Brazil’s Uneasy Progress: Ancelotti’s Search for Identity Amid a Fragmented World Cup Cycle

Brazil’s final image in the 2025 calendar was far from dazzling, yet the overall balance of the last FIFA window tilts—albeit slightly—toward optimism. Across matches against Senegal and Tunisia, two opponents with contrasting styles and temperaments, Carlo Ancelotti continued sculpting the Seleção’s still-fragile identity. The answers he found were partial, the doubts persistent, but the direction—at long last—visible.

A Cycle Built on Ruins

In a normally structured World Cup cycle, the closing year before the tournament is the phase of refinement: consolidating ideas, polishing automatisms, and fine-tuning details. Brazil, however, lives in a parallel timeline. Four coaches have come and gone since Qatar, and Ancelotti, inheriting a fractured process, must run tests that should have been resolved eighteen months ago. Instability begets inconsistency, and the national team’s fluctuating performances reflect the chaos of its preparation.

The match against Japan last month testified to these oscillations, and the 1–1 draw with Tunisia in Lille only reinforced the point. Ancelotti reduced the number of changes between matches—from wholesale rotations to just three adjustments—but even then, the team’s structure lost coherence once second-half substitutions began to flow. Brazil’s disorganization after the break was not an isolated episode but a symptom of a group still searching for an internal compass.

Even the opening minutes were troubling. Tunisia’s intensity suffocated Brazil, whose midfield needed too long to synchronize, adjust spacing, and regain control of the tempo.

Fragile Edges: Defensive and Goalkeeping Concerns

The right flank became a focal point of fragility. Wesley, entrusted with a starting role, had a night to forget—culminating in the mistake that led to Tunisia’s opening goal. His halftime substitution was inevitable. During this window, Éder Militão unexpectedly emerged as a right-back alternative, offering defensive solidity but little in the way of offensive progression. Ancelotti has experimented widely—Paulo Henrique, Vanderson, Vitinho—yet clarity remains elusive. Meanwhile, Danilo quietly solidifies himself as a near-certain World Cup squad member, not through brilliance but through versatility, leadership, and reliability.

In goal, the picture is no clearer. Ederson, impeccable against Senegal in terms of saves, once again showed vulnerability with his feet—nearly gifting a goal. Bento, given the opportunity against Tunisia, appeared insecure. This is not a crisis yet, but the shadow of uncertainty lingers behind the undisputed Ederson-Alisson hierarchy.

A Left Flank Without an Owner

If the backup goalkeeper issue can be shelved, left-back cannot. Alex Sandro evaporated into anonymity against Senegal; Caio Henrique, making his first start, performed competently but without imposing himself. He closed spaces, supported combinations, avoided errors—but also failed to stake a definitive claim.

With barely seven months before the World Cup, Brazil lacks a true owner of the position. Ironically, Douglas Santos—used sparingly—has made the strongest impression so far. For a team historically synonymous with full-back excellence, this lingering vacuum is particularly symbolic.

The Overcrowded, Uncertain Attack

If the defense suffers from scarcity, the attack is drowning in abundance. Estêvão, incandescent over this window, seems impossible to remove from the starting eleven. Yet Raphinha, Brazil’s best performer in the last European season, is waiting to return from injury. When he does, who makes way? The only time both were fielded together was against Chile—on a night without Vinícius Júnior.

Tactically, Ancelotti appears increasingly wedded to a 4-2-4, a system that leverages verticality and the ceaseless interchanges of his front quartet while acknowledging the absence of a natural creative midfielder. Brazil thrives in transitions, in broken games, in open fields. But the World Cup will inevitably bring low blocks, tight spaces, and matches where a true centre-forward becomes indispensable.

And there lies another void.

The Missing No. 9

Before Qatar, Pedro seized his chance by scoring against Tunisia. This time, Vitor Roque flashed potential—most notably when he won the penalty Paquetá later squandered—but not enough to secure his ticket. Names circulate like roulette numbers: Pedro, Igor Jesus, Richarlison, Kaio Jorge. None has captured the role. None have convinced Ancelotti they can.

This uncertainty coexists with another ever-present question: Neymar. His future with the national team, his physical condition, his symbolic weight—these will dominate debates until the final squad list is announced.

The Match in Lille: A Microcosm of Brazil’s Crisis

The 1–1 draw against Tunisia distilled the wider issues. Brazil struggled to create danger and resorted to long-distance attempts. Tunisia countered with clarity, especially down Abdi’s left flank. A Wesley error opened the door for Mistouri’s goal. Estêvão equalized from the penalty spot just before halftime.

After the interval, Brazil regressed. Danilo and Vitor Roque entered, and the latter produced the team’s brightest moment by forcing the second penalty. But in a decision that sparked questions, Ancelotti instructed Lucas Paquetá to take the shot instead of Estêvão—who had already scored one. Paquetá missed.

Estêvão’s post-match comment revealed both obedience and frustration:

“It was an order from above. I really wanted to take it, but I supported my teammate. We have to train to improve. In a World Cup, you must take your chances.”

In that sentence lies the delicate balance between hierarchy and form, between experience and emergence—a balance Brazil has yet to reconcile.

Hope, But With Work Ahead

Brazil ends 2025 in better shape than it began. There is structure, there is promise, and there is finally a sense of direction. But Ancelotti’s task remains immense. The unresolved battles—for full-back slots, for the No. 9 role, for attacking combinations—will define the months ahead.

A team once accustomed to certainties now approaches the World Cup guided by questions. And yet, sometimes, questions sharpen identity more than answers.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar