Flamengo’s search for a new coach after the departure of Renato Gacho on Monday put Carlos Carvahl’s name back on the horizon for Rubro-Negro fans. The 55-year-old Portuguese, who has already held talks with the club after the departure of Jorge Jesus in 2020, will be one of the options to coach the Rio team, according to the Portuguese press. Experienced and honest, Carvahl has been in Braga for two seasons, where he implemented a very competitive and flashy style of play, which saw him defeat Jorge Jesus Benfica in one decision.
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In recent years Braga formed the Fourth Army in Portugal, a scenario that continued even after Carvahal took command of the team. The former defender of the club and born in the city of the same name, which is in northern Portugal, the coach was hired for his second spell at the club in mid-2020, after a great season along the modest Rio Ave. Because of the Europa League. Prior to this, he had spells in clubs in Portugal, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
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The main title of his career came right into the present path. Braga defeated Benfica in the final of the 2020/21 Portugal Cup and disappointed Jorge Jesus’ first season after returning to the raid. In the previous edition of the Portuguese Championship, they finished fourth with offensive and defensive numbers behind only the trio Sporting, Porto and Benfica. In the current season, with 12 matches to be played, the situation is practically the same.
Carvalhal’s team has some solid and easily recognizable grounds. The priority is to play with the first three defenders: the 3-4-3 plan was the most used by coaches this season, a proposal that has an approach game and rapid pace in the middle.
Braga serves to propose play, dominate possession of the ball, and intensify the triangulation between midfielders and attackers – usually very close to each other – as soon as defenders manage to overcome the marking on the ball. One-touch plays are common in matches with fast pace, attacking positions and swapping between players in front.
It is a style of play that takes its toll defensively, as the line of defense plays forward, further away from its territory, exposing it to counterattacks, long balls and deep space. To compensate, the team bets on counter-pressure: an intense marking from the attack in an attempt to regain the newly lost ball. Still, Carvahl, a specialist in the game, has no problem acting in a more reactive manner and bucking his lines depending on the context of the matches.
Truth
The technician usually doesn’t hide what he thinks. Active on social networks, he usually interacts with fans, journalists and shares details of his work. On his Twitter profile, he emphasized on several occasions how his Braga is a team that is always under construction. He had no problem admitting in an interview he gave in October that he interacted with Flamengo.
— When I came to Braga, I had a little time before an agreement was practically signed with Flamengo. It was public. The choice was Braga, because they are the club they are, because they like Braga so much and also because of the pandemic’s profile. It had nothing to do with the financial part. The interest of a club that is one of the best in the world makes me extremely proud and it is a reward for our work.
As shown by the tactical application of his teams, Carvahl is a coach who values commitment to his teams. In a recent episode, he praised Braga’s young Roger, who made him believe he had watched videos of the team to figure out how to fit in with a professional. The 15-year-old striker scored his first goal in October and hugged the coach.
“He didn’t go to see Barcelona or Liverpool! He studied the team he wanted to play for! The original idea and then went looking for the position of the player who plays in the images to study him in his position! I had never experienced a situation like this, but I think it should be shared as a positive example for those who want to play in their club’s first team one day. I don’t know if young Roger is real Players will be there or not! But he is on the right track, without any doubt.” Koch on the network, in a statement that went viral in European media.
On the other hand, it has already shown its tough side in friction, involving one player from the current Rose squad. Shortly before defender Bruno Viana was loaned to Flamengo, Carvahl dropped him from the main team.
“The door is closed and will not leave.” We just need what is here. The management is taking care of it and the player’s placement is about to happen. The future does not pass through Braga – he said, in February. If Carvahl strikes a deal with the club, the two should not meet at Flamengo, as Viana completes her final week’s loan.
