Ancelotti responds to Laporta over Raphinha call-up

Ancelotti and the Brazilian Football Confederation have handed Brazil's clubs a favour never granted to their European counterparts, easing their call-ups as the domestic league reaches its decisive stage.

The Italian coach said: "This is a sensitive period, which is why we called up only one player from each team, and we decided not to call up any player from Flamengo or Palmeiras, because they are competing for the title."

Minutes earlier, Ancelotti had explained why he picked Raphinha, with the national side now turning to fresh faces after failure at the World Cup.

Ancelotti explained: "We have begun a renewal project, and now is the ideal time to carry it out. In September, we started assessing a group of younger players, and we are now continuing the same thing with these players who could form the future of the Brazil national team."

"We prepared a balanced list, including 9 players of Olympic Games participation age, and up to 15 players under 23 years old," he added.

The former Real Madrid coach also wants to keep what he called the backbone of the squad intact.

"We selected 5 players who took part in the last World Cup, and they will be important in the new phase during which we will play the Copa América and a new edition of the World Cup," he noted. "These players are Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhães, Bruno Guimarães, Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha."

"As for Douglas Santos, we called him up again because he delivered a very positive level at the World Cup," he added.

On the tactical front, Ancelotti sidestepped a direct question about whether Raphinha would keep playing as an out-and-out striker. That's the role the Brazilian fills this season at Barcelona, and the one he was tried in during the friendly against Australia, where he picked up an injury.

The Italian kept it brief. "We have forwards who are versatile and can fill different positions," he said.

Ancelotti was far clearer, though, about the shape Brazil would take in their two friendlies against Japan and Singapore.

"I focus on what we can do, not on the quality of our opponents," he said. "We will continue to play with three players in midfield and three players in the front line."

That rules out, for now, any idea of fielding four players up front. Ancelotti tried it at the World Cup without much joy, and again in that first friendly against Australia.