Brazil’s performance against Ecuador was abysmal throughout. Carlo Ancelotti’s debut as Brazil coach was a disappointing one. Brazil had to keep the ball in their own half for most of the game. Of the 376 successful passes, 285 were made in their own half. 91 were made in the opponent’s half.
Ecuador, on the other hand, played 222 passes in Brazil’s half. The difference between the two teams is much clearer here. If it weren’t for the failures of the opposing forwards, Brazil would have ended up losing. When the fans were disappointed with the Seleção’s performance, Brazil coach Ancelotti blamed the stadium.
The host Ecuador was ahead of them in all aspects, possession of the ball, attack. After the match, Brazil coach Ancelotti blamed the field for his team’s performance, saying, “It was quite difficult to start a tactical game from the back (defense) due to the conditions of the field. It was also difficult to control the ball.”
Ancelotti said of his team’s attack: “We had two good chances, one from Vinicius Junior (in the first half), the other from Casemiro in the second half. It’s true, we could have done better in attack, but we also have to think about the strength of the opponent. Ecuador played very well, as we did… The journey to get here was very long, which was a bit tiring.”
Rafinha did not play in this match. Brazil will get the Barcelona star forward in the next match against Paraguay. Ancelotti hopes Rafinha will come and change the picture, “Of course there is room for improvement… I am sure we can improve in attack too. Because today we did not get a very important person. That is Rafinha, who will return to the team.”
Carlo Ancelotti sounded quite optimistic at the press conference about his first match at home, “I think the match against Paraguay will be different. Because we will have more opportunities to control the match. We will have to play dynamic football with more intensity. I think the quality of the players is very good. So even if we don’t get enough time to work, we have a chance.”
