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Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has praised Carlo Ancelotti’s impact and said the Italian coach has completely revitalized the Brazil team.
Before the first match of the World Cup, the goalkeeper admitted that the team had gone through difficult times before the former Real Madrid coach took the reins.
A new era of calm with Ancelotti
Ancelotti is set to make history this Saturday as the first foreign coach to lead Brazil to a World Cup, and the internal reception to his appointment has been overwhelmingly positive. Having taken over the Seleção in May 2025, Brazil marks Ancelotti’s first international experience as a full-time coach. Speaking from the team’s Basking Ridge training base, Alisson highlighted the psychological change since the Italian’s arrival.
“It is undeniable that the last period was very difficult for us players. We have felt first-hand the difficulties we had, due to several factors. Since Ancelotti’s arrival, the atmosphere has been transformed. He has a strong presence and gives us the tranquility of an environment focused on work, without controversy,” the Liverpool goalkeeper told reporters.
The management and pressure of the Selecao
The veteran coach took over a year ago during a period when Brazil’s qualification for the 2026 tournament looked unusually shaky. Alisson, who is preparing for his third consecutive World Cup as the undisputed number one with Brazil in Group C alongside Morocco, Haiti and Scotland, believes Ancelotti’s unique combination of humility and elite tactical knowledge has been the catalyst for his recent recovery.
“He is resilient, humble and has the intelligence to choose the right words at the right moment. He is a great coach. 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 compared the role to a political position: “He is a multi-time champion, but he shows it. It shows. We notice it too. He has won everything in football and he is here with joy and enthusiasm. His position perhaps has more pressure than being president of the country, at his level.”
The influence of a legendary mentor.
While Ancelotti handles the overall philosophy, Alisson also took the time to give credit to his goalkeeping coach and childhood idol, Claudio Taffarel. The 1994 World Cup winner has been a constant in Alisson’s career both internationally 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 the age of six, is the semi-final against Holland. [in 1998]. My father played a joke when Taffarel saved the penalty. He took a cake and put it on her face. I think that’s why he was so marked,” Alisson recalled. “It’s a privilege to work with Taffarel, an idol, inspiration and reference for so many Brazilians who wanted to be a goalkeeper. In childhood he used to say: ‘Taffareeel…’. He sustains us in difficult times, he has left a legacy beyond what he did as a player. Maybe people don’t see as much the importance of Taffarel as a goalkeeping coach. “I have been able to maintain a high level for so long because I have a qualified coach like him.”
World Cup campaign begins
Brazil enters the tournament with a renewed sense of purpose after the “difficult period” mentioned by the clinical goalkeeper. The Seleção are desperate to break their recent voodoo, having been eliminated in the quarter-finals of the last two World Cups, and have not lifted the trophy since 2002. They are scheduled to face Morocco in their first group match this Saturday, followed by matches against Haiti and Scotland in their quest to secure a record sixth world title.
