Danilo insists Brazil must 'face up to reality' after Morocco draw

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brazil/I9l9aqLq/"]Brazil[/a] face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/haiti/nk4v10Z1/"]Haiti[/a] in Philadelphia [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/brazil-I9l9aqLq/haiti-nk4v10Z1/?mid=IRyRv2Ll"]on Friday[/a] needing a response ‌after opening Group C with a troubling 1-1 draw against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a], ‌rescued by a flash of individual brilliance from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vinicius-junior/CbwQ4Mws/"]Vinicius Jr[/a] after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saibari-ismael/WzSmqNMQ/"]Ismael Saibari[/a] ‌had put the African side ahead in a first half that ‌left Brazil rattled and pinned back.[/p][p]The result increased scrutiny on Italian Ancelotti, whose decisions to start striker [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rodriguez-thiago/MmJb4MzQ/"]Igor Thiago[/a] and right back [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ibanez/tARMiREs/"]Roger Ibanez[/a] drew criticism, while midfielders [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/casemiro/Ukeq3c0b/"]Casemiro[/a] ‌and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lucas-paqueta/SruRBYZP/"]Lucas Paqueta[/a] struggled to impose themselves before ⁠halftime.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/danilo/KUjvgUhB/"]Danilo[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fabinho/nqldMgYf/"]Fabinho[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/matheus-cunha/bq5QzRdb/"]Matheus Cunha[/a] helped ‌Brazil improve after the break, leaving Ancelotti with a familiar tournament puzzle: stick with ​his starters for cohesion or shake the bottle and see if something fizzes.[/p][p]"Every team has a core group of players," Danilo ​told a press conference on Wednesday. "[b]There are six, seven or eight players who are first-team regulars and always play. And there are three or four ⁠players who are always ​rotated depending on the match, the opposition and the strategy[/b].[/p][p]"That's how football is played these days; strategies always change according to the opposition."[/p][image alt="Brazil are massive favourites against Haiti" id="420affd8-23b9-4a9c-9e9b-7b098c7a6671" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="7f7f5d64-b902-4a22-8671-4061d95d62b4" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]Ancelotti kept his team secret until two hours before kickoff against Morocco, but Danilo said that was ‌part of the modern game, even if not every player enjoys the suspense.[/p][p]"[b]Today we've probably got 80% of the team sorted for Friday's match, and there are three or four players who are still up in the air[/b]," he said.[/p][p]Then came a smile and a little mischief.[/p][p]"Managers are a bit crazy; sometimes they make choices and decisions for which no one can find a logical explanation," Danilo added.[/p][p]The defender said his own preparation would not change whether he was told he would start days before ‌the match or minutes before kickoff, although others might need more certainty.[/p][p]Brazil, ​however, need less uncertainty on the pitch. Haiti opened with a 1-0 ‌defeat by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/scotland/fZRU25WH/"]Scotland[/a], but Danilo said Brazil's focus had to be internal.[/p][p]"We have to be clear," he said. "[b]The best way to improve and put things right is to face up to reality and take a clear-eyed look at everything that happened[/b].[/p][p]"[b]We need to be certain ⁠that that first half fell completely ⁠short of our capabilities and ‌of what is expected of the Brazilian national team[/b]."[/p]