Courtesy: UEFA.com


Braz sets Portugal plans

Jorge Braz says his first year in charge of Portugal was a good one but as the UEFA Futsal EURO 2010 runners-up prepare for the 2012 finals draw, the hard work is ahead.

Wednesday 7 September 2011

by David Baño

Reaching the UEFA Futsal EURO 2010 final was a breakthrough for Portugal but also the end of an era as Orlando Duarte ended his decade-long reign as coach. Assistant Jorge Braz took over and masterminded a successful 2012 qualifying campaign. As he awaits the finals draw on 9 September, Braz spoke to UEFA.com about their aims for Croatia.

UEFA.com: How have you enjoyed being in charge instead of assistant?
Jorge Braz: I always said the transition was easy because Orlando had done a great job before. I worked with Orlando for a few years. I learnt a lot with him. He did a great job with the national team. He is maybe the main person responsible for developing futsal in Portugal with the national team. So it is easy to take over a team that is organised and that has quality and I'm just trying to continue that work and to take it to the next level.


UEFA.com: This year you have drawn twice with both Brazil and Spain as well as comfortably qualifying for Croatia – would you say things are on track?
Braz: Yes, it was a good year in terms of goals achieved, but I always say that we only got one point in each of these games. The main goal was to prepare ourselves and get better and better for the official tournaments, so in that sense these matches were good, they were interesting games, not only with Spain and Brazil, also with Japan and Romania, so the results were very positive. But that was already part of last season, now we have to think of this season, we have important things to achieve and that's the priority.


UEFA.com: How much has the success of SL Benfica and Sporting Clube be Potugal in the UEFA Futsal Cup boosted the confidence of the national team?
Braz: A lot, as many of our players come from these teams and if they play important international games it is good for us, so that helps us. We try to have more and more teams involved at a high level and that is very important for the development of futsal in Portugal.


UEFA.com: Unusually one of your key players, Ricardinho, has been playing away from Iberia in Japan and Russia: has that caused any problems, or has it even helped him?
Braz: It was difficult for Ricardinho to travel from Japan for training camps of three days, but he wants to be here and play for the national team. He has the quality and the motivation to play with the national team, so for me that is the most important thing. He was named best player of the world, so I've already told him, even if you don't feel OK, you can always bring something to the team.


UEFA.com: Is it an advantage or a disadvantage to have players involved in leagues abroad?
Braz: As long as they play in professional and competitive leagues, they will benefit from it and progress as players. I just hope they have a lot of difficulties, a lot of difficult matches, every weekend they play, that is what I want. I always say I hope it is very hard for you, because it is the best way to improve and then you will bring that to the national team too. That is what we wish for players like Ricardinho or Cardinal who are involved in other leagues. I think that is usually an advantage, depending on the quality of the league they play in.




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Venancio López on Spain's winning mentality

Coach José Venancio López tells UEFA.com that reigning champions Spain have built "a culture of victory" as they contemplate Friday's UEFA Futsal EURO 2012 draw in Croatia.

Thursday 8 September 2011

by David Baño

The team no one wants to get in Friday's UEFA Futsal EURO 2012 finals draw is Spain, winners of the last three editions and the dominant force in the European game since the mid-1990s.

Since taking over just prior to the 2007 finals, coach José Venancio López has kept Spain at the top, winning two European titles and only losing the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup on penalties to hosts Brazil. Both tournaments are on his mind now; before the European finals in Croatia from 31 January, they enter World Cup qualifying in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in a group also containing Belgium, in mid-December. Venancio López spoke to UEFA.com about taking the team through a change of generations and their immediate plans.

UEFA.com: Who are your biggest rivals at EURO?
José Venancio López: Italy, Portugal, Russia and Spain are the top European futsal teams, without forgetting the Czech Republic and Azerbaijan, third and fourth respectively at the last EURO.


UEFA.com: You have an impressive record at the helm of the Spanish squad...
Venancio López: In 71 matches since I arrived, 63 victories and 8 draws.


UEFA.com: ...does this record put pressure on you?
Venancio López: No, this helps us; it is an extra motivation. Not only on a daily basis, but because we have built a culture of victory, a winning mentality. Our players, regardless of the opponents, enter the pitch as if it was the most important match of their lives. That mentality got us where we are and has brought us the unbeaten record we now hold.


UEFA.com: Several of your stalwart players have retired - how impressed have you been with the young faces like Pola and Rafa Usín?
Venancio López: Pola, Rafa Usín, Sergio Lozano... I think the future of the national team is safe. We showed it last season. We played against the best teams in the world like Italy, Portugal and Brazil. We preserved our unbeaten record, we have managed to beat Brazil away [to win the prestigious Grand Prix] - something very difficult - with a young squad who benefited from it and gained some maturity from the Grand Prix onwards, and this has helped to renew our squad.

It looked like it would be very difficult to replace players like Javi Rodríguez, Daniel or Javi Eseverria after they retired, but we are working on it and that the new young players have shown they have plenty of class and skill. Our domestic league is very competitive. There are now younger and younger players evolving at a higher level and developing quicker and quicker. This means that the young players joining the national squad come with more experience than in the past.


UEFA.com: Is it useful to have World Cup qualifiers so soon before the EURO finals?
Venancio López: The Spanish league has a very busy programme and limits the number of international fixtures we can play, so we don't have many opportunities to get together. Therefore we also need to use it the Worlds Cup games as preparation. Our first goal is to qualify as group winners, but the tournament must also serve as preparation for the European Championships.




Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com