Brazil 1-1 Morocco : Irritated Ancelotti explains Brazil's below-par first-half display

Carlo Ancelotti did not come away from Brazil's World Cup opener satisfied on Saturday, June 13. After the 1-1 draw with Morocco, the Brazil manager showed little patience in his post-match interviews and went into detail about the reasons for such a below-par performance, particularly in the first half, which was marked by Moroccan dominance.

Straight after the final whistle, while still on the pitch, the Italian provided an early sign of his frustration: he limited himself to saying the team 'has to improve' in an interview with CazeTV, without identifying a specific area.

Later, in a calmer tone, he went into detail with Globo about Brazil's slow start: 'We did not start well in the match, the team was a little worried, we lost a lot of balls, a lot of duels.'

Anxiety and a lack of control: the reasons behind Brazil's draw

The manager admitted that the mental factor may have weighed on the players on a World Cup opening night. He also stressed the lack of ball dominance in the opening period, which was marked by a Morocco side capable of keeping possession and winning it back quickly. That is how they opened the scoring through Ismael Saibari in the 20th minute.

'The game, especially in the first half, was difficult. The team was anxious, we lost possession, we had little balance on the pitch,' Ancelotti said at his post-match press conference.

'A little bit of anxiety, yes. In the first half they broke our pressing and produced dangerous transitions. We could have had more control,' he added to Globo.

His comment about needing more control was echoed by Vinicius Junior, who scored the equaliser. The forward said: 'We have to hold on to the ball more, keep the ball more, move it from side to side, because the opposition will often come out to defend and then break on the counter.' He stressed the importance of shifting Raphinha out to the right to provide another passing option down that side.

The forward revealed Ancelotti's half-time message as the team tried to ease the pressure from Morocco, even if they did not manage to create any clear-cut chances.

Vinicius Junior added: 'The boss asked us to hold on to the ball more, and I think we managed to do that, but we could not create more opportunities because Morocco defended well.'

Ancelotti reiterated: 'The interval gives you the chance to explain the problems to the players and to make tactical adjustments. It is a very important moment.'

And Endrick? Why the forward did not feature on Brazil's opening night

The fact that Endrick did not get a single minute on Brazil's opening night drew criticism from supporters and the press towards Ancelotti. The Italian declined to explain why he did not call upon the youngster, opting instead for Matheus Cunha and Luiz Henrique as attacking options. For physical and disciplinary reasons, he also brought on Danilo, Fabinho and Danilo Santos.

Ancelotti said: 'I am not here to talk individually about a player, I talk about the team. The team did not play well in the first half, in the second half it was better. We had some chances. We have to be more clinical.'

In looking ahead to the rest of Brazil's World Cup campaign, the Italian left the door open to changes to his starting eleven depending on the characteristics of their opponents, and refused to lock in a starting eleven as he intends to make use of the squad.

Brazil are back in action on Friday, June 19, against Haiti. The final group fixture will follow on June 24, against Scotland, before the round of 32.