Time for Joao Deus to be NEUFC’s ‘Special One’

João Deus hails from Setúbal, sharing the same birthplace as current Manchester United tactician José Mourinho. “I don’t idolize him just because he is from my city. When you have someone so important from your country or city, you always look up to them as an inspiration but he remains an idol for everyone in Portugal,” said a vibrant Deus when queried about his admiration for the former Chelsea boss.

The Portuguese also gave us an insight into how he turns into an architect of a football club. “I love to watch football leagues all over the world. While watching those encounters, I prepare a database of players who show flashes of brilliance and I then pick them based on the characteristics that the team’s shape requires. You must always possess the capacity to predict because some of your first choice players may not be available in the market,” said the collosal head coach on the process of recruiting the overseas contingent for the NEUFC setup.

“With the national team, you have a lot of time to prepare. I prefer to be on the field day in and day out rather than sitting in the office working out various nuances of the game,” added the former Cape Verde manager when asked about the contrasts of managing club and country.

The 41-year-old warned other contenders to be vary of the menace posed by the Sunil Chhetri-led outfit. “Bengaluru FC is a little bit ahead of all the others and has multiple solutions for various positions. It plays a high tempo with much better fluidity and pace,” he added.

A lot of prominence was laid by him on working from the youth level for the nation to develop as a major footballing force in the future. He said, “There is a lot of work to be done and that doesn’t rely on ISL alone. It will have to start from the grassroot level and working from the base helps you to achieve more success.”

The ex-Sporting Clube de Portugal ‘B’ manager shared a light moment saying history must be kept at the “museum” and it has no bearing on what will unfold in the future.

Alongside FC Pune City, the ‘Highlanders’ share the dubious record of not making it to the final-4. Joao Deus would love to stamp his mark on NEUFC’s history by guiding it to the semi-finals this season.