Vasco midfielder praises Renato Gaúcho's fatherly style in Brasileirão

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·31 Maret 2026

Vasco midfielder praises Renato Gaúcho's fatherly style in Brasileirão

The arrival of coach Renato Gaúcho at Vasco put an end to a difficult spell of uncertainty and marked an immediate turnaround in the team’s performance this season. Before the major change in charge at the Rio club, experienced defensive midfielder Tchê Tchê was stuck on the bench, and the squad was suffering through a harsh run of defeats in the league. That extremely negative scenario was, in fact, the main reason behind the dismissal of coach Fernando Diniz.

However, the new manager quickly changed the tense atmosphere at the Moacyr Barbosa Training Center. Renato placed strong emphasis on the players’ psychological side, and this new approach introduced by the coaching staff became the main driving force behind the team’s clear technical improvement on the pitch.

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Renato Gaúcho’s injection of confidence

During an exclusive interview with Itatiaia radio, the current Vasco starter opened up about the behind-the-scenes details of this transition. The midfielder highlighted how the new coach restored the group’s confidence from the very first interactions:

“He came in giving us a lot of confidence. Believing in the group’s potential. He always says he needs everyone. Right from the start, he brought something that changed a lot. We went through a period without knowing who was coming. He arrived and had a frank and honest conversation and said we needed to keep our feet on the ground. I think that’s what we’re putting into practice. The team is competing a lot. We know how to suffer, and that’s the main thing.”

The fatherly style and Tchê Tchê’s comeback at Vasco

In addition to the necessary tactical adjustments on the field, Renato Gaúcho’s well-known man-management greatly strengthened the Vasco locker room. The coach balances daily professional demands with the emotional closeness needed to bring the best football back out of his players. According to the midfielder, this more welcoming style keeps the group from falling into the dreaded comfort zone during the competition:

“He has more of a fatherly style. He was a player, so he knows an athlete needs affection. That’s normal for a player. A player needs a little encouragement, but the rope always has to stay tight so there’s no complacency. It’s not that nothing changes, but we don’t have time to imagine and think. We just focus on things.”

The excellent numbers confirm the full effectiveness of this new methodology applied at Vasco. Under Renato’s command, Vasco won an impressive 10 out of the 12 points contested in the top flight of the Brazilian Championship. In this recent stretch of four matches, Tchê Tchê regained his place in the starting lineup and became a key piece in the system. The player revealed how he quietly prepared himself at Vasco to seize this opportunity:

“I worked hard to reach this moment now. I feel prepared. At the beginning, I played matches in the State Championship this year, but I hadn’t played in the Brazilian Championship. I’m happy with this moment. I waited a long time, I wasn’t getting a run of games, but I was always preparing myself. I wasn’t caught by surprise, but I didn’t expect to already be in the starting eleven in Renato’s very first game. I was ready for that.”