Fluminense’s ‘anti-Guardiola’ approach faces acid test in Club World Cup final

JEDDAH – Fluminense coach Fernando Diniz’s free-flowing style that he has labelled the antithesis to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola’s football faces the ultimate test when the two men face off in the Club World Cup final on Dec 22.

Diniz, 49, has shot to fame in his homeland, even combining his role with the South American club champions as interim Brazil coach, on the back of an innovative set-up that seeks to bring the skills honed as kids in street football into the professional arena.

“The way Pep likes having possession is the opposite of mine. His style is positional, mine is anti-positional,” Diniz once said, when asked about comparisons between him and Guardiola.

The Spaniard said of Diniz: “He is doing very well. It is Brazilian football from a long time ago.

“I always remember my father, he told me that Brazilians play in a slow way, all together with the ball, short passes and suddenly, in the last moment, they accelerate quickly. And it seems to be the essence.

“Brazil are always Brazil – Brazilian teams, whatever happens, always have good players, more and more.”

Diniz’s style is to group players together in small pockets, trying to create overloads in tight spaces.

When it works, it has reminded Brazilians of the “jogo bonito” times of a glorious past for the five-time world champions.

After a nomadic coaching career that included more than 10 different clubs, Diniz’s methods have struck gold at Fluminense, whom he led to their first ever Copa Libertadores triumph in November.

However, his idea comes with the risk of leaving plenty of open space for opponents to exploit, particularly for his ageing side.

Al-Ahly could easily have halted the Brazilian side’s dreams of winning a first Club World Cup at the semi-final stage on Dec 18.

Two late goals eventually saw Fluminense through 2-0 in Jeddah, but only thanks to the heroics of 43-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper Fabio after the Egyptian side had 20 attempts on goal.

Felipe Melo, who became the oldest outfield player in the competition’s history at 40, and former Real Madrid captain Marcelo, 35, also had big parts to play in the semi-final victory.

But even a City side missing the prolific Erling Haaland due to injury will not be so forgiving, if given the same amount of space and chances in the final.

Diniz has already found the step up to international level tough. Handed the reins on a temporary basis, as they hold out in the hope of luring Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, he has lost three of Brazil’s first six World Cup qualifiers – including a first-ever qualifying defeat on home soil by Argentina in November.

The lack of time needed for players to adjust to his demands at international level has been offered as an excuse.

However, Diniz, who has a degree in psychology, has complete buy-in from those under his command at Fluminense.

“He brings out the best in each player,” said Marcelo, who won five Champions Leagues among other major honours at Real. “I’ve never played as freely as here.

“After I left Real Madrid, I thought I had already had a great career, but Diniz made me feel that desire again.”

Diniz, though, is realistic about the scale of the task facing Fluminense against City.

Since Chelsea lost the 2012 final to Corinthians, European teams have been unbeaten in the last 10 Club World Cup finals.

Guardiola could also make history as the first coach to lift the Club World Cup with three different sides, having won it three times already during his spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

“The fact that South American teams have not won since 2012 is mainly due to the economic power of the European clubs,” said Diniz.

“They take the players that shine in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay at an even younger age... and the best coaches too.

“When this happens over the course of a long time, it ends up creating an imbalance.” AFP