Cafu: Since Ancelotti came, people talk more about the coach than the players for the first time

This week, Cafu was interviewed by the Spanish newspaper "El Mundo". Due to the length of the interview, we divided it into four parts. In the second part, he discussed his views on Ancelotti.

You know Ancelotti very well. You had a brilliant collaboration with him at Milan, and Ancelotti is now the coach of the Brazilian national team. How would you evaluate him?

Ancelotti is capable of solving the tactical system and playing style issues of the Brazilian national team. I played alongside him at Milan for five years and witnessed his abilities firsthand. Ancelotti's only challenge in Brazil is time; he doesn't have enough time for the players to understand his tactical intentions on the field.

Because Ancelotti places great importance on training, focusing on daily work, he needs to practice repeatedly to ensure the players fully understand and absorb his tactical philosophy. However, he doesn't have that much time when coaching the Brazilian national team. Ancelotti must communicate with the entire team to reach a consensus and explain his tactical intentions.

For the first time in history, a coach is receiving far more attention than the players themselves, which fully demonstrates Ancelotti's importance to Brazil today. He will lead the Brazilian national team to great success because he possesses such abilities and qualities, and the players have immense potential.

In Brazil, some people criticize Ancelotti and his coaching staff for communicating with Brazilian players in English during training. Is this strange? Will it be a problem?

Everything is normal. Most players speak Spanish, Italian, English, and French. The language of football is universal: just put the ball in the center circle, that's all. That's the language of football. "Over there," you go over there; "over here," you come over here. It's easy to understand.

They are players who play in Europe and are accustomed to hearing common languages…

Exactly. So I think it's fine whether you communicate with Brazilians in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, or Russian. Ultimately, we can all understand each other, and that's not an excuse.

Do you have contact with the current Brazilian national team players?

Yes, I'm in contact with most of them.

What do you think of Ancelotti, the World Cup stage, and this moment?

His ideas are excellent, simply fantastic. He is a top coach with a brilliant coaching career, having won many championships with every team he has coached. Players say he is truly respected.

But now, the enthusiasm, interest, and support of Brazilians for the national team seems to have declined. Why is that?

Based on results, it's simple.

They are opportunists…

Exactly. Brazilians understand the media well, so if the results aren't good, they won't be satisfied with the national team. Everything depends on results. When results are poor and the Brazilian team performs badly, Brazilians often don't show much enthusiasm, but at the World Cup, they will cheer for them.

Who else can play like you did back then?

I don't really like comparisons, because people always ask: "Cafu and Carlos Alberto, who played better?" He was a champion in the 70s, and I was a champion in 1994 and 2002. Comparing players... I don't like it.

But I've seen some players come close to my level: Dani Alves went very far, Maicon was also close. Today, I think Hakimi is one of the excellent full-backs; he has similar qualities—he can push forward, score goals, dribble, and is fearless. Today's Hakimi is even better than Carvajal.