In July and August, the Algarve is a leisure and holiday destination for many, but that wasn't the case for the Amora FC team that chose to prepare the pre-season at Browns Sports Resort.
Bruno Dias, the head coach of the team that recently rose to the 3rd division, was in touch with us to answer our usual ten questions that we have been asking to various coaches who have been training at Browns.
His passion for personal development and emotions was evident.
01 | What is the best part of being a coach?
Transform people's lives.
We, as coaches, what we do is try to make the players become better players and that is only possible if they are better human beings. So, I think that is the role of the coach.
To be able to generate value to the players in a way that they are capable enough, resilient enough, so that no matter what happens they go looking to have the best for them and that is only possible if it is better for the team.
That is the fascinating part of coaching: it is transforming human beings by putting everyone working towards a common goal.
02 | And what is the most challenging part of being a coach?
To understand the different personalities that human beings have.
Manage expectations.
Understand that there is a whole set of people around the club who have these expectations, who have these emotions, because we are bearers of emotions and we are going to generate emotion in someone. We can make them feel happy or sad depending on the behaviour we have. And what we want is to generate behaviour that makes people happy. And so, that is what we want. That is the greatest challenge: to generate positive emotions in everyone who accompanies us.
03 | What skills do you think is important in a player, apart from the physicality?
That's exactly it, the mindset.
Resilience, the way they look at every challenge that we have as a solution for them to be better and show every day that transcendence. And to look for it in every challenge that happens to us.
In fact, there are always two sides. We don't control what happens to us. We control how we react to what happens to us. And that to me is the biggest point that players need to have. To look at the event and say "What can I get the best out of this and how am I going to grow as a player?" This will help the team.
04 | How would you describe your team using 3 keywords?
◤ respect
◤ ambition
◤ courage
05 | Could you mention one great moment in your career?
There are many. Only one is more difficult, but...
Which one stands out the most?
What I highlight the most is the promotion to a higher league last year.
Clearly, we were a team that when we started was not seen as a team that would be able to go up the division and generate that wave of positive energy around us and those positive emotions for everyone. And in the end, we left no doubt that we were a very capable team, which managed to overcome all obstacles, which achieved its goals and which managed to make people happy.
Congratulations on the rise to the 3rd division.
Thank you very much.
06 | And one of the lowest moments?
The lowest moment of my career... (thoughtful)
... that has taught you a lesson
Whoa! I think the hardest moment might have been... Let me see... I don't happen to find many moments like that... Maybe because I look at it very... exactly like that: this moment gave me something better next, and so there is no low moment.
But I would say it was when I left the last club. I got really sad because we considered that the journey was still halfway through and the goal was clearly accomplishable and the goals were on the top of our mind. Maybe that was the most penalising moment. Before that there was a moment when they didn't keep their word with me and that upset me, but as I'm not the one in control, I can't do anything about it and I had to deal with it. But it's much more these situations than exactly winning or losing a game because that's part of the challenge. It's when you touch on matters of principle that it gets harder.
07 | Could you name three people in the sports world that you admire or/and have as role models?
◤ (José) Mourinho — Clearly! In my point of view, he's the coach that made a revolution in the training in Portugal and changed the football paradigm. The importance he gave to several factors that are around a football team and the time he focused training on tactical component. In my memory, he revolutionised internal communication, but mainly the external communication of football clubs due to his ability to centre football on people and the emotions they feel.
◤ And then how the team plays — (Jürgen) Klopp.
◤ And for the way he leads the team — (Diego) Simeone — because he has a leadership that I think is fantastic. And the commitment to the team, commitment to the game and the ability that the players have to overcome each day. Kloop is also in this line, because of the way he looks at the game in the sense of having a malleable team in which the game happens.
Notes:
* José Mourinho — 6 Best Coach awards in the Premier League, UEFA and FIFA. 4 titles in International Competitions (Champions League and Europa League) and 21 titles in National Competitions in Portugal, Italy, Spain and England. Find out more
* Jürgen Kloop — 3 Best Coach awards in UEFA and Premier League. 3 titles in International Competitions (FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Champions League) and 7 titles in National Competitions in Germany and England. Find out more
* Diego Simeone — 4 titles in International Competitions (UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup) and 6 titles in National Competitions in Spain and Agentina 6 Títulos em Competições Nacionais em Espanha e Argentina. Find out more
08 | What advices would you give to someone that just started as a coach?
Never give up on your dream of becoming a coach, no matter what happens.
Have the ability to always, at every moment, look at the light at the end of the tunnel and realise that you will go through difficult moments. But if you have the focus, you will get there. But you have to be the one to get there and not put the responsibility on others.
Look for the people you have as reference to help you to be a better coach every day.
But basically the point is to never give up on the dream regardless of what others say, regardless of whether things are going very well or not. Keep doing it. Praise and criticism are nothing more than, if you'll pardon the expression, noise around us. We have to focus on what we have to do, keep going and if that happens, we will get there for sure.
09 | If you could decide, would you change anything in football?
There are so many things I would like to change in football.
I think that... in football there is an issue that is very important. Everyone talks about fair-play, the principles that should be followed, but one thing is to talk and another thing is to do it. So, what I would change in football is exactly that, the ethical issues.
Ethical issues are clearly the most valued of all because I don't think that winning at any price is the same as winning. It isn't. Winning is winning by adhering to ethical standards with everyone being on an equal positioning at the start of the competition, adhering to all the same rules, without exception. In this way, it will be clear who was, at that moment, more capable to win. So I would change that.
I would say that we have to be even more confident of making ethics a pillar of sport, knowing that we are competing and that we want to beat the other. But it's not because I want to beat the other team that it is my enemy. It is only my opponent. Because without them I don't play either.
10 | How has your experience been at Browns?
It has been very good. I think it has fantastic conditions for us to train.
I must congratulate you especially on the issue of grass. Extraordinary!
The amount of training we have there... We are training twice a day, always in the same physical space and the way people take care of the grass... They always have the grass available for us. We are here, unless I'm mistaken, on the 16th day and the grass is fantastic for training. We don't have any problem with the grras which is something that is very challenging. And if you look at the world context, it is very difficult to train always on the same pitch and with such a big load that we are doing.
The friendliness of the people, the coordination and the flexibility for us to be able to use the spaces that are more than convenient for the team.
But the issue for me, the issue of the grass is clearly something that surprised me very positively, because it is a very big wear and tear, we are in a very hot season, it was very easy for the grass not to be so good to play and the truth is that in this aspect it is extraordinary.
This interview was translated.