« Cold Head, Warm Heart ». Coach Abel Ferreira’s famous mantra shaped the personality of the Palm treeswho have become a team that doesn’t seem to despair even in the middle of the toughest game and shows no signs of calming down and relaxing even after winning a title or a difficult victory.
It is in this rhythm that Palmeiras has « swept » Brazil and South America with no less than seven titles over the past four years.
Under the command of the Portuguese, Verdão lifted two trophies from the Conmebol Libertadoresa cup of South American RecopaUN Brazil CupUN Brazil ChampionshipUN Brazil Super Cup it’s a Paulista Championship.
Despite the success of the athletes, the technical commission and the management of Palmeiras, there is a figure who does not appear in front of the cameras, but who was indispensable for the victorious period of the São Paulo team and in the preparation of the so-called « Crias da Academia ».
Gisèle Silva, psychologist in Palmeiras since 2009 and four years ago, working with the main Verdão team, according to an interview with ESPN and explained how the interaction and work aligned daily with the technical commission of Abel Ferreira has been.
“The work is fully aligned with the technical commission. The role of the psychologist in (Site notre bureau spécialisé) must start from the reasoning of the committee so that the process of psychological preparation is in line with what is proposed”.
“I participate in most actions involving psychological or motivational issues so that we can assess together the content and the impact it may have on the team”.
« I always say that helping the athlete in his psychological preparation is the responsibility of everyone who works with him, because words of welcome and encouragement are essential to help him focus on the challenges of the big games. », Explains Gisèle.
A good example of the subject during Abel Ferreira’s conference ahead of the Brazilian Super Cup decider against Flamengo, in Brasilia.
On occasion, the coaching staff prepared a specific phrase for each athlete on the team, not just the associated names, congratulating them and giving everyone confidence in front of their teammates.
Moreover, the Portuguese clarifies in his interviews since his arrival in Brazil that Palmeiras has neither a starter nor a reserve, clarifies that everyone has the same opportunity and the same room for growth at the club.
« As a psychologist, individual interventions are essential to understand how to comment on the athlete to psychologically prepare for the game, if he is comfortable, if there is a situation that could disturb the level of concentration or generate insecurities » .
“If there is, work will be carried out to adjust what may be at the origin of this emotional destabilization. The work proposal will always be directed so that the athlete has clarity in his actions and focuses exclusively on the strategy defined for his role in the game,” he said.
In recent years, some Palmeiras athletes have admitted to resorting to psychological work at the club due to drops in performance, lack of confidence or even serious injuries suffered.
Working with Blessed Athletes
In 2022 Verdão has seen athletes like Raphael Veiga, prison e boy he returns to the medical service after serious injuries, which could jeopardize the organization of the group throughout the season.
Gisèle explained the work process is adapted to each case and explained the step by step that is carried out with the player so that in addition to the physical injury, the athlete returns to the field with great confidence to perform the work, without fear of encountering a new problem.
“The follow-up is divided according to the stage of the injury and is carried out daily. In the beginning, you have to accept the suffering that involves being out of competition, rearranging the routine and working to ensure that the athlete adheres to medical protocols”.
“In many cases we carry out consultations with the health area so that they understand exactly what happened and why it is important to respect the proposed protocols,” he explained.
« Second, it’s about monitoring how he’s handling the new routine and, finally, the transition back to activities and the insecurities that entail that phase. »
« At all times, we monitor the emotional state and encourage the athlete to maintain their mental training routine and psychologically review the actions they perform during the match. »
Work carried out with foreign athletes
Also last season, Palmeiras accepted the arrival of some athletes from outside the country to the club.
In addition to counting until recently with the defense Benjamin KucevicNegotiate with the coritibaand with the striker Miguel Merentielwhich is everything Boca JuniorsVerdão still has foreigners Gustavo Gomez, Joaquim Piquerez, Eduard Atuesta and ‘Flaco’ Lopez.
Some names are still taking the process of adaptation and still not meeting expectations on the ground. Gisèle explained that there is specific work to be done with non-Brazilian athletes and that adaptation is a key point in their growth on the pitch.
“The jobs are always based on the specific needs of each athlete. In the case of foreigners, our concern extends to several other adaptation issues: culture change, style of play, support network, language”.
« The idea is to prepare them to adapt as quickly as possible to the club, but also to guide the areas involved on how each can help in this process taking into account the individualities of each athlete », to -he explains.
“In these cases, one of the most urgent actions is to make the athlete aware of the rules and philosophy of the club, to ask the coach to explain the style of play and to provide feedback throughout the game. adaptation process. We explain a little about the profile of Brazilian athletes, the work profile of the commission and the sooner he understands these facts, the faster his adaptation will be”.
Using Base Categories
At Palmeiras since 2009, Gisele worked with the club’s youth team between 2012 and 2020. Over the past few years, Alviverde has become one of Brazil’s most revealing talent squads and enabled the so-called Academy to assume leading roles. .
There were cases of names like Patrick de Paula, Gabriel Menino, Danilo, Gabriel Veron, Wesley, Vanderlan, Giovani and Endrick, among other talents available from the Verdão base. However, with few exceptions, some jewels showed behavioral issues and were traded by the club.
Asked about the work with the basic categories, the professional explained that there is a conflict between the athlete who begins his adult life and the creation of a personality and a way of life.
Despite the difficulties encountered, Gisèle explains that a large part of the work is optimized on the awareness of each person’s actions.
“You have to remember that before being athletes, they are people who are coming out of adolescence and starting their adult life. At this point, we need to be concerned about awareness of the consequences of their actions and we are monitoring that closely.”
« The personality of each and the people around the athlete can influence personal choices, but Palmeiras spares no effort to raise awareness about the care of the image and the professional career, since these two issues are linked », said its conclusion.
Next matches of Palmeiras:
Corinthians X Palm trees – 02/16 – 9:30 p.m.
Palm trees X Red Bull Bragantino – 22/02 – 9:35 p.m.
Palm trees X railway – 02/26 – 6:30 p.m.
