Stop Following Trends — Adapt to Your Players

BRUNO OLIVEIRA

Bruno Oliveira: Many times we try to create, invent, or follow trends, and we experience a sense of vertigo. For me, I don’t have that vertigo because I always play the same way.

However, I see many coaches copying others, and I have copied many things as well. If I like it, I try to implement it. But there’s this vertigo in constantly following trends—like, De Zerbi builds from the back, then it’s Guardiola, and then Mourinho. As I mentioned, sometimes we lose sight of what is important and essential.

What I observe, especially, is that people try to implement strategies that their players can’t execute. They try to force a certain style of play that, based on the characteristics of the squad, simply isn’t feasible. This follows the trend.

Today, if you start a goal kick with a long ball, you’re considered a failure; you cannot start a goal kick by kicking a long ball because…

Miguel:
If it’s a long pass, it’s not even considered a build-up.

Bruno Oliveira:
Right, if it’s a long pass, it’s almost a sin. And this is where I…

Miguel:
It has to be a pass.

Bruno Oliveira:
This is something I personally don’t subscribe to. I focus on getting the best out of the players I have. Increasingly, I prefer to take cues from my players and build from their strengths.

It’s much easier than forcing a system that they aren’t accustomed to or that their characteristics don’t allow. For instance, if you have solid defenders who excel at defending, why would you place a midfielder in a centre-back position? For me, there are certain concepts that were developed in specific contexts that I understand.

When you have elite players in every position, you can be like Picasso. But when you have average players—I wouldn’t categorize them as good or bad, just ordinary—you need to respect the type of player you have and recognize what they can and cannot do. As coaches, we should never lose sight of that reality.

A good example is the number of goals we see every day. You turn on the TV, and you watch various match highlights. You witness a plethora of mistakes during the build-up play.

The other team receives the ball and often scores with just one touch—a poor pass or the player intended to pass to the keeper but accidentally passed to a striker instead. I think you understand where I’m going with this; there are many mistakes occurring daily.

The question should be: as a coach, how many goals am I scoring from short build-ups? How many real chances am I creating through this method, and how many chances against myself have I conceded from short build-ups? I believe the numbers would be quite revealing.

I agree with your observations regarding Spain. I didn’t watch many Euro games, but I did see Spain play. I enjoyed it; I found the isolation of the wingers interesting.

They aimed for 1v1 situations on the wing, promoting skillful and fast wingers, maintaining a good balance in the midfield. They were strong and physical when necessary, and they executed tactical fouls strategically.

They exhibit good principles and a consistency that I admire.