by Mantas Aliukonis
Football often celebrates success without fully understanding the contexts behind it. João Prates has experienced both sides of the game – winning titles and fighting to survive.
Across a coaching career that spans five different countries, the 52-year-old Portuguese coach has been involved in eight relegation battles, while also achieving championship success, working in environments where pressure, instability and minimal margins for error are part of everyday life. These experiences shaped a leadership profile built on clarity, emotional control and competitive consistency.
Lithuania represents one of those important chapters. During a year and a half at Džiugas Telšiai, where he started working in June 2022, Prates quickly gained the trust of the local environment, combined competitiveness with youth development and helped stabilise the team in the A Lyga – a league that demands resilience, adaptability and strong collective identity.
Holder of the UEFA Pro Licence and currently based in Portugal, João Prates agreed to share his views on leadership, context and football philosophy in an open interview, while also reflecting on a possible return to the Baltic market – a region he knows well and openly values for its football culture, competitive spirit and unique challenges.
– How did football come into your life? Which players inspired you to choose the football path?
– Football entered my life very early. I grew up in the Algarve, and the passion around Farense and its supporters had a strong impact on me when I was five or six years old. Experiencing that emotional connection to the game marked me deeply and led me to start playing football. Over the years, what began as passion gradually became commitment, and later, a profession.
I was fortunate to watch many exceptional players from different generations – Platini, Zico, Careca, Figo, Rui Costa, Zidane, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, among others. But the player who influenced me the most, and who remains the best I have ever seen, was Maradona. Not only because of his talent, but because of his ability to decide matches and carry responsibility in the most demanding moments.
– Which position did you played as a pro and in which countries did you lived as a player and later as a coach?
– I played as a goalkeeper, a position that shaped my understanding of the game from a global and strategic perspective. Being a goalkeeper forces you to read the game, manage space, communicate constantly and take responsibility under pressure – elements that strongly influence my coaching approach.
As a player, my experience was based in Portugal. As a coach, I have worked in different football and cultural environments, including Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Lithuania and, most recently, Iraq. These experiences helped me develop adaptability, cultural sensitivity and the ability to lead teams in very different competitive contexts.
– If you weren’t in football, what would you do in life?
– It would be difficult to imagine my life outside football. It has been my passion from an early age and the field where I feel most fulfilled. That said, my interest has always been in performance environments and human behaviour.
I am trained in Sports Psychology, which complements my coaching work, especially in leadership, communication and group dynamics. Currently, I am also completing a Director of Football course to deepen my understanding of the game from a strategic and organisational perspective.
Football was never just a job option for me – it was a clear vocation, and I chose to prepare myself academically and professionally to perform at the highest level possible.
– Had you reached your coaching peak?
– No. I believe a coach never truly reaches his peak. Experience gives you clarity, but ambition keeps you evolving.
Today I feel more complete – more balanced in decision-making, more consistent in leadership and more aware of how to manage people and processes under pressure. I am not chasing a peak moment; I am building sustained performance over time.
– Do you get nervous before a match? How emotional you are?
– No. I usually sleep very well before matches. Preparation is done beforehand, and once the game starts, execution belongs to the players. A coach depends on his players, and my focus during the match is clarity and decision-making, not anxiety.
After the game, emotions naturally become stronger. That is when reflection begins – analysing what worked, what did not, what needs to improve and which individual conversations are necessary with players.
Throughout my career, I have mostly worked in high-pressure contexts, especially fighting relegation. Those environments teach you emotional control, perspective and resilience, and they shape your ability to lead calmly when the stakes are high.
How did you get to Lithuania and what was your first impression when you arrived here?
– I arrived in Lithuania through an agent. From the beginning, I approached the experience without fixed expectations. Each country has its own culture, and it is the coach’s responsibility to adapt, understand and respect the context. My first priority was to get to know the club internally – its organisation, people and working conditions. Very quickly, I understood that there was a clear ambition to grow, and that alignment made the project both challenging and motivating.
To live in little town Telšiai wasn’t boring for you?
– Not at all. Living in Telšiai was a pleasure. It is a calm and safe city, surrounded by beautiful nature, and I keep very positive professional and personal memories from that period.
For a coach, feeling settled and balanced is important to perform at a high level. Telšiai allowed exactly that – focus on work, routine and commitment. In one word, I truly enjoyed my time there, and I would certainly like to visit again.
Had you any job offers in Lithuanian market after leaving Džiugas?
– In football there are always informal conversations, mostly through agents, exploring whether certain projects could be of interest. However, there was no concrete proposal at that moment. For me, timing and project alignment are essential. I am careful with decisions and prefer to wait for the right context rather than move without a clear sporting vision.
– Speaking of your favourite tactics. Can you tell us more about them? How have football tactics changed since you started playing football or watched football on TV as a child?
– Every coach has his own ideas, and in theory they are always perfect. Reality, however, is different. In my view, the key is adapting those ideas to the characteristics of the players you have in each club. That is what allows you to achieve objectives in a consistent way.
Everyone likes to talk about tactics and systems, but clubs and contexts are different. For me, the most important element is not the system, but the mental and behavioural principles that define how I want my teams to play. Commitment, courage and work ethic are non-negotiable in my way of working.
Football has evolved enormously. The physical demands are higher, there is much more data available for analysis and scouting, and players today relate to the game very differently compared to 15 years ago. This requires coaches to constantly adapt, update their methods and understand the game as a living, evolving process.
– And if we talk about specific, conservative tactical schemes (like 4-4-2). What is your attitude towards them?
– Tactical systems are only the starting point of what happens in the game. They are not rigid structures. If we analyse matches in detail, we rarely see a pure system, because football is dynamic and made of different moments.
A team may start in a 4-4-2, but during build-up it can easily become a 3-2-5, depending on positioning, behaviours and game moments. That is why, for me, the system is always a reference point, not an objective in itself.
What truly defines a team are its principles and sub-principles – the idea of the game we want to implement. At the same time, any system must be built according to the characteristics of the players. The players come first; the structure serves them, not the other way around.
– Speaking of the team’s microclimate and locker room issues. I recently read a very old interview with the famous New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel (1890-1975), who said that the main target of coaching is not to allow five or six guys who play very little or not at all to gather in a group and poison the minds of other team members. Do you agree with this idea?
– I agree with the essence of what Casey Stengel described. One of the coach’s main responsibilities is to manage players who play less, because they are often the most exposed to frustration and disengagement.
Within a squad there are always different emotional states. Usually, there are 11 players who are satisfied and require very little conversation. Those on the bench are somewhere in between. And then there are the players who are not selected, who are genuinely unhappy. This is part of football.
From that point on, everything depends on the player’s character. Some players use frustration in a positive way, work harder and try to prove the coach wrong. Others react by sulking, creating groups and trying to turn dissatisfied players against the coach and against the collective.
I have very clear rules for myself. I am always honest with players. I know that this honesty is not always well accepted in the moment, because every player believes he is better than his teammate. But clarity is non-negotiable for me.
My rule is to speak three times with a player about behaviours or attitudes that I consider harmful to the group. If after those three conversations the player does not understand or change, he is no longer part of the group.
For me, the team is always above the individual. A player does not sign a contract to play; he signs a contract to represent the club and respect the collective principles.
If two players work well to earn a place, the decision belongs to the coach. If one works well and the other does not, then the decision belongs to the player himself. In the end, this is the reality inside a locker room.
– Speaking of dedication. If a player does not give 100% of himself in training. What do you do in this case?
– My first step is always communication. As I mentioned before, I prioritise individual conversations with players, where I am honest about their strengths and also very clear about the areas they need to improve.
After that, it depends on the player’s response. Football is competition, and a player who does not give at least 100% in his daily work will naturally struggle to earn playing time. Commitment is non-negotiable.
For that reason, I prefer to work with a balanced and relatively short squad, around 22 players, where competition for places is real and healthy. At the same time, I like to keep the door open for academy players to step in, because internal competition and development must always be part of the club’s identity.
– Why don’t we have good football specialists in Lithuania? Is this due to the lack of a football coaching school, or do those children, who simply realize at some point that there is no one to compete and progress in Lithuania and, after graduating school, they no longer connect themselves with this sport? And what to do for athletes of average abilities who reveal themselves late?
– I do not agree with the idea that Lithuania does not have good football specialists. There are clear examples of quality work. I remember Garastas with Kaunas, a team with strong principles. Cepas in Šiauliai, with very good tactical organisation. I also remember with great appreciation the matches between Džiugas and Šiauliai – competitive, emotional games, well prepared by both teams.
Skerla developed an offensive style of football, and Jankauskas, in my opinion, is doing an excellent job with the national team, giving it a clear identity. Some may say, “but the team keeps losing”. However, football cannot be analysed without understanding context – at national team level and at club level.
What I believe may be missing is not quality, but context and exposure. Coaches, like players, are shaped by the environments they work in. It is very different to coach Žalgiris or Kaunas, with budgets that allow access to better players, than to coach Džiugas, where objectives and resources are completely different. The same applies to national teams.
If Pep Guardiola were coaching Džiugas, he would face the same difficulties as Andrius. Context matters. Football is not different from life – environment influences performance.
My objective at Džiugas was to keep the team in the A Lyga so that the club could continue to grow within the Lithuanian elite. Coaching Žalgiris would imply completely different objectives.
We also see positive examples abroad, such as Kotryna, who is doing excellent work with the Uzbekistan women’s national team.
Therefore, I believe the issue is not a lack of specialists, but rather the need for the right contexts and opportunities for them to prove their quality – especially for players and coaches who develop later.
– Speaking about the Lithuanian championship. What championship could and should Lithuania emulate?
I don’t believe in copying championships directly. Each country has its own reality, culture and limitations. What matters is choosing references that are compatible with Lithuania’s scale and context.
In my view, leagues such as Norway or Iceland are good references. These are countries with small populations, difficult weather conditions and limited resources, yet they have built strong football identities based on intensity, organisation, physical preparation and a clear pathway from youth football to the first team.
Lithuania should focus on strengthening its identity rather than trying to imitate leagues that operate on a completely different economic and cultural level. Competitive balance, player development, coaching education and a clear connection between clubs and the national teams are key pillars.
With realistic objectives, patience and consistency, the Lithuanian championship can continue to grow in a sustainable way and become more competitive internationally.
– Have you ever seen fights in your teams? Maybe you remember any story?
Tension exists in every team. Football is competition, and competition naturally creates emotional moments. It has happened in the past and it will happen in the future. Training must be competitive, because players need to fight for their place. A player who does not understand this probably chose the wrong profession.
I remember one situation that started with two players after a hard challenge. The tension escalated and it was becoming difficult to control. I immediately stopped the training session and asked both players to leave the pitch.
I told them clearly that personal issues could not interfere with the work of the group. Training belongs to everyone, not to individual conflicts. They stayed outside, spoke to each other, and by the time the session ended, the issue was resolved.
For me, the key is to act quickly, protect the collective and turn moments of tension into moments of responsibility.
– Is there a big jealousy in men’s teams and football collectives?
I don’t see it mainly as jealousy or envy. Football environments are made of human beings, and it is normal for players to feel disappointment or frustration when they are not playing.
Those emotions are part of competition and ambition. The key difference is how they are managed. When there is clarity, fairness and open communication, frustration does not turn into jealousy or negativity.
In my experience, most problems do not come from envy, but from lack of understanding of roles and expectations. When players know where they stand and what they need to improve, the collective remains healthy.
– Do you have any superstitions during or against your matches?
I believe in preparation and consistency of work. That is what truly builds confidence.
That said, football is also made of moments and symbols. When something positive happens around the team and creates a good feeling, I don’t see a problem in respecting that moment.
I remember a story with Andrius, who is now the head coach of Džiugas. Before our last match against Panevėžys, his son had given him a small toy car. That game went very well for us. For that match, we placed the toy car in front of the bench. It ended up being a decisive game that secured our place in the play-offs.
I still keep that toy car today, offered to me by Andrius. Not as a superstition, but as a reminder of a shared moment, team spirit and the emotional side of football. Preparation comes first – symbols simply remind us why we do what we do.
How are you as a coach during games? Do you get heated or ever clash with referees?
I am passionate and emotionally involved during games – that is natural in football. Emotion is part of competition.
However, I strongly believe that emotional intensity must always be balanced with control and respect. I may express disagreement in the heat of the moment, but never in a way that disrespects referees or harms the team.
Experience has taught me that losing emotional control on the touchline does not help players or results. My role is to protect the team, not to create additional problems. Intensity is important; discipline is essential.
– Do you often shout at your players? Is it helps?
Yes, it happens. Football is an emotional and competitive environment. We are talking about winning and losing, about responsibility and intensity. Sometimes players need to be awakened in the moment.
That said, shouting is a tool, not a method. It only makes sense when it is contextual, fair and directed at performance, not at the person.
Coaching is not theatre. It is about demanding standards, focus and commitment. But real leadership is knowing when to raise your voice and, more importantly, when a calm and clear message will have a stronger impact.
– What was your less favourite exercise during training as a player?
Running around the pitch without the ball. In my view, it adds very little to football performance.
Football is about decision-making, intensity with purpose, and understanding the game. Physical work is essential, of course, but it should always be connected to the ball and to game situations.
– And as a coach?
As a coach, I have the advantage of designing and controlling the training process. For that reason, what I dislike the most is not an exercise itself, but a lack of dedication and commitment during training.
At the same time, I believe a coach must also be self-critical. If intensity drops, I always analyse whether the session was well designed: if the space was adequate, if the number of players was correct, and if the objectives of the exercise were clearly understood.
Training must flow, challenge the players and have a clear purpose. Demanding commitment from players also requires demanding clarity and quality from ourselves as coaches.
– The most annoying question for journalists
I wouldn’t say annoying, but perhaps repetitive. The constant focus on short-term results without looking at context, process and development can be limiting.
Football is not built in one week or one match. Behind every result there is preparation, decision-making and work that is not always visible from the outside.
I understand the role of journalists, and results will always matter. But the most interesting questions are those that try to understand how and why, not only what happened.
– Speaking about your ambitions. What are the chances that next season we will see you, let’s say, in the Baltic market? Maybe even returning to Lithuania?
I am open to returning to the Baltic market, including Lithuania, if the right project appears. I have a strong connection with the region and positive memories from my previous experience.
That said, for me the most important factor is not geography, but the project itself. I look for clarity of objectives, alignment with the club’s vision and conditions that allow real work to be done — both in the short and medium term.
I am motivated by projects that involve building, stabilising and developing teams, especially in demanding contexts. If such a project exists in the Baltic market, I would certainly be open to that challenge.
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