Of all the coaches in world football, is there anyone who understands a high-stakes game quite like Carlo Ancelotti?
In the midst of the all the excitement surrounding the Round of 32 clash between Brazil and Japan, Ancelotti clearly didn't forget that time can drag on in one-off games.
The veteran coach's vast experience was put to the test in his debut knockout match at a FIFA World Cup.
Brazil were trailing 1-0 to Japan at the break, and whatever the Brazil coach must have said in the dressing room at half-time worked wonders – his side came out firing in the second half to turn the tide and secure their passage to the Round of 16.
"We didn't lose patience. Things were already going well in the first half. In the second half, we put more crosses in [the box]. We have a lot of options on the pitch and on the bench. Japan aren't easy opponents, they're well-organised, very intense," Ancelotti said afterwards.
"You make mistakes in football. It's impossible not to make mistakes, because no one's perfect. But we know how to keep going. That's what the team did very well in the second half. Nobody thought that we'd fail to score. The mental side of things is important. It's normal to suffer. It's nothing new, especially in the modern game. Suffering is just as normal as [feeling] relief."
Ancelotti was forced into making a change at half-time, replacing Lucas Paqueta, who had sustained a knock, with Endrick.
The youngster posed a greater threat in and around the Japanese penalty area, which was protected by a bank of five, as Bruno Guimaraes explained.
"It was very congested and we didn't have space to play [our game]. They defended, effectively, in a 5-4-1, making it hard for us to penetrate. In the second half, the gaffer told us to be more imposing and get more bodies in the box, and that's where the goal came from."
Although this tactical switch played its part in Brazil's comeback victory, the main difference in the second half compared to the first was not down to the players' feet, but rather their mentality.
"He told us to be patient, because we are a team that always looks to control the game, to score [goals]," Brazil winger Rayan FIFA. "We knew we would turn the game around and leave victorious."
Ancelotti is adept at instilling calm in his teams in times of crisis, and his decision to keep Casemiro on the field, having picked up a booking as early as the 14th minute, was testament to that.
A more impatient coach may have taken off the holding midfielder at half-time, or early into the second half, since Japan were looking dangerous on the counter.
But the Italian stayed calm and trusted the Manchester United star, who repaid his manager's faith in the 56th minute, heading home Brazil's equaliser.
"In the second half, Ancelotti called for calm once more. Among other things, he insisted that we keep calm, because we were pressing and playing high up the pitch, so the chances would come.
The team deserves credit in particular for our mentality. We kept pressing and attacking," Casemiro said.
Matheus Cunha felt that the Seleção played with more urgency in the second half, ultimately paving the way, in his eyes, for Brazil's first comeback win in a World Cup knockout game since their 2-1 victory over England at Korea/Japan 2002.
"It's never easy facing opponents like that. We could see just how much pride they play with on the pitch. I believe that after we came out with the mentality of wanting to put the game to bed, of wanting to impose our style on the game – and thanks to God, despite how hard it was – it all worked out in the end. In the first half, come to think of it, we tried to do almost exactly the same, but our sense of urgency made the difference in the second," the forward told FIFA.
It ultimately seems like a paradox. How can you possibly explain the fact that Brazil played with both urgency and patience at the same time, and that it was exactly that which turned the tide in their favour?
It was a complete contrast, as if one eyebrow were raised and the other stern on a man who has seen almost everything in football.
And this contrast was also there for all to see when Gabriel Martinelli scored the winner in stoppage time: the Brazilian bench was jumping around in celebration while Ancelotti remained calmness personified.
It's the secret to being a manager who knows there's always enough time to score a winner, and who makes sure his players don't forget that on the pitch.
"Ancelotti is a surreal guy," said the match-winner. "At half-time, he gave us confidence, he told us that we would score and come back. It didn't matter when the goal would be scored. We sensed his calmness. It relaxed us."
Courtesy: FIFA
