Carlo Ancelotti has never been a man to take criticism lying down. And on Friday, he made that abundantly clear.The Brazil manager hit back at social media doubters in a sharp and confident interview with Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, saying that only one manager in football history has prepared more matches than him and that man is Sir Alex Ferguson.“The only thing that’s certain is that I’ve prepared for over 1,400 matches. That may not be enough to understand football, but it’s certainly a good amount of experience,” Ancelotti said. “Only one person has prepared more matches than me: Alex Ferguson, who has prepared for over 2,000. I take advice from everyone, but the only one who could really be the right person to give me advice is Alex Ferguson.”He then delivered his sharpest line of all. “I am 100% sure I am not a genius, but at the same time, I am 100% sure I am not a fool.”The remarks came after Brazil’s dramatic 2-1 comeback win against Japan in the Round of 32, where Casemiro’s equaliser and Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time winner rescued the five-time world champions from one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. After the match, many critics on social media who had questioned Ancelotti’s appointment as Brazil’s first-ever foreign manager were forced into a rapid change of opinion.Ancelotti, who is managing a national team for the first time in his long and decorated career, now turns his attention to Norway and the danger of Erling Haaland in Sunday’s Round of 16 clash. The Brazil boss was quick to highlight the threat posed by the Manchester City striker, a player he knows well from facing him twice as a manager at Real Madrid and Napoli but stressed that stopping Haaland will be a collective defensive effort rather than the job of any single player.On Neymar, Ancelotti confirmed the Brazilian star is now fit to play a full 90 minutes if required, adding that while the forward is not happy with his limited game time, he is training well and handling the situation professionally. Young striker Endrick, meanwhile, backed his manager fully, saying Ancelotti had united the squad and that he could not imagine a better fit for Brazil.
