Anderson Luis de Souza (São Paulo, Brazil, 1977), known by and for soccer as Deco, takes care of his speech as if he were protecting a ball. As a player he was a fundamental part of a Barça champion (2004-08) and knows the house enough not to add to the controversies already generated. His roadmap, acting today as sports director, seems clear despite Xavi's unexpected goodbye.
Victory and clean week. A moment of peace at last...
Well yes. We come from playing many games in a row and winning gives us peace of mind.
Do you plan a lot of Deco?
I like to review the games the next day because everything is clearer. February is time to think about the future. Meetings with scouts, financial analysis to know what we can do and what we can't... We've been like this for months.
Reviewing the Vitoria match you will have seen Vitor Roque's second card again...
We will appeal to it. It is a normal game action.
You don't like VAR.
I have many doubts. She is disorienting the viewer. We don't know why he intervenes and why he doesn't. You have to have a lot of conviction to get that yellow card without consulting. I know that the regulations say what they say, but the expulsion could have conditioned the game.
Xavi talks about adulteration of the competition and President Laporta is very belligerent.
I focus on the VAR. It needs to be improved a lot for it to work. Beyond confirming whether a ball has gone in or not, there are doubts in everything interpretive. In penalties, in handball, in offsides... VAR cannot be a tool that generates more problems, it should be agile.
You played when Barça paid Enríquez Negreira. Did he feel helped by the referees?
(Laughs). I felt helped by Samuel's goals, by Ronnie's plays, Iniesta's, Xavi's, Valdés' saves, Puyol's cuts, Márquez's changes in the game... I don't believe in that type of influence.
There was no VAR.
The referees had power and serious decision making. Today I have the feeling that the games stop too much.
Let's go to the game. Be realistic: can Barça aspire to win the League or the Champions League this year?
I want to clarify that this team was never asked to win; What was asked of you is to compete because when you compete well the chances of winning increase. If you ask me today, I believe that the League is not finished.
explain yourself
Saturday's victory gives us some hope. The next games before Naples will be important, for us and for our rivals.
And the Champions League? In which tie will Deco feel happy with the team?
I am happy when we compete like we did on Saturday, with that maturity. Xavi and the president know it. I have always told them that if we are lucky enough to have a full squad we can go far. If we go with everything we are an important team.
A utopia looking at the injury history…
The other day I canceled, which was already due. Too many difficulties.
Aside from injuries, is the squad competitive?
I got on the train later but a good job was done. With the levers, Ferran, Raphinha, Koundé and Lewandowski were signed, players who allowed the team to compete better and even win the League, but things were missing. We suffer in Europe.
This season the expected leap has not been made.
Without levers, more balances had to be made for fair play, but it was done well. It is true that the coach did not want to sell Dembélé or for Busquets to leave, but Gündogan, Cancelo, João Félix at zero cost, Íñigo and Oriol have come to balance. Injuries have taken their toll on us. We haven't had two full months with the same team. That's no excuse, but in the end that's how it is. We have been left with a short squad with so many competitions.
How do you stay when Xavi tells you he wants to leave?
I did not expect. I am on a day-to-day basis with him and we have been planning arrivals like Vitor Roque's for weeks. Or deciding if with Balde's injury we had access to signing in winter... There is always speculation, but I never thought about that. We were talking about next season, he was renewed for that.
And the president?
He always wanted to be with him until the end of his term. It was Xavi who from the beginning wanted a shorter contract. He told us: “If I don't win, I don't think I will continue.”
Why is Xavi leaving?
He has already explained a lot. My feeling is that the League that was won last year was not valued too much and should have been done. The fans celebrated it but the press and at a general level downplayed it.
At Barça you always have to win.
I believe that the board has accepted a great challenge to try to become a competitive club at all levels again. The League was won sooner than expected and expectations were raised.
You also have to play well.
It is true that we have played games that have not been at the level of last season but in others there have been moments of very good football. People have been more demanding and have lost the general vision of how we are doing. Although it sounds harsh and Xavi is criticized, Barça is under construction and we must not forget it.
Has Xavi been unfair?
I understand the demand, but I also understand Xavi's frustration at not feeling valued. He came at an important moment in which he must have put a lot of courage into it. He stood up for the club. From there, each person knows to what extent things affect them and whether they are willing to endure it or not.
He leaves as coach of the club of his life.
It is a very personal decision. I know Xavi from the club but I am not part of his family. I hope as a friend that he feels liberated, if this is the best decision for the club he will know.
Do you see options to make him reconsider?
At the moment we have not spoken with any coach. We are assimilating the departure of the coach.
Now it's your turn to feel the pressure. You must choose the new coach.
It won't be me, it will be the club. Decisions are not made by one person.
What should the successor be like?
It has to follow a line of work, we will hardly be a team that does not want to play well, that does not want to have the ball. Starting from that idea, each coach has his own characteristics, but whoever comes has to have ambition and hunger to do great things. And know where he's coming from.
What is more urgent?
There has been a generation change. Legends like Messi, Alba, Busquets and Piqué have left and the squad, with very young players, is looking for its leaders. Gündogan has arrived this season, but there are Araújo, Ter Stegen, Gavi, who is a natural leader... Time is needed for that transition.
We knew him as a player, but what is his 'philosophical' line as a sports director?
My dream of playing for Barça comes from the 90s with Cruyff. I also liked the Milan of Frank (Rijkaard) and Gullit…
Where do we place him between Johan Cruyff and Mourinho?
I loved Cruyff's Barça. Later, going through my professional career as a player, I had Mourinho, who was a revolutionary at Porto, I was with Scolari, Ancelotti, Frank at Barça... What I like is to see a quality player within a quality football. Not only technical quality, but also tactical. I enjoy when I see a team that knows exactly what they are doing. Cruyff is a legend for what he was able to do as a coach and because he changed the culture of the club. He transcended.
Do you have a name in your head?
I don't want to talk about anyone, it is unethical to talk about a coach who has a contract.
At least tell me about Klopp.
He is a great coach, but I think this is not the time to talk about that. The new technician will want to make changes, but first the project and the ideas will have to be explained to him. There are many options.
There has been talk about Motta and Márquez.
I don't follow Motta's work much because he is not in an Italian team that I usually see. To Márquez yes, because he is here. He is a young coach who is growing in the face of difficulties. Being here will make you a better coach.
What is your opinion of Guardiola? Do you hold a grudge against him because when he arrived in 2008 you had to leave?
That was a club decision.
Is Guardiola the best possible coach?
When he arrived at Barça, there was talk of a great revolution which is a big lie. Ronaldinho and I left, but there were Best team I have ever seen in my life. And he was smart, he knew not to waste time on other things.
I would have liked to work with him, to see him from the inside.
Barça's champion teams have had a base from La Masia and the best foreigners. Has there been a mistake in that?
But let's see. If I'm not mistaken, Lewandowski was the top scorer last season. Chelsea and Arsenal wanted Raphinha and he played more minutes than Dembélé, scoring goals and giving assists... I detect too much nostalgia. It's been 20 years.
What does it mean?
I would like to sign Ronaldinho and Eto'o today. Even Deco. But they neither exist nor are they on the market. Times have changed, football has changed. Today I couldn't have signed for Barça.
Because?
I wouldn't have spent five years waiting in Porto. Not even Samuel in Mallorca waiting for Barça. As much as I wanted to, I would get so many offers from so many clubs that Porto would charge much more and it would be much more difficult. Today a player scores goals like Eto'o for six months and all the clubs are fighting.
He has gone from representative to technical director. Agents have more power.
When Barça went on the market 20 years ago it had competition from Real Madrid, Manchester United and little else. Now all Premier teams have the capacity to sign. And there is PSG. And there was no City as powerful as the one today. Teams are better organized and players can choose from more clubs. But Barcelona still has power, we can seduce players and we are capable of bringing in important players.
Does Vitor Roque cost what was paid for him?
I think you already killed the kid before he started playing. Liverpool bought Darwin Núñez two years ago from Benfica for 90 million, Newcastle paid 70 for Isak. The price analysis should be done in some time, but it hasn't been paid crazy. There are 30 million and the other sums depend on his performance. I hope we pay them. As happened with Pedri.
Was it a priority?
He was signed for next season with the idea of growing alongside Lewandowski. We have managed to get him to come in January. He is a player who scores goals with a different profile than Marc Guiu. We don't have anyone who attacks the depth and asks for it from space like Samuel or Luis Suárez did. Without wanting to compare them. And I didn't buy it myself.
There are many good young players and also veterans. If the 25 to 30 year age group has to be reinforced, why is there talk of selling De Jong or Araújo?
The idea is not to sell anyone and incorporate one or two players. Our young people will be more expert one year and the squad will become more and more balanced. If we are forced to sell, we will try to do so without touching the heart of the team.
Lamine Yamal. Which player are we facing?
Lamine is getting more minutes than he should for his age due to injuries. He is a teenager who has grown 10 centimeters in height this last year. I have a son his age, I know what I'm talking about. But we are facing a different player, because of the way he makes decisions on the field and, above all, because he seems to enjoy it. At that age it is the most important thing.
What scares you the most?
We are facing something different that must be taken care of. The good thing that Leo had is that he had a team that did not demand anything from him, he played in an environment of growth because during the first years he had no responsibility. When it was his turn to take it on, he already had all the experience. We will try to let Lamine grow with some calm.
Is the pending issue finding a replacement for Busquets?
We are talking about the best pivot I have ever seen in my entire life. We won't find one like him. We are looking for formulas.
What will happen to the Joãos?
Cancelo is our specific right back and has contributed a lot. João Félix started very well and has given us points. He will depend on many things because they are players who are not ours but we will try.
You have known Joan Laporta for many years...
He is a president who always puts the club above everything. He has taken on a tough and difficult responsibility but is optimistic and positive in the most difficult times. Working with him is easy. I'm just trying to give the most sensible opinion possible, knowing that he has the last word.
