Ancelotti Responds To Neymar Chants As Brazil Fall To France

‎Brazil manager, Carlo Ancelotti, dismissed the crowd’s calls for Neymar, insisting the focus should stay on the players currently in the squad following their 2-1 loss to the French national football team in Boston.

‎The 34-year-old forward was omitted from the selection after missing a recent Santos FC match due to muscle fatigue. Ancelotti had planned to attend that game as part of his evaluation process before finalising the squad.

‎”Right now we have to talk about those who ‌are here, who played, who gave everything, ⁠who showed character, who ‌worked very hard. And I am satisfied,” Ancelotti told reporters.

‎”I ​think Raphinha played very well. He had some muscle discomfort at the end of ​the first half and we had to substitute him, but he had many opportunities and very good movement ⁠off the ball.

‎”And ​Vini (Vinicius Jr.) always tries; he always makes the difference. A striker cannot always score, but the work done by both of them was good.”

‎Neymar, Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals, has not featured for the national team since his major knee injury in October 2023 and has struggled for consistent playing time since rejoining Santos last year.

‎Carlo Ancelotti has maintained that the striker will return to the squad once he is fully fit. Despite the defeat and Neymar’s continued absence, Ancelotti said the performance only strengthened his confidence in the group he has selected.

‎”I think ​today’s game makes it very clear to me ‌that we can compete with the best teams in the world. I do not doubt that,” Ancelotti said.

‎Brazil will continue their preparations with a clash against the Croatian national football team on March 31st in Orlando, as they build toward the World Cup taking place in North America from June 11 to July 19.