Coach hails Marcelinho Paraíba as a symbol of Flamengo's turnaround and says that only in 2009 will he be able to shape the team to his liking

Eduardo Peixoto Rio de Janeiro

GloboEsporte.com

Caio Júnior completes five months since arriving at Flamengo

The beginning was already strange. Introduced on Monday, May 6th, Caio Júnior watched from the best seats during Flamengo's tragic elimination from the Libertadores Cup, during his predecessor Joel Santana's farewell. This Monday, the coach completes five months at Flamengo with plenty of stories to tell. The trauma of that unexpected defeat was surprisingly healed with a stunning start to the Brazilian Championship: ten games, eight wins, two draws, and one loss. Caio's leadership earned him a hefty offer from a Qatari club. He believed in Flamengo's project and renewed his contract until the end of 2009. Some of his players, however, felt differently. The successive departures of Marcinho, Renato Augusto, and Souza, combined with a series of injuries, knocked Flamengo off the top spot and dropped them down the table. Caio Júnior's morale also plummeted. His despondency was evident on his face. To make matters worse, fans invaded training and threw firebombs at the players. It seemed like the end. "I started to see that the dream (of a title) had become impossible," he declares. "Dealing with the athletes' egos isn't easy. The bloated and overqualified squad made him waste hours of conversation resolving petty internal disputes. To that end, he asked the board for a "headquarters" in Gávea. In the room, away from the locker room and the football department, Caio Júnior resolves minor internal issues. The roster rebuild is still underway. And, even without the team 100% determined, Flamengo reaches the final stretch of the Brasileirão in fourth place, four points behind the leader. In an exclusive interview with GLOBOESPORTE.COM, the coach analyzed the five intense months he spent leading Flamengo. GLOBOESPORTE.COM: This Monday marks five months since your Flamengo debut. Given everything you've experienced during this time, does it feel like so much longer? Caio Júnior: I have the profile of a coach who stays at clubs for a long time. I don't tend to create much controversy. I try to resolve things behind the scenes. I spent a year at Paraná, a year at Palmeiras. But at Flamengo, it seems like it lasted longer because things are different here. The repercussions are huge, and the professionals are more exposed to controversy. I've had some difficult moments, but the important thing is to see that the work has evolved. Every negative situation that has happened has served to strengthen the environment and the group. I've noticed that this has truly happened. Can you divide this five-month period into three parts: one until July, another when you lost players in the transfer window, and this rebuilding of the team?\ In terms of results, it was exactly that. Three distinct parts. When I arrived, I had difficulty just getting the group back on track mentally after the game against América-MEX (elimination from the Libertadores after a 3-0 loss at Maracanã). But the squad was ready, very motivated. I continued, putting some of my own ideas into the substitutions. I stepped it up a bit, often playing with three strikers (Marcinho, Souza, and Tardelli).\ And the second part?\ It coincided with the departures of Souza, Marcinho, and Renato Augusto, and the injuries of key players like Kleberson and Angelim. We were left without a reference point up front, and the team's performance dropped significantly. The third period involved the arrival of new signings, but it was difficult for these players to gel with the group. The team improved significantly with the arrival of Marcelinho Paraíba. He gave it a new look because he started holding the ball up front, which was something we were lacking. And now, in the last ten games, we've lost only to São Paulo.\ The issue of athlete vanity is a hot topic behind the scenes at Gávea. How do you deal with it on a daily basis?\This is a one-off. You have to really focus on the moment. There are a lot of things that no one sees. I asked for a private room in Gávea, above the weight room, precisely so I could talk one-on-one with a player or manager. I think it was great because I isolated myself and started to resolve a lot of things. Our locker room structure is very exposed, and there are things you need to resolve quietly, without anyone seeing.\

Why did these difficulties arise?

I still see that it's not easy to sign several players to a big team during the competition. It's been a different experience because at Paraná, I formed the group, and at Palmeiras as well. And at Flamengo, I arrived with the group that was already formed. Now it's changing. Next year, yes, I'll work as I'm used to. Flamengo brought in nine players during the transfer window. Would you change anything in the plan?A squad has to have 26, 27 players at most. Right now, because the transfer window is closed and I don't want to hurt anyone, we have 31 players. And that hinders training a bit. I don't like leaving anyone out. That's why I've been putting together three or four teams for everyone to participate in for the past two weeks.

Souza and Marcinho were sorely missed. Souza held the ball, and Marcinho was lucky enough to score. We're sorely missing this goalscorer. So much so that our top scorers since his departure are Ibson and Leo Moura. And the one who's improved the most is Marcelinho. Vandinho has that potential. Obina and Maxi need to improve. They've scored few goals in the opportunities they've had. And there's also Josiel, who I'm betting on a lot. During that seven-game winless streak, your expression was one of discouragement. Were you ever disappointed with the way things were going?\ It's normal, right? Because the coach lives off results. We had been leading the table for ten rounds, with a five-point lead, and then we started losing, losing, losing, and falling behind. I began to see that the dream had become impossible.\ And in the episode of the invasion of Gávea, where they threw a bomb at the players, you can see in the footage that you pull the athletes aside and say, "This is Brazil." Why this outburst? It's complicated. I'm not the right person to talk about this kind of thing. Professionals need to be better protected at work. These are situations that happen in Brazil, and we can't do anything about it. But the important thing is that it was resolved, Fábio Luciano played a key role, and the group became stronger. During the match against Sport, the video of your speech about the importance of Flamengo fans had a huge impact on the fans. How do you choose the topics for your speeches? Everything is about timing. There comes a point in the championship when you're tired of preparing lectures. There are 160 lectures in two and a half years. You have to have a ton of ideas. Your head goes crazy. Sometimes new, cool things come up. I'm always connected, and at that moment it was important to talk about the fans. I knew that in the game against Sport, the fans wouldn't have patience because we were coming off two results they weren't satisfied with (a 2-0 loss to São Paulo and a 1-0 win over Ipatinga). And I was right, but we ended up turning that around to our advantage. Reaching the Copa Libertadores is great, but Flamengo is chasing the title. If they don't qualify for the South American competition, will it be a failure? Oh, definitely. Flamengo reached the Libertadores last year. This year, the fans want to at least repeat. Whether we can do it or not is another question. I was analyzing the table on the plane. There are eight or nine teams with a chance of making it. The spot isn't easy, it's tough. But aiming for the title gives you a better chance of qualifying. And I think this achievement is entirely possible, based on what I've seen on the streets. The fans are super motivated, and we're finding the ideal team in the final stretch. And does the group also have the same desire to be champion?I feel that way, yes. I see that the players who arrived have already adapted better. Our leadership is very good. Some leaders are growing. We don't depend solely on Fábio. Leo Moura is a great leader, Bruno has grown in this regard, as have Jaílton, Kleberson, and especially Marcelinho. He speaks up, gives his opinion. Sharing this leadership role within the squad has been great. You constantly mention Marcelinho. What influence does he have on the group, both on and off the field? \

Marcelinho is the one who's really fitting in. He shares leadership with Fábio, but it's quite different. Fábio is a captain like no other I've seen with such positive leadership. After three games as a starter, Josiel didn't even take the field against Náutico. Is it time to protect him?\ It's time to protect the player. At Flamengo, the fans either love or hate a striker. I think he has the potential to score, but he needs time.\ One of the biggest criticisms you received was about the scheme with three defenders, but one of them being Jaílton, who is a defensive midfielder...\ Look. When you have three natural center-backs, you can't change formations mid-game. And in some games, the opponent comes in with a striker and I say, "Jaílton, switch to defensive midfielder." I can do that easily.\ And if you could define everything you experience at Flamengo in one sentence or expression, what would it be?\ When I was a kid, I watched a lot of Channel 100, and 90% of the games were Flamengo. I thought a lot about what it would be like to be part of this club. And now I'm here. That's why I think how incredible life is.\