Vinícius Zanocelo, 21, is one of those rare types in football.
The Santos midfielder says he has already devoured dozens of biographies of important figures in the sport such as Bernardinho, from volleyball, Kobe Bryant, from basketball, in addition to coaches José Mourinho, Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp.
A literature fan, he has also read psychology classics such as “Mindset” and shaped his own diet by studying “The TB12 Method”, a publication on the eating habits used by American football star Tom Brady.
From the age of 15, when he arrived at the Ponte Preta base, he decided to invest in hiring a private professional to take care of physical gains, the trainer Vinicius Vicentini.
He debuted as a professional for the Campinas club itself, in 2019, but he felt that something was missing.
Zanocelo was 19 years old and had only played 18 games as a professional for Ponte when he understood that he would need help to better see his own game.
“I like to understand everything around me, that’s why I always read. But, above all, I love playing football. I love training and thinking about evolution. I believed that something more personal could make a difference to my career, I just didn’t know how much”, he tells Folha.
Since August 7, 2020, the player has every step on the field, every match played and every gesture closely watched by analysts at Outlier FC, an individual tactical and performance analysis consultancy for athletes.
“You even remember if you missed a pass, if you missed a goal, but you don’t understand exactly whether the behavior on the field is right or not. that is, he looked at the field to map who was nearby. There are many situations, and I am addicted to high performance”, says Zanocelo.
The work is done in detail. Analysts watch the matches and record a series of observations during the game. They also keep in constant contact with the athletes, via WhatsApp, to receive feedback and impressions. After each game, material is assembled for analysis.
Each video presented to athletes has specific observations of relevant plays in the match, mistakes or successes on the field. They are edited and take approximately four hours to complete.
Outlier uses tools such as Comparisonator, a program for comparing statistics of each player, InStat and Wyscout, for performance analysis for video materials, heat maps and actions in matches, in addition to Metrica Play for editing with observations about each bid.
“We were approached by his managers and we found a player who was very concerned about understanding what to improve, what didn’t work”, says Diego Vieira, founder and CEO of the company.
“In the beginning, we invested in corrections of defensive actions. We improved the approach to the opponent, such as being more aggressive in duels and better understanding how to close pass lines. Today, due to his merits, they are prominent points in which he managed to evolve”, he observes.
Goals originated from free kicks, corners or penalty kicks are not analyzed. In the play in which Zanocelo scored his second goal of the season, against Água Santa, on March 19 – a match that ensured Santos’ permanence in Serie A of the Paulista Championship –, three observations were made.
In the first moment, Zanocelo is highlighted looking back, without the ball, mapping the game situations. Then, another hit occurs in the advance with the team in the attack attempt. And, finally, the positioning to receive the ball at the entrance of the area after a wrong attempt to cut the opposing defense.
Against América-MG, on the 24th of April, the goal was praised for several aspects. He started the play still in the defensive field, managed the ball and, even under pressure, hit a good pass. Afterwards, he found Ângelo free on the right in a good situation. The advance to the opponent’s area allowed him to finish and score.
“Zanocelo is a boy with a lot of will. Sometimes he even exaggerates because he wants to do it. He is like a sponge. He absorbs everything that is said to him. He listens. He wants to learn. He is the best he has”, said coach Fabián Bustos, right after departure.
“We need to identify what his current coach wants for the position, each one has a certain idea. And every time someone changes, he needs to reset, understand clearly again what they are asking for”, explains Diego Vieira.
Terms like “map”, “create pass line”, “generate space between lines” and “change runners looking for one against one” are just some of the ones used in the analysis.
The company works with 53 athletes in 12 different countries. At Santos, midfielders Sandry and William Maranhão followed Zanocelo’s example and also looked for professionals to evolve.
These professionals do not give an opinion, however, about aspects outside the field, such as possible transfers and teams in which they would fit better due to the form of the game.
“It’s always difficult to nail someone’s destiny. Due to the behavior and evolution shown, we see the Zanocelo’s capacity to reach a large market, but it will obviously depend on a chain of things”, argues Diego Vieira.
Meetings for the presentation of materials are always by videoconference. Zanocelo talked about the positional successes and errors in the match against América-MG three days later, in Chile, in the concentration to face Unión La Calera for the Copa Sudamericana.
“The goal move against América-MG has several correct concepts, from the place where he created the ball exit to stepping in the area and scoring the goal. explains analysis coordinator Bernardo Lima.
Zanocelo, currently, says he has finished reading the book “A Virtude da Loucura: a Vida de Marcelo Bielsa”. More than books, statistics and numbers, he says, the solid foundation of success is family. Whenever he can, he mentions his grandfather Nelson, his mother Valeria, his sister Ana Beatriz and his wife Ana Clara.
“I’m suspicious to talk about my father, he is my biggest mirror and inspiration in life. My mother, too, her smile even on sad days makes everything change. My wife… I really want to reach the high level, but, above all, to be an excellent human being. That’s what he [o pai] and my grandfather taught me a lot”, he says.
“My father started working at the age of 13 and has been in the same company for 32 years. He can continue even longer because he likes it. I hope to stay in football until I am 40”, he adds.
The boy from the family – and from the statistics – is committed to helping Santos to surprise in the Brazilian Championship.
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