Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has hailed the impact of Carlo Ancelotti, claiming the Italian manager has completely revitalised the Brazil national team.
Ahead of their World Cup opener, the shot-stopper admitted the squad had endured a testing time before the former Real Madrid boss took the reins.
A new era of calm under Ancelotti
Ancelotti is set to make history this Saturday as the first foreign manager to lead Brazil into a World Cup, and the internal reception to his appointment has been overwhelmingly positive. Having taken charge of the Seleção in May 2025, Brazil marks Ancelotti’s first international experience as a full-time coach. Speaking from the team’s training base in Basking Ridge, Alisson highlighted the psychological shift since the Italian’s arrival.
“It is undeniable that the last period was very difficult for us players. We felt firsthand the difficulties we had, due to several factors. Since Ancelotti’s arrival, the environment has been transformed. He carries a strong presence and gives us the tranquility of an environment focused on work, without controversy,” the Liverpool goalkeeper told reporters.
Management and the pressure of the Selecao
The veteran coach took over a year ago during a period where Brazil’s qualification for the 2026 tournament looked uncharacteristically shaky. Alisson, who is preparing for his third consecutive World Cup as the undisputed number one with Brazil drawn in Group C alongside Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland, believes Ancelotti’s unique blend of humility and elite tactical knowledge has been the catalyst for their recent recovery.
“He is resilient, humble, and has intelligence in choosing the right words at the right time. He is a great manager. He has a clear idea of football, which facilitates our style of play. These combinations favor the team. I see his joy and gratitude for being the coach of the Seleção,” Alisson added. He even went as far as to compare the role to political office: “He’s a multi-champion, but he shows it. You can notice it. We also notice it. He has won everything in football and is here with joy and enthusiasm. His position perhaps has more pressure than being the president of the country, in its levels.”
The influence of a legendary mentor
While Ancelotti manages the overall philosophy, Alisson also took time to credit his long-term goalkeeper coach and childhood idol, Claudio Taffarel. The 1994 World Cup winner has been a constant in Alisson’s career at both international level and during their time together at Anfield, providing a vital link to Brazil’s successful past.
“One of the most vivid memories I have, at six years old, is the semi-final against the Netherlands [in 1998]. My father performed a joke when Taffarel saved the penalty. He took a cake and shoved it in his personal face. I believe that is why it stayed so marked,” Alisson recalled. “It is a privilege to work with Taffarel, an idol, inspiration and reference for therefore many Brazilians who needed to be a goalkeeper. In childhood it was saying: ‘Taffareeel…’. He sustains us in tough moments, he has left a legacy past what he did as a participant. Maybe folks do not see Taffarel’s significance as a goalkeeper coach as a lot. I have been in a position to preserve a excessive stage for therefore lengthy as a result of I’ve a certified coach like him.”
World Cup marketing campaign kicks off
Brazil enter the match with a renewed sense of objective following the ‘tough interval’ talked about by the scientific goalkeeper. The Seleção are determined to interrupt their latest hoodoo, having been eradicated on the quarter-final stage within the final two World Cups, and haven’t lifted the trophy since 2002. They’re scheduled to face Morocco of their opening Group match this Saturday, adopted by fixtures in opposition to Haiti and Scotland as they give the impression of being to safe a file sixth world title.
