Ancelotti faces the challenge of raising the Brazilian national team to its natural place

 Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti will face a "very important challenge" to elevate the Brazilian national football team to its rightful place as one of the world's most popular sporting giants and restore the five-time world champions to their traditional role.

However, the conversation doesn't begin with leading Brazil to its first world title since 2002 and its sixth in history. Rather, it begins with an attempt to qualify for the 2026 World Cup and bridge the technical gap that currently separates the "Seleção" from its rival, the 2022 champions Argentina, who secured South America's first ticket to the finals.

There doesn't appear to be much time left for the 65-year-old, who officially begins his tenure on May 26, the day after his final match with Real Madrid against Real Sociedad in the final round of the Spanish League. A lot of work awaits him.

The man who led Real Madrid to 15 titles during his two spells with the club, including three Champions League titles, will become Brazil's first foreign coach and the fourth to take over the Selecao in three years, underscoring the extent of the turmoil facing the five-time world champions.

The first task awaits him at the turn is to announce his squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay on June 5 and 10.

Everyone is looking to "Carletto" as a redemption in a football-mad country that has been frustrated for years by a national team that is now a shadow of its former self, when it inspired generations of fans and won five World Cups.

Former star Cafu, who was the last Brazilian captain to win the World Cup in 2002, told AFP about the Italian's appointment, "Just announcing Ancelotti as the new coach gave people hope... but he has a huge responsibility ahead of him: leading Brazil to its sixth World Cup title."

Brazilian journalist Gustavo Hoffman, who has followed Ancelotti in Madrid daily in recent years after covering the Seleção for a long time, believes that "the main challenge is ensuring that Brazil regains its collective strength."

He added, "He won't have much time to do that," noting that the Italian will be embarking on his first experience as a national team coach without the daily contact with his players, unlike his time at club level.

Cafu, who played his final seasons under Ancelotti at AC Milan between 2003 and 2008, emphasized this aspect, saying, "The biggest challenge he faces is time... to give the Seleção an identity on the pitch."

The coach, who holds the record for the most Champions League titles (5), will have to extract the best from strikers like Vinicius Junior and Rafinha, who play leadership roles at Real Madrid and Barcelona but have so far been ineffective with the national team.

Cafu asserts that "Ancelotti knows how to manage a dressing room and knows how to make the players understand what he expects from them... He will have to make the Seleção play as a team, abandon their egos, and pursue a single goal."

Brazil currently sits fourth in the South American qualifiers and its World Cup qualification does not appear to be in danger, as the number of direct qualifiers has been increased to six, with a seventh team potentially advancing via the playoffs.

However, there is a troubling statistic: the team has conceded 16 goals in 14 matches, suffering five defeats, including two against arch-rivals Argentina.

For comparison, under Tite, Brazil finished the 2022 World Cup qualifiers unbeaten, conceding only five goals.

Gustavo Hofmann focuses in particular on the "weakness in the full-back positions," with players like Wanderson (Monaco) struggling to assert themselves in two positions that were previously strong points for the national team, having been occupied by players like Cafu, Roberto Carlos, and more recently, Marcelo.

However, the key to defensive balance may come from midfield, with the possible return of Casemiro, who has been out of the national team since October 2023 but is highly regarded by Ancelotti after playing under him at Real Madrid before leaving for Manchester United.

After struggling for a long time since leaving for United in 2022, "he has managed to raise his game in recent weeks," according to Hofmann, who envisions the national team playing in a 4-4-2 formation under Ancelotti, similar to Real Madrid this season.

Another thorny issue is whether Brazil should let go of its all-time top scorer, Neymar (33), who has suffered from recurring injuries.

Neymar was scheduled to join the national team in March after returning to his former club, Santos, but another thigh problem kept him out of action again.

For Hoffman, "If he's fit and playing regularly, his presence in the Seleção is unquestionable," he added. "But unlike (his predecessor) Dorival Junior, Ancelotti won't be spending his time waiting for Neymar."

For his part, Paulo Vinicius Coelho, a writer for the website Awl, noted that "Ancelotti is so well respected that no one will demand special treatment for Neymar."