Doriva steps out of the shadows to take centre stage

Sao Paulo: Former Porto and Middlesbrough midfielder Doriva spent much of his successful playing career in the shadows of bigger talents but he is now taking centre stage as one of Brazil`s brightest young managers.

Doriva did not have the same impact as compatriot Juninho at Middlesbrough or as the Brazil-born Deco in Porto and while he played for Brazil at the 1998 World Cup, it was only for 22 minutes in a 3-0 win over Morocco.

Yet while his playing days were understated, his management career has taken off.

He led an unfancied Ituano to the Sao Paulo state championship last year and is now one match away from taking Vasco da Gama to their first Rio de Janeiro state championship since 2003.

Vasco beat Botafogo 1-0 in the first leg of the final last Sunday and need just a draw in the return to help Doriva achieve the rare feat of back-to-back titles in different states.

"I think he is one of the best young coaches in Brazil," Juninho, a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002, told Reuters.

Colleagues have said playing second fiddle at top clubs might have helped Doriva become a better coach.

"He was a very physical player, he trained hard and worked hard to improve," Anselmo Sbragia, his assistant at Ituano last year, told Reuters.

"Players with more natural skill know they can decide matches at any minute he knew that wasn`t possible. He knew he had to work hard. And as he played deeper he could see the game.

"He worked with many different coaches as a player and so dealt with lots of different styles," Sbragia added. "He heard lots of people. He is a good listener and he has improved a lot because of that."
MAN-MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Like many Brazilian coaches, Doriva`s forte is in man-management rather than tactics or strategy. Brazilian sides play twice a week most weeks in the season and player turnover is constant. That makes tactical preparation hard.

Doriva started his coaching career at Ituano in 2009, when Juninho took over as general manager of the provincial club.

"We worked together for five years and during that time he looked after all levels, from under-15 to under-17 to under-20 to the main team," Juninho said.

"So he knows how to deal with players. He is very straightforward and honest and he gives the same attention to all the players, not just those that are regular starters. That means the players trust him and like him. He manages to create a good atmosphere in a squad."

After spells as assistant and interim coach at Ituano he was finally appointed manager in 2014 and led the team to the state championship.

It was the first time a team outside the big four of Santos, Corinthians, Palmeiras and Sao Paulo had won the state competition since Sao Caetano a decade earlier.

The victory earned him a move to Atletico Paranaense but he spent only eight games there before moving to Vasco, who were promoted in December after a year in the Serie B.

He has since maintained the club`s momentum, losing just two of his 18 games in charge.

"Two finals in a row mean a whole lot to me," he said. "That`s what I came to Vasco in search of. I am delighted that things are going well. We are in the final and we are going to go for the title."