Sebastian Beccacece is a man who finds comfort in the arts – be it film, music or plays. As a football coach, the Argentinian choreographs his team from beyond the touchline and, even from there, he never lets go of his creative vision. That said, as La Tricolor’s strategic composer, he believes that coaching is like writing a screenplay that ultimately belongs to its performers – the players out on the pitch.
Beccacece took time to reflect on the above ahead of the daunting prospect of taking on Mexico in their own footballing theatre in Mexico City on Tuesday. “Coaches create a narrative," the 45-year-old told FIFA. "They imagine or observe something and curate a story that the players can begin to think of as their own. It’s a matter of knowing how to adapt to what you have and, based on the vision you create, choosing what kind of story you will begin to write."
His outlook goes a long way to explaining what football means to him and why he remained so calm, shortly after touching down in the Mexican capital after travelling from Columbus, Ohio, less than 24 hours before this Round of 32 contest.
If Beccacece considers himself a footballing playwright, then the soundtrack for tonight’s fixture would surely be Otra vuelta de tuerca (Another turn of the screw) by Argentine rock band Las Pastillas del Abuelo – one of the songs currently inspiring him, as he explained at his pre-match press conference. That familiar genre of homeland rock permeates his playlists and could well provide the score for his journey to Mexico City Stadium. It has set the tone throughout his tenure, during which he has called on his group to embrace a number of key principles, such as resetting the mind and focusing on the next game while also learning to enjoy the ride.
That mentality proved to be the team’s anchor during the group stage, as Ecuador lost to Côte d’Ivoire, drew with Curaçao and secured an unforgettable victory against Germany – an unexpected medley of results that nevertheless secured their place in the knockout stage. But now, euphoria is making way for focus. “What we were able to achieve just recently is already confined to history," he stressed. "We’re focused on the road ahead.”
That gaze towards the future has proven the most surefire way of silencing the sceptics: “Footballers are used to circumstances like these,” he said. The questions thrown at him threatened to set alarm bells ringing, having centred around the gravity of playing at the storied Mexico City Stadium, the suffocating pressure of a knockout tie and the dangerous underdog label that he was quick to dismiss. Beccacece refused to change his tune: “There are no favourites in football. All that matters is what happens out on the pitch. Everything in the build-up is quickly forgotten.”
This year’s campaign in North America represents Ecuador’s fifth at the World Cup. Their best showing to date came at Germany 2006, when they made it through to the Round of 16. In a few hours’ time, they will face Mexico at a ground that has become something of a fortress for the co-hosts. “I want us to show character, stand up and be counted when we come under pressure and show respect for the opposition," he said.
It seems reasonable to suggest that his playbook looks set for its greatest test yet. If Ecuador are to progress and make a date with history in the last 16, then they will have to add more than a twist to a plot that their coach freely concedes has not been written with them in mind. They will need to draw on their own sources of inspiration if they are to rewrite the story on a night seemingly tilted towards the co-hosts. If they manage to pull it off, they will return to the same stadium on Sunday – when it will feel much less like foreign turf.
“We are going to stick to our game irrespective of the circumstances and the noise around it," he affirmed. "I trust in the group and I’m feeling optimistic because of the work we’ve put in."
Sources: FIFA Official
