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Vasco told coach Vanderlei Luxemburg yesterday that he has no intention of having his services after the game against Goiás, for the Brazilian’s last day. With the inevitable demotion, the club will have to restructure within the new, much lower budget, and the coach’s salary would not fit.
Also because Luxembourg failed in its mission to escape from the Z-4. In 11 games, two wins, four draws and five losses. Of the 33 possible points he won ten. Utilization less than 30%. The team scored eight goals and conceded 15, which contributes to the terrible goal difference that makes maintenance in Serie A unfeasible. Received at 16 and surrendered at 17 – they may finish one spot below, should they be defeated by Goiás in São Januário.
The coach kept his word not to receive any compensation from the club, as the team was demoted. It was the least he could do, although the responsibility for Vasco’s fourth descent is not his alone. Ramón Menezes and Ricardo Sá Pinto also failed and the whole context, of political turbulence and enormous economic difficulty, weighs heavily.
But the fact is that Vanderlei Luxemburg started 2020 by taking over Palmeiras with ambitious projects and the season ends at sunset. Maybe final. Understandable in a career spanning nearly four decades.
Can the coach continue to function? Of course, it is his right to remain in the active and option of the club that wants to hire him. Can you still be a champion? Obviously, he even won the Paulista that Palmeiras had not seen since 2008, also under his command.
You need to understand the reasons for considering an outdated technician. Nobody wants to retire a professional. It would be cruel, even from a personal point of view. It is healthy to feel productive, regardless of age. Luxembourg is 69 years old, recently beat Covid-19. You have the strength to keep working.
The problem is changing levels. For a multi-champion coach, five times for the Brazilian and nine for Paulista, the most competitive state in the country, the reality today is trying to save Vasco and fail. Naturally, no one lives the peak of their career to the end. The problem in Brazil is thinking that what worked in the 1990s may work now.
Luxembourg still has the weight of a nostalgic and denialist discourse, without accepting changes in the sport. With fluctuations in this conviction when talking about the dynamics of Klopp’s Liverpool or looking for a younger and more attentive assistant, like Mauricio Copertino.
But the difficulty of renewing the methods is clear. Their teams do not reach the maximum intensity, they are more widely spaced and slower in the movement of the ball. It is understandable, since the human being tends to cling to what worked before. Talent of strategic and tactical skills and a keen eye for catching youngsters with potential are still there, they just aren’t enough to compete at the highest national level.
There may be a shine here, an achievement there. Often overrated, such as Vasco’s 4-4 draw against Jorge Jesús’ Flamengo and the state conquest with Palmeiras. Here and there the “Professor is back!” and the most delusional even talk about the command of the Brazilian team. Even for the charismatic figure, funny even in a verbiage full of profanity. The discourse of “rescue” of Brazilian soccer, dribbling and improvisation also seduces many people.
It just isn’t compatible with a job to compete at the top. Luxembourg falls in love with Vasco and now it will be much more difficult to return to a Serie A team. Time has passed and he is inexorable. For all. Simple as that and nothing personal.
