Anderson Luis de Souza (São Paulo, Brazil, 1977), known to the world of football as Deco, takes care of the speech as if he were protecting a ball. As a player, he was a key part of a Barça champion (2004-2008) and knows the house well enough not to add controversies to those that have already been generated. His road map, today as sporting director, seems clear despite Xavi's unexpected farewell.
Victory and clean week. A moment of peace, finally...
Yes. We have come from playing many games in a row and winning gives us peace of mind.
Does Deco plan a lot?
I like to go over the games the next day, because everything is clearer. February is a time to think about the future. Meetings with player monitoring, financial analysis to know what we can do and what not... We've been like this for months.
Reviewing the game in Vitoria, you must have seen the second card again in Vitor Roque...
We will review it. It's a normal game action.
You don't like VAR.
I have many doubts. It disorients the viewer. We don't know why it intervenes and why it doesn't. It takes a lot of conviction to pull this yellow off without consulting it. I know that the regulations say what they say, but the expulsion could affect the game.
Xavi talks about the adulteration of the competition and President Laporta is very belligerent.
I focus on the VAR. It needs a lot of improvement to make it work. Beyond confirming whether a ball has entered or not, there are doubts in the interpretive field. In the case of penalties, hands, offsides... VAR cannot be a tool that creates 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, Ronnie's plays, Iniesta's, Xavi's, Valdés' saves, Puyol's cuts, Márquez's changes of play... I don't believe in this kind of influences
There was no VAR.
Referees had power and serious decision-making. Today I have the feeling that they stop the games too much.
Let's go to the game. Be realistic: can Barça aspire to win La Liga or the Champions League this year?
I want to clarify that the team was never asked to win; what he was asked to do is to compete, because when you compete well the chances of winning increase. If you ask me today, I think the League is not finished.
explain yourself
Saturday's victory gives us some hope. The next few games before Napoli will be important, for us and for the rivals.
And the Champions League? In which tie will Deco feel happy with the team?
I'm happy when we compete like we did on Saturday, with that maturity. Xavi and the president know it. I've always told them that if we're lucky enough to have the full squad, we can go far. If we go with everything, we are an important team.
A utopia, seeing the history of injuries...
The other day, Cancelo, which had already been played. 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, important players who allowed the team to compete better and even win the League, were signed, but things were missing. We suffered in Europe.
This season has not taken the step that was expected.
Without levers it was necessary to make more balances for the fair game, but it was done well. It is true that the manager did not want to sell Dembélé or for Busquets to leave, but Gündogan, Cancelo, João Félix have come at zero cost, and Íñigo and Oriol to balance things out. Injuries have taken their toll on us. We haven't had the same team for two whole months. It's no excuse, but in the end that's how it is. We have both been short with so many competitions.
How does he react when Xavi tells him he wants to leave?
I didn't expect it. I am with him on a day-to-day basis and for weeks we had been planning arrivals like that of Vitor Roque, or deciding whether with Balde's injury we had access to sign in the winter... There is always speculation, but I never thought in something like this. We were talking about the next season, they renewed it for that.
And the president?
He always wanted to be by his side until the end of the mandate. It was Xaviel who wanted a shorter contract from the beginning. 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 much and should have been valued. The fans celebrated it, but the press and the general public took away its importance.
At Barça, you always have to win.
I think that the management has accepted a great challenge to try to be a competitive club again in all areas. They won the League earlier than expected and increased the expectations.
You also need to play well.
It is true that we have played matches that have not been at the level of last season, but in others there have been moments of very good football. People have become more demanding and lost the big picture of how we are. Even if it sounds harsh and Xavi is blamed for it, Barça is under construction and should not be forgotten.
Has he been unfair to Xavi?
I understand the demand, but I also understand Xavi's frustration at not feeling valued. He came at an important time when he had to be very brave. He gave his face for the club. From there, everyone knows how much things affect them and whether they are willing to put up with them or not.
He leaves as the 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 circle. I hope as a friend that he feels liberated, if it is the best decision for the club, he will know it.
Do you see options to make him think?
At the moment, we have not spoken to any coach. We are assimilating the departure of the master.
Now it's your turn to feel the pressure. He has to choose the new coach.
It won't be me, it will be the club. Decisions do not belong to one person.
How should the successor be?
He must 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. Based on this idea, each coach has certain characteristics, but whoever comes must have ambition and the desire to do great things. And know where it comes from.
What is more urgent?
There has been a generational change. Legends like Messi, Alba, Busquets and Piqué have left and the squad, with very young players, is looking for leaders. Gündogan has arrived this season, but there is Araújo, Ter Stegen, Gavi, who is a natural leader... It takes a little time for this transition.
We knew him as a player, but what is his philosophical line as a sporting director?
My dream of playing for Barça dates back to the nineties with Cruyff. I also liked the Milan of Frank (Rijkaard) and Gullit...
At what point do we place him between Johan Cruyff and Mourinho?
I loved Cruyff's Barça. Then, retracing my professional career as a player, I had Mourinho, who was a revolutionary at Porto, I was with Scolari, Ancelotti, Frank, at Barça... For me, what I like is to see a player from quality within 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 everything he was able to do as a coach and because he changed the culture of the club. It transcended.
Do you have a name in mind?
I don't want to talk about any names, it's unethical to talk about a coach who has a contract.
At least tell me about Klopp.
He's a great coach, but I don't think this is the time to talk about that. The new technician will want to make changes, but first you need to explain the project and the ideas. There are many options.
There has been talk of Motta and Márquez.
I don't follow much of Motta's work 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 fights against difficulties. Being here will make him a better coach.
What opinion does Guardiola deserve? Do you hold a grudge because when 2008 arrived 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 was Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets coming up, Yaya Touré, the best African player, Messi, of course, Samuel Eto'o... Guardiola was smart and when he arrived he brought order and his quality as a coach to build the best team I've 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. Did this fail?
But let's see. If I'm not mistaken, Lewandowski was the pichichi last season. Raphinha was wanted by Chelsea and Arsenal and he played more minutes than Dembélé, scoring goals and making assists... I detect too much nostalgia. Twenty years have passed.
What means?
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 could not have signed for Barça.
Because?
I wouldn't have waited five years at Porto. Nor Samuel in Mallorca waiting for Barça. As much as I wanted to, I would receive so many offers from so many clubs that at Porto I would be paid much more and it would be much more difficult. Today a player scores goals like Eto'o six months and all the clubs fight over it.
He has gone from representative to technical director. Agents have more power.
When Barça entered the market 20 years ago, it had competition from Real Madrid, Manchester United and few others. All Premier League teams now have the capacity to sign. And we have to add PSG. And there was no City as powerful as today. Teams are better organized and players can choose from more clubs. But Barcelona still has power, we can seduce players and we are able to bring important players.
Is Vitor Roque worth what has been paid for him?
I think you guys already killed the guy 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 a while, but no madness has been paid. It is 30 million and the other sums depend on performance. Hopefully we pay them, as happened with Pedri.
Was it a priority?
He was signed for next season with the idea of growing together with Lewandowski. We got 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 in space like Samuel or Luis Suárez did. Without wanting to compare them. And I didn't buy it alone.
There are a lot of good young players as well as veterans. If it is necessary to strengthen the 25- to 30-year-old band, 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 a year more expert and the staff will be increasingly 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 has more minutes than his age due to injuries. He is a teenager who has grown 10 centimeters in the last year. I have a son his age, I know what I'm talking about. But we are dealing with a different player, because of the way he makes decisions on the field and, above all, because you can see him enjoying himself. At this age it is the most important thing.
What scares you the most?
We are dealing with something different that needs to be taken care of. The advantage 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 a little calmness.
The pending subject is finding a replacement for Busquets?
Talk about the best pivot I've ever seen in my entire life. We will not find another like him. We look for formulas.
What will happen to the Joãos?
Cancelo is our specific right back and he has contributed a lot to us. João Félix started very well and has given us points. It will depend on many things, because they are players that 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 else. He has taken on a tough and difficult responsibility, but he is optimistic and positive in the most difficult times. Working with him is easy. I just try to give as sensible an opinion as I can knowing that he has the last word.
