During an unspectacular playing career back in Argentina, Fernando Batista was mainly famous for being the brother of World Cup-winning midfielder Sergio. For a time, it looked like that hierarchy would hold in the coaching world, too: Sergio led Argentina at the Copa America in 2011, while Fernando started his managerial journey in — yes — the Armenia youth ranks.
Cut to 2024, though, and it is the younger Batista who is being hailed as one of the most impressive new managers in South America. He initially joined the Venezuela set-up at the behest of his mentor, Jose Pekerman, who took over as manager in 2021. When Pekerman walked away after a fallout with the federation president last year, Batista stayed on and took the reins.
The continuity option has paid dividends so far. Batista has overseen a strong start to World Cup qualifying — Venezuela sit fourth in the 10-team South American section, with nine points from six matches — and performances against big-name opponents have been especially encouraging: Venezuela held Brazil to a 1-1 draw away from home in October and narrowly lost a friendly against Italy in March.
Batista is no showman. He is a calm, studious man who favours nuance over soundbites and likes to engage the intellect of his players. Tactically, he favours a pragmatic 4-3-3 system, but he readily admits that the major focus of his work with Venezuela will be overcoming the country’s long-standing inferiority complex when it comes to football.
“I once said that Venezuela were their own biggest opponents,” Batista said earlier this year. “You realise you mustn’t look to the past. You have to look ahead. We put in a lot of work on morale, on the mentality and mindset of the Venezuelan player.”
That will be a slow process, of course, but Batista appears to be in it for the long haul. He collaborates closely with the Venezuela youth categories, hoping to smooth the transition to senior level, and has brought a number of players in their early twenties into the squad.
Source link : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/ecuador-venezuela-live-updates-2024-copa-america-score-result/hlmxyHw8Ywk5/StJ4oUac1QiW/
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Publish date : 2024-06-22 20:39:00
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