Why Brazil wants Liverpool to knock Madrid out of the UCL

Two months have gone by since the end of the World Cup, and Brazil are still without a replacement for coach Tite, who stepped down after the competition. Local FA president Ednaldo Rodrigues originally gave himself an informal deadline of the end of January to appoint a new man. That, obviously, has come and gone, and the decision has been made to put Ramon Meneses, the Under-20s boss, in charge for a friendly next month against Morocco.

For some this recalls the extraordinary story of Lionel Scaloni in charge of Argentina. With no previous senior coaching experience, he was made coach of the national side on a caretaker basis and ended up taking them all the way to glory in the World Cup. Could Meneses also be in the long haul?

It is a possibility, but at this stage it looks unlikely. There is one very important difference: back in 2018 Argentina did not have much option. They had sacked Jorge Sampaoli, who was on a fat, long-term contract and had to be paid off. Money was short and Scaloni came cheap. The Brazilian FA are not operating under the same restrictions. They can pay.

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It would appear that Brazil have set their sights on a big-name foreign coach, which is going to prove very controversial. The local coaching fraternity are not happy with the idea, and it is likely that older supporters would also not be pleased. Moreover, can a big name be seduced? Top ranking coaches tend to prefer the Champions League to national team football. The international game has become an arena for rookies or veterans.

There is one name that very much fits Brazil's requirements. Top of the wish-list is Carlo Ancelotti. It is easy to see the attraction. No one can possibly doubt