Eurosport expert Alan McManus explains Luca Brecel's shock World Championship exit - 'Maybe he was burdened by it'

Updated 21/04/2024 at 10:39 GMT

Reigning champion Luca Brecel slumped out of the World Championship at the Crucible on Saturday evening, a shock result that Eurosport expert Alan McManus credits at least in part to the pressure of being champion. Brecel himself, far from refuting this analysis, seemed to agree in his comments to the media on Saturday night. Brecel had collapsed from an imperious position.

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Luca Brecel crashed out of the World Snooker Championship on Saturday evening, dropping the final four frames to qualifier David Gilbert.

The shock early exit of the reigning champion can be partially credited to the pressure of being the champion, according to Eurosport expert Alan McManus.

McManus, commentating for Eurosport on the tournament in Sheffield, observed that Brecel appeared to be struggling under the weight of expectation.

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That was particularly true towards the end of his match against Gilbert, when he could have sealed victory by winning any of the final four frames.

McManus said: "To touch on Luca, it looked very much in that match that he was wearing the crown a bit heavy. It looked a bit heavy for him, maybe he was burdened by it.

"He needed one snooker in the last frame there and he wanted out of there. I'm only surmising it, we can't get in Luca's head but I said it one stage tonight, if you're prepared to go out on your shield the way Luca is, you're going to have to suffer the consequences."

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Continuing his analysis, McManus felt that Brecel had made poor decisions earlier in the match, and that those came back to haunt him when the tide turned.

He said: "He played a double that he’s got no business of playing at one stage when he was a frame or two clear, and he paid the price in the end for not paying attention to the stuff that he's not brilliant at.

"He's an unbelievably good player, talent wise, I don't know whether he was totally committed to the job today."

Defending a world title is, by definition, even more difficult than winning one in the first place. 19 champions have failed to retain their title in the following season, and no first-time champion has ever done so, but Brecel has endured a particularly complex year.

The Belgian has reached just one ranking quarter-final since being crowned, at the Welsh Open in February, and has also struggled in general at the Crucible. Last year was the only time that Brecel has advanced beyond the first round in the World Championship.

While Brecel might be expected to contest McManus' analysis, he rather seemed to agree in his own post-match comments.

Brecel said: "It was a good year, but I look forward to not being a world champion again - I don't like all the attention. I've been waiting for the season to end for a few weeks. It's just a game, why should you be happy if you win and sad if you lose?"

The Belgian was also struggling with illness, after battling a throat infection since March.

He said: "I wanted to go for a run but it wasn't possible and it has been a bit tough these few weeks. I was coughing all day but it's not an excuse: I was just not good enough. I missed some balls and he played well and kept fighting."

Brecel had even considered withdrawing from the tournament due to his illness.

He said: "Maybe if I was not defending champion, I would've pulled out, but it's too big to pull out when you are seeded and defending world champion."

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