Brazil were knocked out of the World Cup in the Round of 16 for their worst tournament finish in decades, as Norway took them down 2-1. The Selecao wasted so many great changes from Vinicius Junior, flubbed a penalty, and defended poorly in a disaster class that further sinks the reputations of Neymar, Gabriel Magalhaes, Casemiro, and other players who were overrated.
Ney, in particular, has opened up a conversation in the fan base. He was only selected, despite being injured and playing horribly for months, because fans pressured Carlo Ancelotti into making a decision that disgraced the team.
Although he scored cooly from the spot, Neymar was horrendous. He looked beyond finished, unable to create chances or dribble past any defenders while selfishly holding back Vinicius Junior – the one good thing about Brazil – and taking his best positions to actually create for the others.
Carlo Ancelotti saw all this coming, by the way. In May when Brazil forced him to call up Neymar, all he said was that he felt bad about Joao Pedro and other talented players not being able to take that spot.
And goodness, Brazil could have used Pedro at striker. Matheus Cunha was poor despite drawing a penalty, and his substitute Endrick was even worse, missing the easiest chance of the game and then doing nothing, proving Carlo’s point that he is not ready.
Meanwhile, Joao Pedro had a great season for a top Premier League club in Chelsea, created a lot of chances and scored goals carrying a terrible attack, and he would have been the profile Brazil needed as an option. Carlo and the Chelsea fans saw it, and now the Brazil fans learned the hard lesson; he would have been a better pick than Neymar.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.