Why Brazil Have Turned To Carlo Ancelotti
It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast
The Overlap
4.9 • 667 Ratings
🗓️ 3 June 2025
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. This week, co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper explore a landmark moment in the sport: Brazil, for the first time in its storied history, has appointed a sole foreign manager, Carlo Ancelotti.
As he prepares to lead the Seleção in his first match on Friday against Ecuador, the episode unpacks the significance of his move to Brazil.
They examine Ancelotti’s coaching philosophy, tracing its roots to his mentor Nils Liedholm and the enduring influence of Hungarian football. The conversation spans decades and continents—from the intellectual cafés of Budapest to the shifting tactical landscape of South America. Along the way, they reflect on the evolution of Brazilian coaching and the global reach of Hungarian tactical innovation.
Join them for a compelling look at the past, present, and future of football strategy, and discover how Ancelotti’s arrival in Brazil could be a return to their roots.
00:00 Introduction and Personal Anecdotes
00:37 Historic Day for Brazil: Foreign Manager Appointed
01:15 Carlo Ancelotti's Coaching Philosophy
01:55 Brazil's Foreign Coaching History
04:56 The Dominance of Argentinian Coaches in South America
06:04 Brazilian Football's Tactical Evolution
10:30 Hungarian Influence on Brazilian Football
20:56 Brazil's World Cup Preparations and Challenges
26:13 Brazil's Struggles Against European Teams
27:49 Modern Era: Brazil's Coaching Crisis
29:11 Analysing the Decline of Brazilian Football
30:01 The Influence of European Coaching
30:22 The Role of Brazilian Midfielders
30:37 Recent Brazilian Coaches and Their Struggles
31:38 The Turning Point: Italy 1982
32:10 Introduction to Carlo Ancelotti's Appointment
32:49 Carlo Ancelotti's Mentorship and Legacy
35:27 The Hungarian Influence on Modern Football
38:33 The Swedish Connection and Coaching Philosophy
40:22 The Rise of IFK Norrköping
48:28 The Formation of the Gre-No-Li Trio
51:27 Carlo Ancelotti's Impact on Brazilian Football
55:12 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Niels took me to heart and wasted a lot of time on me, giving me tactical advice, |
| 0:11.6 | pep talks on my technique, life skills. He had this formidable sense of humour and knew how to |
| 0:17.2 | get rid of any pressure and tension. With him, the training sessions were never fixed at a specific time, |
| 0:23.2 | and I still believe a football team shouldn't be turned into an army. |
| 0:27.0 | Discipline's fine, but it should be founded on individuals taking responsibility for themselves, |
| 0:32.0 | rather than just handing out fines. |
| 0:34.8 | Well, welcome to It Was What It Was with me, Rob Drape. I'm here with Jonathan Wilson, and we are Mark in a historic day. |
| 0:42.3 | On Friday, Brazil national team will take to the field with a foreign manager for the first ever time. |
| 0:47.8 | And in fact, it is Carlo Ancelotti, beloved of certainly Chelsea fans, maybe Everton fans and Real Madrid fans and many around the world, |
| 0:56.0 | one of the great names in global football. And Jonathan, this is an extraordinary journey. |
| 1:01.7 | Because for Brazil to have a foreign coach, I know in England we've kind of got used to it, |
| 1:07.7 | this is just scandalous in some ways, but how could anyone dislike Carlo, one of the |
| 1:13.0 | most likable men in the game? And that quote was Carlo talking about his mentor, Nils Lidholm, |
| 1:20.3 | his coach at Roma, the guy who founded his football principles. And it really did read like |
| 1:25.7 | Carlo, didn't it? That is the chilled version of the football coach you want. He doesn't want his teams to be an army. He wants the degree of improvisation and relaxation and chillness amongst his teams. That's the Carlo principal to a T. So Jonathan, tell us about Carlo. Tell us about Brazil, tell us why it's important, and tell us |
| 1:45.4 | mainly why this all relates to Hungary and cafes. |
| 1:49.1 | That's the key point. |
| 1:50.4 | We will end up back in a Budaphyrash coffee house. |
| 1:53.0 | I think we all feel most comfortable. |
| 1:54.7 | I think we should say, first of all, that Carlo Ancelotti is the first sole foreign manager that Brazil have had. |
| 2:03.8 | They've twice in the past had co-managers who've been foreign. |
| 2:07.3 | So they had some, excuse me if I can't remember the names, |
... |
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