Carlo Ancelotti drew up a strict roadmap for Neymar’s future in the Brazil national team. Although the attacker has already added minutes with the team’s shirt Santos After a long absence, the coach decided to exclude him from the call for the date FIFA March, the last stop before the World Cup 2026.
This decision postpones the idol’s return to the national team, focusing all eyes on his performance with the “Peixe”. After almost two months of inactivity, Neymar played one and a half games in the Paulista Tournamentregistering an assist against Velo Clube, although he could not prevent his team’s elimination against Novorizontino.
Neymar
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Ancelotti’s plan and the May ultimatum
Neymar’s exclusion from the matches against France and Croatia is not a punishmentbut part of a deliberate strategy by the coaching staff. According to reports, Ancelotti never had the intention of summoning him for these international commitments. The Italian coach’s expectation is that the forward recovers his playing rhythm gradually during the first half of the year, avoiding an overload that could compromise his physical integrity before the World Cup event.
The mechanism behind this technical decision is based on a clear distinction between football hierarchy and physical fitness. Ancelotti and his coaching staff have stated that they do not need to see Neymar training with the rest of the group to know how he would fit into Brazil’s tactical scheme; His quality and his role as a football leader are not in discussion. However, The intensity of a World Cup requires a level that the player has not yet recovered after his last injury.
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In this way, the month of May emerges as the deadline for Neymar’s future in the Canarinha. It will be at that moment when the technical team evaluates whether the “10” He is fit to compete in the World Cup. Until then, The player must take advantage of the start of the Brasileirao and the Copa Sudamericana matches to show that his body can sustain the demands of a maximum intensity tournament.
The truth is that Neymar has a calendar ahead of him that will be closely watched from Europe. Ancelotti’s original plan contemplates that the forward improve his physical condition game after game, earning his place among the 26 called up from outside the national team.