“That is how determined we were”
Transcription
“That is how determined we were”
Carlos Dunga, Brazilian national team coach: “That is how determined we were” 4 No. 34 – August / September 2009 Cover story They are the most successful nation in World Cup history. Their title for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup should therefore not come as a surprise even though it is a record third crown. What is the secret behind the success of the Brazilian national team and how does coach Carlos Dunga utilize this to the maximum? By: Guy Oldenkotte best With players contracted by the need clubs in the world, there is no re. to teach them anything anymo Dunga would rather establish a perfect environment Being coach of Brazil is certainly a difficult job, Dunga claims, as the whole world is looking over his shoulder. Name a particular era and you certainly will be able to link a Brazilian football player that dominated international football at that time. From Pele to Romario, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho or Kaka; they thrilled the international soccer world on the field and, more recently, they are thrilling many off the field thanks to players having become big business. Much was therefore expected in South Africa from Kaka, who secured a multi-million dollar deal with Real Madrid just before the start of the FIFA Confederations Cup. But asked for the reasons for his success, after he was announced the ‘Budweiser Man of the Match’ in the FIFA Confederations Cup final against the US, Kaka’s answer is plain and simple. “Our achievement tonight is the collective achievement of the entire team. Without the support of the team I can’t be man of the match,” was the frank answer. Or, as coach Dunga described it; “I have never seen a team together without any problem for 30 days. Yet you still didn’t manage to write a bad story,” he told reporters in the post-match press conference while looking back at the event. “That is how determined we were”. No. 34 – August / September 2009 5 Cover story Willingness to sacrifice It is believed that over 2000 Brazilian players leave the country annually to play for teams in overseas competitions. And as they tend to be contracted at a very young age the Brazilian FA and FIFA have started working on plans to bring this to a halt to avoid soccer becoming ‘the modern slavery’. Yet Dunga believes the international experience is important. “All players of the national squad have contracts with great clubs. But they have all been locked in their hotel for the past 22 days. That makes them are very eager to win,” he says. “Our players are always motivated and they smile a lot,” the coach describes the mood in the team. It seems to be the national mantra. “All Brazilian players are anxious to play in the Brazilian national team. But they all respect each other.” With these few words he describes exactly the balance the team has found. “Of course the whole world will talk about players that will make the headlines for whatever reason. But you need to have players that will make the headlines on the field. And very often they do so without grabbing the world headlines. You will need players that will sacrifice themselves for the team,” Dunga explains. A per fect example of this philosophy is Gilberto Silva. Dunga’s loyalty to the Panathinaikos midfielder was questioned by many Brazilians when he called Silva up for duty for the FIFA Confederations Cup. He had always been the kind of player whose value is dismissed by super ficial consumers of the game. But the 32-year old certainly made the difference. While he may not be as fier y or visible as Dunga was at his time, he per forms the same critical function; providing ballast and security for the ball players around him. With Felipe Melo alongside him, this robust, pragmatic Brazilian midfield resembles the one Dunga anchored when Brazil won the World Cup in 1994. Other Players like Maicon and Daniel Alves have fur ther complemented the exceptional talents of Kaka and Robinho, allowing the Brazilian squad to be patient and wait until the moment is there to score. And never mind how much Real Madrid paid for their acquisition, the Brazilian was never seen doing funny tricks on the ball. Brazil played football that was very direct. Players would only have one or two touches and then release the ball to a teammate. “There is always room for individual per formance but the game is a collective effort.” New line of thought Dunga has also sacrificed the standard of the game, a move by some regarded as disrespect to the Brazilian tradition of fluency and enterprise. But Dunga is not impressed. “I want to do good work, which is my work,” he says. The Samba Kings have become in favour of devastating counterattacks and scoring from set pieces. Brazil is perhaps the only team that can convert a corner against, into a score of their own. “Our players are always motivated and they smile a lot” (Carlos Dunga) 6 No. 34 – August / September 2009 They didn’t even post a player next to the goal post while defending a corner; they knew their defense wouldn’t be penetrated in the first place! Making corner kicks and free kicks count as the team did in the game against Egypt and South Africa is the key to Dunga’s new soccer formula. Most of the 16 goals the Brazilians scored in the tournament came from set pieces. Countering from the opposition’s half has been the Confederations Cup defending champions’ trusted weapon in South Africa. Dunga has also reduced the three creative midfielders that the world had come to associate with Brazilian soccer to just two quick ones on the flanks; Kaka and Robinho. This perhaps explains the absence of Ronaldinho who has been replaced with the more combative Gilberto Cover story Brazil is perhaps the only team that managed to convert a corner they defended into a successful attack. Silva in the somewhat ultra-defensive mid. Silva is supported by Felipe Melo, who has ball-winning and distribution skills as well as being a significant aerial threat. After testing Anderson, Ednilson, Fernando, Hernanes, Josue, Mineiro and Tinga in his efforts to fill the holding midfield position, it seems to be unlikely there will still be space left in Dunga’s squad for Ronaldinho. “I would like Ronaldinho to come back but that is his responsibility,” Dunga says, leaving the door open to one of the world’s greatest attacking mid-fielders. But the defensive approach seems to be the new Brazilian football school of thought with fellow countryman Joel Santana, coach of the South African national squad, adopting the same approach. And in this development chances are slim that Ronaldinho will ever be included again. One year to go After a slow star t Brazil is now on track for qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. But the problems the team faced in their qualification emphasize the need to continue building. Par ticipating in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup therefore provided Dunga with a good opportunity to set some records straight. “This tournament has been so important for us. We are building a great team for 2010. When we have time to train together for three weeks, it is totally different than training for one game.” Knowing that his players will soon return to their employers all over the world, it will be weeks or even months before the coach will see his team again. Dunga hopes that their eagerness will not have faded away when they return. “When they get on the field, players must be willing to win.” At the level of which most players per form as a coach Dunga is not worried about improving their skills. He rather focuses on establishing an environment. “We tr y to transmit a spirit of tranquillity. But the players know what to do.” But if they fail, he is not afraid of taking decisions. “The truth has to be stated. There is healthy competition in the team and we only want the best.” And with training and exporting soccer players from Brazil becoming big business Dunga has a whole array of players he can select from. No. 34 – August / September 2009 7