Douglas Santos started at left back and Brazil left the field with a 1-1 draw against Morocco in the World Cup. The result kept the focus on Carlo Ancelotti’s search for a settled shape before the match against Haiti.
Douglas Santos and Ancelotti
Ancelotti used Ibañez at right back, Douglas Santos at left back and Igor Thiago at center forward. Of those experiments, only Douglas Santos produced a reasonably satisfactory performance. Brazil’s players also felt they escaped a worse result against Morocco after a first half in which the team looked disorganized.
The coach has been in charge for a little more than a year and is still adjusting the lineup. That uncertainty showed up before kickoff too: the players said they learned the starting team three hours before the first round.
Danilo on Haiti
Danilo said Brazil needed to enter tactically well positioned and play a safe, balanced game against Haiti. He added: “Nós precisamos entrar taticamente bem postados e fazer um jogo seguro. Sim, um jogo em que a gente vai querer o comando, mas da melhor forma possível, a mais equilibrada. Falar de quantos gols é uma expectativa muito elevada e uma falta de respeito com aquilo que é o futebol hoje em dia”
That caution fits the matchup on paper. Haiti sat 83º colocado in the Fifa rankings and had never managed even a draw in the World Cup, but Brazil could not treat the game as a scoreline exercise after the issues exposed against Morocco.
Group C pressure
Brazil’s draw also raised the weight of goal difference in Group C. If Brazil and Morocco both win their matches against Haiti and Scotland, the standings could be decided by that margin. Brazil meets Haiti on Friday the 19th at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and the next selection call will show whether Ancelotti keeps Douglas Santos at left back or reshapes the side again.
