Six games, six goals conceded — Ancelotti's defence under the microscope

Brazil 1–1 Morocco, and the defence is a problem

Six matches. Six goals conceded. Alisson called it out after the 1–1 draw with Morocco on Saturday: "A winning team has to hate conceding goals" (1). He is right. This is the worst defensive run since 2019.

Ancelotti started Alisson, Marquinhos, Ibañez, and Douglas Santos. Still, the clean sheet did not come (1). The World Cup opener is days away, and your backline is leaking.

Haiti lost 1–0 to Scotland, and that matters

Haiti are your next opponent in Group C. They have never earned a single point at a World Cup (3). Scotland beat them 1–0. Sébastien Migné's side managed zero shots on target against a Scottish team that finished with 10 men (3).

There is no excuse here. Brazil should roll through this one, but the defensive question still hangs.

Ancelotti's midfield is not breaking lines, the data says so

FIFA stats put Brazil behind Japan, Sweden, and Morocco on line-breaking passes (2). That is the pass that cuts through a defensive block, the one your midfield is supposed to make.

Ancelotti kept it calm: "We will improve, it's only the beginning of the road" (2). Bruno Guimarães and Casemiro have not yet found the rhythm.

By contrast, Japan's Daichi Kamada and Sweden's Yasin Ayari and Karlstrom all rank higher in the same metric (2). These are potential round-of-16 opponents.

Bouaddi, the kid who held Brazil, is now chased by everyone

Ayyoub Bouaddi ran the game against your team. He is 18. Now the market is moving.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed direct contacts from Arsenal and Liverpool with Bouaddi's agents (4). PSG "absolutely love" him and have tracked him for a long time (4). Manchester City have recently joined the race too (5).

Lille will want north of £60m (5). The kid is not staying at Lille much longer.

Sweden 5–1, Netherlands 2–2, the knockout path is taking shape

Sunday's World Cup results matter. Sweden hammered Tunisia 5–1 (2). Netherlands drew 2–2 with Japan (2).

If Brazil top Group C, one of these teams is likely waiting in the round of 16. Sweden look sharp. Japan's midfield is statistically ahead of yours. The path is not gentle.