellow shirts through qualification to the big stage.Brazil has been walking aimlessly through the wilderness of world football for a whole generation. Memories of 2002, when Cafu lifted the trophy in Saitama, Japan, are a kind of forbidden underground club for Brazilian Gen-Z. The triumph of 1970 would seem to them like a yellowing diploma hanging on the far corner of the wall.Repeated humiliations by France, Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia and, more recently, arch-enemies Argentina in Copa and South American World Cup qualifiers forced the Brazilian federation to finally seek the only remaining option – to employ a European.Ancelotti was tasked with creating football mythology, buying back the soul of football’s Mephistopheles.Back in the US, this time Brazil’s journey looks less like 1970 or 2002 and more like 1994. This team, coached by Carlos Alberto Parreira, remains one of the most misunderstood champions in soccer history. For many romantics, the USA ’94 side represented the death of yoga bonita; they were pragmatic, physical, cautious and occasionally blunt.Yet he was also mentally indestructible. Brazil have conceded just three goals in seven matches. They controlled matches rather than dazzled them. And when that moment came, they believed Romario, Bebeto, Dunga and the aging Branco would deliver exactly what the team needed.Ancelotti may be forced to adopt a similar plan.“Maybe we’re a step behind this time, but we’re on our toes and that’s always good,” Casemiro, Dunga’s successor, announced in Ancelotti’s plans.Brazil still has enormous attacking talent, but unlike previous generations, there is no clear, complete superstar at peak maturity. Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior is devastating in transition but less dominant in tight spaces for club and country. Raphinha can explode one day and disappear the next. Endrick remains more of a promise than a certainty.Therefore, the comparison with 1994 becomes fascinating.Brazil don’t necessarily need the next Romario. Crucially, they need someone capable of producing decisive moments under stifling pressure. Romario only scored five goals in this World Cup, but almost every touch changed Brazil’s fortunes. His chemistry with Bebet brought efficiency instead of spectacle to Brazil.Today, that partnership could theoretically become Vinicius and Raphinha, but neither yet carries Romario’s cold-blooded inevitability. Perhaps Ancelotti’s biggest task is a psychological one — convincing his forwards to become the men who decide tournaments rather than just entertain them.Then comes the important question of Dunga.No player symbolized the anti-romanticism of 1994 more than Dunga. For years he was criticized for representing discipline over art. Nevertheless, Brazil won the World Cup under his leadership. Dunga gave the side emotional control. He injected a competitive edge into a talented but fragile team.Modern Brazil probably lacks this figure more than Romario. Midfielder Casemiro has huge shoes to fill.The current side has technical quality everywhere but has looked emotionally vulnerable in tournaments. The collapse against Croatia in 2022, against France in a recent friendly revealed a team that can go crazy when the games stop flowing. Ancelotti’s history suggests he understands this deeply. His greatest teams at Real Madrid were not always tactically revolutionary; they were emotionally stable. They survived the storms.Perhaps this is the future of Brazil under his leadership: less chaos, less risk, more control.This does not mean ugly football in the traditional sense. Ancelotti is too sophisticated to turn Brazil into a purely defensive machine. But international football increasingly rewards structure over beauty. Argentina won the 2022 World Cup thanks to resilience and tactical adaptability, as well as brilliance. France reached two consecutive finals by mastering transitions and defensive poise.The era of winning purely through taste is largely over.Brazil may have to accept this reality.Ironically, embracing pragmatism could liberate them psychologically. The burden of performing “like Brazil” has haunted generations since 2002. Every failure becomes framed as a betrayal of identity. Ancelotti, as an outsider, could finally separate the team from this historical prison.And if Brazil succeeds on American soil, it may not resemble samba football at all. It can feel a lot more like 1994: disciplined, dogged, occasionally obnoxious – but ultimately unstoppable when the pressure becomes unbearable.