FC Nantes and Fribourg, football with a Brazilian accent - US Sports

Nearly 9,000 kilometers separate Freiburg im Breisgau, in Germany, from Brazil, two points on the globe with few points in common. Or even non-existent. However, in 1994/1995, the proteges of the coach at the time, Volker Finke, were to be nicknamed the « Breisgau-Brasilianer« , them « Brisgau Brazilians » in French, for their exciting game that will shake up the Bundesliga. The same year, FC Nantes, which challenged SC Friborg this Thursday evening in the Europa League, delighted France with football partly inspired by Brazil. « But I was above all and above all inspired by José Arribas« , blows the coach at the time, Jean-Claude Suaudeau. That’s good, the father of « Nantes game« 
was himself inspired by Brazil in 1958. Reportage.

Innovate so as not to sink

No one had seen them coming. Not even them. Promoted the previous season after 15 years spent in the antechamber of the German top flight, Volker Finke’s men managed to keep up with the smallest budget of the Bundesliga. Before surprising and enchanting the 1994/1995 financial year from start to finish. « We always wondered how to keep the club in the first division with the budget we had.describes the technician who remained on the job for 16 years. It was clear that we had to do something other than everyone else, otherwise it would have been, in my opinion, impossible. » Hand in hand with its president, Volker Finke will continue to apply his philosophy. No matter the cost.

We played in one or two touches of the ball and for the Germans, at the beginning of the 1990s, it was not normal.

« Unlike other German clubs from the early 1990s we had a fast gamesays former midfielder Martin Braun. We played in one or two touches of the ball and for the Germans, at the beginning of the 1990s, it was not normal.« To succeed in his business, the German technician, originally a gymnastics teacher, will meticulously build his team. « For example, we did a lot of scouting to get our players like Rodolfo Esteban Cardoso, an Argentinian with an incredible left foothe explains, in impeccable French. I had found him in a small second division team [Hombourg, ndlr] and he became one of the very best players, at home, in Fribourg. He played with a South American, almost Brazilian spirit, even though he was Argentinian.. »

When Bayern were humiliated by the « Brazilians from Brisgau »

Apostle of the game before I, Finke will quickly find the right formula, in 4-4-2 to sign an unexpected start to the season. « We meet Bayern at home from the second dayremembers the ex-midfielder, now coach of TSG Balingen, in the fourth division. Everyone said they were favorites and that we were going down because we had a very small budget. Except thatafter half an hour, we were already leading 3-0« The score will continue to grow until it is 5-1. »It was the starting point of our fantastic season“, he continues.

He never hid being inspired by the Seleção.

Under the spell of this football based on possession and the game of passing quickly until creating a shift and imbalances, journalists and supporters will start to nickname them the « Brisgau Brazilians« . »They called us that for several reasonslists Martin Braun. Among them, there is the fact that Friborg is located in a region, among the hottest in the country where it can be 30 or even 40 in summer. But above all there is the fact that we had a game based on short passing and we monopolized the ball.“A still flattering comparison, almost three decades later for the then German technician.”This way of playing was, I think, a bit like Brazilian football, although we adapted it« , he breathes with great humility. At the same time, and like SC Fribourg, the Canaries also flew over their championship with a game partly inspired by Brazil.

« José Arribas was inspired by Brazil in 1958 »

In the park of Procé, Jean Guillot, Bernard Blanchet or even Sadek Boukhalfa
rehearse their scales and refine their 4-2-4 in the early 60s. Enchanted by Brazil, which he followed from start to finish during the first entirely televised World Cup, José Arribas is convinced to adopt the tactical plan of the Seleção. « He had first tried to reproduce it in his amateur team in Noyen-sur-Sarthe, which he was coaching at the time.explains Bernard Verret, author of a biography on José Arribas: « The game or death », published in July 2020 He had explained to his players how to proceed. He then set it up, gradually, at FC Nantes. »

In terms of talent, I had good players but Brazil had very good players in all positions.

At a time when the vast majority of teams are in WM – which can be transcribed into 3-2-2-3 – or the « catenaccio« Italian based on the defense, the ideas of the father of the »Nantes game » clash. Like the Brazil of 58. « He never hid being inspired by the Seleçãocontinues Verret. From the start in Noyen, he had explained to his players that it was a great tactic, that it allowed all the players to express their qualities to the best of their ability and after a while, everyone had been convinced by this scheme and this way of playing. It was the same thing at FC Nantes then and this 1960s team revolutionized French football. » Follower of Arribas
, Jean-Claude Suaudeau also drew some of his ideas from the game of the Yellows. South Americans. With the same success, the 82/83 and 94/95 seasons akin to goldsmith football. As brilliant as it is meticulous.

« The team is much bigger than the total number of players that make it up »

« It was especially at the level of the changes of rhythm, all of a sudden waves were breaking, they were very fastunderlines the predecessor of Raynald Denoueix about Brazil. It felt like it was the signal for them to speed up. They overwhelmed everyone afterwards. As soon as there was one who dribbled or accelerated, it chained everyone. That was very important and, modestly, I think I managed to reproduce that in Nantes. But not like Brazil, I didn’t only have Brazilians in my team. At the talent level, I had good players but they had very good players in all positions. » « Many were inspired by Brazil but they were impossible to copyconfirms Georges Eo, Suaudeau’s loyal right-hand man. We admired the Brazilians at the time. They were playing like they were having fun. It was really festive their game.« 

He doesn’t just need a big budget and buy very, very expensive players, he especially needs a team.

Finke’s football adopted the same principles. And above all the same philosophy. « Sports discipline in football is very importanthe explains. It is always necessary that each player integrates that it is not me the most important but us__. In modern football, we talk a lot about pressing blah blah but this pressing must always be done collectively for it to be a success. I alone can do nothing. For me, the team is much bigger than the total number of players that make it up and that is very, very important to me. This means that if a team wants to succeed, it doesn’t just need a big budget and buying very, very expensive players, it needs above all a team.“A way of thinking that was quickly convinced by Christian Streich, current coach of SC Freiburg and former technician of the U19s when Finke led the first team, and which allows his protégés to play the leading roles in the Bundesliga. And who knows, d ‘maybe soon again the « Breisgau-Brasilianer« .