'Anything can happen, including nothing'

Ivo Meirelles coined one of the best phrases during the broadcast of the samba school parades during the Rio de Janeiro Carnival. "Anything can happen, including nothing." The commentator managed to cleverly synthesize two opposing ideas when he made his prediction about another night of competition at Marquês de Sapucaí. And so Botafogo came close to that Carioca wisdom when it signed the Italian Davide Ancelotti, a potential phenomenon and failure at the same time. At just 35 years old, the son of Carlo Ancelotti, from the Brazilian National Team, has never coached a team and has always accompanied his father as an assistant, whether in Spain, Italy, Germany or England. In other words, he is an "experienced rookie", two other words that contradict each other. Therefore, it is necessary to distance oneself from convictions and certainties in the initial analyses of the new black and white coach. All of us journalists have pre-established opinions.

Philip Louis or Domènec?

Davide Ancelotti could be the new Filipe Luís, a coach who already won a Copa do Brasil in his debut, won a Carioca, a Supercopa do Brasil and put Flamengo in the lead of the Campeonato Brasileiro before the break for the Super Club World Cup. Or he could remember Domènec Torrent, Pep Guardiola's assistant who lasted less than four months at Ninho do Urubu, when the red-and-black team was the current holder of the Libertadores and Brasileirão trophies. So there will always be a counterpoint on the other side. Risk, however, is the noun that appeals to all sides. Optimists and pessimists agree that a coach starting his career in the middle of the season at a giant of Brazilian football is a very dangerous gamble. No one expected it. Big boss John Textor put all his chips on the future and perhaps did not give due importance to the present.

The audacity of the majority shareholder of Botafogo's SAF is striking. Davide Ancelotti is the first card in these new times for John Textor, whose attention is focused solely on the most traditional team, the club that has guaranteed the greatest achievements to the executives of Eagle Football. The problem is that there are decisive games ahead. From the end of July to mid-August, the Alvinegro will play for its life in the round of 16 of the Libertadores and the Copa do Brasil, with rounds of the Brasileirão interspersed between the two knockout championships. I am curious to know, for example, how Ancelottinho will survive the altitude of Quito. There is no room for tests, experiments or resetting the game. The son of the current coach of the National Team will have to arrive ready to put into practice everything he learned at Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton and Real Madrid. Four different football cultures and high-level leagues that guarantee diversity in the work. But the new coach of Fogão has never had the final say in the technical committees.

Ball on the ground

Botafogo fans reacted with shock and disbelief to the name of the young Italian coach on Saturday night (5). Hours later, however, while the 7-1 press columnists were still kicking and screaming, the black and white universe put the ball on the ground and began to better understand why Davide Ancelotti was chosen. Disbelief gave way to curiosity. Textor went against the grain. The moment called for a professional with a resume and trophies. But what if the promising alternative works out? Here, we don't root for our theories, but for the Most Traditional.

*This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jogada10

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