Why I Snubbed Rodrygo For World Cup Qualifiers – Ancelotti
Brazil national team coach Carlo Ancelotti has opened up on the reasons behind his decision not to invite Real Madrid star Rodrygo for the World Cup qualifiers clash in September.
The five-time World Cup winners will take on Chile and Bolivia in the last stage of the qualifiers on September 5 and 10, respectively.
Ancelotti made nine changes to the squad he selected for his debut as Brazil’s manager back in June.
No Real Madrid players were included in the squad, with Vinicius ruled out due to suspension, while Eder Militao and Endrick are injured, but Rodrygo was left out despite being fit.
Ancelotti has explained his decision to snub Rodrygo for the last leg of the South American qualifiers.
He said, “Why didn’t I call up Rodrygo? I have a lot of love for him. He still has time to recover and return to the national team.
“A player who plays in the national team must be in 100 per cent physical condition. This is a very important criterion. If a player is not 100 per cent, I can call another one without any problem.
“Did I tell Rodrygo and Neymar why they are not called up? No. They perfectly know the idea of the national team; they have to play the matches and be in good physical condition.
“I don’t need to explain this. If they want explanations, they can call me. Rodrygo has my number; Neymar does too.”
Neymar has not played for Brazil since suffering a knee injury in a 2023 World Cup qualifier match. Ancelotti explained the reason behind his absence.
He said, “Neymar isn’t included because he had a small problem this past week. Plus, we don’t have to test him. Everyone knows Neymar; the whole national team and all Brazilian fans know Neymar very well. Neymar, like all the rest, must get to a good physical condition to help the national team.”
Brazil will take on Chile at the iconic Maracanã Stadium on September 5, and Ancelotti is looking forward to the encounter.
He said, “Obviously, I’m very excited to be able to lead the Brazil team for the first time at the Maracanã.
“The team can still improve in terms of the quality of the game and the intensity. We have time to do this, although I am quite satisfied with what I saw against Paraguay.
“The atmosphere in the Brazilian national team is quite good, quite family-like. I found a lot of preparation and a lot of organisation, so we didn’t have any problems.”
Brazil have already qualified for the FIFA World Cup next year, but they currently occupy the third position on the log, 10 points behind table-toppers Argentina with two games to go.
Why I Snubbed Rodrygo For World Cup Qualifiers – Ancelotti is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
