Davide Ancelotti Under Fire After São Paulo Defeat

Davide Ancelotti’s position at Botafogo is hanging by a thread after his team’s defeat against São Paulo at Morumbi. The Italian coach entered the match under pressure to close the gap in the Copa Libertadores race, but Juan Ignacio Dinenno’s goal sealed the loss and heightened doubts about his future.

Ancelotti made seven changes from the lineup used against Vasco da Gama, fielding a defensive midfield trio of Barboza, Alex Telles and Marlon Freitas. Despite the reshuffle, Botafogo looked disjointed, lacked rhythm, and showed alarming weakness at the back. São Paulo repeatedly broke through, while Botafogo failed to record a single shot from Rafael in the first 50 minutes. Goalkeeper Neto struggled again and left the pitch injured.

The coach later defended his tactical choices. “The idea of using three defensive midfielders was mainly due to the absence of a right winger, since I don’t think Álvaro (Montoro) is ready for a match with this intensity. Santi had a cold, so we needed a winger on the field. Danilo already played that role in the Premier League with Forest,” Ancelotti said.

At halftime, he introduced Joaquín Correa and Matheus Martins, sparking a brief improvement before the team lapsed back into its recent struggles. The defeat only deepens the crisis, with Botafogo already knocked out of the cup and slipping in the Brasileirão standings, currently outside the Libertadores spots.

Their next match against Mirassol, a rescheduled fixture from round 12, looms as a crucial test. Botafogo sits sixth with 35 points, while Mirassol is fourth with 38. Another setback could leave Ancelotti without support to remain on the bench.