Football is a team sport not only on the field but also off the field. While players need to work as a team when the ball is in play, the coach also needs the support of the coaching staff on the bench. That's why coach Andrade has a key assistant at his side. Marcelo Salles, nicknamed "Fera" by the players, has worked as a physical training assistant and scout, and is now considered the Flamengo manager's right-hand man.

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Having worked at Gávea for many years, Marcelo is young but very experienced. He knows many of the coaches in Brazilian football and is always committed to providing Andrade with as much information as possible about his opponents. A lover of football tactics, he is a student of the sport who strives to do his utmost to make the coach comfortable in his work. And, in addition to the serious nature of his duties, he still finds time to referee the team's soccer games and maintain a great sense of humor with the entire squad.

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Learn a little more about Marcelo Salles' career and work in this exclusive interview with Flamengo's official website. In it, he explains his struggles, discusses his excellent relationship with Andrade and the team, analyzes the differences between working during busy weeks and with games on Wednesdays and Sundays, and also, with good humor, states about the lively recreational teams that always end up criticizing his officiating: "I'm not a thieving referee, I just have a technical flaw with the whistle."

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The work of an assistant - The assistant coach's primary role is to provide the coach with as much information as possible, including statistics about our team and the opponent. I'm second in command, so my other job is to leave only the big decisions to Andrade. I discuss minor issues and potential dissatisfaction within the group with the players, and if it's something serious, I pass it on to him. I try to keep Andrade as focused as possible on his work—both technical and tactical—with his mind free to do so.

Assistant vs. Observer - Paulo's role as the team's observer is a little different from mine. He goes to games to closely monitor the opponents' performance. This is the role I used to play, and for that reason, I believe I can do a good job as an assistant. My experience, knowing most of the coaches in Brazilian football, helps a lot. In the Brazilian Championship, it was like this: I knew the coaches' styles and was able to pass that information on to Andrade to develop strategies for each game.

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Tactical Analysis - I really enjoy the tactical aspect. I watch a lot of our opponents' games, and I also rewatch our own matches, and I believe this helps a lot, because I pass the information on to Andrade, who also does the same work, and he plans how the team will face each opponent. We know our weaknesses and our strengths, and we try to adapt our strengths to our opponents' mistakes and improve our weaknesses according to their strengths.

Andrade - Our relationship with Andrade is very good, especially since he's worked with us for a long time, even before becoming the team's head coach. And just because he took on this role, things haven't changed. Quite the opposite. We maintain the same friendship and respect for him, as he was a great winner at Flamengo, and he also relies on us. I believe our support was also crucial to Andrade's success.

Group - An assistant coach needs to have a good rapport with the players. I used to be a physical training assistant and have also developed a close relationship with the group, because to do the work the athlete least enjoys, you need to learn what they enjoy and try to put that into practice in the best possible way.

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Intelligence of the cast - Our group has many high-level players, and that makes the job easier. Sometimes, as I said, it's difficult to get things right in a two-game week, but with the squad we have, with players with above-average tactical awareness, they understand things simply through conversation. Normally, everything is more hands-on, because that way the players understand better, but in our group, because they are exceptional athletes, sometimes, through chat and discussion, it's possible to work things out.

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Arbitration in Rachão - In the kickoff, I end up not pleasing either team. I really displease both, but that's what I always tell them: at least I'm not a thief, I just have a technical weakness with the whistle (laughs).

Full week to work - With games in the middle of the week and on the weekend, even my work suffers a bit, because there's no time to correct deficiencies from one game to the next. For example, with games on Sundays and Wednesdays, Tuesday and Saturday's training sessions are already pre-game, and Monday and Thursday are post-game, leaving only Friday free for work. With a full week, it's different; you can do better work between games, as was the case in the Brazilian Championship.

Works for the semifinal - Our emphasis this week won't be on defense, but rather on the collective. A team wins or loses a game because of the collective. Defense is just the last line before Bruno. Marking has to start up front, and the important thing is collective effort. It's not Alvaro, Angelim, David, or any other defender, but the entire team that needs to be worked on. We win together and we lose together. It's not the defense that loses games and the offense that wins games.

Joel Santana - Joel is a coach with a strong defensive focus, who sets up his team's defense very well, and one of his hallmarks is his ability to attack at the right moments. Williams' return will also be crucial for this game.