Coach Diego Souza on Filipe Luís: “Coaches couldn't get Flamengo firing” | OneFootball

Diego Souza is the new head coach of Joinville, from Santa Catarina

Former Flamengo player and with spells at almost all the other big clubs in Brazil, Diego Souza is now a coach. This week, the former midfielder was announced as the new manager of Joinville, from Santa Catarina. The new boss revealed that Filipe Luís, the current Libertadores and Brasileirão champion with Mengão, is his biggest inspiration.

— We have great coaches from the new generation trying to make their mark, but none has managed to stand out that much yet. I’ll be quick: Filipe Luís is the benchmark. He’s a very hard-working guy and extremely intelligent. I’ve known Filipe for a long time. We were together in the youth national teams —, he began.

— Many top coaches went through Flamengo and couldn’t get the team performing, but he did. He won the Libertadores and the Brasileirão and achieved immediate results with the squad he had, which, of course, is very talented —, Diego Souza added in an interview with the program ‘Fshow’ on Disney Plus streaming.

DID YOU KNOW?

Despite a history of taunting Flamengo, especially during the period when he played for Sport Recife, Diego Souza did play for the club. Right at the start of his career, the former player wore the Sacred Jersey between 2005 and 2006. According to the website ‘O Gol’, he played 37 matches, scored seven goals, and provided one assist. The former athlete was part of the 2006 Copa do Brasil title-winning campaign.

SO, HOW DID FILIPE LUÍS DO AT FLAMENGO?

As highlighted by Diego Souza, Filipe Luís won the Brasileirão and the Libertadores with Flamengo. But that wasn’t all. The former full-back also lifted the Copa do Brasil, two Carioca titles, and one Supercopa. On top of that, he won international trophies such as the Dérbi das Américas and the Challenger Cup. At youth level, the club idol won the Under-17 Copa Rio and the Under-20 World Championship.

Dismissed in March this year, Filipe Luís is now at Monaco (FRA). With the French team, he has played four friendlies, with two wins, one draw, and one loss. The team returns to action next Sunday (09) against Liverpool (ENG) in another preseason test.

WHICH COMPETITIONS WILL DIEGO SOUZA HAVE WITH JOINVILLE?

Before Diego Souza took over the team, Joinville had been eliminated early from Série D of the Brasileirão. Therefore, the former player will have the Copa Santa Catarina as his first challenge. His debut will take place on August 30, with the final scheduled for November 29.

WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION, AFTER ALL?

— It’s nice to see Diego Souza, who is openly anti-Flamengo, taking inspiration from Filipe Luís’ success at Mengão. Really, for someone starting out in the profession, Filipinho is a role model, and many are trying to copy him. We have, for example, Fred, a Fluminense idol, coaching the club’s under-20 team. Not to mention other examples. But Filipe’s success is very hard to replicate —, commented Pedro Paulo Catonho, journalist at Coluna do Fla.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.