Lucas Andrade, assistant coach of the U-20 National TeamCredits: Nelson Terme / CBF
The 4-1 win over Denmark left a positive impression within the coaching staff of Brazil’s U-20 National Team. More than the scoreline, assistant coach Lucas Andrade highlighted the team’s collective performance in the opening friendly in Spain. For him, the players’ commitment was one of the main positives of Brazil’s display.
“It’s no coincidence they’re in the Brazil National Team, but above all they acted as a group. That collective work was the main highlight for us, both in what we pointed out to them and internally within the staff,” he said.
The next challenge will be against the United States this Thursday (1st). Lucas explained that the staff led by head coach Paulo Victor has followed the American team’s most recent matches and expects to face an opponent capable of causing problems, especially in buildup play and transitions.
“It’s a team that will challenge us at times in the first phase of buildup, while also having a strong transition game. So we need to stay alert and manage to impose our game once again,” he assessed.
Preparation for the second friendly also took into account the short time between matches. The coaching staff tried to select the information considered most important about the opponent, while not neglecting the team’s own concepts.
Lucas Andrade during the friendly against Denmark Credits: Nelson Terme /CBF
“We try to give them the most concrete and concise information possible because the players have short intervals between matches, so we can’t overdo it with too much focus on the opponent. We also can’t overlook the fact that this is an international matchup, and that is always complex,” he explained.
According to Lucas, the work mainly involves reinforcing what Brazil intends to do on the field. The positives from the match against Denmark were reviewed, while possible adjustments were worked on in training and supplemented with video.
“We try to show them what was done well and what can be corrected between one match and the next. What we can train on the field, we do; what we can’t, we do with video,” he said.
In the staff’s assessment, the team managed to combine attacking aggression with good ball control against Denmark. Lucas hopes that balance will be maintained against the United States.
“We were very happy with the way the team behaved offensively. It was a vertical team that, at the same time, took very good care of the ball, especially in the second half, when we had a great deal of control of possession,” he said.
The assistant coach also stressed the importance of not losing the attacking identity the team has built.
“We hope that in this next match we can maintain a great balance between attack and defense, which is a foundation of our staff and our work, and that we don’t lose that drive to go for goal, to always do more. That’s something Brazilian players have to have, and this group has shown it very strongly.”
The series of friendlies in Spain is also part of a broader development process for the U-20 National Team. Lucas explained that the staff intends to take advantage of different types of opponents to broaden the team’s repertoire and evaluate the players with the category’s upcoming challenges in mind.
Lucas Andrade alongside head coach Paulo VictorCredits: Nelson Terme /CBF
After facing Denmark, Brazil will take on the United States and then Mexico. For Lucas, experiences against different footballing styles help build the group.
“We understand that this repertoire gives us the foundation to make good choices. This project is obviously aimed at the 2027 South American Championship, but we never set aside the dream of pursuing the World Cup,” he said.
The assistant coach also acknowledged the support the staff has received during the work.
“We have had tremendous support and backing from our directors and management, who have provided every condition for us to prepare well,” he said.
The match against the United States will be this Thursday (1st) at 6 p.m. local time (1 p.m. Brasília time) at Pinatar Arena in San Pedro del Pinatar. It will be Brazil’s second match in Spain before the clash with Mexico, which will close out the run of friendlies.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
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