Under the mask of Mircea Lucescu

07-12-14 09:00:37

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The November issue of the Shakhtar magazine is out. We bring you one of the central materials of the issue - a detailed interview with the Pitmen’s head coach.

It is both hard and easy with Lucescu. He can see people’s essence. Cheap tricks do not work with this person – Mister is too intelligent and experienced. At the same time, during communication, Lucescu is even-tempered with everyone, he doesn’t display his attitude, does not show his emotions. You can only guess what he really thinks about you!

People often mistake Mister’s restraint for coldness and indifference. But this is a mistake. Head coach of Shakhtar is Leo and he fully corresponds to its zodiac sign. Lucescu is mentally strong, resilient, generous, emotional and, surprisingly, romantic. At the same time it is a leader who knows what he and others are worth. He needed years to learn how to control himself. So was formed ‘Mircea Lucescu’s mask’.

Five steps to Mister

- Mister, you probably have long defined for yourself the criteria by which to judge people. And, first of all, players. Could you uncover the secret?
- The most important thing is the person’s manners. This is the first thing that I notice, my top priority! Moreover, not only sports manners, but also daily ones. The person's relationship with others is also important. I watch this, and draw conclusions. The second thing in my football hierarchy is a player’s relations with those around him, with partners. Third place goes to discipline, compliance with certain laws to ensure the proper existence of the team. Then, a player’s base. Education is only in fifth place. When we talk about selection, great attention is drawn to the talent of the player, his individual qualities. How can you educate him, if he has no base? As for education, it is impossible without what I have said above, without first four positions in my grading scale! Only if the first five requirements are met, a professional coach will connect these qualities together. There are other moments, but those priorities that I listed, is enough.

- Do you learn moral principles of players whom you later would like to see in your team in advance?
- Unfortunately, it is not always me who makes decisions regarding player purchases. The club has its own priorities. Coaches may change, and the club is responsible for the selection and acquisition of footballers. It is the club that stays with a football player at the moment when a coach parts ways with the team. I train those whom I have at my disposal. Sometimes, of course, I express my opinion on this or that player whom we are going to invite and buy. But in general, there is a group of scouts. An invitation of a football player is based on their vision.

- That is, it is not a coach’s word, which is the last one?
- Decisions are made not only by the coach.

One versus the stadium

- What risks did you have to take in order to achieve something?
- It's not even risk. One needs to organise life in such a way that will allow to effectively use one’s knowledge in pursuit of one goal. So I behave like that not only in the relationship with the players and the team, but also with all those around me. Therefore, the word ‘risk’ is probably not appropriate. You can talk about my desire to achieve something. This, of course, also involves some risk. After all, you make decisions. And it is very difficult. A coach depends on the results. Being a leader means to make quick decisions – correct decisions.

- Have you already worked out the model of your behaviour after defeats?
- Everything depends on the emotional and psychological state. I never react to something immediately. I take a break for my emotions to subside so that mind prevails. No matter what happened, you need to quickly go through it and think about tomorrow. No matter  whether you win or lose.

- Nevertheless, during the matches you sometimes get very emotional...
- It may be done intentionally to draw attention to the seriousness of the situation. I have everything under control. Of course, purely emotional outbursts do happen, but sometimes I provoke it specifically.

- So, you have ‘the mask of Mircea Lucescu’!
- I do. (Laughs.) It has been created during a long time; it has gone through hundreds and maybe thousands of games in my career. Initially, I was not like that. Eventually, I settled down, learn to control my gestures. Now I get very emotional only when the situation requires it.

- How to understand when you are real?
- It is hard to notice it. What’s the point in having a mask if it is obvious?

- Do you pretend in real life too?
- No, I am only talking about football. There is a fight between me and the whole stadium. Players, fans, referees... Only now I have realized that I have a mask - when this question was voiced. But I do not think that it expresses nothing. I can be quiet and explosive. I'm not one of those coaches who are jumping at the edge of the field, not one of those who takes the notebook and begins to write something in it for all to see. I'm not one of those who jumps besides the pitch for the fans to appreciate the emotion and supposedly experience. But I can drastically change from the quiescent state into the explosive one only to help my team.

- That is, you have this mask only at a football match, but in real life it does not exist, does it?
- If in everyday life you do not see this, then, perhaps, that’s the way it is. I behave beyond the football field as a normal person should behave. If we talk about the masks, then in fact everyone has one, and there are several masks. For example, I use them depending on my own interest. In my professional work, there is one mask; in a society, I behave differently. Everything depends on our interest and state of mind.

The effect of illumination

- Sometimes it seems that you rarely smile; you are always serious, sad.
- Great results are not achieved with a smile on a face. It relaxes you and makes you approach your duties not in a serious way. I smile, but only outside the stadium. I can hardly be seen laughing on the pitch. Even when the score was 7: 0, when we played with BATE! Not to mention when the events on the field did not develop as we desired. Smiling when the score is 7:0 in some way brings down our opponents. I will never do that.

- How long does it take you to develop immunity against gossips and rumours that surround any famous person?
- I am not interested in the opinion of some person, because it is private, individual. I am also not interested in the opinions of people who have not gone through our profession. The fans have their line, opponents too. People may envy, those who have not achieved in football what I have. I mean that any our any success may make them envy. So I try not to react often. But when it comes to my work, responsibility towards my players and the team - then I have a reaction. I don’t leave this situation unanswered. But again, I approach it competently and carefully. I often repeat! And in the end it is fixed. For example, I'll say it again: the current championship is incorrect and wrong. I will repeat it constantly. At almost every press conference.

- Do I understand correctly that one cannot put pressure on you?
- I doubt that anyone can put pressure on me, considering my experience. Yes, they can take incorrect decisions. For example, I said that if my championship formula is not approved, there will be errors in important matches. And you will lose points, which will be very difficult to make up for. It happened in a duel with Dynamo with inadequate refereeing - the sending-off of Shevchuk and many cards. The same thing happened in the game with Dnipro. If Kalinic had been awarded the red card, we would have won for sure. And we would not have lost five points: three with Dynamo and two with Dnipro. And the fact that I warned about this, once again confirms: I foresaw the situation. I emphasized that if the championship would be held in such a format, there would be a loss of points in matches involving leaders.

- If theoretically one of the players decided to manage the team, what would you do?
- There is only one truth in football - a green pitch. If a player proves himself there, he can be a leader. If its positive qualities apply to everyday life, if his positive qualities are spread to everyday life, I treat such a person very well, with love. For example, Darijo is like that. Fernandinho was the same at our team too. But if a football player wants to come to the fore using other methods, which are not perceived by the team, hurt it, then there won’t be a place for such a player in my team. Because it violates the basic principles: education, attitude and discipline. In this case, he does not play for my team, he should be put off, otherwise he will look for opportunities to make a riot. There were such examples at Shakhtar. But I don’t want to name names. And not only at Shakhtar. I drifted these players away from the team, helped them sign a new contract at the new club.

- What would happen if a player tried to take your role - the role of the coach, the head of the team? What if one refused to carry out your instructions?
- It is impossible. Situation would not come to this point, because I would thwart any attempts in the beginning.

- Do you make decisions based on logic or intuition?
- Intuition is of great importance in our lives. Maybe you can even talk about some illumination! Intuition is a rather long process. But the illumination... Philosopher Henri Bergson said that illumination can happen to each of us, because a person approach it intuitively. You feel something – and then take appropriate decisions. This occurs during a certain time. For example, you write. You sit down and think what to write? Nothing comes on your mind, no thoughts. But when you think about it and doubt, there are some processes going on in the mind. And suddenly you find the very right word - for no apparent reason. And you write it! In the same way we do. Process that goes from thinking. Otherwise, anyone could work based on illumination alone. Although I can say that many decisions are made that way, yes. Most often it happens when you have to choose between, for example, two players: whom to deploy today? It is necessary to quickly analyse, in particular - their strengths and weaknesses. And decide on that. The decision may be right or wrong. After the match, you cannot change anything. At this point, there are strong people who analyse us. They conclude easily, because the match has ended and there is just a fact. I often say to my players, for me the training process is more important than the match itself. If you train well during the week, my impression cannot be wrong. But I am analysed, after seeing only the final result. People do not know how the players were going into a match. This is a very big difference.

One in the house

- Can you laugh at yourself?
- Now I am smiling a lot, because I am talk on such topics with a lady. (Laughs.) It would be natural to discuss these issues with a man from the same field of activity, who know all these details like me.

- So you cannot laugh at yourself in normal circumstances, can you?
- Why? Of course I can. But no one should see that.

- Mister, have you ever found yourself in a situation when you sit alone in the evening, for example, at the Kirsha base in your office, and feel that you do not have a simple human communication? You are secretly expecting that someone will come and knock, asking how you are...But everyone is afraid to go because they think that you are very busy.
- If after a hard day I sit there and wait for someone, I would like to see a smiling man, not someone who is afraid of me and comes into the office with fear. If you come to me with a smile, it will give me positive emotions. And if someone is frown or serious .. I usually call someone in the office to prepare for a particular game. But to be honest, my door is always open for anyone. And this is the problem of others, if they are afraid to come to me. Not mine.

- They are afraid to disturb you, and not afraid of you.
- Even if you are afraid to distract me from something! I'm always open. I always notice if someone of my players has personal problems that they don’t want to discuss among everyone. At any moment they can come for advice. Although, perhaps you're right. I have never thought about it. You should see what is going on in the office: there are many different papers that are just waiting for me to touch them. By and large, I do not have time to fully relax. And if I am alone, I feel very well alone with my thoughts, with my dreams, ideas and so on. There is no way that I feel worried in this regard. Because those who are fixated only on one thing, may come to alcohol, or cigarettes, and so on.

- Is there any line which you will not allow even the closest person to cross?
- Probably, such a barrier exists. It's called respect. This applies to all without exception. I demand respect. I do not approve moments when someone is extremely flawed or biased to me with their conversations or their behaviour. In the future, I find it hard to build with this man some kind of relationship. I become indifferent to such people. I do not have any emotions for them. Maybe once this can be forgiven, but if it happens regularly, a person ceases to exist for me. At the same time my strength is that I apologize if I am wrong. And I'm not ashamed to do it. If I know I was wrong, treated someone in a wrong way, misjudged a particular situation, then I'll do the first step towards. Respect and education are the most important things for me.

A fighter by nature

- Mister, you probably have enemies, it is hard to imagine that you don’t have ones...
- The more successes, the more enemies you have. In Romania, there is a saying: stones are thrown only at a tree that bears fruit.

- What you are like when in a state of war?
- I cannot say that I have a personal feud with someone. I never envy those who are doing something better or have achieved more things. On the contrary, it is an example for me, which I aspire to. I respect people who have achieved certain heights thanks to their work. Conversely, no respect for people who have used someone to reach these heights. That’s why I said that if I reach a confrontation with someone, then this person just ceases to exist for me. Other people's success is very difficult to approve, if you are with that person in the same field of activity. Naturally, I imagine that my particular success leads to envy from someone who would want to be in my place. As an example, the situation around Shakhtar, those envious are trying by any means diminish the status of the team, connecting success with refereeing, or even with some moments that have nothing to do with those titles that we have won in recent years. I have read one interview from Miron Markevych... I did not expect this from him... He said that the Federation and the Premier League listen only to Shakhtar. All of this can be explained in one word: envy. We have received more pegs than anyone else. I mean refereeing errors, and many other things. I also know how to analyse well the things that happen in football. And if someone cannot rise to our level, they try to lower us to their level. My strength is that I understand all this. And it stimulates my morale. I'm not the type who gives up and puts up with all that they say about me. I'm a fighter by nature. And when I fight with someone, smile disappears from my face.

- It is clear that you do not show. But have you ever panicked inside?
- Yes, there were moments. A coach is first of all a person. We all have doubts, and the strength lies in not showing them. The coach is at the heart of many people: players, fans, referees and journalists. Everyone is waiting ‘to eat’ him. If they feel that he is weak, they will immediately pounce. The strongest survives, as in the jungle. Otherwise they will eat you.

- Then who or what can make you feel weak? You are a human too...
- The misfortune of another person. Suffering of others makes me weak.

- Does the team reflect the character of the coach?
- Yes. Always. But this takes time. The coach should educate his players.

FC Shakhtar magazine