FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Albania occupies only the 68th place in the FIFA ranking, but I bet on Silvinho and his "multicultural" technical staff, as he himself says in an interview for "Ge.globe", to win a place in "Euro 2024", which would be the second participation after 2016. Next to him is Doriva, who was also an assistant at Korinthias, and the Argentinian Pablo Zabaleta, who is starting his career as an assistant.
"We are young and we are looking for our spaces. For 10, 12, 13 years I participated in technical commissions and I didn't see myself leading a national team, although I got a lot of experience in the Brazilian national team... and that helped me in my choice. Brazil helped me understand what this job was all about. I am not sitting where I am and saying "Now what".
After all, we can't design everything and I saw it as a very good opportunity. Then, putting together what is happening, what is already changing a little on this road... Some younger coaches also work in the national teams. I am seeing a trend of young coaches taking federations, national teams and developing their work. I have always welcomed our choice here in Albania", he added.
Among so many responsibilities, Silvinjo left his wife and son in Porto, Portugal, where he lived after leaving Korinthiansi and went to live in a hotel in Tirana, located near the AFL and "Air Albania", a stadium inaugurated in 2019 and hosts the matches of the National Team.
Five languages...
The mission of "Euro 2024" will have important chapters this week. Silvinho's Albania host Moldova this Saturday and visit the Faroe Islands on Tuesday in search of six points to claim qualification in Group E, where two teams advance and the favorites see Poland and the Czech Republic.
To announce the list, Silvinho may have "killed his mind", made choices, but he did not face one problem: communication. With the Italian, who was the first on the list, he was able to speak individually with all those called, either in person or by video. The translator was really only needed during the training.
"For four or five years in the past I lived in Italy, speaking Italian. The first dinner with the president, everything was all in Italian. In the federation, I switch between Italian and English. This has kept me going. I have already spoken to 30 footballers, among all the players I went to visit, saw in matches or talked to via video call, I didn't need a translator.
What we do is: in the main meetings I present an idea about football, I speak Italian and a person from the technical part translates it into Albanian. We did not want to give up in any way that he will speak the local language, including in training, any doubt that remains has this kind of translation. Although me, Doriva and Zabaleta will speak in Italian, Spanish, English, Portuguese. So we manage to have the training command without a problem, less time is lost, and the communication is good", says the coach.
Albanian and the language of the ball
"When I said that I will pass, it was not in Albanian, it was in Italian (laughs). The language does not work, it is really difficult, but I risk with a few words, good morning, good afternoon, good night... They are isolated words, it is very difficult. So I manage with other languages", he said.
However, the most commonly used language is that of the ball. Recently, a video of Silvinho playing with his players and interfering with Abrashi went viral, showing the intensity, but also the maturity of a coach who feels confident with his steps, without crossing the limits.
"Since I know myself as a coach, I have received many compliments from good and confident coaches. I have always taken care to know whether or not I can get into a training circle and after talking with these top coaches they told me: "You have all the capacity, condition, education, you will not overdo it. And this is me, I will never limit the potential and the strengths I have to have with footballers", explains Silvinjo.
From work to home? On foot!
Doriva lives with Silvinho in Tirana, while Zabaleta still lives in Barcelona because of the young children and travels before matches. It's a lot of work, yes, but with a more relaxed routine than in the big centers and it allows the coach to experience the city, get to know the culture, interact with the fans and even walk to the hotel.
"It is a fanatical people for football. When I have the chance, I go out on the street. I often leave on foot, I am 1.5 km, 2 km from the hotel, it is also close to the stadium. Sometimes I'm walking, I stop at a cafe and someone says to me: "Look, we're as fanatical as you Brazilians." We love football", he says, then continues:
"The road is very short and we pass through a park. I'm used to wearing hats and sunglasses every time I go out, so they don't recognize me. I like to walk in anonymity, but when they recognize me, it's like: "Sir, we're going to 'Euro 2024'." The popular clamor of the people is for the European. Tirana is a city that surprised me a lot, it is growing a lot. We are in the center, the federation and the stadium are nearby, everything is new. So we are doing very well, the cuisine is exceptional, it has many origins from Italian cuisine, it has crossed the Adriatic Sea and arrived here in Albania...
And the city is good, I really like living here, I talked about Italian cuisine, but there is also Greek, Turkish, rich, delicious cuisine. I recommend spending a day in Tirana. We paid for the dinner, even Doriva", says the coach jokingly.
Even in a region with historical tensions, mainly with Serbia, Silvinho finds himself in a safe environment in Tirana. There is simply not enough time to leave the capital and visit other tourist areas in the country, such as the "Albanian Riviera".
"Peaceful coexistence. The stories we hear and talk about in coffee shops are about moments of tension experienced in the past. A little of the country's history, all this remains and we learn and understand. But, as far as I know, they have been victims many times, and inside the country we don't see such a thing, violence... Don't talk to what comes from Kosovo or Serbia... I see a country that grows, I haven't had still a possibility, but there are very beautiful beaches, two or three hours from Tirana. The country is beautiful and is developing a lot, said the Brazilian coach.
Silvinho's list
Introduced in January, Silvinjo and the technical staff entered a total regime, to understand the organic that they had in hand. The Albanian national team has players spread in the best European leagues, but not very well known. The most famous are: Strakosha, Berisha, Hysaj, Gjimshiti, Broja, who suffered a serious injury in December.
"You took me back to the first day: a lot of work, a lot of energy spent. But it asks a lot, man from heaven! When they put the names of the 50 possible boys on the table, I said: "Doriva, how many bags of 32 kg did you bring, two?" And we went to observe, to expand on the players, without forgetting the legacy left by the previous coach Edoardo Reja", recalled Silvinjo.
"Now I have to review eight, 10, 12, 15 matches of the Albanian National Team, what has been and what we want to change. Not that it was bad, but that we have a different way of working. From there, we understand this whole picture and put it into our system and our way of working which players we're going to get. Then comes the last step, when the footballer comes to you. When he is training, you have real perceptions that he can be more or less than you imagined. Now we are in another process. Of those players that we called, four or five came that we are seeing now, but we know the core from the first call. It needs work," he added.
The World Cup on the horizon
Të mendosh për “Euro 2024” është indirekt testim i nivelit të Kombëtares për ngjarjen më të madhe pas saj: Botërorin 2026, në SHBA, Meksikë dhe Kanada, të cilat do të kenë një numër rekord prej 48 skuadrash. Federata shqiptare sigurisht që e ka këtë objektiv. Por Silvinjo preferon të mendojë për qëllimin më të shkurtër, jo vetëm, sepse kontrata e tij është e vlefshme deri në qershor 2024, pikërisht në Europian.
Megjithatë, nuk ka dyshim se është një cikël themelor që kjo eksperiencë të ndryshojë nivelin. Kupa e Botës nuk u shtrua në tavolinë. Të gjitha përpjekjet, përkushtimi dhe përqendrimi i energjisë në këtë moment janë për Europianin. Kur flas me Dorivën, i them: “Është përgjegjësi!”.
Herë pas here e kam parë këtë me Titen, me Roberto Mançinin… Qesharake se si e ndiejmë sot, përgjegjësia për vendimet, është një vend! Prandaj kërkon respekt, punë, përkushtim. Kudo që shkojmë dëgjojmë “duhet të fitojmë”.
Unë mendoj se është e drejtë. Gjithçka është shumë e shkurtër, është një kontratë një vit e gjysmë, por gjithçka është e shpejtë, tani janë dy ndeshje, pushime, pastaj dy të tjera. (…) Besoj se, nëse arrijmë këtë kualifikim të shumëpritur, shanset edhe për Botëror do të rriten, për shkak të numrit më të madh të grumbullimeve dhe kohës dhe zhvillimit tonë. Ne duam të besojmë se nëse shkojmë në Europian, puna është e mirë, lojtarët janë të mirë dhe rrisim shanset për të shkuar në Botëror”, theksoi trajneri.
Shqiptarët, fanatikë futbolli
Silvinjo e kupton që shqiptari tashmë është një fanatik futbolli: “E kuptoj se rezultatet që federata dëshiron të arrijë dhe që po ua përcjellim futbollistëve mund ta bëjnë mjedisin tonë më të mirë dhe më të madh. Rezultati më i lartë i arritur ishte pjesëmarrja në “Euro 2016”.
Besoj se nëse arrijmë objektivin për të luajtur në Europian apo Botëror, tendenca është që të kemi stadiume të mbushura plot për ndeshjet e Kombëtares, për të përmirësuar kampionatin vendës dhë për t’i angazhuar të gjithë. Vetëm rezultatet mund ta sjellin këtë. Janë fanatikë futbolli, e duan shumë këtë lojë, por të gjithë presin një rezultat madhështor: “Do të shkojmë apo jo në Europian?”. Do të ishte e jashtëzakonshme!”, thotë Silvinjo.
Dyert e hapura
Edhe pse u largua nga Korinthians me vetëm 43 ndeshje, duke u kualifikuar në Kupën e Libertadores, por pa tituj të fituar, Silvinjo i la dyertë e hapura. Çdo projekt, derisa të jetë hartuar mirë, mund t’i interesojë teknikut 49-vjeçar.
“Është e vështirë për ne, si staf i ri, të bëjmë plane të mëdha. Ajo që lë të hapur janë mundësitë. Që kur fillova të punoja në një staf stërvitor, u ktheva për të jetuar jashtë vendit për pesë vjet, dy prej të cilave me Interin dhe tre me kombëtaren braziliane. Kam qenë në Francë, Korinthians, Shqipëri… kjo pjesë e njohurive të njerëzve ka ardhur duke u zhvilluar.
That is: I am absolutely happy here, hopefully to reach our goal and then we will see. Opportunities to work in the United States or Japan, for example, are not a problem for me. If there is planning, reliable people involved, if I see that good work can be developed… why not? I'm already in Europe, why not? Return to Brazil? Perfect! There is Mexico... Why not work in Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay? I leave this door open, it doesn't make sense, because opportunities allow me. There are times when I don't even feel like a foreigner in Albania, but I certainly am! (laughs)", Silvinjo concluded with a joke.
Lini një Përgjigje