The walls finally collapsed after the abject humiliation of the 4-1 defeat to Argentina in World Cup qualifying at the end of March, a game where Brazil in which dominated from first to last. Coach Dorival Júnior appeared hopelessly out of his depth -- and he was the last card played by the sizable lobby arguing that Brazil did not need a foreign coach.
With a certain urgency, Brazil set about warming up their prolonged flirt with Carlo Ancelotti. And on Monday, the white smoke emerged. The new Pope may be from the United States, but Brazil's coach is Italian.