Futsal world cup, Miguel Rodrigo’s promise: ‘We’ll fight like Thai elephants’
Miguel Rodrigo points the way forward for Thailand as they prepare to kick off the World Cup Photograph: Thailand FA
• World Cup 2024 Game-changers series:
4) The globe-trotter, Miguel Rodrigo
FUTSAL HAS always suited Miguel Rodrigo.
Firstly, it was the geography. “Like almost everyone in Spain, my first experience of futsal was in school,” he says. “It’s a very well-known and popular sport in Spain.”
Secondly, his physicality. “I was also a small kid,” explains the 54-year-old from Granada. “And at that time being tall and strong was the main criteria to be selected for a football team. Futsal suited me perfectly.”
Five decades on, the youthful futsal fanatic has grown into a globe-trotting master tactician – with a long CV comprising coaching roles in six countries and three national teams – who is about to enjoy his last dance with the national team he first fell in love with back in 2016.
Thailand’s driving passion for futsal features in
Futsal: The Indoor Game Revolutionizing Soccer
When Thailand kick off the 10th Fifa futsal World Cup on Saturday against Croatia, Rodrigo will fulfill the promise made to the Thai FA when he returned to lead the team with a vow to propel Changsuek Toh-Lek to the finals.
Rodrigo has spoken of the love of the passion for futsal in Thailand and his friendship with the Asian futsal pioneer who lured him back, the vice-president of the Thai FA and AFC futsal and beach soccer committee member, Adisak Benjasiriwan.
“Futsal here is like in Brazil,” Rodrigo told Fifa.com recently. “It's played in the street, there are courts everywhere, and there are professional teams.”
Rodrigo has vowed to retire – again – after the tournament. And all the signs are that the Thai team will ensure he departs with his head held high.
Qualification for the World Cup was secured by reaching the final of the AFC Asian Futsal Cup, with evergreen pivot Suphawut leading the line and winger Muhammad Osamanmusa and fixo Jirawat Sornwichian making the first and second teams of the tournament respectively.
The progress has continued. Preparations for Saturday's opening clash began by winning the Continental Futsal Championship for the first time. Muhammad struck to clinch a 2-1 victory over Afghanistan and edge out Jose Venancio Lopez’s Uzbekistan on goal difference in the tournament in Bangkok.
Rodrigo says the atmosphere and excitement in Thailand is electric.
“Mister Adisak told me that he has never seen anything like it in more than 25 years involvement in the sport,” he explains in an interview (below) conducted in a break from last-minute preparations for the Croatia game.
In the wide-ranging interview with futsalstreetspot.com, the globe-trotting tactician, Uefa and Fifa Technical Observer and author of two books on futsal reveals:
How teaching players to follow their instincts forms part of his coaching philosophy
The Spanish player and coach who inspired young Miguel
World Cup 2024 hopes and a promise to “fight like Thai elephants”
Admiration for the Brazilian star who is “a killer in front of goal”
Joy at the first ever Women's World Cup – but a warning for Fifa too
Dislike of “cowardly” overuse of the fly-goalkeeper tactic
Resentment over the “shit” law changes being imposed on Spain
Why futsal is such a special sport My Kazakhstan story
Miguel Rodrigo’s story
How I got hooked
Like almost everyone in Spain, my first experience of futsal was in school. It is a very well-known and popular sport in Spain so since I was a small boy, I've always played futsal.
I loved it for many reasons: the speed in which you have to make decisions, the high number of ball contacts, the fact that the game is played always within close proximity of the goals. It's simply more enjoyable and fun than football.
I was also a small kid and at that time being tall and strong was the main criteria to be selected for a football team. It suited me perfectly.
Travelling the world
I've coached in Spain, Italy, Russia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam.
At club level, this includes roles at Caja Segovia, Jaén Paraíso Interior, Dinamo Moscow, Petrarca Padova, Luparense Padova. And at national teams, I went first to Japan, then Thailand and Vietnam. Now, of course, I'm back at Thailand.
I've always consistently tried to be a guide for players, to work hard to and delve deeply to try to extract the talent from them, to help them play with confidence, learn from mistakes, instil in them a positive mindset, create and cultivate a sport family, make the players be the protagonists on the pitch.
I also see it as vital to teach them about reading and interpreting the game.
For my part, I always strive to be credible by making predictions of what will happen. This helps me teach players to follow their own instincts.
This is my coaching philosophy.
My proudest achievement
In 2018, Thai Son Nam reached the AFC club final. Yes we lost 4-2 but it was so very close. We almost defeated the Iranian giants Mes Sungun.
Believe me, this will not happen again.
It was something of a miracle to run the Iranian team so close. Hopefully I am wrong, of course, because I don't really want to be presumptuous and pretentious about my achievement. But I just can't see it happening ever again.
World CUp memories
My first memory of the Fifa futsal World Cup
Guatemala in 2000. The historic first title for Spain. Javi Rodríguez’s goals showed me the way that I wanted to follow.
From that moment onwards, I wanted to be someone in futsal.
Miguel Rodrigo: ‘Our ambitions are simple in Uzbekistan: to reach the last 16’ Photograph: Thailand FA
Most memorable moment in the sport
That's got to be the match against Portugal with Japan at the 2012 World Cup in Thailand.
We were in a group also containing Brazil and Libya.
Against Portugal, our powerplay worked perfectly and we earned an incredible 5-5 draw. Ricardinho scored his second of the game to leave us 5-1 down just before half-time.
Javi Rodríguez’s exploits in the 2000 World Cup inspired Rodrigo Photograph: Fifa.com
After levelling the game dramatically late in the second half, the players still wanted to keep playing powerplay.
I was – and still am – so proud of them. They displayed a true winner's mindset.
My coaching inspiration
Javier Lozano at the Spain national team. The way in which he led people was a clear source of inspiration. At the top level, coaching is not only about moving the magnets on the tactics board.
You have to "move forward" people's minds and attitudes and cultivate an environment in which everyone is pulling in the same direction and highly motivated. Javier is a No1 leader of people.
Uzbekistan 2024
Preparation for Uzbekistan
Firstly a few words about the atmosphere here in Thailand in the build-up while playing the Continental Futsal Championship has been amazing. Mister Adisak [Thai FA vice-president] told me that he has never seen anything like it in more than 25 years involvement in the sport.
I'm proud and happy to be part of this history for Thai futsal.
Hopes and promises for Thailand
Our ambitions are simple. We want to reach the last 16.
But promises? We will fight like Thai elephants from the first minute against Croatia on Saturday. The same as we did in the quarter-final and semi-final of the last AFC. We were almost dead and buried but we fought until final seconds to overcome difficult situations.
Mentally, we are prepared to fight against the strong, tall and skilful Croatian players. On paper, they are the favourites.
However, I promise all Thai fans and the watching world that we will compete, using our strengths: ball possession and speed.
Apart from our own team at this World Cup, I'm also excited and looking forward to watching other games, particularly the matches involving Brazil and Spain.
Predictions, predictions
For the winning team or teams to reach the final four, I've not analysed the draw in enough detail so am not sure about progress beyond the group stage. However, I expect Portugal, Brazil, Argentina and Spain to be involved in the final stages.
“Pito is simply the best player in the world right now. In a 1v1 he’s unstoppable. A killer in front of goal.”
Golden ball (MVP)?
Pito of Brazil. He's simply the best player in the world right now. In a 1v1 he's unstoppable.
A killer in front of goal.
Golden shoe (top scorer)?
Pito
Golden glove (best goalkeeper)?
Nico Sarmiento of Argentina
The key technical/tactical trends in Uzbekistan
Fly goalkeeper (unfortunately). I don't like this phase of the game.
I think 5v4 played the whole game, as your game model, is the refuge of cowardly coaches.
I believe that you have to face your opponent with an equal number of players. I really hate this development in the game.
However, I recognise that it's a crucial aspect of modern futsal and I respect it. But I would never endorse it and think overuse of the 5v4 should be avoided in the grassroots. It should be banned for youth futsal and the rules changed to minimise its impact in adult grassroots futsal.
The Future Game
The importance of the Fifa women’s World Cup coming in 2025
Everything related with the women's game is important in this period of the sport's history.
It seems that for futsal to finally become an Olympic sport, we should have World Cup for women, so this is great news. Let's do it.
But not without thought.
My opinion is that we should push for further progress in the women's game but with no impact on the budget for men.
FIFA and UEFA should increase the overall budget devoted to the sport, not share it between men and women.
The controversial Spanish law-change experiment (kick/throw-ins, limits on goalkeeper throws and making yellow cards to the bench cumulative fouls)
I really do not like this change made in Spain. Allowing players to choose between using feet or hands is just a really shit idea. We are not beach soccer.
“I really do not like this change in Spain. The timing close to the start of the season is all wrong ”
If pressed to choose, I'd say I do actually prefer throw-ins but am satisfied with kick-ins.
It just should never be a case of players having the option to pick and choose in the moment.
The timing of the changes so close to the start of the new season is all wrong and the decision has been taken without the consultation of coaches and clubs, which makes it even more wrong-headed.
I also don’t agree with the idea of yellow cards for people on the bench being counted as cumulative fouls. It will make it too complex for referees. Another stupid idea.
The best federation for countries such as England, where futsal has been neglected, to learn from
No doubts, it's Morocco. An example for all the futsal environments. Congratulations to Morocco.
Finally, my summary of why futsal is so special
It's all about speed, transitions, goals and 1v1s.
A truly exciting sport (when coaches want to play with the ball!).
If you missed it:
• World Cup 2024 Game-changers series: 1) The history-maker, Jorge Braz
• World Cup 2024 game-changers series: 2) The legacy-builder, Pierre Jacky
• World Cup 2024 game-changers series: 3) The 1v1 wizard, Merlim
• World Cup 2024 Game-changers series: 4) The thinker, Max Bellarte
• World Cup 2024 Game-changers series: 5) The goal-player supreme, Léo Higuita
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MIGUEL RODRIGO is ready for his last dance with Thailand. The globe-trotting Spanish tactician reveals his futsal inspirations plus hopes and predictions for the World Cup in Uzbekistan