The 2-1 comeback victory against Japan in the round of 16 helped Brazil qualify for the next round, but also put coach Carlo Ancelotti in front of a difficult problem in midfield.
When the first half ended, Brazil was led 0-1 and faced the risk of being eliminated early. Lucas Paqueta was injured, forcing Ancelotti to consider substitutions. Many people expected Endrick to be given the first chance, before Neymar or Igor Thiago appeared to increase attacking power.
However, the Italian strategist surprised when he brought Gabriel Martinelli onto the field. This decision initially made many people confused because Vinicius Junior was said to be moving to the central position. In fact, Ancelotti did the opposite when he let Martinelli take the left wing, helping Vinicius and Rayan stretch the Japanese defense, opening up space for Martinelli to score the decisive goal in injury time.
Not only that, Ancelotti also surprised experts when he continued to place his trust in Casemiro. The 34-year-old midfielder had a forgettable first half when he made a mistake in conceding a goal, received a yellow card and was constantly exploited by Japan. In that situation, most coaches would take Casemiro off the field right after halftime.
However, Ancelotti still kept the same squad. That decision was rewarded when Casemiro scored the equalizer with a header, opening a comeback for Selecao.
That is also proof of Ancelotti's characteristic coaching style: calm, trusting players and not changing just because of immediate pressure.
Since taking over the Brazilian national team, one of Ancelotti's first decisions was to call Casemiro back after nearly 18 months of absence. The former Real Madrid midfielder quickly became a support in midfield, helping Bruno Guimaraes to be liberated to participate more in attack.
Reality shows that this combination has been effective, especially after the period when Brazil played unstably in the World Cup qualifiers.
However, the problem still exists. The two central midfielders formation with Casemiro and Guimaraes once revealed many gaps, especially in the friendly match with Panama before the tournament. At that time, Ancelotti had to adjust by adding Lucas Paqueta as a third midfielder to increase control.
Now, Paqueta is likely to be out for the rest of the season due to injury, forcing Ancelotti to find a new solution before the confrontation with Norway. The possibility of Brazil returning to the four-striker formation is not highly assessed. A more reasonable option is to give opportunities to Danilo Santos, an energetic left-footed midfielder, to increase combat strength in midfield.
Meanwhile, Casemiro will face a very big challenge when directly preventing Martin Odegaard - the creative brain behind Erling Haaland.
Another problem that gives Ancelotti a headache is that Casemiro received a yellow card. If he continues to be warned against Norway, this veteran midfielder will be absent from the quarter-finals in case Brazil advances.
The direct replacement is Fabinho, but this midfielder leans towards controlling the ball rather than intercepting. Many opinions suggest that Ancelotti may regret not calling up Andrey Santos, a player with abundant energy and good tackling ability.
The confrontation with Norway will be a test of Ancelotti's ability to balance the squad. Midfield options will determine whether Selecao can get closer to their sixth World Cup title.
