Corinthians coach Vitor Pereira has sparked a bit of a debate in Brazil by claiming that he ‘wanted to coach’ Premier League giants Liverpool, as reported by Torcedores.
Now, your reaction depends on how you interpret Pereira’s comments.
To some, it was nothing more than a firm slap in the face of his current employers, proof that Pereira sees himself deserving of a bigger club in a bigger league.
But accusing the former Porto boss of that would be to miss the point entirely.
Context is everything after all.
After Corinthians’ 1-1 draw with Sao Paulo on Sunday, Pereira was quizzed about his apparent reluctance to field attacker Roger Guedes in his favoured left-hand side position.
And his response was, to put it simply, the very definition of hyperbole.
“If you ask me, (I’d say) I wanted to coach Liverpool, with all the respect I have for Corinthians,” Pereira says.
Vitor Pereira to Liverpool?
You don’t need a psychic streak to realise that Pereira is making the point that, sometimes, you have to compromise on your dreams. Given the choice the 53-year-old would love to take over at Liverpool. Given the choice, Roger Guedes would love to start every game on the left-wing.
But the desires of the individual pale into insignificance compared to the needs of the collective.
“It’s not what we want, it’s what the team needs,” Pereira adds. “Sometimes the team needs Roger on the left, at other times it’s him in the middle, or on the right.”
Pereira’s rather crystal clear explanation is not enough for some, however, with reporter Luis Augusto Simon – otherwise known as Menon – missing the mark quite spectacularly.
“Pereira also has no chance with Liverpool,” he writes in UOL Esporte. “The foreign coaches here in Brazil are second-tier professionals in Europe.
“Vitor Pereira has never managed a club as big as Corinthians. With a resume like that, he will never make it to Liverpool. Never.”
- How Rangers’ XI could look in 22/23, including 5 new signings
- How West Ham’s XI could look in 22/23 with 4 new signings
Pereira, you may remember, came close to joining Everton a couple of months ago, conducting a rather ill-judged Sky Sports interview before a rather impassioned response from The Toffees supporters forced Farhad Moshiri to pull the plug.
If Pereira has learned anything this year, it’s that, sometimes, it’s best to stay quiet.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
