Ancelotti responds to Real Madrid and Barça

Carlo Ancelotticoach of the Brazilian soccer team, assured this Friday that “the clubs can rest assured” because their “priority is the health” of the players. The Italian responded in this way to the fears expressed by some European clubs about the suitability of their stars (Raphinha and Vinicius, among others) attending friendlies in Asia, against Japan and Singapore.

“The priority is always the health of the player. If he is at 100%, he trains. If he is at 100%, he plays. And in this aspect, we control the minutes he plays. (…). The clubs can be calm with the national team. The priority for everyone is the health of the athlete. We always want the athlete to return prepared to play and without injuries,” he said, at the press conference prior to the friendly match that his team will play against Japan, on Saturday in Singapore.

The coach also stated that the testing period of the Brazilian team ends during this FIFA matchday, after calling up promising young players and promoting the return of players who had not attended the ‘Canarinha’ for a long time, because the group is practically closed with a view to the next official commitments, such as the South American qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup or the 2028 Copa América.

“It is a testing period that will end with this FIFA international break. Next time, we will define the squad better. It was a period that gave us a lot of information about young players. We know that we have very talented and committed young players, and that gives us confidence for the future. We have very high-level players. We have coverage in some positions, a little less in others, but we have time,” he indicated.

For the friendlies against Japan and Singapore, Ancelotti called up five debutants: Allan, Jonathan Jesus, Marlon Gomes, Alisson Santana and André Luiz. In the matches against Australia and India, in the last call-up, there were nine: Pedro Morisco, Otávio, Mauro Júnior, Jair, Martinelli, Breno Bidon, Arthur Dias, Matheuzinho and Gabriel Bontempo.

A transition stage

In addition, Pedro, João Gomes, Douglas Luiz and Lucas Perri, who had not been called up by Ancelotti, return to the Brazilian team. “We are dedicating all our efforts to making this period a success. This is a transition stage for the national team, a time for new players to emerge, and that is the work we have to do. The fans must remain calm, because we are going to form a very strong group of players for the future,” he stressed.