Ancelotti bets on quartet and creates backbone

Eder Militão, Casemiro, Rodrygo, and Viní Jr. Four starters under Carlo Ancelotti in the 5-0 victory over South Korea worked with the Italian coach at Real Madrid. The good result and individual performances show that the partnership in the national team will continue.
The ‘Real Brasil’ — as the Spanish newspaper Marca called them — was a bet by the coach to solve one of his biggest problems: lack of time to train and prepare the team for the World Cup.
Given this scenario, having familiar faces with sharp chemistry would help cut corners. The match against the South Koreans was the quartet’s first outing under Ancelotti’s command.
In previous call-ups, Militão was still recovering from an injury, Rodrygo from a period of physical and mental fatigue. Viní was suspended for the matches against Chile and Bolivia. Only Casemiro, overlooked during Dorival Junior’s tenure as coach, was part of all Ancelotti’s call-ups.
With a defender, a midfielder, and two attackers who know his working style and have a good relationship with him, the Italian coach creates a backbone; a solid base of technical quality and trust.
‘We don’t have that time, so the coach already knows most of the players, which helps a lot. Knowing the players, like the ones I play with at Real Madrid, you already have that chemistry,’ Rodrygo said in a press conference during the training week.
The attacker’s words were prophetic. In the 5-0 victory over South Korea, the connection between Ancelotti’s ‘four horsemen’ was evident. Two goals stemmed from this harmony.
The second goal, scored by Rodrygo, came after a prolonged exchange of passes in front of the South Korean area. When Viní received on the left, he passed to Casemiro at the edge of the box, and the midfielder played it first-time for Rodrygo to score.
In the fourth goal, Casemiro stole the ball in the attacking intermediate zone and passed to Viní at the edge of the box. Without looking, number 7 passed sideways and found Rodrygo free to push the ball into the net.
In an interview with UOL, Ancelotti stated that he has 70 players to observe and select a final list of 26 for the World Cup. However, the coach also mentioned that there are around 15 names that he has already defined as the core of the final list.
The friendlies leading up to the World Cup will serve to carry out tests and solidify ideas. Against South Korea, the quartet of former Ancelotti players passed with flying colors.
To boost confidence
The 5-0 triumph of the Brazilian national team comes at a great time for two members of ‘Real Brasil’: Viní Jr and Rodrygo. Number 7 scored two goals against Villarreal on Sunday but went through a tough week off the field.
In recent days, he was in the spotlight due to the exposure of personal life episodes, speculation about a strained relationship with Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid’s coach, and a fire in the sauna of his Madrid home; there were no injuries.
Rodrygo, on the other hand, is going through a challenging phase at the club. Since Xabi Alonso’s arrival, he lost his starting position and started competing with Viní Jr for the left-wing spot.
He had not scored two goals in a match since January 29, when Real Madrid defeated Brest 3-0 in the Champions League group stage.