Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil Recall: Joao Pedro's Comeback and Carrick's Dilemma
Carlo Ancelotti has moved to correct one Brazil mistake. Michael Carrick may be about to correct another.
Joao Pedro, outstanding for Chelsea since arriving at Stamford Bridge, is back in the Brazil squad after his puzzling omission for the summer World Cup. Ancelotti could hardly ignore him this time. Brazil’s last-16 exit and Pedro’s blistering start to the new Premier League season forced the issue, earning him a recall for the friendlies against Australia later this month.
Neymar is out, his controversial inclusion in the World Cup squad now a painful memory. Matheus Cunha is out too. The Manchester United forward impressed for Brazil at the tournament and shone at Old Trafford last season, but his form has nosedived in his second campaign under Carrick.
Carrick has persisted with Cunha as his centre-forward – the same role he filled for Brazil in the summer and for long stretches of his debut year in Manchester. The problem? More and more people are convinced that is simply not his position.
One of them is Paul Scholes.
The United legend did not hold back when he assessed Sunday’s win over Everton, a game that changed once Benjamin Sesko, a more orthodox No.9, came off the bench to score.
“I felt it was really timid against Everton,” Scholes said on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast. “There was no aggression, and Everton were there for the taking. There was so much space, and they never went for the throat.
“The centre-forward position is a bit of an issue because he is not playing Sesko. He is a focal point. It is very difficult to watch a Manchester United team without a centre forward.
“With Cunha, we don’t really know what he is, a No.10 or a wide player, but he’s definitely not a No.9 and watching United without a No.9 is a struggle.”
That criticism is being echoed far beyond England.
‘A total zero’ – Slovenia turns up the heat
In Slovenia, where Sesko is the poster boy of the national team, the debate has turned into an outright demand. Local media are adamant: Sesko must start, Cunha must sit.
“Sesko flies on the shameful numbers of the Brazilian – fans firmly against Carrick,” blasted leading outlet Ekipa.
Their verdict on Cunha’s display was brutal. “He completely failed, showing a catastrophic performance. A total zero. Cunha ended with zero shots on target, zero assists, zero dribbles. He lost the ball 11 times and was beaten in every aerial duel.”
For a player already reeling from losing his Brazil place, those numbers sting. The tone from Slovenia is even harsher.
“Carrick insisting that Sesko is still more effective on the bench, while the Brazilian plays up front, is driving fans crazy. Sesko has to play from the first minute, they’re yelling.”
The pressure is now coming from all angles: pundits in England, fans in Slovenia, and the cold reality of the stats sheet.
Carrick’s big call
Carrick’s attacking puzzle is otherwise fairly settled. Bryan Mbeumo has nailed down the right flank. Marcus Rashford, back at his boyhood club and playing with the edge of a man desperate to reassert himself, has the left side locked.
That leaves one position up for grabs.
If Sesko returns to the starting XI for United’s Champions League clash with Sabah on Thursday night, there is only one obvious casualty. Cunha would drop to the bench, ending a bruising week in which he has been discarded by Brazil and dissected by critics.
Ancelotti has already shown he is willing to admit a mistake and restore a deserving forward. Now the question hangs over Old Trafford: will Carrick do the same and hand his No.9 shirt, in all but name, to Benjamin Sesko?
