I’m writing this from a place I rarely allow myself to reach.

A quiet resort, hidden deep in Argentina, the kind of place where no one asks about xG, league tables, or whether the press resistance is high enough. No phones ringing. No training pitches in sight. Just stillness. And time.

Time to think.

Because the truth is this: due to our performances, our next competitive match is 66 days away. That fact alone carries weight. It forces reflection whether you want it or not. So I made a decision. I sent everyone away. Two full weeks. No football. No analysis. No pressure. Just rest. Then we come back together for a full month of work, real work, to set things right.

And in this silence, the questions arrived.

Have I been too rigid?
Is the system protecting the players or exposing them?
Did I ask too much, too quickly, of the new signings?
Am I teaching principles… or demanding obedience?

I replay matches in my head more than highlights. The moments before we concede. The spaces we leave. The risks we accept. I ask myself if my ideology still serves the group, or if the group is bending itself to serve the ideology.

I look at the signings and ask uncomfortable things. Did I integrate them fast enough? Did I explain clearly enough what I expect, not just tactically but emotionally? Did I forget that January signings don’t arrive into systems, they arrive into environments?

And then there are the young players. The ones who look at me like this is all possible, like belief alone can bend reality. Am I protecting them enough? Or am I throwing them into the fire because I believe pressure accelerates growth?

These are not easy questions. And I won’t pretend they don’t shake me.

But doubt, when faced honestly, does something important.

It clarifies.

Because after all the questioning, after all the self-criticism, one thing refuses to leave me: I still believe.

I believe in dominating the ball because fear lives in chaos, not control.
I believe in attacking with courage, because retreat invites collapse.
I believe in trusting young players, because history never belongs to the cautious.
And I believe that problems are solved through work, not compromise.

Yes, we will adjust. Details always change. Distances, timing, roles, those are my responsibility. But the foundation? That stays. I will not abandon an identity because of a difficult stretch. I will refine it. Strengthen it. Demand more from it and from myself.

The players will return soon. Some older. Some new. Some still learning what this level demands. And I am ready for them.

This break has emptied me and filled me again.

I feel clear. I feel restless. I feel ready.

The next chapter starts on the training ground. And when we return, we return with conviction.

Back to work.