Filipe Luís was only 22 years old in 2007 and brought to madness the Spanish coach Miguel Ángel Lotina for not knowing how to defend.
Deportivo La Coruña’s experienced coach said with each training: “In the attack is like Roberto Carlos, but in defense …”. And it made him stay at the end of each activity to correct technical details of the side position, from body positioning to the most complex tactical movements.
“Lotina had a lot of patience with me,” the current coach of Flamengo recalled in an interview with the Valdano Universe, a program led by former striker Jorge Valdano, in 2019.
“He only thought of attacking the opposing goal,” Sheet Former Argentine defender Diego Colotto, Brazilian companion at the Spanish club. “I talked a lot to Philip to come back [para marcar]But there was a way to play always attacking or thinking about the goal. He did not understand. And Lotina, which was very tactical, made him see it. He loved him very much. Interestingly, this one turned his strong point on the teams he played. “
That left back with tactical observation difficulties is today, at 39, the coach sensation of Brazilian football and leads Flamengo in the Club World Cup. In less than a year as coach of a professional team, he won the Brazilian Cup titles, the Brazilian Super Cup and the Carioca Championship, carrying the experience lived in his fourth season in Europe, under the command of Lotina.
“For me, honestly, it is no surprise. Obviously, we never expect that soon will be achieved significant results. This, yes, surprises, but I see him today as a consequence of the boy I met and faced football in a professional way from very young,” says former midfielder Sergio Manoel.
Sérgio Manoel was a Figueirense veteran when Filipe Luís took his first steps as a professional at the Florianópolis club. “He stopped to hear absolutely everything we were talking to him. He abdicated a lot of personal life to be where he is. He always had this passion for the game.”
Fast success in Flamengo was achieved with a patient profile and similar to that of his mentor. In the new career, Santa Catarina has as his right arm the Spanish assistant Ivan Palaco, who worked with a lottery until his retirement.
The younger coach of the World Cup alongside Belgian Vincent Kompany of Bayern Munich, his rival on Sunday (29), he does not clash with journalists, avoids criticizing referee performances and believes in the recovery of players. He did this with Gabigol, today at Cruzeiro, who was forgotten in the club with Tite and was fundamental in winning the Brazilian Cup.
Despite the influence of Lotina, the former defender has also said he created a style of his own by taking valuable lessons with names such as Diego Simeone, Tite, Jorge Jesus, José Mourinho and Dorival Júnior.
He constantly exalts the intensity he learned from Simeone, with whom he worked most, in eight seasons at Atletico Madrid. It also praises the tactical knowledge of Jesus and the stability offered to the cast by Tite, his commander in the Brazilian team.
It was Tite that Filipe inherited his first chance as coach of a main team. After the resignation of the Flamengo gaucho, the Santa Catarina took the professional cast after good results in the U17 and U-20 red-black teams.
“At Atletico, Filipe has marked so much that to date people continue to look for their heir. Expectations as a coach are high. If he remains at this level, his opportunity in Europe will not take time to arrive. Maybe even at Atletico, but it is still early to say,” says journalist Eduardo Burgos of the AS Diary of Madrid.
With 50 games in charge of the Rio team, Filipe Luís sports 75.3% of success, with 33 wins, 14 draws and only three losses. In the century, it is only behind Jorge Jesus (81.6%) and Joel Santana (77.7%).
In front of Chelsea, in the club’s most anticipated match in the World Cup, he took risks: Leo Ortiz on the bench to climb Danilo in defense and, at a 1-0 disadvantage, took Uruguayan Arrascaeta, considered the best player of the team, for the entry of Bruno Henrique. The goals of the turn were scored by Bruno Henrique and Danilo. Then the coach bet on young Wallace Yan, who sealed the 3-1 triumph.
“We knew we would have chances, because we had a way to play and follow the way. When I made the changes, the team started to believe,” he said proudly.
For old companion Sérgio Manoel, “his future is the national team.” “There is so much lack today of good names that I see it as a light on that tunnel that we expect from a Brazilian coach so much,” he notes.
Before thinking about this possibility, Filipe Luís focuses on leading Flamengo to overcome the strong Bayern in Miami Gardens. The former defender who only knew how to attack learned to surprise Europeans.
