Ancelotti urges Brazil to swap World Cup angst for Carnival-inspired joy

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 13 : Carlo Ancelotti has seen enough trophies, tantrums and tactical revolutions to know that Brazil's World Cup problem is not a shortage of talent - it is what happens when that talent starts treating every misplaced pass like a national emergency.

Less than a month before the World Cup begins, the Italian said Brazil must learn to turn pressure into fuel as the record five-times champions try to end a 24-year wait to lift the trophy again.

"What I've noticed this year, to be honest, is that there's a lot of pressure; there's a lot of pressure on the players," Ancelotti told Reuters in an interview at the Brazilian FA's headquarters in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.

"What I think is that the players also put a lot of pressure on themselves, sometimes too much. So, the pressure and worry outweigh the joy, the energy that the Brazilians have, the creativity that the Brazilians have."

Brazil's recent World Cup exits have often been picked over as much for emotional fragility as for tactical flaws, and Ancelotti said he had seen signs of that burden even in friendlies.

"I've seen it in some friendlies... a mistake by a teammate in a friendly match seems like a tragedy," he said.

"We need to establish a routine to avoid all this, because pressure is obviously a very important factor. Managing pressure well means having more motivation and more camaraderie, because you can share the pressure. Then it weighs less heavily on you."

For Ancelotti, the antidote is not to drain Brazil of their identity but to give it a frame sturdy enough to survive modern football's intensity. The old question - should Brazil entertain or simply win? - is not one he accepts as a choice.

"What Brazilian players and Brazilian football must