José Mourinho was an authentic trailblazer, his astonishing success in Portugal, then abroad, paving the way for a series of Portuguese coaches to be trusted and hired by many of the world’s biggest clubs.
While the likes of Leonardo Jardim in France, Paulo Fonseca in Ukraine, Vítor Pereira in China, and Jorge Jesus and Abel Ferreira in Brazil – to name just a few – have overseen memorable triumphs at their clubs, it is in Portugal’s lower leagues that the “next Mourinhos” are currently honing their skills.
In the first of a series of interviews by James Rowe on football personalities with close links to the Portuguese game, 33-year-old Tiago Mota talks about his fledgling career and his ambitions.
James Rowe: “You signed a deal to become manager of Clube Caçadores das Taipas ahead of the current season. How are you looking forward to the challenge and how would you describe a club such as Clube Caçadores das Taipas?”
Tiago Mota: “They are a club based in Guimarães in Braga and they currently play in the Portuguese fourth division and it will be my first project on a men’s senior team. I have previously coached youth teams at Rio Ave FC and Vitória SC, among others, for 12 years. Clube Caçadores das Taipas is a new challenge for me and I believe in this project and our goal is to improve the team, the club and the players and also for me to improve as a manager and to strive to reach the next level. I am aware of the realities and I will work hard and I will try to work just like at a professional club.”
JR: “You spent four seasons coaching different youth teams at Rio Ave FC. How do you look back on your time at the club and do you have any highlights or special memories?”
TM: “Yes, in my case I did not work as a professional coach so I had to divide my time between my family, friends and commitments at Rio Ave FC and sometimes it was difficult to manage this time but I received fantastic support from my family and friends and that made things easier. In my new project as manager of a senior team we have goals and that will mean that I spend more time away from home but my support network of family and friends is fantastic so I am ready to start this new challenge. Here in Portugal our reality is little different than in the UK, Spain or France because if you want to be a professional in youth football you really need to coach in the three big clubs in SL Benfica, FC Porto and Sporting CP and probably SC Braga and that is one of the reasons I chose to stop training youth teams and start to manage a senior team and try to get them promoted. I was at Vitória SC last season and they have become the fifth club and I was not working in a professional capacity at the club.”
JR: “You mentioned working one season at Vitória SC who have also made great progress in recent years playing in the Europa League group phase against Arsenal FC, Eintracht Frankfurt and Standard Liege. How do you look back on your time at the club and do you have any special memories or highlights?”
TM: “Yes, I managed to help Vitória SC improve and I also improved as a coach and I know a lot of people at the club and it was also great for my CV. I worked with a lot of quality coaches and players who have a lot of skills and I believe that in the coming years you will see some great players coming from Vitória SC and that we will talk about them because Vitória SC is one of the clubs that has really invested in their youth academy and they are a really well run club here in Portugal. Here in Portugal, there are five main clubs in SL Benfica, FC Porto, Sporting CP, SC Braga and Vitória SC and for me it was a pleasure to work for them and it gave me more knowledge and know-how for me to work on my new project.”
JR: “Turning to the national team, Portugal had a disappointing Euro 2020. What is your opinion of the current Portuguese national team?”
TM: “Of course all of the Portuguese people wanted a repeat of the success at Euro 2016 and that was our goal for Euro 2020 but of course we all know that other teams in the tournament prepared very well to play against Portugal. I am not criticising our manager Fernando Santos but I believe we need to be and do much better at the next major international tournament. We have many things to improve in future and we have players with a lot of quality but probably our game model and style of play in not conducive in my opinion in order to get the best out of the current squad of players and play well as a team.”
JR: “You are still a young manager. Do you have any particular dreams and ambitions for the remainder of your managerial career?”
TM: “Of course. I do have dreams and on the other hand I have goals and I can combine both. This coming season my goal is to improve the club and win promotion to the next division and this is our main goal and this is a competitive league with teams with great quality so we will need to be at our best in order to move up. I want to be a professional football manager in the coming years and I also want to participate in the Taça de Portugal (Portuguese Cup) and in the Champions League and win a trophy at some point in my career. The main goal of my career is to win a trophy. I know that football is a savage world and it is very hard to be successful but I will control all the things that I can control and do my best and work hard and next season my wish is to talk to with you again James in a new interview with hopefully Clube Caçadores das Taipas at a new level of the Portuguese football pyramid.”
