“Coelho transformed the damaging emotion of Mirel Rădoi” » Details behind the scenes: the changes of the Portuguese in Craiova
Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published on Thursday, 05 March 2026, 12:30 / Updated on Thursday, 05 March 2026 12:40
The Portuguese Filipe Coelho built further on the “foundation” laid by Mirel Rădoi and the club's management, but his great merit is that he transformed the sometimes harmful emotion that his predecessor transmitted to Craiova's players.
The feeling after Wednesday night's victory over CFR (3-1) is that we haven't seen such a spectacular and mentally strong Craiova University team since the time of Devis Mangia.
After Mangia's departure, many times I even had the conviction that many of the players acquired by the owner Mihai Rotaru, some brought back to the club, others former champions of Romania, with other teams, came to Bănie as if to rest, in a spa resorton a well-paid leave.
Filipe Coelho worked on the mentality of the players
Well, that's not the case anymore. Today's Craiova has a completely different mentality. It is true that the foundation was laid by Mirel Rădoi, with his combative, champion spirit. And no one can deny that. But the University also evolved after his departure, and this is where the credit of this Felipe Coelho comes in.
A Portuguese coach who many initially said would be “one of the many foreigners who arrived in Ligue 1 without knowing a grain of our championship”, and whom they rather labeled as an “interim”, has done a very smart thing.
In parallel with the transition from Radoi's system, 3-5-2, to a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3, Coelho he transformed the sometimes harmful emotion that Mirel conveyed to the Oltenians into a truly competitive one. According to Gazeta sources, the Portuguese approaches the relationship with the players much more relaxed.
Filipe Coelho punished Assad, but did not make a case
If Rădoi became radical in some moments, see the “Baiaram case”, or had some fixations, with reference to Anzor, which seemed unsuitable for his strategy, Coelho is not the rancorous type. Stick to internal discipline, but don't take it to the extreme.
An example: Assad. The striker was late for a training session, and on the day of the match he was not even on the bench! But immediately after that, the coach reintroduced him “into the circuit”, and the Palestinian-Swedish responded with a goal.
Cicâldău and Screciu were reborn, Mora and Baiaram “exploded”
On the other hand, again very important, Coelho does not seem to be a partisan of a particular system. It frees the players from the obsession to strictly follow a certain set-up on the field and insists more on the dynamics of the game, on a quick transition from defense to attack and vice versa.
Which actually takes away some capacity. Mora, Baiaram, Cicâldău and Screciu are the best examples of Craiova's players who, unlike last year, have not only gained an extra speed, but are even more creative.
CFR-ist Adi Păun took the pulse of Craiova: “It is the strongest in the championship”
On Wednesday, CFR Cluj played “Oblemenco” for the second time this season. And Adi Păun, one of the players present at that 1-1 in the championship, said clearly how things are: “Craiova is, by far, the strongest team in the championship. It was also seen today, and in the last match here.
Bravo to them it can be seen that they have a very good team, they have automatisms, they know each other very well. We will try to cause them problems in the play-off, but as a game, overall, Craiova is the favorite”.
