Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes may be making Carlo Ancelotti think again for Brazil.
Back in September, Ancelotti claimed that Guimaraes was not an “undisputed starter” for Brazil ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
Guimaraes has amassed 40 caps for his country since making his debut back in 2020 and while he did go to the 2022 World Cup, he wasn’t much of a starter.
Still, the Newcastle United star is now looking like a key player alongside Casemiro in the heart of Ancelotti’s midfield.
The Brazil boss now believes the structure of his team is looking much clearer ahead of next summer’s festival of football in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Bruno Guimaraes making himself a starter under Carlo Ancelotti
Guimaraes was praised after playing for Brazil against Senegal, with sections of their national media suggesting the 28-year-old is a guaranteed starter.
The Toon star has started every single one of Ancelotti’s seven games in charge of Brazil, scoring once and assisting twice.
Leading Brazilian media outlet UOL wrote: “Ancelotti’s starting lineup for the World Cup would be Alisson; Eder Militao, Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhaes and Alex Sandro (or Douglas Santos); Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes; Matheus Cunha, Estevao, Rodrygo (or Raphinha, replacing one of the three) and Vini Jr.”
They also quote Ancelotti, who appeared to suggest that most of his team is now in place.
“I believe I already had the backbone of the plan before today’s game,” he said.
“Obviously, little by little, as we get closer to the World Cup, we’re getting a clearer idea. As I said in October, some tests are over, and now we’re following a straighter path to arrive well at the World Cup.”
Only a few months after Ancelotti suggested Guimaraes wasn’t an undisputed starter, he’s starting to look like one as Brazil begin their quest for a sixth World Cup title next summer.
Joy for Bruno Guimaraes but potential heartache for Joelinton
Barring a total disaster, it seems very likely that Guimaraes will be one of the names on the team sheet when Brazil begin their World Cup campaign next summer.
The same can not be said for Joelinton, however.
Joelinton has played under Ancelotti for Brazil but is desperately out of form and missed out on their recent squad, although may not have played anyway after getting injured at Brentford.
The Newcastle star will surely need to do much more at club level if he’s going to make a late run back into the international fold.
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