Opinion – Tostão: We need to value good coaches, but the protagonists are the players

Even considering that Abel Ferreira adopted a correct defensive posture, when the team was one less against Atlético, and that Cuca could have put a striker to double with Hulk, when Galo was numerically superior, if Jair or Hulk had they scored the goals they missed when they faced the goalkeeper, the story would have been told differently. Cuca would be the hero, the ace of the game, title given to Abel.

On my daily walks, when I talk to myself and others, a reader politely questioned me for frequently citing Manchester City, Liverpool and managers Guardiola and Klopp as examples of teams and coaches and for speaking little about Real. Madrid and coach Ancelotti, champions of Spain and Europe. The reader is right.

On Wednesday, Real, champion of titles, won the European Supercup, beating Eintracht Frankfurt, champions of the UEFA League, 2-0. Real showed the same lineup and strategy as the previous season, alternating ball control with counterattack, advancing and retreating, systole and diastole, as in the heartbeat. Is life.

Real is also full of great players and stars, such as goalkeeper Courtois, the experienced trio in midfield, made up of Casemiro, Kross and Modric, and the attacking duo, Benzema and Vinícius Júnior. Casemiro is getting better every day, in positioning, tackling and passing, in addition to being very good at high, defense and attack.

On the drawing board, Real Madrid plays like Corinthians, with a lineup of four defenders, one of three in midfield and another of three up front. However, unlike Corinthians, the sectors are compact and connected. In the Brazilian team, the wingers are fixed and the striker is isolated, like Robson Crusoé, without WhatsApp.

Unlike several of the main Brazilian teams, which hire many players and change the team at each match, with the justification that they need to spare the athletes, the powerful and rich Real Madrid has a small squad, makes punctual signings, like the excellent German defender Rudiger, and in every game he starts almost every starter. Abel Ferreira and Fernando Diniz have similar behaviors, one of the reasons for their good work.

Real Madrid lacks a good backup for Benzema. It is difficult to hire a good striker, who is not too expensive and who is willing to play very little, since Benzema is present in almost every match, during the 90 minutes.

Although Atlético does not change as many players as other teams, such as Corinthians, São Paulo and Flamengo, even with a large and good squad, celebrated until recently, super excited about Cuca’s return, for details, such as the goals lost by Jair and Hulk and the defeat on penalties, is out of Libertadores, Copa do Brasil and with very few chances of winning the Brasileirão. Some even miss Turkish Mohamed. Life and football take many turns.

We need to value good coaches, from Brazil and around the world, like Ancelotti, Abel Ferreira and Felipão, but the main protagonists of the show are the players, the specials, the stars, like Benzema. The great ace goes beyond technique. To paraphrase the poet Manoel de Barros, science is not capable of measuring the charm of an ace. He sees, foresees and transvides, imagines the game. It is necessary to transpose football and the world.