According to Suarez, Latin American football must make an effort to redefine its identity. Latin American football should be different from European football.
By
Sindhunata
·6 minutes read
AFP/EZEQUIEL BECERRA
Costa Rican fans celebrate the victory in the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group E football match between Costa Rica and Japan in San Jose on November 27, 2022.
The world of football is always entertaining when there is unexpected news of big teams being defeated. So it is not surprising that football fans were excited at watching Germany fall at Japan’s feet at Khalifa International Stadium in Ar-Rayyan, Doha.
Meanwhile, Japan is feeling that the ticket to the last 16 is in its hand. Isn't the next opponent "just" the small Costa Rican team that was thrashed by Spain?
However, as Thomas Mueller said, the final results in football cannot be controlled, let alone ordered. And this was proven yet again in the 81st minute, when Keysher Fuller's kick suddenly broke Japan’s attempt at goal. The ticket that had seemed to be in the Japanese team’s hands suddenly disappeared. Instead, Costa Rica's hopes, believed dead, were suddenly revived.
"I'm not going to talk about tactics and technique. The most important thing is, we've demonstrated our ability to do amazing things. We have to face various challenges, but we are confident and want to give ourselves to our country 100 percent by playing our best,” said Costa Rica coach Luis Fernando Suarez after Costa Rica trumped Japan.
Suarez is an experienced coach who brought Ecuador to the last 16 of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and Honduras to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.
Suarez is Colombian, so why isn't he coaching Colombia? Speaking to columnist Javier Cáceres, he admitted that he had indeed been offered to replace Javier Alvarez as the Colombia coach. However, his father forbade him from accepting the offer.
Laughing, Suarez recounted what his father had said: “I see that the cannon is now aimed at Alvarez. The cannon will also be aimed at you.” Indeed, many know that in Colombia, a football team that loses is the same as life lost.
When he was playing with Atletico Nacional Medellin, Suarez trained under Francisco Maturana, who later became the legendary Colombia coach. Maturana even entrusted Suarez to be his assistant. Suarez admitted he owed a lot to Maturana in his coaching career.
Listening and not ordering his players is Maturana's coaching style, which Suarez has practiced until now.
Many coaches believe that orders are the most important. I don't believe this.
“Many coaches believe that orders are the most important. I don't believe this. I try to make sure that every player has initiative and a sense of belonging to the team," said Suarez.
Suarez once met a professional golf player who said that in golf, Costa Rican players made more efforts at getting the ball closer to the hole. American golfers, on the other hand, immediately try to sink the ball in the hole. Apparently, Costa Rican players were more restrained and observant.
This restraint also characterizes Costa Rican football players.
“That attitude makes Costa Rican players prioritize a strong defense,” Suarez said, no-nonsense. “When attacking, the defense must not slacken.”
Japan went all out, but Costa Rica's defenses were impenetrable. Suddenly, Costa Rica stole a goal from Japan.
AFP/RAUL ARBOLEDA
Costa Rica's Colombian coach Luis Suarez gestures on the touchline during the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group E football match between Japan and Costa Rica at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan, west of Doha on November 27, 2022.
Suarez noted that prioritizing defense had been left behind. Now, football tactics were more offensive than defensive. The game was really fast, and the space had grown tighter. The risk was that there was very little time for players to make decisions. In this regard, Suarez agreed with the criticism from Italian football legend Alessandro Del Piero that today’s football players were like robots, and had to obey a lot of automation.
Suarez therefore suggested that coaches must work together on how to re-humanize football in the current era.
“We often talk about decision-making on the pitch. Who's in charge? The players? Or the coach, who demands so much that the players are forced to become robots? The robotization of players is what makes football everywhere the same now, with no visible difference in identity," he said.
Suarez stressed that there were many options on the field. Players should not think narrowly that there were only certain options. It was even worse if a player thought that their coach had the only correct option. In such cases, he would only perform a function, without creativity. In order to prevent this from happening, players must have freedom.
Returning freedom to players that is the re-humanization that football must pursued in the contemporary modern era. This effort is no different from humanizing modern society, which is heavily gripped by robotization today that eliminates individual identities.
According to Suarez, Latin American football must make an effort to redefine its identity. Latin American football should be different from European football.
“But instead, we try to be European. Because we want to be European, we lose the essence of our football, namely the joy of playing and creativity," he said.
Suarez is a very idealistic coach. In the face of a world that is pragmatic, including the world of football, it is difficult for idealism to stay alive. Suarez is aware that even his “foster children” may not necessarily be able to live up to his ideals. Moreover, his ideals are not a guarantee for victory. However, Suarez remains optimistic.
We try to be European. Because we want to be European, we lose the essence of our football, namely the joy of playing and creativity.
At the 2006 World Cup, Suarez brought Ecuador to faceoff against Germany in the preliminary round, when it was defeated 0-3. Now in Qatar, Costa Rica is facing Germany in a similarly crucial match.
Suarez always wears red sneakers on the touchline. He started wearing the shoes after he suffered a bone injury. Ever since he started wearing the red sneakers, he has led Costa Rica to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. It's neither superstition nor a whim.
"The players want it. I can be naked on the touchline if I please, but their message [is], don't be without those red shoes," said Suarez.
It is impossible for Costa Rica to make Germany defenseless. In all things, Germany is above them. If they still have hope, the Costa Rican players may just have to rely on the luck of their coach's red shoes. Whatever the case, Costa Rica is to be commended for their extraordinary struggle to achieve their ideals.
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