Ancelotti Reverses Joao Pedro Snub as Carrick Faces Cunha Pressure
Carlo Ancelotti has moved to correct one World Cup mistake. Michael Carrick may be about to fix another.
In Brazil, Joao Pedro is back where many felt he always belonged. In Manchester, Matheus Cunha’s place suddenly looks far less secure.
Ancelotti reverses Joao Pedro snub
After a superb debut season at Stamford Bridge, Joao Pedro’s omission from Brazil’s World Cup squad stunned plenty inside and outside the country. He watched from home as the Selecao crashed out in the last 16, his absence only highlighted by their lack of cutting edge.
He has not been ignored this time.
Ancelotti has recalled the Chelsea forward for Brazil’s friendlies against Australia later this month, a decision driven by Pedro’s blistering start to the new Premier League campaign. His form has made it impossible to overlook him again.
Neymar, whose controversial inclusion at the World Cup split opinion, is out. So is Matheus Cunha. The Manchester United attacker impressed for Brazil in the summer and delivered a strong first season at Old Trafford, but his second year has not followed the same script.
Cunha under pressure at United
Carrick has persisted with Cunha as his central striker, mirroring the role he filled for Brazil and for long spells of his debut campaign in Manchester. The experiment is coming under heavier scrutiny by the week.
The turning point may have come at Goodison Park.
With United lacking punch against Everton on Sunday, Carrick turned to Benjamin Sesko. The Slovenian, a more traditional No.9, came off the bench and found the net. The contrast in profiles – and impact – was impossible to ignore.
Paul Scholes certainly didn’t.
“I felt it was really timid against Everton,” Scholes said on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast. “There was no aggression, and Everton were there for the taking. There was so much space, and they never went for the throat.
“The centre-forward position is a bit of an issue because he is not playing Sesko. He is a focal point. It is very difficult to watch a Manchester United team without a centre forward.
“With Cunha, we don’t really know what he is, a No.10 or a wide player but he’s definitely not a No.9 and watching United without a No.9 is a struggle.”
That criticism echoes what plenty of United supporters have been feeling. And in Slovenia, the reaction has been even more fierce.
‘Total zero’ – Slovenian media savage Cunha
Slovenian outlet Ekira did not hold back in its assessment of Cunha’s display, contrasting it with Sesko’s growing influence.
“Sesko flies on the shameful numbers of the Brazilian – fans firmly against Carrick,” the site declared.
Their verdict on Cunha’s performance was brutal: “He completely failed, showing a catastrophic performance. A total zero. Cunha ended with zero shots on target, zero assists, zero dribbles. He lost the ball 11 times and was beaten in every aerial duel.”
For a forward already fighting to justify his place, those numbers are damning. The criticism did not stop there.
“Carrick insisting that Sesko is still more effective on the bench, while the Brazilian plays up front, is driving fans crazy. Sesko has to play from the first minute, they’re yelling.”
The message is clear: start Sesko, or expect the noise to grow.
Big call looming for Carrick
Carrick’s attacking puzzle is not without its fixed pieces. Bryan Mbeumo has nailed down the right flank, a near permanent outlet cutting in and stretching defences. On the left, Marcus Rashford looks like a man on a mission, back at his boyhood club and playing with the edge of someone determined to reassert himself.
That leaves the central role as the key decision.
If Sesko returns to the starting XI, Cunha is the obvious casualty. A drop to the bench for United’s Champions League clash with Sabah on Thursday would cap a bruising spell for the 27-year-old – overlooked by Brazil, under fire at club level, and now staring at the possibility of losing his starting spot.
Ancelotti has already shown he is willing to admit a mistake and restore a forward in form. The question now is whether Carrick is ready to do the same.
