“I think about this game every day.”
Clichés abound when you ask coaches about anything other than the next match in their schedule. ‘Just taking it one match at a time’ or ‘we’re only focused on…’ they tend to say. So risk averse are they, it’s rare to get an insight into their mind and how it works.
New Daegu FC coach Alexandre Gama, however, gave us a rare insight into his mind and that of a coach when he spoke about their upcoming AFC Champions League playoff against his former club, Thai juggernaut Buriram United.
Gama coached the seven-time Thai League champions across two stints, the first from 2014 to 2016, during which time he won the league twice and FA Cup once, and secondly from 2020 to 2021 before taking up the offer to coach the K League 1 side.
Speaking on The Asian Game Podcast last month, the 54-year-old Brazilian said the impending match up had occupied his thoughts “every day” since taking the job at the Korean outfit.
“I cannot lie for you, I think (about) this game every day,” Gama said.
“This game is a big match. I know how Buriram love to play Champions League and I know Buriram very well. I know all the players, I know what they can do, what they think, what the fans think. I know it all.
“I have a big motivation for the game and I know at Buriram everybody has the extra motivation to play against (me), because I know how they work (and) how they motivate the players.”
Gama is a loved figure in Thailand having also coached Muangthong United, Chiangrai United and the underage national teams. After almost eight years coaching in the country, he knows the environment like the back of his hand.
“But this is two styles that are totally different,” he explained.
“The Thai League and Korea league, we cannot compare. The Thai League has improved a lot and is fast, but not the same fast like Korea.”
While they’ve only won three of their 14 encounters with K League 1 sides over the years, they have had some impressive results including a 1-0 win over continental giants Jeonbuk Hyundai in 2019 and followed that up with a 0-0 draw in the return leg.
Despite the success of Chanathip Songkrasin in Japan, and the improvement in general across Southeast Asia over the past decade, still very few players from that part of the world end up in the K League.
Gama believes there is no reason a fellow Thai player couldn’t have the same success in Korea as Chanathip has had in Japan and hinted it might be something he looks at in the future at Daegu.
“I know very well the market from Thailand,” he said.
“I know the players and if you have the chance to bring one player, why not? This is good for the club, it’s good for the network, it’s good for the growth – which is very important for the clubs. But the most important (thing), the player is coming to help the team to do well.
“And now most of the Thai players dream to play outside (Thailand) because they can improve a lot and let’s see. I know the players because I was also working with the under-23 national team of Thailand and I know everybody. I have here in my computer, all the names and let’s see. We need to look more because we could find another Chanathip. Let’s see.”
Buriram themselves have a number of exciting talents emerging, including the likes of Supachok Sarachat and Suphanat Mueanta, the latter of which is in the record books as the AFC Champions League’s youngest scorer after he found the net against Beijing Guoan in 2019 aged just 16 years, eight months and seven days.
But it’s been three long years since they were in the group stage of the competition, which for a club like Buriram must feel like an eternity. And, aside from getting one over their former manager, the Thai outfit has even more motivation to win the match with confirmation from the Asian Football Confederation that Buriram will host Group F of the tournament.
Still, those considerations will be the furthest thing from Gama’s mind. Of more pressing concern will be the form of his side heading into this do-or-die encounter.
The 2018 Korean FA Cup winners have registered just a single win from their four games this season which, admittedly, was an impressive 1-0 win over fancied Gimcheon Sangmu.
But it’s far from the start Gama would’ve been hoping for when he took on the job. The visit of winless Seongnam to DGB Daegu Bank Park this evening represents an ideal opportunity to get three points on the board and take some winning form into Tuesday’s encounter.
But regardless, ‘Project Gama’ still obviously requires some work.
“(In) most of the countries or teams I work very quickly,” he said.
“I try not to complicate the game for the players. For me football is speed and pressure. We need to press very well. If you look at Daegu last year, Daegu wait too much, they give the ball to the other team.
“I don’t like this kind of game, my style is to take control of the game without the ball and with the ball. Daegu for a long, long time played only without the ball and liked to receive the pressure. Sometimes in the (final) moments of the game we can play (like this), but most of the time the team was (sitting) back too much.
“I don’t like this style. I like pressure, I like fast transition, I like to play very compact. This is simple, because I understand how the team plays and try to organise my style, and we’re in the process now.”
While he works to still bed down the system with his new team, nothing would give him greater satisfaction than to get the win over his former side.
Eighty days after being announced as Daegu manager and after eighty days thinking about this match, the time has almost come.
Photo: Daegu FC
Listen to the full interview with Alexandre Gama on Episode 80 of The Asian Game podcast
