Tite brings calmness, clarity and candour to coherent Brazil

The Brazil manager’s gravitas and man-management have been revelatory - both at this World Cup and in the buildup

It was one of several anecdotes peppered liberally into Tite’s press conference but his recounting of a conversation with Carlos Bianchi sent a few jigsaw pieces falling into place. “He once told me: ‘Tite, one of the great assets of a great team is to be mentally strong and have the capacity to be balanced and focused,’” the Brazil manager said. “That really got imprinted on my mind. We should have some common sense: neither euphoria, nor the fear of losing. Keeping your head cool and knowing you have a good collective performance.”

Everything made perfect sense. Tite’s calmness and knack for man-management have been revelatory in this World Cup and the two years before it; he has instilled a sense of clarity, feathered with a little lightness, into this Brazil team and it was little surprise to hear he learned from the best. Bianchi was renowned, during his spells managing Vélez Sarsfield and Boca Juniors, for his leadership skills and a club director once put it best by lauding his ability to instruct players “to put the toilet in the bathroom and the oven in the kitchen”. It captures the Tite process precisely: everyone accountable; everything in its correct spot.

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