Spanish Newspaper: Igor Thiago?! That's Blasphemy When You've Had Romario and Ronaldo

Barcelona-based newspaper “Sport” has criticized Igor Thiago's performance in Brazil's recent 1-1 draw against Morocco at the World Cup. The former Ludogorets player surprisingly started the match and remained on the field for about an hour. The Brentford forward failed to make a significant impact and has even been accused of being a disappointment.

“The choice of Igor Thiago (as a starter - editor's note) is hard to swallow, no matter how you look at it. This is blasphemy for a team that has had strikers like Romario and Ronaldo,” reads “Sport’s” analysis of coach Carlo Ancelotti’s player selection.

Carletto's Unsuccessful Gambles

The Italian coach carried a heavy burden of responsibility. His decision to deploy center-back Ibanez at right-back backfired, creating a gaping hole in the defense. The midfield was completely out of sorts, with Casemiro, who picked up a yellow card, looking off the pace, while Bruno Guimaraes struggled to clear balls as best he could.

In attack, Raphinha paid the price for his coach's demands. He started as a left-sided attacking midfielder to link up with Vinicius. As the Seleção's central play was non-existent, he reverted to his usual position on the right wing, where he received no service. If the Barcelona player was unnoticeable until then, a large part of the blame lay with his coach. His tactical sacrifice was in vain.

Ancelotti reacted and made adjustments. He brought on veteran Danilo for Ibanez and Fabinho for the unconvincing Casemiro. Brazil shored up their weaknesses with better positioning and caught their breath with longer periods of possession.

Morocco, who had been significantly better in the first half, now defended without serious difficulty against the predictable attacks of the “Canarinha.”

With the bleeding seemingly stopped, Carletto decided it was time to push for a win with a second wave of substitutions. Luis Enrique, an explosive and penetrating winger, came on to play on the right, and Matheus Cunha replaced Igor Thiago. With these changes, Raphinha returned to his original position on the left, but played more freely and joined the attack from deep.

The heat on the East Coast affected both teams and the quality of play in the second half. The “Atlas Lions” didn't want to risk losing what they had achieved, while the “Canarinha” faced their own limitations and were ultimately saved by Alisson.

The 1-1 draw leaves the battle for first place in Group C wide open and obliges both favorites to spare no effort in their next matches: Morocco against Scotland and Brazil against Haiti, where we might even see Neymar Junior for a few minutes.