‘It’s the crowning achievement,’ says André Jardine after Olympic gold medal
Coach highlights the players' commitment in the process until the Olympic Games and in 'resilience' to overcome Spain: 'They had attitude'
Coach André Jardine highlighted the way the Brazilian team has consolidated itself to reach gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games. In a press conference after the 2-1 victory over Spain this Saturday, the Canary captain recognized that the final had challenging contours and valued the team’s ability to adapt.
– It was a feature in our team’s planning for the Olympics. We wanted to have a defense capable of adapting to different game systems, and today’s opponent was at the highest level possible. Spain have offensive concepts in their blood, they take good care of the ball, they don’t surrender. Due to the short training time, We knew how to play a game of patience, resilience, taking advantage of opportunities – and he stressed:
– It would be a detailed game, with difficult execution. We went through difficulties. We wanted to be more aggressive, but Spain neutralized our actions in more than one moment. The performance did not reach tactical perfection, but it crowns the attitude, the commitment of those who dreamed a lot of being Olympic champion – he added.
Also Read: Discover breweries and beers created by women
Jardine highlight the long project until the Olympic Games.
– This moment began in 2019, in the Pre-Olympic. It is the culmination of a work that the CBF took very seriously. We knew the responsibility that would be to defend the gold, we organized ourselves, tried to provide the structure. Since the Toulon Tournament, we have tried to count on the best players – and highlighted the athletes:
– They were very firm in positioning themselves before their clubs. There is a lot of credit for them. I always hope that the team that prepared the best wins. We prepared a lot – he added.
The coach avoided talking about the next steps in the youth teams.
– The focus was so great on the Olympics that we didn’t allow ourselves to think about the line of sight beyond it. We wanted to live this final, we dreamed of winning. It’s a dream come true and I can’t find words to describe what I’m feeling. I know the Under-20 team is struggling with the schedule, but we’re still going to see what our next steps will be. But first let’s celebrate a lot – he said.
