Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti refused to panic after his side’s World Cup campaign opened with a stutter, insisting Friday’s (Saturday BST) Group C meeting with Haiti is the perfect chance to correct the flaws exposed in a 1-1 draw with Morocco.
The five-time champions needed a moment of magic from Vinicius Jr to rescue a point in their opener at New York New Jersey Stadium on 13 June, after Ismael Saibari had given Morocco an early lead.
The result left Brazil third in the group on one point, level with Morocco, while Scotland sit two points clear at the top of Group C after their narrow 1-0 win over Haiti. The Haitians, appearing at just their second World Cup after a 52-year wait, remain bottom of the group without a point.
Now comes a clash with the Caribbean minnows at Lincoln Financial Field on Friday evening — a match Brazil will be expected to win comfortably. History favors them too: Brazil have beaten Haiti in all three of their previous meetings, conceding none and scoring 17, including a 7-1 rout at the 2016 Copa America.
Despite the underwhelming start, Ancelotti remained confident in his squad’s ability to turn things around.
“You don’t win the World Cup in the first match,” the Italian told reporters in Philadelphia on Thursday. “The players’ self-criticism was very positive. I think we’ll sort out the problems; I remain confident that we’ll be competitive.”
Ancelotti, who took charge of the Selecao a little over a year ago, gave little away about his starting eleven but suggested he would tweak rather than overhaul the side that struggled against Morocco.
“We’re going to make a few changes,” he said. “Improve our balance and our play. We can do better and we have to do better.”
The performance against Morocco came under heavy scrutiny, with several of Ancelotti’s selections — including Igor Thiago and Roger Ibanez in defense — questioned after a shaky first half. Casemiro and Lucas Paqueta also struggled before the introductions of Danilo, Fabinho and Matheus Cunha helped stabilize the team after the break. Ancelotti suggested the occasion itself may have weighed on his players early on.
“The first half was a bit unexpected; it may be that the pressure of wearing the shirt in the opening match affected the players’ mental state a little,” he said. “Getting off to a good start was important, but it isn’t the most important thing.”
He added that wholesale changes were still on the table for players who underperformed.
“We have to give further opportunities to the players who didn’t perform well in the first half against Morocco. No one in our team played at their best. But I don’t think the opening matches will determine the final outcome of the World Cup.”
Asked whether supporters should be concerned about Brazil lacking a clear tactical identity under him, Ancelotti pushed back, framing adaptability as a strength rather than a weakness.
“I don’t want a single identity,” he said. “I want my team to have multiple identities.”
A positive result against Haiti would move Brazil level on points with Scotland heading into a decisive final group match against the Scots on June 24, with Ancelotti’s side determined to show the Morocco performance was a blip rather than a deeper problem.
