Exclusive interview with Vanderlei Luxemburgo
Coach answers questions submitted by visitors to Flamengo's official website.
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in\
Luxa spoke about various subjects: from the beginning of his third stint at the club in Gávea to the planning for 2011, including a complete analysis of what he currently has at his disposal and what he envisions for the future, addressing the squad, coaching staff, and training center. In a relaxed chat where his passion for Flamengo was always evident, despite the coach's professionalism, he highlighted his optimism about the evolution of this project.
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"As a Flamengo fan, I want to help the team win an important title. That would be the ultimate achievement for me," he commented.
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Check out the full interview below.
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\ WORKING AT FLAMENGO
How do you imagine it would feel to be a champion with Flamengo, especially as a Flamengo fan?\
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I have a debt to Flamengo. In 1995, it was the centenary year, but Renato Gaúcho's goal, even though he was a bit overweight, didn't go through. Next year is Flamengo's centenary in football. So I'm going to work very hard so that, in this centenary year, I can give the club a significant title. As a Flamengo supporter, I want to help the team win an important title. That would be the ultimate achievement for me.
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What will it feel like to coach your favorite team? Is it different from being at other clubs?
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I was already planning my return to Flamengo. I had to come back here. I can't accept going through a period in football, with so many achievements, without doing a good job at the club of my heart. The other two times were tumultuous, and now we have a very good project. It was a return at an important moment for me and for Flamengo. I left Atlético, where things didn't go as I imagined, and I needed a refresher course on what's happening in football. Coming at this moment, with more decisive actions and performance, was wonderful.
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What unforgettable Flamengo game do you remember (you don't have to have played in it or been a coach)?
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There was that game with the goal, but the unforgettable match was a 1-0 victory against Vasco in 1972, with a goal from Paulo Cesar Caju, from a free kick, where he placed the ball in the corner past Andrada. It was a difficult game, in which we practically only had that one chance, and the victory qualified us for the Carioca final against Fluminense.
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\ DESAFIO
What else led you to accept this challenge of coaching Flamengo?
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I found Flamengo practically in the same state as when I left in 1995. With the same problems, yes, but a very good proposal to understand the reality of current football. The greatness of the club is undeniable. That's not something to be questioned. But it's not just that today. It's necessary to keep up with the reality of the business. Flamengo, as the biggest club in Brazil and one of the biggest in the world, can start this change in philosophy in Rio de Janeiro. It can create an administrative model that combines the Flamengo passion with the discerning aspects of the market.
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Does Flamengo mark a new stage in your career?
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In Brazil, a coach only gets an hour and a half. I do that job and a few other things. I dedicate my time to training and also to other things. I have 500 meetings with all sectors of the club. But people don't understand that. They think I've abandoned the field, that I only worry about other things. I'm the head coach. I give the tactical training, but the other training, like ball work, technical drills, crossing drills, etc., the assistants can give. I have these professionals with me. I dedicate myself to assembling the team. They started saying that I no longer gave training, but that's a lie. I participate in training, yes, but I'm more involved with the tactical side and with the club in general. I spend the whole day at the clubs where I work. I'm not only at the club during training time.
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Did the fact that he was a self-confessed Flamengo fan weigh heavily in his decision to return to the club?
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I'm a football professional, but I've never hidden the club that's closest to my heart. There's no such thing as more or less weight. You always work 100%, but of course, in victories you have the professional feeling and also the fan feeling. That's where it's different.
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Do you still think about the Brazilian national team?
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It's already happened to me, but if it happens, that's fine. If it doesn't, I'll sleep peacefully.
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\ TEAM
Which attack do you plan to scale when you have all the attackers at your disposal?\
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Val Baiano and Deivid are two different players. Val, if he leaves the penalty area, he's finished. That's not his style. We have to keep him quiet in the area and get the ball to him so he can put it in. The goals he scored were a result of that. He was in the position where he should be playing. Deivid is more of a winger, but he also scores goals. He was my player twice and I know his style of play well. Flamengo has this as a positive. It has different players and can vary its approach according to its needs. Especially since it also has Diogo and Diego Maurício.
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How can we free up the two full-backs, a major offensive force for Flamengo in recent years, without leaving the defense exposed?
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When I played against Flamengo, I immediately thought about marking Juan and Léo Moura. I closed down the flanks and didn't let my defensive midfielder get forward. They've been at the club for a long time and are already well-known. Now, they need to be motivated to enter a new project. I know there's a natural relaxation when that happens. I talked to both of them, both Léo, who is more extroverted, and Juan, who is introverted. I told them that if we have two players who play well on the wings and get to the front, why would we go into the middle? They are the team's escape valves. You pull them in occasionally, but not always. I've played football all my life and I've determined this. I'm 58 years old and have 44 years of football experience.
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Do you think off-field factors interfere with the team's performance?
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The problem, sometimes, isn't in the work and the day-to-day. The environment Flamengo was in was turbulent. The answers didn't come. You can't produce with a bad environment. Things don't happen. The team was doing well, Silas is young. You can't expect a great response from him, it's like an 18-year-old player who can't be held to that level. Pelé only became Pelé in 1970, when he carried the World Cup on his shoulders. Before that, he was a supporting player.
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In modern football, what is the most important aspect of a team: technique or physicality?
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I think that more than that, the important thing at the beginning of this work was to get everyone thinking about good things. I spoke to the players about this and then passed it on to the fans through the press. Only after we started thinking this way did I worry about the tactical aspect. I know football and I knew the Flamengo players. I knew their potential, each one of them. I faced them when I managed other clubs. When I positioned the players upon my arrival, I explained this to them. I think we managed to give the team a certain identity. Against Atlético-GO, in the pre-match talk, I told the group that they had lost many games due to anxiety and lack of patience. This way of playing worked and the change was good. We're going to win the other eight games so we can think about even better things (laughs).
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Do you believe you can make good use of Léo Moura in midfield?
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Full-backs start in the middle, move to the wing, and then return to the middle. Many are like that. He can be used in that position without any problem. He has already played there and has the quality to play in that way.
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Do you envision Flamengo playing with two attacking midfielders and two forwards? Do you believe you can set up Flamengo with Diogo Maurício, Deivid, and Diogo?
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It depends on the game plan. You can play with one striker, two, three, two midfielders, one midfielder... To fit the plan, the players have to be prepared for it and have that characteristic.
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Do you intend to use Maldonado more, since he hasn't been used as much before?
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Maldonado is the most tactical player I've ever worked with. I coached him at Santos and Cruzeiro, and I know very well how he plays. He doesn't stand out much to the fans sometimes, but he does a lot on the field. He knows how to position himself, he knows where the ball is, and he will be important to the current squad. Just look at what he did last year when he organized the team.
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How could Pet be better utilized in Flamengo's midfield?
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I turned to Pet and told him that the opposing team's midfielder should go up to attack alone. If he were good, he would play up front, scoring a lot of goals. I told him that if he came back too much to defend, the goal would be too far away. That way he wouldn't be able to produce well. I told him to play behind those players, without coming back, completely free. Does Pet have to defend? He does, but that's the function of Maldonado and Willians, who can even score goals, but don't have that priority. For Pet to defend, it has to be in his area, which is up front. I've already used him in two games and he can, indeed, start playing. We have until 2011 to get it right and analyze everything.
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Where do you intend to use Willians, the biggest ball-stealer in Brazil?
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I told Willians that he's not a striker. He doesn't need to go up front. I told him that when he goes up to attack, I see a hole in the team's defense. He needs to use his energy to disarm opponents. He does that all game and finishes the game in one piece. The opponent took advantage of his runs up to attack because he was tiring himself out where he shouldn't be. I make all these decisions politely and politely too (laughs).
PLANNING FOR 2011
Are you already thinking about signing players for next year? How do you plan to attract athletes?\ \ \ \
Today, you don't convince a player to come to Flamengo simply because it's Flamengo. There has to be a project, it has to be something professional. Our project, after the end of this year, is for a year and a half. For the group that starts in January, the project is to get Flamengo into the 2011 Libertadores Cup. But for that, I need to talk to the players and their agents. I can't agree on a project and have the player interrupt it halfway through. It has to have a beginning, middle, and end. We have to make it clear to them that they will stay at Flamengo until the end of the project, and the agent can only bring proposals at the end of the 'agreement'.
\ \YOUTH CATEGORIES
\ \Do you plan to make greater use of players who came through Flamengo's youth system?
\ \It has always been Flamengo's tradition to use players well, but it's important to have players to use. You don't have to use them. Only if they have quality. We're going to create a project for that, to strengthen the youth team. I brought in Marlon, I brought Rafinha, we have Galhardo, Welinton playing... Whoever has quality will certainly be used to the fullest.
\ \ \ \What can be done for Flamengo to once again become a great breeding ground for talented players, as it was during your playing days?
\ \We need to make progress in youth development. We have to find partners and direct the work. Adapt everything to the reality of current football. These partners will have a stake in the players, yes, but they will also participate in their costs. Flamengo won the youth championship last week, but needs to improve the physical and physiological aspects of the boys. In two years, these athletes should already be in the first team. We need a professional to make this connection between the youth system and the professional team. São Paulo has that. He has to monitor the boys, pass everything on to me and, in addition, find these partners. The responsibility is mine, but I won't be there every day.
\ \ \ \Will this interfere with the work being done at the base? If so, what will you do?
\ \ \ \Yes, I will interfere. For example, I brought Rafinha into the team's training camp last week. I took him and William to train with the professionals and then told Isaías (Tinoco) to call him. I told him to call the boy to the training camp. I heard that the boy almost fainted when he heard the news. But he went. At the hotel, I told him that there was no need for him to imitate Neymar's style. I told him that I'm already a grandfather, I understand this business of young people. I told him to get rid of the mohawk and create his own character. Do anything else with your hair, but be yourself, be original. That's cool. Besides, Flamengo accepts this culture of valuing homegrown players very well.
\ \TRAINING CENTER
\ \ \ \What do you plan to set up at Flamengo's training center in the short term?
\ \ \ \Our primary focus is the team: winning games, getting the team out of this situation, and growing. But already looking ahead to the training center, the first approach was to come here and create our workplace. Now it's about putting in the minimum necessary infrastructure to be here.
\ \ \ \Will you be acting as a consultant on this project?
\ \I committed to this. I really enjoy football management, this training center construction project, and all of that is part of the planning for my hiring.
\ \ \ \How soon do you expect to see a significant change in CT?
\ \I have a two-year contract. These first two months will be for analysis, so that next year we can start creating a good quality structure and also think more carefully about the team in the long term.
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