On Wednesday local time, Brazil's head coach Carlo Ancelotti gave interviews to several media outlets, including ESPN and Globo Esporte, discussing the team's low possession rate against Norway in the World Cup and the Spanish team.
Returning to the question about the Norway match, do you think it's acceptable for Brazil to have only 30% possession against a weaker opponent?
Norway did have possession, but they kept it mostly in their own half. This was because Ødegaard dropped deep. If you pressed too hard, they would try to break free and launch counter-attacks. I don't think possession percentage itself is that important. It's true that Spain, who won the World Cup, had a high possession rate, but they also conceded goals. Their high possession rate was due to a very strong generation of midfielders. They had seven world-class midfielders: Fabian, Rodri, Pedri, Olmo, Zubimendi, Merino, and Gave. Seven. That's why they were able to control the game and ultimately win the World Cup.
But Brazilians believe in this attacking DNA. Should fans get used to the national team frequently conceding possession to the opponent?
I don't think a low possession rate is decisive in some matches; it depends on the players' characteristics. When a team has players like Vinicius, Enderik, and Esteban who excel at deep attacks, they should play more directly than other teams. Spain's situation is different; they don't have players of that quality in their attack. They have Yamal, who is very strong one-on-one, but the rest of their players are more playmakers.
