On the finish of the month, two Brazilian groups will meet to contest the ultimate of the Copa Libertadores, South America’s equal of the UEFA Champions League. One of many coaches will likely be from Portugal, the opposite from Argentina.
This has been the sample of current occasions. Brazil’s domination of the competitors started in 2019 with a revolutionary Flamengo facet coached by the big-haired Jorge Jesus, additionally from Portugal. One other Portuguese, Abel Ferreira, has taken Palmeiras to 2 Libertadores wins and two league titles — and probably a 3rd later this 12 months. Argentina’s Juan Pablo Vojvoda has performed a sensational job with Fortaleza 12 months after 12 months, main the membership from the retro northeast into competition for main titles.
However the place are the Brazilian tacticians? It’s arduous sufficient discovering an acceptable candidate for the Brazil nationwide group. Had issues gone to the plan of the native FA, Actual Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti would now be the person in cost. The 65-year-old, nevertheless, spurned the Selecao’s advances and penned a brand new take care of the Spanish champions late final 12 months.
Now, although, a saviour is in sight. Former Atletico Madrid (and briefly Chelsea) left-back Filipe Luis has made a superb begin to his teaching profession. He took cost of Flamengo on the finish of September, and on Sunday he already had a title to have fun. His group received the celebrated and extremely profitable home cup — the Copa do Brasil — beating Atletico Mineiro dwelling and away to assert the title 4-1 on combination.
That is extremely important. In marked distinction to their nice South American rivals Argentina, top-class Brazilian gamers are merely not embarking on teaching careers. Fernando Gago, Martin Demichelis, Kily Gonzalez, Gabriel Heinze, Hernan Crespo, Martin Palermo — even Carlos Tevez, a seemingly unlikely determine — are just a few Albiceleste legends who shortly switched from taking part in to teaching, bringing the expertise they acquired in Europe to the South American recreation.
Nothing comparable has occurred in Brazil. Within the present first division, Gremio boss Renato Portaluppi was a beautiful participant in his day — ok to go to the 1990 World Cup — however his taking part in days ended 25 years in the past. Internacional coach Roger Machado picked up a couple of worldwide caps at left-back. And there may be Bahia‘s Rogerio Ceni, who turned the goalkeeper who scored probably the most objectives within the historical past of the sport in an excellent profession with Sao Paulo, and was a back-up in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup profitable squad. Probably to his remorse, he turned down the possibility to play in Europe, and it’s no coincidence that he has a French assistant.
However the place are the others, the large names who’re keen to take the problem of pinning a teamsheet to the dressing-room door? The simple reply is that they’re scared off by the working situations for coaches in Brazil. They may have seen the expertise of former Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester Metropolis left-back Sylvinho, who has been so successful with the nationwide group of Albania. He was briefly answerable for Corinthians, the membership the place he made his title as a participant. However the native media handled him with no respect, the overcrowded calendar left him with no time to coach, and the insane ranges of impatience meant that he was sacked after a couple of disappointing outcomes.
Nobody has time to construct a profession. Ardour can shortly spill over into one thing extra harmful, with followers incessantly attacking their very own group at airports or invading the coaching floor to protest after defeats. With their monetary future assured, massive title Brazilian gamers who might have thought of teaching have decide to dedicate their time to one thing else.
However not Filipe Luis, who, after his time in Europe joined Flamengo for a victorious spell as a participant, earlier than retiring on the finish of final 12 months. He switched straight into teaching the youth sides, and received titles with Flamengo’s under-17s and under-20s earlier than the possibility got here to take over the senior facet.
He was all the time a vibrant participant, one who owed his success as a lot to his intelligence as to his pure expertise. Eduardo Barroca was the coach of a Coritiba group who confronted Flamengo a couple of years in the past. His tactical adjustments have been profitable the battle, till, as the sport paused for a throw in, he noticed Filipe Luis make the distinction.
“He labored out our scheme and organised his group, and from that second on there was nothing we might do,” remembers Barroca. “His studying of the sport was excellent.”
Related traits have been on show in the previous couple of weeks, solely this time from the touchline relatively than the left-back place. He can swap methods and approaches. Flamengo are an attack-minded group; taking part in typically with a four-man field midfield, and at different occasions with a pair of wingers. Irrespective of the setup, Filipe Luis sends his group out to impose themselves on the sport. However within the second leg of the cup semifinal, defending a 1-0 lead, they’d a striker despatched off early. The response of the coach? Take off the opposite striker and wager on all-out, blanket defence.
It stunned those that noticed Filipe Luis — together with his Spanish again up workers — as a kind of next-generation Pep Guardiola. And it made everybody keep in mind that he spent his greatest years at Atletico Madrid with Diego Simeone. Certainly, in his first press convention as senior coach he made a degree of expressing his debt to the combative Argentine.
“I like him so much,” he mentioned of Simeone. “He was the man who modified my mind-set. He’s chargeable for me sitting right here at this time. I had by no means been focused on teaching, however after I understood {that a} coach will be able to altering somebody’s life, it was one thing I needed.”
There was loads to admire in the way in which that Filipe Luis led Flamengo to this cup triumph. With expansive, attacking soccer they beat Atletico Mineiro 3-1 at dwelling within the first leg. And so they have been by no means passive when defending the lead within the return recreation. The extra Atletico threw males ahead, the extra Filipe Luis stiffened the defence — whereas ensuring he might hit them on the break with aggressive counter-attacks. Flamengo might have received the second leg by greater than 1-0.
This, then, was a tactical triumph. But additionally a victory for the non-public contact. A 12 months in the past, most of his gamers have been his teammates. Filipe Luis seems to have handled this swap with sensitivity and maturity. Was he displaying an excessive amount of religion in star striker Gabriel “Gabi-goal” Barbosa, a membership idol who was desperately struggling for type? It was religion effectively justified, as a result of the 28-year-old scored two objectives within the first leg. However within the return recreation, with extra power wanted on the counter-attack, Filipe Luis didn’t flinch from the large choice and substituted Gabriel at half-time.
These are early days, and there will likely be more durable days to come back. A 2-0 defeat by the hands of native rivals Fluminense, accompanied by hysterical press repercussions, has already given Filipe Luis a style of what to anticipate when issues go fallacious. However he has made a extremely spectacular begin — and out of the blue the disaster in Brazilian teaching doesn’t look fairly so extreme.
