Hard line? Find out details about Dracena’s work style, Cruzeiro’s new director

Cruzeiro will soon announce the hiring of Edu Dracena as the club’s new technical director. The former defender, Triple Crown champion in 2003, will arrive to join the Celeste football department, now led by Alexandre Mattos.

Retired from the field in 2019, Edu Dracena accumulated experience as a manager in the last four years. He served as a technical advisor at Palmeiras, between 2020 and 2021, from where he left to be Santos’ football strongman until 2022.

Multiple champion on the field, Edu Dracena has already made it clear that he is trying to repeat, now outside the field, the success he achieved on the pitch. To do this, he uses what he learned as an athlete to achieve his goals as a manager.

“What I go through today as an executive, I experienced as a professional for 20 years in the field. I’ve been seeing the side here (as a manager) for two and a half years, which is totally different than on the field. On the field, I resolved myself with my teammates and the coaching staff. Now, I take care of 30 players, coaching staff, employees. And dealing with this vanity is complicated”, he said, in May 2022, to “De Lavada Podcast”.

Edu Dracena’s last job as manager was at Santos. He left the Vila Belmiro club in July 2022, after disagreements with the Peixe management committee.

In his work at Vila Belmiro, Dracena was important at the end of 2021, when he helped Santos escape relegation to Série B.

“Today football is emotional, it’s about gaining confidence. Come on, man, I believe in you. You will play, you will attack them, you will pass. The guy passes once, twice, and leaves. The atmosphere was heavy, it was coming from a fight against relegation in the Campeonato Paulista”, he recalled.

Athletes’ behavior

Now a manager, Dracena criticizes some practices adopted by players today. Which shows a little of the mentality and working style of the new Cruzeiro director.

“There are a lot of coaches doing this (watching videos and passing them on to the athletes). I’m a defender, so he passes all the attackers I’ll face in the next game. Although, to be honest, many don’t even see or look at Whatsapp. 80% don’t see it. Of course it could be the club, but it depends on the person. Just grab his neck. The guys are bearded, I know what’s best for my life, I know what I want, so I go after it, as I always have. If there is enough for the player, be patient. A career is short,” he said, noting that an athlete’s career is short.

“No matter how much you prepare to stop (playing football), when you stop it’s a blow. After twenty years of doing that, I stopped. I don’t miss training, but some games, yes, finals with a full house. When you stop, it hits. Even if you’re prepared, imagine who isn’t. The one who thought he was enough. Instead of saying, I’m here, I’m going to dedicate myself, I’m going to Europe, I’m going to earn my money. You think you’re earning a good salary, but in three or four years, what are you going to do? Very difficult”, he added.

Yesterday’s players vs today’s players

For Edu Dracena, athletes currently do not think like players from the past generation. He used the experience he had at Cruzeiro in 2003, champion of the Campeonato Mineiro, Copa do Brasil and Campeonato Brasileiro to illustrate his answer.

“The good thing about that team is that there were older guys, but there were young guys who were hungry, wanting to prove themselves. It was different back then than it is today. There was no social media, we didn’t show up much, it was difficult to show up, to hold a press conference. Today it has changed a lot, it is armored. The player finishes training today and stays on his cell phone”, he criticized.

“In the past, we finished training by reviewing, talking, everyone joking. This is what is missing in our football. People don’t know about your life, they only know about social media. They don’t know what your family is like, they don’t know what you’ve been through. One thing is just a laughing photo on social media, you think everything is perfect, and it isn’t,” he added.

Dracena recalled an episode in his career, when he was still young at Cruzeiro, when he was scolded by coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo. And he tried to bring the episode to today.

“In 2004, we had already been champion of the Triple Crown. There was a game against América, the classic, and I was sent off. We went traveling to the Libertadores, to Chile, and Vanderlei (Luxembourg) scheduled a meeting in his room (…) He arrived in his room and he teased me, gave me a hard time. I remained quiet, I was going to say what to the man was Luxembourg. Today the kids don’t care what to say,” he began to say.

“The review ended and Rivaldo asked me what I had done. I said I had been expelled. In the other game, he put me on, I scored, I played well. This kind of thing is missing, for people to know when to listen. Just running your hand over your head makes it very mi, mi, mi. Very touchy, today you can’t say anything. (If he says something), forget it, the manager calls, he wants to overthrow the coach, he will take him (the player)”, he concluded.