Abel Thinks Outside the Box

Nothing seems to change in Brazil when we consider football. Experts know better then coaches themselves, and as we have seen managers get fired for the slightest results going in the wrong direction.

Take Corinthians coach-manager Ramon Dias, soon after winning the Paulista Championship trophy against Palmeiras, or Dorival Junior, Brazil’s national side manager after being defeated by the world champion Argentina. Leaders don’t seem to have a leg to stand on in today’s competitive world. They come; they go! One coach-manager who thinks outside the box in his competitive stance is none other than Portuguese coach-manager Abel Ferreira who has taken Brazil’s Palmeiras football club to another level of competition, winning ten major league trophies over the last four seasons, and this year demonstrating his display of creativity beyond the wildest dreams of expert-journalists who act as if they know better.

Abel has to bite his tongue to hold his emotions from getting the better of him. He’s got to hold back from lashing out at wannabe expert-journalists who only get off from trying to show their flair as interviewers. On top of expert-journalists, in Palmeiras latest victory against Fortaleza 2-1, Abel Ferreira faced criticism from his own fans for risky substitutions in the ‘Brasileirão’ competition.

The season began for Palmeiras two weeks into the new year, so there was very little time to get the squad prepared. After a mixed beginning of the season on an experimental run with young new players and replacements, trying to find the right formula for success, Abel focused on synchronizing his squad to put them on the right path for what promises to be a tough season. Now that he’s on a run of six winning games, online correspondents say his own fans have criticized him:

One journalist wrote, ‘On social media, fans criticized coach Abel Ferreira. One of them said: “Abel Ferreira always gives up the game at the end of the match”. While another criticized the coach's substitutions: “Honestly, I really admire Abel Ferreira, but I don't understand why he always puts on a defender and calls on the opponent in the last 15 minutes”.

One journalist wrote, A fan warned: “Abel Ferreira almost ruins everything, you have to be careful”. While another made a controversial comment: “What Abel Ferreira does with these changes is criminal”.

The bottom line is, he has his reasons. If he did everything journalists and his fans wanted then most likely he wouldn’t have developed his team into warriors; players prepared to go beyond the realm of basic football.

Today we have to understand that the game is highly technical, and only experienced coach-managers who think outside the box with creativity are likely to survive. You only have to look at Ramon Dias and Dorival Junior to realize there is no second chance; get it right, or you are fed to the wolves!

Take care!

Prof. Carl Boniface

Vocabulary builder:

Stance (n) = posture, position, stand, standpoint, attitude

Wannabe (adj) = aspiring, would-be, hopeful, budding, potential, aspirant, imitator, clone

Warriors (n) = soldiers, fighters, combatants, troopers

Realm (n) = kingdom, monarchy, empire, land, territory, jurisdiction, country, state

"Fed to the wolves" is a metaphorical expression meaning to sacrifice someone or expose them to a dangerous or harmful situation, often to benefit oneself or others. It implies a deliberate act of leaving someone vulnerable to a destructive force, like a pack of wolves.