Ancelotti’s Midfield Mousetrap

When your midfield trio (Casemiro + two traffic cones) can’t control possession like Spain or Portugal, you do what any pragmatic Italian would—avoid the middle entirely. Brazil’s 1-0 win over Paraguay was a masterclass in targeted dysfunction: press high to force turnovers, then unleash Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha toward the byline like rabid greyhounds chasing mechanical rabbits. Our tracking data shows 73% of attacks developed on the left flank, where Vinícius attempted more dribbles (9) than the entire Paraguayan team combined.

The Cross Paradox
Yes, 14 of Brazil’s 18 shots came from crosses. No, this wasn’t ‘Route One’ football—these were calculated overloads. Notice how Ancelotti stationed Martinelli AND Vinícius wide left simultaneously? That forced Paraguay’s right-back to choose between:

1. Getting skinned alive by Vinícius’ stepovers
   
2. Letting Martinelli deliver unchecked crosses to a box packed with 3 Brazilian runners (see Fig.1).
   

The xG breakdown reveals comedy gold: three point-blank headers missed from under 6 yards. If this were a finishing drill, someone would’ve been made to run laps until sunrise.

Pressing Triggers & Near-Disasters

Ancelotti’s secret weapon? Rafinha’s GPS data showing 7.8km covered—with 32 high-intensity sprints. His kamikaze pressing (see 14th minute turnover leading to Vinícius’ goal) compensated for Casemiro’s declining mobility. But let’s not ignore the heart-attack moments:

• Sandro’s 59th-minute hospital pass that nearly gifted Paraguay an equalizer (0.67xG chance)
  
• Those terrifying sequences where Brazil’s center-backs passed like they owed money to the opposition strikers
  

This is tournament football in its rawest form—controlled chaos where the best tactic is having faster, angrier wingers than your opponent. Now imagine adding a fit Rodrygo to this madness. God help CONMEBOL defenders.