'The start of a new adventure': Ancelotti insists he's going nowhere

[p]Two Erling Haaland goals decided the last-16 clash at the MetLife Stadium in Norway's favour after Bruno Guimaraes had an early penalty saved.[/p][p]Neymar's successful late spot-kick was just a consolation, as the once mighty Brazilians -- who had just 34 percent possession -- slumped to their earliest World Cup exit since 1990.[/p][p]The ex-Real Madrid and AC Milan coach was appointed in May last year and recently signed a contract extension to stay until 2030.[/p][p]He may have been realistic enough to know winning this year's World Cup was a big ask, but going out so soon is an enormous disappointment.[/p][p]Despite that, he insisted he would stay.[/p][p]"[b]A defeat is the start of a new adventure. Now we need to keep working hard and keep improving,[/b]" he said.[/p][p]"[b]This is football. This is sport. You just have to deal with it. We will use this as fuel going forward.[/b]"[/p][embed guid="9c4aabc4-3fe6-4f68-aee9-654635ecfe7c" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2073913394634084732" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) had been courting Ancelotti for two years before getting their man.[/p][p]The Selecao were in a dire state after their quarter-final exit on penalties to Croatia at the 2022 World Cup.[/p][p]Coach Tite departed, and Fernando Diniz took over for the start of qualifying for this World Cup, but lasted just six games.[/p][p]In came Dorival Junior, but the veteran oversaw a quarter-final exit at the 2024 Copa America before being dismissed in March last year.[/p][p]Ancelotti saw Brazil over the line, although they finished fifth in the 10-team South American qualifying group, 10 points behind first-placed Argentina.[/p][p]The hope, expectation even, was that they would still compete strongly here.[/p][p]Instead they continued a now long-standing trend -- since last winning the World Cup in 2002, they have lost every time they have faced European opposition in the knockout stages.[/p][p]At the last five World Cups before this, Brazil lost four times in the quarter-finals and reached the semis once -- when they suffered a traumatising 7-1 defeat to Germany as hosts in 2014.[/p][embed guid="2183e4cc-f8ae-406e-b421-a9e78d9573e4" url="https://x.com/TouchlineX/status/2073907871411302515" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Endrick to step up?[/h2][p]Sunday's defeat suggests they are going backwards, despite the leadership shown at this year's tournament by Vinicius Junior, the Real Madrid forward who turns 26 next week.[/p][p]"[b]Being knocked out of a World Cup is always a huge blow,[/b]" he said. "[b]But now we have to move on, there's not much we can do.[/b]"[/p][p]That means eventually turning their attention towards the next Copa America in 2028, before they can build to the 2030 World Cup.[/p][p]By the time that comes around, the nation of the great Pele will have gone 28 years without lifting the trophy.[/p][p]Ancelotti has had an incredible managerial career at club level in Europe, winning the Champions League five times. But his relationship with the World Cup has been less happy.[/p][p]As a player, he missed Italy's victorious 1982 World Cup campaign through injury. He played in 1990, when Italy hosted but lost in the semi-finals to Argentina.[/p][p]Then came 1994 and the shootout loss to Brazil in the final in the USA, with a 35-year-old Ancelotti serving as Arrigo Sacchi's assistant.[/p][embed guid="7ff3750c-7c9c-4014-8731-0c645bc1c28c" url="https://x.com/TheAthleticFC/status/2073881634604986531" social-type="twitter" /][p]This time he insisted his team had given a good account of themselves, as they eased through the group stage and fought back to beat Japan in the last 32.[/p][p]"[b]I don't think we have had a spectacular World Cup but we had a good one,[/b]" he said.[/p][p]His decision to include Neymar was a gamble, with the 34-year-old not having played for his country since 2023 because of injuries.[/p][p]It didn't pay off -- he made only two substitute appearances and announced his international retirement after the Norway loss.[/p][p]This was an ageing squad, with 10 players in their thirties. "[b]We need fresh talent, top-class players who can play in the national team of the future[/b]," added Ancelotti.[/p][p]Endrick, the 19-year-old Real Madrid starlet, could lead the next generation.[/p][p]"[b]The history of the Brazilian national team has been marked by great achievements, but also by moments that have strengthened us going forward,[/b]" said a CBF statement.[/p][p]"[b]Today we say goodbye to the World Cup, but we do sure that we will come back stronger.[/b]"[/p]