It is rare that a manager arrives at a national team and immediately reshapes its philosophy. But Carlo Ancelotti is not most managers. And this Brazi...
It is rare that a manager arrives at a national team and immediately reshapes its philosophy. But Carlo Ancelotti is not most managers. And this Brazil side, still smarting from World Cup disappointment, is not most teams. The Italian has set about building something more nuanced than the Selecao of old, less dependent on individual magic and far more comfortable with structured, transitional play. The question on everyone's lips is simple: who leads the line in this new orderFormer Brazil midfielder Lucas Leiva, speaking exclusively to GoalZaza, has provided a fascinating insight into the thinking behind the evolution. According to Leiva, the man wearing the nine shirt is not necessarily the one you might expect. Matheus Cunha, the Manchester United striker, is becoming the lynchpin of Ancelotti's adaptable system. His role is not merely to score, but to drop deep, to drag centre backs out of shape, and to create space for the likes of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo to exploit. Cunha offers tactical flexibility that a traditional number nine simply cannot. He is comfortable in the low block, clinical in his finishing, and possesses the work rate to press from the front. In short, he is the sort of forward who makes a manager's job easier.Some will argue that a side as storied as Brazil should never compromise on a classic striker. That is a romantic view. The modern game demands versatility, and Ancelotti has never been one for sentiment. Cunha's ability to link play in tight central areas, then spin in behind, gives this Brazil a dimension they lacked in Qatar. When the opposition parks the bus, he operates as a false nine. When they push high, he becomes a poacher. It is this dual threat that Leiva believes is so important. And he is right. The new Brazil is taking shape not with a rigid blueprint, but with players who can read the game and adapt on the fly. Cunha is the embodiment of that philosophy.
