Diniz and Barbieri seek offensive play in different ways

One of the moments when Fernando Diniz and Maurício Barbieri turned their backs on the beauty of football was when they faced each other for the 2016 Paulista Championship. Audax, now coach of Fluminense, beat Red Bull Brasil, now coach of Vasco, but the result was second plan after the two argued bitterly on the way out of the lawn, causing a great confusion all the way to the locker rooms.

Apart from that ugly episode, the two always try to look at what is most beautiful in the game — the offensive football, the constant search for the goal. Although with slightly different styles. And this promise of a good match to watch is one of the main attractions of Sunday’s derby at Maracanã.

Perhaps because they had that aspect in common, the two left the fight behind. When he faced Red Bull Bragantino last year, for the last round of the Brazilian, Fernando Diniz made a point of praising Barbieri, even with the coach already out of the team from the interior of São Paulo, fired in the previous round:

— I know the people here well, everyone is to be congratulated. Barbieri did a first class job. At one point this year, the team failed to win its games, but it is one of the most structured football teams in the country.

From the time when both were coaches of teams in the interior of São Paulo until the games for the Brasileirão, there were six matches, with three wins by Diniz, two draws and a triumph by Barbieri.

Last year, the Fluminense coach won, but in January 2021, the scenario was the opposite. The coaches faced each other in Serie A and Red Bull Bragantino achieved an undisputed victory over São Paulo by Fernando Diniz: 4-2, outside the dominance with the ball rolling.

— It was not São Paulo that lost, but Red Bull that won, with great merit. And the score does not reflect the game. We could have won with more goals.

Intensity is key

They live different moments in their careers. Diniz is consolidated on the first shelf after 2022, and has already been considered for the Brazilian national team. Barbieri did a great job at Bragantino, but he still needs good results at the head of a big club – the opportunity to take over Vasco already in the context of SAF may be what is missing.

The first focuses more on possession of the ball, the exchange of passes. The other seeks more verticality towards the goal. So much so that in the four games in which they faced each other for the Brazilian, regardless of the result, Diniz’s teams always had more time with the ball.

What is common is the game with intensity in the attacking field. And the lack of that at the beginning of the season has bothered Fernando Diniz at Fluminense.

In the victories he had over Maurício Barbieri, the word intensity was present in most of his analyses. This year, the coach admitted that many athletes are still far from ideal physique. The planning of the technical committee is that the pace is only reached in the semifinals of Carioca and close to the beginning of Libertadores. The problem is that, with classics along the way, there is a chance to overcharge. How it was against Botafogo.

Vasco, on the other hand, sees this aspect, of intensity, grow with each match. In the victories over Resende and Nova Iguaçu, there were times when the team managed to impose a large volume of play. Colina’s team lacks the rapport that Fluminense already has and that is beyond the control of the Vasco coach. It will take patience for the set to strengthen. The classic against one of the best teams in Brazil in 2022 will be a great chance to measure the level reached in this beginning of work.