Brazil manager Dorival Junior said Monday that his team has “turned the corner” after overcoming a wretched run of form that threatened to derail its World Cup qualifying campaign.
The five-time world champion has lost just two of its past 13 games after a form slump that saw it suffer three consecutive defeats in World Cup qualifiers for the first time ever late last year.
“We are in the process of getting to know some players, giving them opportunities and maintaining a structure for quick adaptation,” Dorival told a news conference ahead of his team’s home World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in Salvador on Tuesday.
“There are signs that things are starting to move forward. Of course, we need to transform this positivity into results. But we are on the right path and the players understand that.”
Brazil is currently fourth in the 10-team South American group with 17 points from 11 qualifiers, two points behind second-placed Uruguay.
The top six teams will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico while the seventh-ranked side will contest an intercontinental playoff.
“I hope that from now on the results will be better, based on what we are seeing in training,” Dorival said. “The past three international windows – in September, October and November – have brought us closer together and allowed us to make the improvements that we’ve been looking for.”
“I believe that the team has come a long way, technically and tactically. I’m the first to admit that results need to get better but it’s a recovery process and I’m sure there are better things to come.”
